Men at the Movies Podcast

In week 2 of our summer blockbuster series, Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney celebrate the 40th anniversary of Raiders of the Lost Ark.  Like Indy, we are all treasure hunters.  But what is the treasure we are chasing?  Will it kill us if we get it?  How do we find the treasure that will last?  We discuss these questions and more. Edited and mixed by Grayson Foster ( https:/...

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney celebrate the arrival of Top Gun 2 with our summer blockbuster series, starting with Top Gun. Like Pete Mitchell, we struggle with an orphan spirit-we don’t know who we are, and we work really hard to make life work. Unfortunately, that doesn’t work when what we fear the most actually happens. We must hear our identity and choose to walk in that to become who we were...

Paul McDonald and Jay Heck conclude the series on the Lord of the Rings with The Return of the King (2003) starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, and Orlando Bloom (among many others!).  The story of The Lord of the Rings sets a vision for who we could be as men.  We see that through testing and pain, our growth is possible and our true selves are revealed. &nbs...

Paul McDonald and Jay Heck continue their discussion of the Lord of the Rings as they dive into The Two Towers (2002) starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, and Orlando Bloom (among many others!).  They ask some hard questions: How do you maintain hope in the face of growing darkness?  Are you listening to the voice of accusation or invitation?  What mark d...

Paul McDonald and Jay Heck begin their series on the Lord of the Rings, beginning with The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) starring Elijah Wood, Ian McKellen, Viggo Mortensen, Sean Astin, and Orlando Bloom (among many others).  They discuss how we, like Aragorn, must go through our initiation to develop the character capable of carrying the kingdom.  Beauty invites us into our strength and...

Paul McDonald and Daniel Schwabauer discuss Braveheart (1995) starring Mel Gibson, and the questions that arise.  What does it mean to be a man? How do we live uncompromising lives and avoid losing heart? How can we die happy men? Join us as we discuss God’s truth in this movie! Questions What does it mean to be a man? Who changes in this story? Who is transformed? How have you compromised yo...

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney celebrate the 20th anniversary of the movie A Knight’s Tale starring Heath Ledger, Mark Addy, Rufus Sewell, Paul Bettany, and Andy Tudyk.  No matter how hard we believe or as much as we try, we are unable to change our stars, our nature, or our destiny on our own.  God will often ask us to lay something down, to kill it, in order to redeem it.  And we...

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney discuss the 1987 movie The Princess Bride starting Carey Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, and Robin Wright.  Invitation and opportunity often show up looking like pain, inconvenience, and interruption. We can accept the quirks of our story, or get frustrated and fight it.  When life isn’t fair, when we are mostly dead, doctrine and theology isn’t enough to get us thr...

Paul McDonald and Will Branner discuss how they met, how Will got into acting and filmmaking, and what stories Will loves to make (and watch). About Will Branner Will Branner is an award winning director/filmmaker based out of LA. As a former Broadway performer (Mean Girls, Bat Out of Hell), his work emphasizes collaboration with the artist and has been seen at numerous festivals across the globe....

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney dive into the romantic comedy The Holiday (2006) starring Jude Law, Cameron Diaz, Kate Winslet, and Jack Black.  They try to uncover the mysteries of the feminine heart.  If, as St Irenaeus sort of says, the glory of God is woman fully alive, how can we avoid a toxic masculinity and create a safe environment for her to become whole hearted?   Join us a...

Paul McDonald and Bryan Byrd discuss the 1994 movie Legends of the Fall with Brad Pitt and Anthony Hopkins.  They discuss the power of a father’s love, how forgiveness brings freedom, and how we are called to live in the borderland between this world and the other. Join us as we discuss God’s truth in this movie! Bryan Byrd jumped at the chance to join Paul on "Men at the Movies" through a fr...

