HBO

Conspiracies Vindicated! Friends Reunion

June 2, 2021 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

What happens when a “conspiracy” is vindicated? In this episode of the Your Sunday Drive podcast, we take a look at the Wuhan coronavirus lab leak hypothesis and its fascinating transformation from shunned conspiracy to legitimate possibility over the course of the past year.

Along the way we discuss other conspiracies that have turned out to be accurate or otherwise gained credibility, including the Christian faith itself. Also included: How to be a good friend to someone under the influence of a more radical strain of thinking, why to keep friends of varied perspectives and other related epistemological best practices.

Continuing the theme of friendship, we unpack the recent Friends reunion show on HBO. Was it good or bad? How do shows like Friends connect to our different phases of life? What are the benefits and dangers of nostalgia? Is Nate more a Ross, Joey or Chandler?

Come along for Your Sunday Drive – quick conversation about current events, politics, pop culture and more, from the perspective of a couple of guys trying to follow Jesus.

Hosts: Matt Hill and Nate Polzin. Presented by the Church in Drive of Saginaw, MI, as often as possible. Please visit churchindrive.com and facebook.com/thechurchindrive

Alabama Snake – Death by Faith?

December 9, 2020 by Darrel Manson Leave a Comment

“Do you think we believe what we want?”

“It may be the other way around; we believe things whether we want to or not.”

Theo Love’s true crime doc Alabama Snake is a search for truth amidst conflicting accounts. Finding the truth may rest more on what we believe and what we believe about the people involved than on what facts we come across. It could also be that those involved have come to believe their stories whether they are factual or not.

On October 4, 1991, a crime was reported in Scottsboro, Alabama. EMTs went to a rural home and found Darlene Summerford in very grave condition from a snakebite. She managed to survive, but soon thereafter her husband Glenn was arrested for attempted murder. Glenn Summerford was the pastor at a Pentecostal church that included snake handling. He kept various snakes in the home. Darlene’s story is that Glenn forced her to put her hand in the cage of one of the snakes. Glenn says Darlene was trying to kill herself. Can we tell who is telling the truth?

The story is related with conversations with witnesses to the events and through reenactments. Much of the film is based on research done by Dr. Thomas G. Burton, a now retired academic who had a particular interest in Appalachian life. Among those we meet as this tale unfolds are the paramedics who responded to the emergency call; the current police chief in Scottsboro, who was a young officer at the time; the lead investigator in the case, now retired; the court reporter from Glenn’s trial; Glenn’s first wife, Doris; and Glenn and Darlene’s son, Marty. We also hear Darlene tell her story on camera, and hear Glenn’s version on tapes that Dr. Burton made in his study of the story. Burton also gives us insight into the culture of snake handling churches.

The film is essentially a true crime film, but because of the religious aspects of the story, we do learn a bit about the practice and the biblical reasons for it. These religious aspects are presented without judgments as to their appropriateness or critical biblical understanding. The idea of handling snakes in churches is based in the textually dubious Longer Ending of the Gospel of Mark (Mark 16:9-20). For those outside the Holiness and Pentecostal tradition, the scenes of snake handling may seem bizarre, but for some this is an important expression of faith.

Another religious aspect deals with Glenn Summerford’s life story. Glenn had a history of violence and brawling. But about halfway through the story, he finds redemption and new life. We are told that his life changed, but we may also see evidence that there was little change, that he continued to act violently, especially when drinking. When we hear Glenn tell his version of events, he continues to speak with a faith-filled understanding of events, even as he sees himself wrongly accused.

Is this story anything other than a look into an obscure religious practice that is mostly (although not totally) confined to poor rural areas? Actually, it is hardly that at all. These religious traditions are really only the backdrop into the search for truth in the crime story. Searching for truth is often more than just about facts. It can also be about which sets of facts we are willing to accept and for what reason. Are we more likely to believe or disbelieve people who view handling snakes as a gift given them by the Holy Spirit? Do we judge them by their pasts, or by their socioeconomic situations?

Perhaps a key question we should ask ourselves in watching a film like Alabama Snake is where we see ourselves and our own understandings of faith. As Dr. Burton says in the prologue to the film, “I find that in collecting their life stories, traditions, and beliefs, it’s really one way of understanding our own history.”

