The Philosophy of Movies

Why is Werner Herzog one of the greatest film directors of the last fifty years? This episode will discuss a few of Herzog movies and a couple of his major ideas. I will give you great recommendations about which Herzog movies to watch first. My video of Herzog's Top 10 movies. The Sight and Sound poll Top 100 list (on which "Aguirre, Wrath of God" appears). the Romantic Sublime Werner Herzog movies that I mention: My Best Fiend Aguirre, Wrath of God Fitzcarraldo Nosferatu the Vampyre Lessons of Darkness Grizzly Man The White Diamond

What do the Godfather and Terrence Malick's "The Tree of Life" have in common? I talk to Dr. Walker Cosgrove about his argument that the great Italian poet Dante Alighieri has influenced not just the Godfather trilogy, but also Malick himself and the great 2011 movie "Of Gods and Men." Whether you've seen these movies or not, this is a fun, wide-ranging conversation. There are spoilers within.

Why are villains in children's movies changing? Some recent kids movies have villains who are redeemed in the end, while others have no villain at all. I talk about this with my special guest this episode is Dr. Tom Clark, mathematics professor at Dordt University. (He and I both have young children, so we are well-versed in contemporary kids' movie fare.) Our conversation ranges from Toy Story 4, to Coco, to Frozen, to Ratatouille and Inside Out. SPOILER ALERT: we will assume that you are okay with us discussing the entirety of those movies, including the ending.

In honor of my upcoming 40th birthday, I consider which movies were among the most influential in my life and why. There might be a few surprises. Also, write in to me and tell which movies influenced you the most.

This episode discusses the simplistic politics of "Joker," the controversial new movie starring Joaquin Phoenix. As well, I highly recommend "Ikiru" and make fun of this episode's Stupid Fun Movie, "Marathon Man."

I'll tell you why "Ad Astra," the new Brad Pitt-in-space movie, is overhyped and not worth anyone's time. I'll also give movie recommendations about Robocop (1987), The New World (2005), and Revenge (1989).