We’ve watched 34 new films in a row since we started this series in March. However, we’ve finally run out of films that fit the rubric. 

So, November is a choose-your-own-cinematic-adventure month. The below four films don’t really merit much discussion, but fit our rubric in other ways: they’re recent and deal with religion in some way, and they’re all relatively big productions with serious star power; there’s just not as much to discuss. They’re also more adult in content and a couple are on the long side, so also better for viewing at home. Take your pick each week, or please see the alternatives at the end of this note.

Two recent films that show men dealing with real-world battles (one literally, the other legally), while relying heavily on their faith to get them through are GREYHOUND and DARK WATERS.

GREYHOUND is only available if you subscribe to Apple TV+ (you can always unsubscribe after you watch), but stars the amazing Tom Hanks as a WWII navy captain tasked with shepherding a fleet of ships across the Atlantic while under attack by German subs. The film opens and closes with the captain saying daily prayers from Martin Luther’s Short Catechism, he has a picture of Jesus on his mirror with the verse from Hebrews, “He is the same yesterday, today and forever,” and he quotes from scripture as a guide for discernment more than once.  Note when his pencil breaks as he is writing his usual “God speed,” and the screen reads for a second: GOOD GOD.

DARK WATERS deals with the lawyer who fought DuPont poisoning communities’ water supplies, and — at main actor and producer Mark Ruffalo’s insistence — shows positive references to faith, multiple scenes of the lawyer worshiping in church, and how his humble demeanor and perseverance win the case and his life. (Also seek out JUST MERCY, a fine adaptation of the book we’re reading in book group, but which is unrelated to faith.)

A more edgy double-feature for the cinematically adventurous, and in the spirit of Flannery O’Connor who we studied a few weeks back, is the duo of THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME and READY OR NOT. 

The adaptation of Donald Ray Pollock’s acclaimed novel The Devil All The Time is as drenched with bloody religion and holy violence as are O’Connor’s stories. Pollock narrates the film adaptation as well, which adds to its allure. It was Netflix’s most-watched film when it was released, perhaps because of the cast. 

READY OR NOT is a comic horror film that ends up being centered around a rich family that had made a Faustian deal with the devil for their worldly success and must pay. It’s more cartoonish in its gory violence, and has more of a class critique rather than being about religion, but “old Nick” proves to be hilariously real in the end.

Links to stream, plus some supporting materials:

GREYHOUND (PG-13, 91 min.):

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/greyhound

Luther’s Daily Prayers:

https://catechism.cph.org/en/daily-prayers.html

DARK WATERS (PG-13, 126 min.):

https://catechism.cph.org/en/daily-prayers.html

THE DEVIL ALL THE TIME (R, 138 min.):

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/the-devil-all-the-time

More about the book:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Devil_All_the_Time

READY OR NOT (R, 95 min.):

https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/ready-or-not-2019

The cultural motif of the Faustian bargain:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deal_with_the_Devil