Paul McDonald and Laurence Coppedge discuss the 2014 movie Fury starring Brad Pitt, Shia LeBeouf, and Logan Lerman.  They look at the painful process of initiation, how to find the narrow path between brutality and beauty we see in the world, and how we discover our identity only through surrender. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie! About Laurence Laurence Coppedge is husband t...

We take a peek into The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013) starring Ben Stiller, Kristin Wiig, and Sean Penn. Paul McDonald, Allen Arnold, and Patrick Creehan discuss how God invites us to engage in life and adventure, how we have to pursue the recovery of our hearts, and how failure can lead to a clarification of our purpose and identity. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie! About Al...

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney get weird with Doctor Strange (2016) starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, and Rachel McAdams.  They discuss the cost of transformation, the power of the unseen, and the difference between prayer and magic.  Join us as we discover God's truth in this movie. Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock Audio q...

In this episode of the Men at the Movies podcast, Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney get ready to celebrate Easter with the story of The Dark Knight (2008) starring Christian Bale, Heath Ledger, and Aaron Eckhart.  They discuss the frustration and discomfort of our inability to save ourselves, the presence and activity of evil in our lives, and the power of Jesus, our white knight.  He isn't...

Join Paul McDonald and Ricky Furr as they discover God’s truth in the 1984 film, The Natural starring Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, and Glenn Close.  This movie reveals important truth about how your enemy, the devil, operates.  Paul and Ricky discuss the importance of living from your identity and how that provides an impact and presence to those around us, as well as looking at the po...

Paul McDonald, Patrick Creehan, and Ricky Furr discuss the documentary Neat and how everything around us flavors our lives, allowing us to mature and develop for the purpose of sharing the spirit God has given us.

Paul McDonald and Morgan Snyder discuss the unique and universal aspects of masculine initiation as revealed in the 2011 film, The Company Men starring Ben Affleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Maria Bello, and Chris Cooper. About Morgan: Morgan Snyder has served alongside John Eldredge since before the inception of Wild at Heart almost two decades ago. Originally developing and directing the retreats and con...

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney discuss what it means to be a man without the caricature or machismo of masculinity in our culture, as seen in the 1989 movie Say Anything starring John Cusack, Ione Skye, and John Mahoney. Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock Audio quotes performed by Britt Mooney and Paul McDonald from Epic written by John Eldredge.

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney discuss the differences between religion and faith, and how we are all searching for our True Father, as displayed in the 1998 film Simon Birch, starring Ian Michael Smith, Ashley Judd, and Joseph Mazzello. Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock Audio quotes performed by Tim Willard, Britt Mooney, and Paul McDonald from Abo...

Paul  McDonald and Britt Mooney discuss the themes of division, demonization of the other, and how Jesus can transform us to be kind and tenderhearted to those who may not share our views as they go through the 1985 movie Rocky IV, starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, and Dolph Lundgren. Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock Aud...

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney continue their series on the Rocky movies, diving into the 1982 film Rocky III, starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers and Burt Young.  They discuss handling success and adversity, and how what feels like loss can take us to new heights.  We go through the battles to get our hearts back. Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used un...

Paul McDonald, Patrick Creehan, and Ricky Furr discuss the themes of battle, fatherhood, and perseverance from the 2000 movie The Patriot starring Mel Gibson, Chris Cooper, and Heath Ledger.  Stay the course!  Southerly Change performed by Zane Dickinson, used under license from Shutterstock Audio quotes performed by Tim Willard, Britt Mooney, and Paul McDonald from Abolition of Man (CS...

Paul McDonald, Patrick Creehan, and Ricky Furr discuss the themes of brotherhood, adventure, and becoming the man you were born to be found in the 1991 movie City Slickers starring Billy Crystal, Jack Palance, and Daniel Stern.

Paul McDonald and Britt Mooney talk about the 1979 film Rocky II, starring Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers, and Burgess Meredith.  Once again, the themes of resilience, identity, and fellowship dominate the conversation.  Paul makes a reference to the book "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse" by Charlie Mackesy.   Southerly Change performed by Zane D...