‘Let There Be Movies’ Joins the Reel World Family

Allow ourselves to introduce… ourselves.

If you’re reading this it’s likely because you believe entertainment is not mindless. I believe this too. My name is Gene, and I’m the creator of a very similar blog as Reel World called Let There Be Movies. It’s possible you’ve checked out our site and noticed that RWT creator Mikey Fissel has done a couple guest reviews over there. You may have also noticed that I have done a couple of reviews here, along with guest hosting the podcast on Inside Out. If you’d like a detailed read on why I even began blogging about movies, check this out. However, the short answer is that I was motivated to bring God’s truth to the forefront by talking about what I love; movies. It’s a conversation piece I’m always turning to. Movies are one of the most influential forms of entertainment we enjoy, and we should be aware of the messages and the worldviews inherent in what we consume. We’re all interested in identifying underlying themes in film. We all love examining how those themes might confirm or deny inherent spiritual and theological truths that we find in God’s word. And we all love talking about those things!

For those reasons, Mikey and I began wondering what a collaboration between LTBM and RWT might look like. After much deliberation, hours of negotiations, and an unspecified number of under the table payments, we have decided to move forward with merging Let There Be Movies and Reel World Theology into one unstoppable force of movie reviewing magic! I’ll let the applause and your overwhelming excitement die down…

Beginning January 1, 2016, RWT will experience an influx of new writers, along with new features and reviews that we are excited to bring along. But first let me introduce you to who we are bringing on board. We currently have six writers at LTBM, including myself, and five of us will begin providing at least monthly content for RWT. Coming along with me in this endeavor are Nate, Amber, Elliott, and Tres.

Nate studied philosophy and theology in undergrad and has his masters in education from UNLV. His perspective on film changed when his uncle dragged him to watch Field of Dreams as a kid. He’s a big fan of David Goyer and Christopher Nolan, and he loves discovering what elements of theological importance secular directors might unwittingly include in their films.

Amber is a freelance character designer and visual development artist. She earned her MFA in Production Design from American Film Institute Conservatory in Los Angeles. It you happen to be hanging with Amber and her family over the holidays you’ll need to be fluent in movie quotes, because you’ll be hearing a lot. Elliott and Tres have been with me since we began LTBM almost three years ago.

Tres is one of our resident comic book experts. He has reviewed many of the superhero flicks in the last few years and is our ‘go to guy” for all things comics. He teaches 6th grade where he tries to be a Godly example and influence to very impressionable young minds.

Elliott is a self professed engi-nerd. When he isn’t designing and programming electrical circuit boards for helicopters, he’s into board games and sci-fi/fantasy genre movies. Laid back and easy-going, Elliott will gravitate to positive aspects of films before pointing out negative traits.

One of the things I’m most excited to bring to this merger is the introduction of a couple new series. Personally, I find there to be an embarrassing lack of The Walking Dead reviews (and other TV series) over here and I look forward to remedying that. If you follow the show feel free to read up on my thoughts on season five and thus far on season six. There are a couple fun things we sporadically did on social media that I’m excited to bring to the RWT audience as well, such as ‘Tuesday Trivia’, ‘Screenshot Saturday’, ‘Wednesday WORD’, and ‘Movie Quote Monday’. Finally, the thing I’m most looking forward to bringing over to RWT is our ‘Moral Dilemma Dialogue‘. This is a feature in which two writers examine a movie with a clear moral dilemma. The two will present opposing views on the dilemma and argue for what the character(s) should have done. Our hope is to spur a lot of conversation with our audience and ourselves. I really think that these additions will only increase the quality and frequency of the great dialogues currently happening.

I know Mikey and I are both very excited for this merger and the potential to bring more quality reviews, lists, and other features to a larger audience. We’re looking forward to what the new year and this new collaboration will bring!