Alabama Snake is available on HBO.

Photos courtesy of HBO.

The Mystery of D.B. Cooper: Mythologizing Our Villains

November 25, 2020 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

There really is something fascinating about true crime stories. W

From Unsolved Mysteries to Tiger King, there is something truly engaging about listening to stories that seem too wild to be true. However, in the history of mysteries, one man stands out as the biggest question mark of all. Known for his daring robbery from 10 000 feet, D.B. Cooper remains the only unsolved airplane hijacking in FBI history.

Now, almost 50 years later, Emmy-nominated filmmaker John Dower (Thrilla in Manilla, My Scientology Movie) revives the epic enigma in his latest documentary, The Mystery of D.B. Cooper. Focusing on four primary suspects, Dower gives voice to family and friends who believe passionately that their friend or relative is the same man who hijacked a 727 flying out of Portland, OR, stole $200, 000 and four parachutes, daringly jumped out of the plan and disappeared forever.

Wisely, Dower steps back and allows the stories of his witnesses to take centre stage. With each parallel revelation and conflicting confession, the mystery grows as each testimony claims to know the truth behind the FBI’s most famous wanted man. Rather than attempt to conjure up some conclusion or lean towards any one particular voice, Dower allows each potential suspect the possibility that they are (or were) the infamous Cooper. Like the most captivating mystery stories, this one intentionally leaves more questions than answers as it leans into the many unknowns about this particular case. In D.B. Cooper, truth is relative and highly subjective to the point that it’s impossible to separate fact from fiction.

Though, perhaps the most fascinating aspect of the documentary does not even stem from the testimonials themselves but from the fact that every one of them (and many others) want to be known as the escaped criminal. Like Robin Hood or Butch and Sundance, Dower points out that the legend of DB Cooper has been mythologized within our culture as some form of folk hero. Despite the fact that he broke the law and terrified his victims, Cooper has become celebrated for his ability to get away with his crime. (Interestingly, Dower likens this alternate view to the fact that so many struggle financially and therefore view him as one who broke free from ‘the Man’.)

In many ways, it also seems strange. After all, let’s not forget that people were actually in danger during the heist. Yet, at the same time, there seems to be something culturally cathartic about pulling off ‘the big heist’ which creates a sense of wonder around their wrongdoings. As the legend of these ‘heroes’ continues to grow, it’s fascinating to watch public opinion surrounding men like Cooper shift from angst to awe and villainy becomes heroism.

In the end, like the shadowy man himself, there’s something enthralling about The Mystery of DB Cooper. While the film offers no answers regarding his identity, those unanswered questions are entirely the point of the film. Though the crime may have taken place almost 50 years ago, John Dower prudently allows the conflicting voices that claim to know the whole story to take centre stage and, in doing so, gives even greater weight to the enigma that is D.B. Cooper.

The Mystery of DB Cooper is now playing on HBO Max.

Big Little Lies: Digital HD Giveaway

May 12, 2017 by Jacob Sahms 5 Comments

Based on Liane Moriarty’s book of the same name, Big Little Lies explores the darkest secrets of a circle of otherwise ‘normal’ moms. You can win a digital code by entering below – otherwise, you’ll be waiting to buy the Blu-ray/DVD copy in August!

Right now, enter the name of your favorite TV drama to be considered for a chance to win!

Big Little Lies is available now on Digital Download!

comedy needs Crashing

April 21, 2017 by Matt Hill 5 Comments

now, if you’ve
Netflix, you’ve
noticed a
number of
new stand-up specials
nestling about the
new releases

i do and have,
and dig the comedy,
and so recently dug
Chappelle, Louis C.K.,
Jo Koy, Amy Schumer;
got eyes on others

i also dig on
Pete Holmes,
and so dug
season one
of Crashing on HBO,
which is
Judd Apatow produced,
and stars comic
Pete Holmes
as himself –
a person,
not incidentally
to the show,
who happens to have
some semblance
of oh-so-quaint
Christian faith

and this is
just
it:

the confluence of
Holmes’ perspective
and a certain “typical”
comedic perspective –
generally hilarious,
of course,
but also
sardonic, cynical,
melancholic and
world-worn and weary,
endlessly observational
when it comes to
finding problems,
but seldom (apparently)
when it comes to
actually addressing them,
actually living with them
in the day-to-day
(other than offering
its own oddly biblical
and plenty true
pseudo-spiritual
prescription of
“just laugh through it”) –
just *struck* me

now it strikes me:
“confluence” isn’t even
the right word;
something like
“incongruence”
is better;
something like
“juxtaposition”

it’s the dissimilarity
that struck me
between, e.g.,
a Louis C.K. –
who, no matter how
much i love him,
comes off, sadly, like a
man miserable
because he’s
smart enough
to see the world
as it is, but
faithless to the
point of having
no recourse
but misery –
and a Holmes,
with all his
boy-in-the-big-city
optimism, his
bright-eyed hopefulness,
his faith that
may not be perfect
or make everything perfect,
and which will
probably understandably
evolve over the series, as it
apparently understandably
has over his actual life,
but which nevertheless
addresses the day-to-day,
affects it, affects him,
affects those around him,
rousing responses of
“D’awww, you’re a
‘God person!'”
as Sarah Silverman quips
in a stand-out episode

and now it strikes me:
“struck me” isn’t even
the right way to say it

it doesn’t just “strike me,”
this incongruence,
it makes me long for
the world –
that of stand-up comics
and the rest of us –
to also see and notice
this incongruence
and conclude:
faith is still a live option

it is an option
that real people
still actually choose,
and when they do,
it actually affects things

when they do,
they still may
laugh through tears
with the comics,
as we all unfortunately
must in this world,
but as they do,
they do so with
the ultimate end to tears
in mind –
the ultimate end
which those without faith
do not,
unfortunately
cannot see

[SPOILER]
at the end of
season one of Crashing,
comedian Artie Lange
dives into a baptismal pool
(it’s a whole thing
you’d have to watch to get)

all i’m saying is:
there are still
baptismal pools

there are still
baptismal pools,
and entering them
is still a thing that happens,
and when it does,
other things –
brighter things –
can also happen

Contest! Win QUARRY: Season One!

November 24, 2016 by Steve Norton Leave a Comment

ScreenFish is excited to be giving away a digital copy of Quarry: Season One!

Quarry is the story of Mac Conway, a Marine who returns home to Memphis from Vietnam in 1972 and finds himself shunned by those he loves and demonized by the public. As he struggles to cope with his experiences at war, Conway is drawn into a network of killing and corruption that spans the length of the Mississippi River.

To enter, simply like or share the Facebook post and answer this question in the comments area:

What is your favorite HBO show?

To qualify, you must be a resident of the US and all entries must be received by 11:59 on Sunday, November 27th, 2016.

Good luck!

Westworld & Trump, Optimism & Hope

November 16, 2016 by Matt Hill Leave a Comment

i’m highly optimistic about

HBO’s new hit show, Westworld

(if you’ve not seen it,

imagine a
sort-of sci-fi,
cyberpunk Western,

steeped in

J.J. Abrams style
cerebralism and cliffhangery;

a deliberately paced show
full of sweeping
panoramic shots,
shootouts, sex, robots
(rinse, recombine, repeat),
acting clinics put on
by a superb cast

(Anthony Hopkins
can do no wrong),
and enough intrigue to
[insert your own
cowboy-themed
capper here]

of course,

i’ve obviously seen the show,

so it’s not its
continued quality or excellence

i’m expressing optimism about, no

i’m optimistic that –

though at present

the plot has the

titular theme park

twisted into a knot

so dense and

so tending towards a

negative, gloomy,

“dark” view of things

(the future,

human nature,

etc.) –

it will

(eventually, ultimately)

take a turn towards a

positive, upbeat,

“bright” view of things,

or at least

use this view

to sweetly temper itself

and give us that

at-least bearable last look

i have this

optimistic opinion

for multiple reasons, chiefly:

i’m familiar with people
and with stories

i know the

showrunners,

the creators,

the people behind

Westworld

will want that

at-least bearable last look,

because that’s what people want;

so too this is what
watchers of Westworld will want;

so too this is

what stories uniformly give us
(why this is so
is a great question, though
attempting an answer

