Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 54:21
What does this 1963 Akira Kurosawa film tell us about the psychology and politics of hostage taking, loyalty, and the employer/employee relationship? What do the differing attitudes of the main character, Gondo, and his wife toward the fate of the kidnapped chauffeurs son tell us about class and the ethical notion of “special relationships?” How does the theatrical blocking in the first half of...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 53:00
How do these two cinematic treatments of the story of Odysseus differ, and what intentions of the producers account for those differences? Why does the return focus only upon Odysseus’s return to Ithaca? Why are the gods conspicuously lacking in this rendition of the story? Why did the producers significantly alter the relationships between Odysseus, Penelope and Telemachus? How does the 2024...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 40:50
Both films are based upon the same true story of Bernie Jordan, a UK WWII veteran who landed on Sword beach during the D-Day invasion of Normandy. The main characters each leave assisted living facilities in order to attend the 2014 70th anniversary observations being held in France. What does the film force us to consider about the nature of camaraderie and loyalty between servicemen, and...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 44:50
What does this 2024 ten-episode series teach us about 17th Century Japan and its political relations with Portugal, the Dutch, and the English? How does the character Mariko personify the conflicting loyalties of Catholic Japanese? How does the series fare in reflecting the complex machinations presented in the James Clavell novel? How are the feudal clan and familial relations similar to those...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 40:37
What does this 1999 film, (based upon the true story of Alvin Straight’s 240-mile trek, on a riding mower, from Iowa to Wisconsin, in order to mend fences with his estranged and ill brother), tell us about human decency and dignity? How does Alvin inspire or help the people he meets along the way? Is the film David Lynch’s homage to the dignity and import of parts of the United States that are...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 52:05
What does this miniseries, based upon the 1949 George R. Stewart novel of the same name, tell us about the impact of the loss of most of humanity on the natural world? How does the series and the novel make use of the fact that the main character, Isherwood Williams, is a geographer and academic, to illustrate these changes? How does it make use of this fact to craft the character, and explain...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 47:56
What does this miniseries, based upon the 1949 George R. Stewart novel of the same name, tell us about the impact of the loss of most of humanity on the natural world? How does the series and the novel make use of the fact that the main character, Isherwood Williams, is a geographer and academic, to illustrate these changes? How does it make use of this fact to craft the character, and explain...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 40:25
How does this 1972 film, based on the Kurt Vonnegut novel, play with the notion of involuntary and random time travel, and force us to consider what impact such a life would have on one’s attitudes toward pain, suffering and tragedy? What do the Tralfamadorians think about death, and how does Billy Pilgrim’s attitude mirror it after he has been abducted and held by this alien race? How does the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 48:53
What does this 1973 made for TV docudrama tell us about the Cuban Missile Crisis and the events that led to Soviet introduction of intermediate range nuclear armed ballistic missiles into that island nation? What were the justifications cited by Khrushchev? Why is Cuban leadership not portrayed in the film? How did the history of Cuban U.S. relations lead to the crisis? How does the film use...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 39:16
How does this 2017 film explore grief, and how does it make use of the ghost, C’s, being almost unmoored in time to express grief? Why is the ghost tied tightly to the house and its location, even as he jumps around in time? Who or what is the neighboring house’s ghost waiting for? Why does the film use an aspect ratio that is reminiscent of home movies or early silent film? How does the film’s...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 42:10
What does this 2023 documentary about a man who takes part in a Japanese reality television show, Susunu! Denpa Shōnen. in the late 1990’s, show us about the morality of such shows? How does the show work to isolate the man from human contact, and why? Why is he stripped of his clothes and confined to a room for over a year? How do the live audiences respond as they watch him? How does he...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 41:23
What does this 2009 comedy tell us about lying? Is the world presented, a world where lying does not exist until the main character, Mark Bellison, ‘invents’ it, a world that is worth living in? Why? What assumptions are made, in this film, about how people would treat each other in a world where lying does not exist? How does the premise of the film reflect thought experiments that Immanuel...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 44:48
How does this 2004 film, based on the book of the same title, portray the importance of High School football in the life of the town of Odessa Texas? How does the film contrast with the book, and what choices were made as to what to emphasize in the film, and why were those choices made? Why does the film downplay racial elements? How does the case of half-back Boobie Miles illustrate the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 38:20
What does this 1980 film, based upon the true story of a series of courts-martial carried out toward the end of the Boer War at the turn of the 20th Century, tell us about the morality of guerilla war, and responses to such tactics? What defense is presented for the actions of the members of the Bushveld Carbineers in placing civilians at the head of trains, and for their summary execution of...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 51:45
What does this 2023 tell us about its various characters, and the challenges involved in running the Manhattan Project, not only for Oppenheimer, but General Leslie Groves? How does the film explore the tragic flaws in Oppenheimer and his nemesis, Lewis Strauss? Why does the film focus more on this aspect of his story and its two main characters’ tragic flaws, rather than the moral questions...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 43:32
