Shows
Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode 62: God's Not Dead 3 and The Righteous Gemstones
THE END IS NOW UPON US! At least for the podcast in this medium. After nine years of audio podcasts, Mike and I are going to make the jump to video reviews. We aren't leaving, just changing form. So in the meantime we hope you enjoy this last podcast, in which we do what we said we would never do. We review the third and hopefully last movie in the "God's Not Dead" franchise. Then we take a look at the HBO series The Righteous Gemstones. See you on the other side!
2020-02-2447 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 61: The Shack and Father Brown
THE END IS NIGH! At least for the hero of this month's movie review, The Shack, starring Sam Worthington of Avatar fame. He's back from Pandora (not really) and has an encounter with God as he goes after the killer of his daughter (yes, really). And in TV Corner, we examine a show which seems to have its own sub-genre: that of the mystery solving priest. "Cadfael" and "Father Dowling Mysteries" are two examples of this, but we will be examining the British offering "Father Brown," starring Mark Williams of Harry Potter fame.
Look for some d...
2019-09-1849 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 60: First Reformed
Hello! It's been a while, and I know you've missed us. We review a quality movie and TV show for you toady, to make up for the long absence. We have acclaimed indie film First Reformed and hit CBS show "God Friended Me."
Look for some more exciting news in the future, we have big plans for the next step of the podcast.
2019-06-061h 06Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode 59: The Nun Special
Nuns are fascinating. Through the years, so many movies and TV shows have drawn inspiration from their lives, from the sublime (The Nun's Story) to the ridiculous ("The Flying Nun"). Our selections fall widely along that spectrum but, all of them are recent, having been released in that last few years. First up, is the comedy The Little Hours and the drama Novitiate. We follow those movies with the melodramatic BBC show "Call the Midwife" and the Netflix true-crime docu-series "The Keepers."
The Decameron
Novitiate Catholic News review
Novitiate IMDb reviews
P...
2018-11-0655 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 58: Fred Rogers Special - Won't You Be My Neighbor?
What was Fred Rogers most scandelous secret? The docudrama at the heart of today's podcast, Won't You Be My Neighbor?, delves into this provocative question and other details from Fred Rogers' life. (Apparently, the most scandelous thing he did was give a generation a sense of entitlement because he taught them that everyone was special!) We also take a trip down memory lane and recall some of our favorite episodes of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," of which many episode can be found streaming on Amazon Prime. The movie is now available for streaming and on Blu-Ray or DVD....
2018-10-0245 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 57: Come Sunday and Lucifer
Heretics and Devils. Some would say they are not mutually exclusive, some would look closer at who is calling the kettle black. Then there are some who would say, "That's a good idea for a TV show!" That's what were talking about on today's podcast, the result of the latter. Come Sunday is a docudrama and "Lucifer" is a crime procedural. "Wait...huh?" you might say, but yes, Lucifer has more in common with Castle than it does with American Horror Story. Both shows will soon be on Netflix...coincidence?
Wikipedia - Carlton Pearson
Lu...
2018-09-0856 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 56: Samson & Paul: Apostle of Christ
Hello again, we are here in a timely fashion to give you three reviews! We bring you the Pureflix version of Samson, as well as Paul: Apostle of Christ. The cool thing about the last movie is that we got to see a rough cut sneak preview of the film in February, about a month and a half before it was realesed in theaters on Easter weekend. Then, in TV Corner, we talk about the live, Easter Sunday broadcast of NBC's Jesus Christ Superstar.
Next episode, we will look at teh Netflix film Come Sunday and the r...
2018-07-0151 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 55:Leap of Faith
A happy Jesus morning to you, as Eanest Angley would say. We have another themed episode all about Televangelists. First up is the Steve Martin classic, Leap of Faith, with a whole cast of "look who that was before they were famous!" Then in TV corner, we watch some real evengelists, taking a look at Pat Robertson's "The 700 Club," Jim Bakker's new YouTube channel, and local NE Ohio televangelist Ernest Angley.
IMDb - Leap of Faith (1992)
This Former 700 Club Producer Wants to “Make Amends to a Whole Generation of Christians”
ABC Family...
2018-05-261h 04Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode 54: 2017 Review & 2018 PreviewDo you ever experience what I call the "Moebius Strip of Conversation?" I experience it quite often. It is where one starts a conversation on one subject, and then through the natural process of carrying on a rambling conversation, one comes through the twists and turns of that palaver to the same subject. We do that here in our review of last year and what we look forward to this year.
