Book Update & Most Recommended Movies

My people! I hope y’all are doing well.

I’m not doing great right now because my sons have informed me that “80% of American parents admit to stealing some of their kids Halloween candy.” I’m not sure where they’re getting this propaganda from, but no stat is going to keep me from “acquiring” a few Snickers this evening when the moment’s right.

Speaking of moments, November is when the book cover and pre-order links for Reading Black Books go public! That could mean this week or in a few weeks. You’ll have to stay glued to that inbox.

In the meantime, I suggest picking up Nella Larsen’s Passing before the film adaptation hits Netflix on November 10th and before you read my chapter about it later in 2022.

Movies I Recommend the Most

You can obviously tell a lot about someone and their tastes by their favorite movies, but also by the movies they recommend most. I don’t have much to say by way of movies I’ve seen recently—it’s been a dry film watching stretch, other than Dune—so I’ve been thinking about the movies I recommend the most.

Here’s what comes to mind. Let me know yours.

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) | Stream on HBO Max
This is an all-time favorite for me. A powerful and challenging tale on the hostility between humanity and creation and the power of true sacrificial leadership. If you’ve not entered the world of Studio Ghibli, this is a great place to start. Nausicaa, in my view, is a thrilling and instructive story that puts a beautiful, earthy spin on how “perfect love casts out fear” (1 John 4:17). My sons love it as much as I do. In fact, they are trying to bribe me with Snickers now to watch it.

The Tree of Life (2011) | Rent on Amazon
We nerdy Christians really like director Terrence Malick. There’s a staggering sense of wonder and glory in this film that’s actually hard to put into words. IMDB will tell you the movie is about “The story of a family in Waco, Texas in 1956. The eldest son witnesses the loss of innocence and struggles with his parents' conflicting teachings.” It is and it’s not. It’s about grace vs nature, which means it’s sort of about everything.

The Tree of Life requires preparation: you need to throw out traditional narrative expectations. You’re basically watching a poem, a really great one, at that.

NT scholar Beverly Gaventa tells a story of seeing this film in theaters, and watching over the opening hour successive waves of people up and leave the theatre. (Her larger point is that the movie is layered, tricky, and complex, just like Paul’s letters to the Romans.) If you like calling movies “films” you’ll love this movie — in fact you probably (like me) own the Criterion Collection version.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019) | Amazon Prime
My favorite movie of the last few years. If you missed this gem, it tells the story of a young black man who tries to save his dad’s house—the last of a historically black neighborhood—from getting into a developer’s hands. Luxuriously shot and tenderly told, this is maybe the most challenging and humanizing exploration of how the experience of gentrification shapes masculinity and identity. Plus, there’s a couple of great skateboarding sequences.

My Neighbor Totoro (1988) | Stream on HBO Max
One more Ghibli for the win. This, to me, is the best young kids family movie that adults will love too and become a bit more child-like in the process. Wonder, humor, community, family, and magic. Imminently rewatchable.

Thanks for reading,
Claude