What does this 2014 film based upon the Marvel Comic character, Captain America, tell us about counterintelligence and counter-terror surveillance? How does the film cash in on conspiracy theories using the idea that the secret organization, "Hydra," is in control of the major governments of the world, as well as terror organizations? How does the film explore the ethical challenges involved in...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 46:58
What does this 1959 film, based upon the Nevil Shute novel of the same name, tell us about the threat of thermonuclear war, and thought surrounding the notion of doomsday machines? How does the story relate to other films that explore the theme, most notably Stanley Kubrick’s Dr. Strangelove? How does the story develop the idea of the so-called “cobalt bomb”? How do the American naval captain...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 49:20
What does this 1984 film, a largely fictional account of the relationship between Mozart and fellow composer Antonio Salieri, tell us about the mix of jealousy disgust and admiration that motivates Salieri as he deals with the profane Mozart? How does the movie portray Salieri’s conflicted love/hate relationship with God, and use the contrast between Mozart’s profane life and personality, and...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 52:55
How does this 2023 film, which is set in post-WWII Japan, explore the complex emotions of its main character, Koichi, as he deals with survivor’s guilt? How does he compound the shame he has for having been too afraid to undertake his kamikaze mission in the late days of the war? When he and his unit are attacked by Godzilla why does he fail to carry out his part of the counterattack? How does...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 57:11
What does this 1976 film, which tells the story of a failing television network, and the psychological breakdown of its primary news anchorman, Howard Beale, tell us about market forces in media and the import of ratings in generating income? Why does the programming director, Dianne Christinsen, have no problem with exploiting Beale’s mental breakdown? What message is sent by the ironic fact...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 47:02
How does this film make use of relativistic time dilation to set up its twist ending, where Taylor discovers he is on Earth in the distant future, after humanity suffered some great catastrophe (probably a world-wide nuclear war)? How much does Dr. Zaius, the ‘defender of the faith,’ know about Taylor, human history on Earth, and why does he feel it necessary to hide what he knows from Ape...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 40:17
What does this 2024 film, portraying the family life of Auschwitz Commandant Rudolph Hoss, teach us about that family’s ability to compartmentalize the horrors from which they directly benefit, and what lessons does this hold for us? How does the film make use of the aural atmosphere laying over the mundane activities of the family to implicate their guilt? How does the film portray the bravery...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 42:03
How does this 2023 film satirize the market forces in the publishing world? How does the market encourage those who indulge and pander to liberal white guilt and traffic in stereotypes concerning black Americans? What, if any, significant difference is there between the motivations and justifications of the main character, Thelonius ‘Monk’ Ellision and his foil, fellow author, Sintara Golden,...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 44:32
How does this 2002 film, about an unfolding alien invasion of Earth, use the premise to explore faith, the problem of evil and the differences between fundamental world views with regard to meaningful coincidences? How does the film’s pivotal conversation between Merrill and his brother Graham, a former Reverend who had lost his faith, illustrate these two views, and what events in the film...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 48:35
What does this 1994 epic tell us about the tumultuous period in Chinese history (the civil war of the late 1940s and the first decades of Maoist rule) that is its setting? How does the character arc of its protagonist, Fugui, convey his maturation, his growth as a husband and father, and the effect of four decades of communist rule had upon himself, family and friends? How does the film deal...
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Duration: 39:51
What does this 1964 black comedy about a nuclear doomsday scenario tell us about the strategic thought surrounding potential nuclear war between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. during the early years of the 1960s? How does the film play with the concept of a ‘doomsday machine’ as described in the strategic literature of the day? How does the device described in the film reflect an option described by...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 46:41
What does this 1997 film, set in fascist Italy during WWII, tell us about the gathering threat in Northern Italy for its Jewish citizens, and how the main character, Guido and his family cope with it? Why does the film explore the Holocaust in the guise of one half of the film being a romantic comedy, the latter being a tragic portrayal of life in an extermination camp? How does Guido protect...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 39:00
How does this 2007 animated feature play with the premise of time travel and multiple histories or parallel universes? How does the film cause us to consider the plausibility of its main character, Lewis, being able to interact with his adult self after having time travelled into the future? How does the film illustrate the large ramifying effects of small events, especially in the childhood...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 45:30
What does this 1984 adaptation of the 1949 George Orwell novel tell us about the totalitarian tendency in human history? How does it adumbrate upon the surveillance state as exemplified in Stalinist Russia? What role does emerging technology of the day play in Orwell’s vision? How does the film do as a portrait of the subjective experience of this state, as lived by the protagonists, Winston,...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 41:37
How does this 2007 film, based on the 1954 Richard Matheson novel, depart from that book? How effective is the film in focusing on the isolation and loneliness of its protagonist, Neville? How does the dog, ‘Sam’ serve to illustrate that loneliness? What other devices are used to this end? How does the film engage the moral implications of Neville’s search for a cure for the virus that has...
Shaun and Alex Baker ?
