Dr. Josh Matthews

Seeking a Christian Perspective on the Arts

"Art reveals ordinances of creation which neither science, nor politics, nor religious life, nor even revelation can bring to light." -- Abraham Kuyper

About

Josh Matthews teaches English at Dordt University. He specializes in American literature and science fiction; he also teaches an introduction to film class and enjoys writing film criticism. His other regular gigs include professional editing and leading students on tours of Florence, Italy for a team-taught class on the Italian Renaissance.

Video Essays

Akira Kurosawa — What Are His Greatest Movies

https://youtu.be/UhI5ybYCe6c Akira Kurosawa is a widely acknowledged master of the cinematic arts. His best-known films are considered by everybody to be beloved world classics: Seven Samurai, Rashomon, Red Beard, Yojimbo. I watched his 30 movies, thought hard about them, and then created this video for…
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February 28, 2020
Video Essays

Why Have G-Rated Movies Disappeared?

https://youtu.be/eRso2eH7rco Have you ever wondered where G-Rated Movies went? They basically don't exist, except for Pixar movies. Why did the MPAA allow this to happen? In truth, the American Motion Picture Association's rating system encourages movie to be more "adult." American movies basically have two…
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February 26, 2020
Uncategorized

Grizzly Man — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 11)

https://youtu.be/cIYEzJlfFtY Werner Herzog's movie "Grizzly Man" is in my view one of the great documentaries ever, maybe one of the greatest movies ever. Herzog's documentary profiles Timothy Treadwell, an Alaskan environmentalist who communed with the grizzly bears in their habitat for thirteen years. Treadwell shot…
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February 26, 2020
Video Essays

What Makes This Movie Great? — List of Videos

Decalogue 1Wall-EDecalogue 6True Grit (2010)RashomonDecalogue 10Modern TimesBig NightThe Purple Rose of CairoTHE APU TRILOGYGrizzly ManThe Night of the HunterBreaker MorantStagecoachLola MontesHarakiriIdiocracyThe LadyKillers (1955)Andrei RublevMIRRORParis, TexasRear WindowNebraskaLocal HeroChungking ExpressDuck SoupThe Station Agent
Best Movies

Stagecoach — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 14)

https://youtu.be/YRqsBUdWFUw It could be one of the most influential movies ever made. It's one of the most acclaimed and famous Westerns ever made. It's "Stagecoach," a 1939 Western directed by John Ford and starring John Wayne. The movie features an ensemble cast that rides a…
Video Essays

Why the PG-13 Rating is a Problem

https://youtu.be/iefY9K1N5Uk What's the difference between a PG-13 rated movie and an R-rated movie? I'll show you in this video, and I'll make the case that the Motion Picture Association of America's (MPAA) rating system is absurd. The moral philosophy underlying the American movie ratings system…
Uncategorized
Breaker Morant — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 13)
Video Essays
Akira Kurosawa — What Are His Greatest Movies
Video Essays
The Night of the Hunter — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 12)
Video Essays
Shot-for-Shot Analysis of an Exposition Scene in “Raiders of the Lost Ark”
Video Essays
Why Have G-Rated Movies Disappeared?
Uncategorized
Grizzly Man — What Makes This Movie Great? (Ep. 11)