belongs elsewhere)

i have this

optimistic opinion,

in other words,

based on evidence –

previous knowledge,

experience, etc. –
and it seems to me

that it makes sense to be

optimistic in such cases

d6d107341a8cb99e2fe6be48fff69ee56898ed8a

on the other (small, orange) hand,

i’m not highly optimistic about the

USA’s new hit show,
Donald Trump, Prez Elect

(if you’ve not seen it,

imagine a
post-truth “reality” TV show

so unimaginable,

you’d never be able to

imagine it happening
in actual reality,
and then
imagine it happening
in actual reality)

if it makes sense to have an
optimistic opinion

based on evidence –

previous knowledge,

experience, etc. –

then it seems to me

that it doesn’t make sense to be

optimistic in this case

quite the opposite, in fact,

unfortunately

however

though there may not be
reason to be
optimistic about
the prospect of a
President Trump,

there is always
reason to be
hopeful

hopeful in that old

Bibley, Christiany, Jesusy
way, where –

despite current
circumstantial evidence,

despite lack of evidence

that might lead to an

optimistic opinion –

you still know that

*it’s going to be okay*

because how things go down

in this world (and beyond)

isn’t ultimately up to us humans

hopeful in that old

it’s-Friday-now-but-Sunday’s-coming

kind of way,

that old

“in this world you’ll have trouble,

but i’ve overcome the world”

kind of way,

that old

“God will wipe away every tear”

kind of way

hopeful, in other words,

in that old kind of way that
optimism,
for all its
sometimes sensible charms,
can only aspire to

are you hopeful like this?

not optimistic, but hopeful?

if not, you can be;

would you like to be?

would you like to have
an option beyond
understandable pessimism?

justified fear?

anger?
an option beyond
bemoaning on social media,

assuaging pains with
Obama Biden memes?

an option beyond
the current

irrationality of optimism?
an option beyond
just another shot in
just another four years?

you can;

would you like to?

all it takes,
humbly, hopefully, friend,

is a ride west of
present perspective,

on a horse of a different color,
made just for you,

just for all of us

a horse with a new name

for a new world

a horse that you don’t have to drive

alone

a horse that alone can take

us to a place

where actual action can happen

from here

right now

Game of Thrones Season 6 DVD – Free Copy!

October 30, 2016 by Jacob Sahms 3 Comments

What happens in the sixth season of HBO’s hit show Game of Thrones? We could tell you or you could win this free copy. Just respond below with your favorite moment from one of the previous seasons and we’ll pick a lucky winner for ScreenFish’s drawing! Reply by November 15. One entry per person. You must be eighteen or over to win and live in the continental U.S.

Vice Principals: Educators with No Filters

October 26, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

When the principal (Bill Murray) of North Jackson High retires to take care of his ailing wife, his two vice principals attempt to fill the power vacuum. But for the students of NJHS, this could be an absolute disaster because these two men are train wrecks.

On one side, the rule-oriented Neil Gamby (Danny McBride) dictates behavior with his loud, profane barking at students, faculty, and staff; on the other, Lee Russell (Walton Goggins) shallowly covers his ambitious scheming with schmoozing. These two foul-mouthed administrators each believe that they will be the next principal – until the School Board sends in college professor (and actual educator) Dr. Belinda Brown (Kimberly Herbert Gregory) into the the school. Suddenly, rather than vying for different elements of the school to like them better than the other, they are united against this common threat.

While the show has its funny moments, the overall trajectory is a downward spiral of self-destruction and brokenness. Vice Principals is like a school-based sitcom with Married with Children mixed in: we watch this kind of comedy to feel better about ourselves. Frankly, McBride and Goggins are spot-on as absolutely ridiculous and over-the-top creeps, even when they’re not burning down Brown’s house. Their inability to appropriately interact with other people is even worse.

One of the saddest (and sometimes funny) side stories is Gamby’s ‘family’ life. He has no friends at school and can’t seem to connect with Amanda Snodgrass (Georgia King), the new English teacher he has his eyes on. But he tries to stay involved in the life of his daughter, which draws him into the circle of his ex-wife, Gale (Busy Philippe), and her new husband, Ray (Shea Whigham). The thing is that Ray might be the most wholesome person on the show, and Gamby can’t see it because his whole vibe is so messed up!

