53: A Different Way of Watching

A Special Guest Post with recommendations to Begin the New Year

Happy New Year! We’re ushering in 2023 with a Guest Post from Brian Ammons, Gareth’s chief viewing partner, and whose essay below Kathleen & Gareth are both excited for Soul Telegram readers to read:

I don’t tend to do a lot of writing about movies.  That’s really Gareth’s thing, but more often than not I’m the person sitting beside him while he’s watching those movies, and the person in conversation with him on the drive home or on the sofa after the credits roll.  I’ve also taught courses about both religion and schooling in film — so I’ve developed enough of an eye that I can at least thoughtfully engage.

Our tastes overlap a lot, though not completely — and we both bring the lenses of our training with us.  He’s always watching for how conflict is handled, and I’m always watching for how power is negotiated (particularly in relation to gender, race, and class).  The two often intersect.