Next time we return to our regular format, going back to the old Steven Martin vehicle Leap of Faith. Keeping with the theme we will look at var...
2018-04-021h 02Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode 53: The Case For ChristFaith based movies are getting better, both in production values and the quality of the end product. But does The Case for Christ live up to these expectaions? And why doesn't "Kevin (Probably) Saves the World"? have any buzz? We attempt to answer these questions and moree in this episode.
The Case for Christ official website
The Case for Christ (2017) - IMDb
Kevin (Probably) Saves the World - Wikipedia
'Kevin (Probably) Saves the World' Renewed or Cancelled for Season 2 TVLINE
Kevin (Probably) Saves the World (TV Series 2017– ) - IMDb
Next episode will...
2018-03-1937 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 52: Persepolis and Buddha
Sorry about the wait for this episode, I started work again for the church and my time for editing has greatly decreased. The good news is that Mike and I have two more episodes in the can and they will be released shortly. But our latest episode is here, and we are watching the Oscar nominated Persepolis, about an Iranian girl's experience growing up in Iran and France, and the Indian import "Buddha," dramatising the life of the ancient sage.
Persepolis (2007) - IMDb
Guatama Buddha - Wikipedia
Next episode we tackle mor...
2018-01-1354 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 51: The Chosen People? and American Gods
What does it mean to be one of God's chosen? Is it a blessing, a curse, a responsibility, or a privilege? Or is it all of the above? The film The Chosen People? A Film About Jewish Identity, asks these very questions. This movie is an independent effort by filmmaker Joshua Gippin. After getting funded on Kickstarter three years ago, Josh is ready to release his film October 9th, 2017 at the Summit of Faiths during Peace Week in our hometown of Akron, OH. Look for it at a film festival near you. Mike and I got to se...
2017-09-1356 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 50: Triple-ation-Christ-ploitation-stravaganzaThis is our 50th episode! We've been podcasting for 6 years! We're releasing this episode on the 4th of July! And we have 7 Christploitation movies watched and reviewed in this episode! It's a triple celebration, Christ-ploitation, extravaganza! (Triple-ation-Christ-ploitation-stravaganza!!!)
As you can tell, I like to make up words and use exclamation points, but Mike and I are very excited about today's episode. We give our reviews on a slew of Christian faith based films. They include:
God's Not Dead 2
Do You Beleive?
Joseph and Mary
The Young Messiah
C...
2017-07-051h 42Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode 49: Silence and The Young PopeHave you ever wondered what really tough Christian ministry looks like? Martin Scorsese gives us a glimpse into the hardships and trials of two 17th century monks witnessing in Japan in his 2016 passion project, Silence. Mike and I have never been as divided in opinion over a movie as this. But we we equally flummoxed by the cable TV show "The Young Pope." What's it's message? Maybe you will know.
Next time we have our 50th episode, and we have so much in store for you, we are going to take a quick look back at all...
2017-05-291h 08Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode 48: Last Days in the Desert
Welcome, to what has inadvertantly become a bimonthly podcast. The Bible tells us that Jesus spent forty days in the desert fasting, and at the end of those day he was tempted by the devil. Did you ever wonder what happend on the other 39 days? Well, you can keep wondering, because you will not find a satisfactory answer in the Ewan McGreggor vehicle Last Days in the Desert. After Mike and I give our review on that film (with, naturally, a tangent into the artistic quality of the Star Wars Special Editions), we review the funny but now...
2017-04-0457 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 47: Defending Your LifeWelcome back to the podcast after our holiday break. Back at the begining of the season, our Thanksgiving weekend, Michael and I gave our thoughts about the classic comedy Defending Your Life by Albert Brooks and the new NBC somedy about "The Good Life." Both are very similar in concept, exploring and sending up our notions of the afterlife. If you want to know if they are similar in quality, just listen to the episode.
Next time we review the indie movie Last days in the Desert and the recently cancelled TV Land show "Impastor." See you nex...
2017-01-2151 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 46: SpotlightHello faithful listeners! We recently completed our Star Wars Trilogy, this episode rounds out another trilogy of sorts on the podcast. We have previously reviewed Doubt and Calvary, and this episode covers the Oscar winner for best picture, Spotlight.
