JUST FYI POD
SEASON 1: EPISODE 1: “Welcome + Our 20 Most Spiritually Significant Films of All Time: #20”
Over a decade ago, I was introduced to author and pioneering Catholic blogger Amy Welborn. We have been friends ever since, not least because we have similar (if not identical) aesthetic interests and tastes. This compatibility comes out in different ways. For example, she’ll write about Christopher Nolan’s new film Oppenheimer (2023), and I’ll find myself doing the same. Or I’ll send her a chapter from my upcoming book Man of Pain: A Novel, and she’ll send me a chapter from one of her new projects. In short, Amy is a real one, whose incisive intellect and existential authenticity I have come to appreciate and to admire.
When I told Amy that my family and I were moving back to Alabama, I floated the idea of collaborating on something—maybe a podcast. She was game. So, this summer, we met for lunch at The Rougaroux in Birmingham and batted around a few ideas. We agreed that something on “theology and culture” or “religion and culture” would be ideal, but where to begin? Literature? Nah, too esoteric, at least at the start. Politics? Nah, not a hill that we’re ready to die on, at least not yet! Sports? Nah, not her thing. Eventually, while still planning to engage various topics in the future, we decided to begin with “theology and film.” Our mission is fairly straightforward: we’re going to discuss/debate what we consider the 20 most “spiritually significant” films of all time. In our first episode, we will start with #20, and in subsequent episodes we will work our way towards #1. This task will constitute our entire first season. It’s going to take some time, then, but we hope you will join us along the way. Please subscribe, and feel free to share and comment generously.
Amy’s first selection is William Wyler’s The Best Years of Our Lives (1946). My first selection is Ingmar Bergman’s Winter Light (Nattvardsgästerna, 1963). Both speak to the cultural/spiritual fallout from World War II, albeit in different ways. In terms of “show notes,” please see the details and links below:
Just FYI Pod on Spotify:
Just FYI Pod on Apple:
Pretty psyched to hear this!
I am so glad you guys are doing this. What a great start -- I can't wait to watch this first movie!