My ‘other book’ arriving today deals with the Top Films of the 21st Century (as voted on by the users of the Internet Movie Database). What films are forming the new canon? And what can we glean from a survey of today’s most influential movies? By journeying Into the Dark of the movie theater, can we uncover signs of life and light? I discuss vexing films from the IMDb list like Donnie Darko, Memento, Eternal Sunshine, and Pan’s Labyrinth. I find recurring themes of memory, nostalgia, and communities in crisis. The book was a bit of an adventure, rooted in faith, and filled with some remarkable surprises, particularly in how it connects ancient biblical truths to contemporary cinema.

Early reviews and endorsements have been quite enthusiastic including blurbs like this:

Tony Jones, author of The New Christians: Dispatches from the Emergent Frontier suggested, “Many books on the intersection of Christian theology and popular culture cut to the chase of cultural engagement without taking the time to develop the plotline of theological method. Thankfully, Craig Detweiler takes the time to explicate his method before engaging some of the most compelling films of our day. I’ve had the pleasure of sitting in a movie theater with Craig and of talking about the film over a cup of coffee afterward. Now you have that chance, too, with Into the Dark. I can think of no better companion than Craig to help us reflect on the most important storytelling medium of our time.”

Valerie Mayhew, a writer for The X-Files and Charmed said, “What a refreshing book. Rather than the usual fruitless wholesale condemnation of modern culture, Craig Detweiler has delivered a theologically truthful and joyous exploration of one of the most powerful forces in today’s overwhelmingly visual society—the movies.”

Matt Greenberg, the screenwriter of 1408 and Reign of Fire responded, “I was humbled and inspired by Craig Detweiler’s encyclopedic work. As a Christian screenwriter in postmodern Hollywood, I struggle every day to find the intersection between my faith and my craft. Into the Dark illuminates many such points of cohesion but in places one wouldn’t think—or even dare—to look. Detweiler could have easily restricted his analysis to softer cinema: the anemic family dramas or self-important epics that try to pass as spiritual fare. Instead he chose to find wisdom in film’s most profound shadows. As a result, Into the Dark does more than inform; it invites us to open our eyes and discover the divine in even the most brutal of movies.”

What an honor to feed the cultural stream with these two books!