Christopher Marlowe Officially Credited As Co-Author Of 3 Shakespeare Plays
George Lucas In Love (1999) (Short Film) on Vimeo
The Resurrection of Gavin Stone
The Boston Globe– The Story Behind the “Spotlight” Movie
(Contains links to the original exposé)
Was The First Season...
2016-11-071h 02Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode 45: The Lightning RoundHello media fanatics! This month we offer up to you a smorgasbord of TV goodness (Well, most of it was good). With the new season of fall TV just around the corner, we take a look at some of the shows that graced our screens this last spring and summer. Four shows from four networks: Hulu's original show "The Path," AMC's comic book adaptation "Preacher," the short lived "Of Kings and Prophets" from ABC, and Nat Geo's documentary series "The Story of God" are all reviewed here. For extra info, you can check out these:
The Path on H...
2016-09-1044 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 44: Star Wars: The Religion
“Greetings, exalted one!”
This episode is the last in our series on Star Wars. The first was on how religion and myths
influenced the creation of the Star Wars saga.
In last month’s review of Star
Wars: The Force Awakens, we found the film had more style than substance,
and that the only mythology that it relied on was its own. This episode is the reverse of the first one,
we look at how Star Wars has influenced religion in real life. We look at how Jediism has become an actual
thing, where people take the values, teachings a...
2016-08-0653 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 43: Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review
Sorry about another long wait friends and listeners, but this podcaster had another round of eye surgeries which prevented me from doing many things, including the things I love like talking about Star Wars. But Mike and I are back and we have loads to talk about. We have the next several episode planned out, movies and TV shows viewed, and we are going to do a marathon of recording to get them to you in a regular schedule.
First, we need to present the second in our Star Wars trilogy, our review of Star Wars VII. N...
2016-06-1959 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 42: Star Wars: The Mythology
Star Wars is built from the many myths and religious themes that run through human history. George Lucas said he "Tried to tell an old story in an new way." In this month's episode, we examine just how Lucas pulled upon the work of his friend and mentor Joseph Campbell, the world's leading expert in the study of myth. We talk about how the myths of old informed the two trilogies, and speculate about how mythology and religion may (or may not) inform The Force Awakens.
Next time we are going to give you our review of Episode VII...
2015-12-0246 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 41: Left BehindHello, and welcome to the (once again) monthly CTG Podcast. This month’s offering is the Christian reboot
of Left Behind (2014) starring
Nicholas Cage. In TV Corner we watch the
Amazon original series “Hand of God.” Well, we watched part of it. One episode was quite enough. Also, remember almost exactly a year ago when
I recorded a rant essay imploring you to not go to see the movie we are
reviewing this month. Mike and I have
bravely jumped on the grenade; we watched it so you don’t have to. But it’s fun to listen to us argue about w...
2015-11-021h 02Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode Forty: CalvaryHello faithful listeners! Sexual
abuse in the church is a serious issue which continues to persist. There are no
easy resolutions. Even so, it seems as
if the church is slow to satisfactorily work towards ending these despicable
crimes, slow in punishing those who perpetrate them, and also in preventing
them from happening in the future. This
month’s film, Calvary, shines a light
into the dark heart of this problem. While
this movie focuses on a negative event that the Catholic Church is dealing with
right now, our TV Corner looks at the positive aspects of a prominent Catho...
2015-10-011h 10Checking the Gate PodcastFellow Christians—Please Burn Your Protest Signs! A response to SDCC protestingBy Robert Wright-Stasko
San Diego Comic Con 2015 is right
around the corner. I am expecting that
this year, just like the last several years, there will be some Christians with
poorly thought out slogans slapped onto protest signs, with big bullhorns
causing brouhaha for comic book fans, cosplayers, and anyone else at the
convention trying to have an enjoyable week.
I question these protesters; is this the most effective way to get your
message across? More to the point, is cosplaying and other such activities even
worth protesting? This blog post will answer these questions. In the pr...
2015-07-0531 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode 39: God's Not DeadWe're Back! After a few months away, Mike and I are back and we are ready to rip into a riff worthy Christ-ploitation film, God's Not Dead. And in TV Corner, we attempt to delve into the reality show "Preachers of LA." Well, as deep as you can get in a reality show. Here are some websites to help you delve deeper into our discussion tangents, err, topics.
God's Not Dead (2014) - IMDb
Plato's Cave Analogy - Theological Studies
Hegelianism - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Digital music revenue overtakes CD sales for the first time globally | The...
