Sacred Frames

The Big Jesus Movie Draft

This week on Sacred Frames, we’re doing something a little different—a full-on Jesus Movie Draft. In honor of Holy Week, we step into the massive world of films shaped by the life of Christ, the Church, and the long shadow of Christian imagination. From direct portrayals to subtle allegories, from sacred to satirical, we’re asking a simple question: Where does Jesus show up on screen—and who tells that story best? With Mike Yeager serving as commissioner, we go head-to-head in a snake-style draft—building our own rosters and letting you decide who wins. But more than competition, this episode is about seeing how deeply the story of Jesus has shaped cinema across genres, generations, and perspectives. Draft Categories: Movie Jesus Direct portrayals of the life, death, and resurrection of Christ “Movie Jesus” (Allegory) Christ figures, sacrificial heroes, and messianic archetypes across storytelling Comedy & Satire Films that put religion and religious culture on trial The Church Institutions, clergy, and communities—both beautiful and broken The Devil & Spiritual Warfare Stories of evil, temptation, and the battle for the human soul Biblical Cinema (BC) Old Testament and non-Jesus-centered biblical narratives The Great Commission Mission, expansion, and the global impact of Christianity Wild Card Personal picks—films where the presence of Jesus shows up in unexpected ways

"Sinners" | The Cost of Letting Them In

Ryan Coogler made a 1930s Mississippi vampire blues epic about race, land, faith, and the hunger to own another person’s story. Sinners isn’t just a horror film; it’s a meditation on who gets to live, who gets remembered, and who gets consumed along the way. In this episode of The Sacred Frames, Jeff Cook, Sean Palmer, and Movie Mike Yeager finally sit down with one of 2025’s most talked-about films. We trace the story from Clarksdale cotton fields to blood-soaked juke joints, from hoodoo altars to bleached churches. We dig into how Sinners holds together a lot at once—race and cultural theft, Black joy and pain, war trauma, code-switching, sex, faith, and the American obsession with consuming what it refuses to honor. If you enjoyed this episode: 👉 Leave a rating & review so more folks can find the show 👉 Tell us your read on Sinners in the comments—what stuck with you most? 👉 Share this with the film nerd, theology friend, or horror fan in your life #Sinners #RyanCoogler #SacredFrames #FilmPodcast #FaithAndFilm #MovieDiscussion

"One Battle After Another" | Art, Power, and Who Pays the Price

Jeff Cook, Sean Palmer, and Movie Mike Yager dive into Paul Thomas Anderson’s latest—part revolution thriller, part political satire, part mirror held to 2025 America. We wrestle with the film’s big swings: the “Christmas Adventurers” as villains, whether satire trivializes white supremacy, how Black women’s bodies and sacrifices are depicted, the generational handoff at the end, and the perennial “Does art owe us a way forward—or just a clear-eyed look at now?” Along the way: DiCaprio vs. Penn, the robe discourse (!), why Sensei Sergio quietly steals the movie, and a spicy sidebar on who gets to make “unprofitable” art in Hollywood. Listen order tip: If you haven’t seen the film, pause after the intro and circle back—this one works best post-screening. Chapter Marks (HH:MM) 00:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI] Cold open & mea/wea-culpa 02:05 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=125s] Spoiler warning & quick plot frame 06:40 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=400s] First takes: form vs. meaning 13:10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=790s] The “Christmas Adventurers” problem (satire or trivialization?) 22:45 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=1365s] Power, sex, and Lockjaw 32:00 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=1920s] Pería, Willa, and the generational handoff 42:10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=2530s] Sensei Sergio & small-scale courage 50:05 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=3005s] “Art owes us what?” (mirror vs. map) 58:20 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=3500s] Industry/box-office inequities 1:05:10 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nFQQx32xRZI&t=3910s] Closing thoughts + streaming recs Streaming Recs from the episode Adolescence (Netflix) — one-shot storytelling that stings The Death of Stalin (Hulu) — political satire with teeth Punch-Drunk Love (Criterion) & Phantom Thread (Netflix) — PTA context pair Point Break (original) — Friday-night fun Alien: Earth — Episode 5 for a self-contained banger Schindler’s List — rewatch notes for our present New York (Rick Burns doc) — race, power, and a city’s soul Dexter: Resurrection — “top-tier Dexter” comfort chaos Join the conversation What did One Battle After Another get right—or miss entirely? Drop your take (and your favorite scene) in the comments. We’ll read a few on the next episode. 👍 If this helped you process the film, like, subscribe, and share with a movie friend. 🔔 New episodes of Sacred Frames land weekly.

"The Long Walk" | Dystopia, Spectacle & Mortality

Stephen King’s The Long Walk hits the screen, and we dig into what it says about power, violence, and how we walk with each other toward the end we all face. We compare King’s novel to the film (3 mph vs. 4 mph, book’s crowds vs. film’s bleak roadsides), weigh the “prophetic horror” label, and ask whether this story critiques dehumanization—or risks feeding it. We track Ray Garrity and Pete’s bond, the Major’s face of authority, and the finale’s turn from vengeance to mercy. Along the way we name the pull of spectacle over dignity, the economy-over-people creed, and why friendship may be the only way to keep our humanity on the road. We cover * Book-to-film shifts and what they change * Dystopian rules, “choice” vs. coercion, and the lottery * Spectacle, reality TV, and the cost to the young * NFL/OnlyFans analogies: risk, poverty, and “tickets out” * Spiritual read: perverted pilgrimage, memento mori, mercy over revenge * Violence on screen: numbness, outrage, and discernment Plus * Where it ranks among King adaptations * A nod to 28 Years Later and why “forsaken worlds” keep calling us back * Content note: frank talk about violence and death.

"Jaws" | Outsiders and Salvation

Fifty years ago, Jaws forever changed the way we experience movies. In this episode, Jeff Cook, Sean Palmer, and Mike Yeager revisit Spielberg’s classic on its 50th anniversary and explore why it remains one of the greatest films ever made. From the birth of the summer blockbuster to John Williams’ iconic score, from themes of community crisis and outsiders to the haunting parallels with modern events like COVID, the conversation dives deep into what makes Jaws timeless. Along the way, we unpack representation, class, paranoia in 1970s cinema, and the unseen fears that still shape our culture today. Join us as we ask: What does Jaws reveal about who we are—and how we respond when the waters get dangerous?