Every month, biblical scholar Gavin McDowell looks at the representation of religion in film and (occasionally) television. In Sects!, he describes the religious background of the film or films in question. In Lies!, he analyzes the representational aspects of each film, including period details and the depiction of the religion(s) in question (with, it is implied, an emphasis on what the filmmakers are doing wrong). In Videotape!, he considers the film as a film, including the all-important question: Is it any good? The answer is sometimes yes!
Index of Sects, Lies, and Videotape titles, sorted alphabetically:
The 3 Wise Men (2003)
Aśoka (2001)
The Chosen seasons 1 and 2 (2017-2021)
Cold Fever (1995)
Destiny (1997)
Don’t Deliver Us From Evil (1971) with Heavenly Creatures (1994)
Dune (2021) with Dune: Part Two (2024)
Epic Tails (2022)
Esther and the King (2006) with Purim: The Lot (2014) and Megillas Lester (2014)
Faith in Exile (2016) with Like a Sugar Cube in a Cup of Tea (2015) and Forgotten (2018)
His Only Son (2023)
The Indiana Jones Trilogy (1981-1989)
The Lady of Heaven (2021) with The Princess of Rome (2015)
Magdala Rose (2019)
The Mahabharata (1989)
The Old Testament (1963)
On Wings of Fire (1986) with The Path of Zarathrusta (2015)
Saving Christmas (2014)