2015-05-1851 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty-Eight: Exodus: Gods and KingsHappy New Year! In December, Mike and I had the chance to see Exodus: Gods and Kings, and thought "Hey, we've done three episodes over Ridley Scott movies, how about one more?" Is it the next Gladiator or more like American Psycho? Listen to our review to find out. In TV Corner we check out "The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible" at the suggestion of one of the friends of the podcast.
‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’ Banned in Egypt Because of ‘Historical Inaccuracies’
Faith-Based ‘Exodus’ Crucified on Social Media for ‘Whitewashing’ Bible
The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the Bible Wik...
2015-02-0150 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty Seven: Retro Episode-Oh God! and Highway to HeavenSeason Greetings! We hope you are all well this Christmas Eve. This episode has been delayed not because of poor health of your hosts (which has happened in the past), but because of the failing health of the laptop used to produce this podcast. The issues seem to have been resolved, and so you get this present from Mike and Robert so you can listen to us express our opinions as you are on your way to various worship services and family get-togethers.
'Longmire' Lives, Fans Rejoice As Netflix Signs Season Four Return ...
2014-12-2451 min
Checking the Gate PodcastThree Reasons Why You Should Not See the Christploitation Film "Left Behind"As most people do, I receive a lot of spam in my
email. One day, while attempting to
clean out my inbox, I ran across this advertisement from New Release Tuesday, a
Christian music website. As soon as I
saw this it made me very angry. There is
a lot a bad sentiment implied here; it is also misleading, and
exploitative. A little harsh, you say? I
shall explain why I think this is an exploitative film and why you should not
go see Left Behind with Nicolas Cage. First, I shall describe the bad
sentiment behind this ad.
2014-10-3121 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty-Six: The Master and LongmireHow does one make a movie about Scientology without it being about Scientology? In our discussion this month, we plumb the depths of meaning lurking within the frames of Paul Thomas Anderson's The Master. In TV Corner we look at the A&E western/procedural that is, ahem, on hiatus: "Longmire." This show helps us look at faith and politics from a Native American perspective.
What is The Master Really About? Five Interpretations
What Is the Meaning of The Master?
The Master: What does it All Mean?
Scientology Aside, 'The Master's" Meaning is Clear
Next...
2014-09-2053 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty-Five: The Apocalypse Special
IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT! In this episode we return to the popular post-apocalyptic genre looking at two of last year's films parodying the Biblical account of end of the world, This is the End and Rapture-palooza. In addition, we reveal our opinion of the new HBO series "The Leftovers." Also, take note of and consider your support for two documentaries that (as of the time this podcast is first published) are currently in crowd-sourced fundraising campaigns. The links for both are below.
Hail to the King Homepage
Hail to...
2014-08-0458 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty-Four: FrozenHello, faithful listeners! This episode is coming to you on the eve of my (Robert's) very first short term mission trip, a week in Costa Rica spreading the good news of Jesus. While I am there, Mike and I hope you enjoy our discussion on Disney's Frozen and ABC's "Resurrection." When I get back I'll update this post with all of the links and cool stuff that came up during our talk. In the meantime, our next episode will be another double feature: Rapture-palooza and This is the End. We will come back at you in July with our thoughts on la...
2014-06-2835 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty-Three: NoahGreetings! SPOILER ALERT! If you have not seen the movie Noah starring Russel Crowe, be warned that this podcast contains many plot spoilers. But as the plot points in this movie were all by the book cliches, they will come as no surprise to you, even if you have not seen the film. In fact, don't go to see this movie; it's not very good. Just listen to Robert and Mike relate to you their experience of watching this movie, and count yourself lucky that you did not waste your money at the theater. If you think we are being to ha...
2014-04-2745 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty-Two: Les MisérablesBonjour! In this months episode, Mike and Robert turn their critical eye to the award winning Les Misérables starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. That's right--it's Wolverine vs. Jor-El in this musical set during France's Student Revolution. In TV corner we examine the British ITV production of "The Second Coming" with Ninth Doctor Christopher Eccleston.
Les Misérables (2012) - IMDb
The Second Coming (TV Mini-Series 2003) - IMDb
Zoidberg Goes Pop
For next month, we want to try something different.
You are invited to a Movie and Dinner
...