HBO’s new comedy hits on dysfunction, and thrives on brokenness. I doubt it’ll be used in an educational snippets in schools, but some educators may find that the uncensored take on school is really what their inner monologue wants to say. Vice Principals proves that sometimes, what we don’t say could be as important as what we do say.

Most Intriguing Shows of Fall 2016

September 12, 2016 by Jacob Sahms Leave a Comment

Let’s get this out of the way early: there aren’t many returning shows that actually have me excited about the return of television shows and streaming episodes. Sure, I’ll be watching the fourteenth season of NCIS and the third season of Scorpion because they’re like a good pair of old slippers: I know just what I’m getting. Absolutely, I’ll dive back into Longmire which Netflix saved from the A&E dumpster. Yes, it’ll be funny to watch Michael Rosenbaum fumble his way through church and pastoral care in Impastor, and Life in Pieces is the funniest ensemble comedy no one is raving about. [And just because Supes shows up along with the ‘real’ Wonder Woman, Lynda Carter, I’ll tune in for Supergirl.]

It’s the new shows that still hold hope for something truly good. But we have to clear some air first.

With apologies to movies-turned-television, my hope is not in Lethal Weapon, Frequency, or Van Helsing.

It’s not in a female baseball player pitching for the San Diego Padres in Pitch, although I do still think Mark-Paul Gosselaar is saved by the bell.

No, here are my half-dozen shows – weeded out of the nearly 150 shows debuting in the next two months – that my full focus is on.

The Good Place (NBC) stars Eleanor (Kristen Bell) and the kind architect Michael (Ted Danson) who designed the place Eleanor wakes up in. But she can’t curse – or have any fun the way she expects to. Is this heaven? I’m not sure yet. But it looks funny, and it’s bound to provide me with some sermon talking points about what the writer thinks about the life eternal.

Timeless (NBC): A history professor, Lucy (Abigail Spencer), a soldier, Wyatt (Matt Lanter), and a scientist, Rufus (Malcolm Barrett), chase Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic), a criminal aimed on changing history… through time. Butterfly Effect? Let’s go crazy, in a show that sounds like it’s Doctor Who-meets-Quantum Leap only we don’t have to deal with Scott Bakula or Max’s cigars. I’m in. I bet it only makes it a season… if that… but I’m intrigued.

Conviction (ABC): Hayley Atwell (Agent Carter) plays Hayes Morrison, a former First Daughter who now leads the Conviction Integrity Unit investigating wrongfully accused innocents who have been sentenced to prison. This seems political – and timely – given the number of people who are wrongly convicted. I’m always game for a social justice television show, even though this seems to be a storyline that cycles through periodically (see the 2006 Stephanie March series starring Alexandra Cabot in her Law & Order role). Given Atwell’s ‘stage presence’ and growing issues with wrongly incarcerated innocents, this show could challenge us to get involved.

Bull (CBS): Michael Weatherly playing a character based on Phil “Dr. Phil” McGraw? Tony DiNozzo would be proud. There’s bound to be some clever banter there – and Weatherly wouldn’t have bailed on his NCIS paycheck if this didn’t carry the goods. While I appreciate Weatherly’s panache, I’m curious to learn more about Dr. Phil before he was Oprah’s first TV offspring.

Westworld (HBO): No Yul Brynner or Sean Connery, but Anthony Hopkins? The story of a glitching fantasy amusement park has some interesting sci-fi elements that will have me intrigued – when it finally comes out on Blu-ray. Once again, like The Running Man, it seems our love for reality TV may be getting a fictional critique.

Luke Cage (Netflix): The Marvel shows are better than the Marvel movies. Daredevil, Jessica Jones. Just saying. But with impenetrable Luke Cage, we have an African American hero who has some issues – including the death of his wife. Not as cerebrally tormented as Jones, those with a comic background know that Jones and Cage end up as a couple. Having seen their mutual falling out, once has to question how that will happen. What will it take to get these two to be a power couple?

I’m sure someone will have a bone to pick. Bring it on. I’ll be fiddling with my DVR.

HBO