2014-03-2355 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty-One:Machine Gun PreacherWelcome to another long awaited episode, number thirty-one,
of “Checking the Gate: A Film and Religion Podcast.” This one is a doosie folks; we must be real
film critics now because we both Mike and Robert have rants about all of the
media we watched for this month. We
viewed the Gerhard Butler vehicle Machine Gun Preacher and the popular, Fox
Network supernatural thriller “Sleepy Hollow.”
In war-torn Uganda, kids only emerge at night - Dateline NBC | NBC News
Machine Gun Preacher (2011) - Box Office Mojo
Machine Gun Preacher | About Sam
Sleepy Hol...
2014-02-2148 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Thirty: Life of Pi and Doctor Who (Again!)Hooray! We hit the big three-oh in our first episode for 2014. We look once again at “Doctor Who” which just celebrated its 50th anniversary to much fanfare, but first we look at the acclaimed Ang Lee flick Life of Pi.
Life of Pi (2012) - IMDbDoctor Who as Religion | The Jesuit PostNext Time: We give our thoughts on Machine Gun Preacher starring Gerard Butler and the popular FOX supernatural thriller "Sleepy Hollow."
2014-01-1157 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Twenty-Nine: Joyeux NoelHappy Boxing Day! This special holiday edition of Checking the Gate brings you reviews of the foreign feature Joyeux Noel and the family series "Veggie Tales" Now that all the presents have been wrapped, given, unwrapped, and then played with, eaten, drank, watched, broken, or returned, you can sit back and relax with Mike and Robert.
Joyeux Noel (2005) - IMDb
VeggieTales - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
'Fast & Furious' star Paul Walker killed in car crash - CNN.com
The Ang Lee film Life of Pi is up for next month, as is an examination of "Doctor W...
2013-12-2656 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Twenty-Eight: Riddick Movies and Fall RoundupGreetings! Hey, we are back on schedule! This month we talk about Pitch Black and The Chronicles of Riddick. Do you think that Vin Diesel's Riddick character is a Christ type, or is that streching the definition too far? We also do a roundup of several shows Mike and I have been watching this fall. Some of them have potential.
Chronicles of Riddick, The on DVD | Trailers, bonus features, cast photos & more | Universal Studios Entertainment Portal
Riddick Movie 2013 - Riddick 3 - News, Images, Trailers & Forum
Sleepy Hollow on FOX
Next time we are getting in the Ch...
2013-11-0246 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Twenty-Seven: The Godfather Trilogy and The Bible MiniseriesFinally! The cursed episode is finally completed and released! After many delays in recording due to various health problems for both Mike and Robert, then more delays after half the audio recorded was rendered unusable due to computer malfunctions, we at last present to you this episode on The Godfather Series and "The Bible: The Epic Miniseries." We think we have some keen insights that you will surely enjoy. The Godfather (1972) - IMDbThe Bible Series « 100+ Million Watched #1 TV Series of 2013 The Bible SeriesObama Satan Look-Alike? 'The Bible' Mini-Series Producers Call Rumors 'Utter Nonsense' (VIDEO)Please forgive us for the long brea...
2013-10-211h 03Checking the Gate PodcastEpisode Twenty-Six: Hellboy and Save MeCelebrate Independence Day weekend with a new podcast from Checking the Gate. We evaluate the religious merits of the Hellboy movies and the short lived series "Save Me." Our Hellboy discussion, admittedly, is merely an excuse to talk about Guillermo Del Toro's new film Pacific Rim out July 12. But our discussion about "Save Me" get heated; Mike decries its quality while Robert defends it from those who judge without merit.
Hellboy II: The Golden Army on DVD | Trailers, bonus features, cast photos & more | Universal Studios Entertainment Portal
Hellboy, Evil, and the Cross | Christianity Today
Warner Bros. Pictures and L...
2013-07-0651 minChecking the Gate PodcastEpisode Twenty Five: CTG Podcast RecomendsHello faithful listeners, ye who are full of faith! Welcome to a another special episode of CTG Podcast. This month Mike and I have recommended new media to the other for our review session. I (Robert) suggested the movie Tyler Perry's I Can Do Bad All By Myself and Mike heralded Aaron Sorkin's "The West Wing." Please forgive us caffeine and sugar drove us into tangentland more than once.
I Can Do Bad All by Myself (2009) - IMDb
Top Ten Left Wing Scenes on The West Wing | Media Research Center
The Ten Best "West Wing" Episodes
Why do Heathens Make the...
2013-06-1051 min