Duration: 37:35
How does this 2000 film engage with and differ from Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey, on which it is loosely based? How do various characters in the film, which is set in the deep South during the depression, reflect famous characters in that story? How does the film portray the role of popular music in racial integration during this period in American History? How does the film portray the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 37:06
What does this 2021 film premised on the notion of accelerated aging, attempt to tell us about the emotional and psychological impact such events would have on people suffering through it? How does the film portray the rapid onset of maturation in the children involved? How do the characters of the two parents, Prisca and Guy, show the mellowing of age and its power to overcome rifts, and also...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 39:46
What does this film, which portrays the events of 9/11/2001 tell us about the responsibilities, training and level of professionalism of the air-traffic controllers involved? How does the film portray uncertainty and lack of information and its effect on the involved people? How does it show the difficulty involved in overcoming assumptions people bring with them as they come to terms with...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 38:51
What does this 2017 film, set during the 1975-1979 Khmer Rouge reign of terror in Cambodia tell us about the radical nature of the communist project of restructuring human society and psychology? Why did the Khmer Rouge resort to using children as soldiers and cadre? How did Pol Pot differ from Stalin, Mao and Ho Chi Minh in his relative anonymity and refusal to create a personality cult around...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 38:23
How does this film’s use of the concept of reincarnation allow it to act as an exploration of human nature? Why do the snakes, a species of what are called “evils” in the film desire to become human? What is involved in the centuries-long training they are undergoing to attain reincarnation as human beings? Why does it take hundreds of years to accomplish this? How do the sisters, White snake...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 42:22
What does this 2003 film about disgraced New Republic reporter, Stephen Glass, tell us about sociopathic or narcissistic behavior? How does the film engage with matters of journalistic ethics, and illustrate the dangers or traps created by journalistic bias when it comes to exercising critical thought and editorial oversight? How does the film show competition between journals aiding or...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 36:00
What does the pair of films, Fitzcarraldo, and the documentary about the making of that film, Burden of Dreams, tell us about the similarity between the main character, and the film’s director/producer Werner Herzog? How do both illustrate Kant’s notion of the Categorical Imperative in their sometimes-reckless use of indigenous people? How do the indigenous people illustrate that same concept...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:35
What does this 2021 film, based upon the true story of 2nd Lieutenant Hiroo Onoda, a WWII Japanese Army intelligence officer who held out on the Philippine island of Lubang until 1974, tell us about his sense of duty? What does it tell us about the capacity of the human mind to render any evidence or experience consistent with strongly held beliefs? How can Onoda’s case be used to illustrate...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 36:02
What does this 1993 film, based upon the true story of C.S. (Jack) Lewis and his American wife, Joy Davidman, tell us about grief, suffering and love? How is it related to the “problem of evil,” often discussed in philosophical and theological settings? How does the film contrast Lewis’s speaking appearances, where he discusses the subject, with the first-person experience he has with his...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 42:05
What does this 1972 Russian film intend to convey about guilt, regret and moral injury? How does the film create ambiguity with regard to the motivation of the alien world, Solaris, in creating replicas of people about whom the main characters have strong regrets? How does the replica of Dr. Kelvin’s deceased wife Hari force the men on the space station to engage the question of whether or not...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 39:10
What does this 2016 film, based upon the novel of the same name, tell us about the moral dilemmas faced by Christian missionaries in Japan during the late 1600s? Why does apostasy (carried out by stepping on a carved image of Christ) present such an agonizing choice if the people doing so remain Christian in their hearts? How do the contrasts between the characters Kichijiro, Fathers Rodrigues...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 35:12
What does this 2012 film, based upon the UK comic book series Judge Dredd, tell us about its world’s form of government (the “Judge System”), a pared down police state which consolidates the powers traditionally vested in different elements of government? What does it tell us about the effects of extreme population pressure on Democratic governance in its post apocalyptic America? Why does a...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 38:48
In this ‘double feature’ discussion, the moral challenges of the Afghan war are explored. How does The Outpost portray the tactically perilous position of the outpost, and the costs associated for the men? How do the two films portray the difficulties involved in attempting to convince local elders to not cooperate with the Taliban? How does the film portray the endemic nature of corruption,...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 40:00
How does this 2022 film, based upon the relationship between Korean War aviators Ensign Jesse Brown and Lieutenant Tom Hudner, illustrate the level of camaraderie between these two men, their Fighter squadron (VF-32), and the state of racial integration in the US military at the time? In that regard, what is the import of Jesse’s discomfort with being singled out by the press while on board the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:14
How does this 2022 comedy explore the concept of the ‘multi-verse’; the idea that there is an infinity of parallel universes each one of which is equally real or actual to those that inhabit it? What psychological and moral effects do the main characters undergo as a result of being able to “verse-jump” into the lives of their ‘twin selves’ in parallel universes? Why does Joy’s parallel...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 39:27
What does this 1988 John Carpenter Sci Fi Horror send-up tell us about Carpenter’s political ideas at the time? How does the film illustrate a more general point about ideology and conspiracy mongering? Why does the film function so well as a sort of Rorschach ink blot that allows people across the political spectrum to see in it as commentary on the classes they consider to be controlling...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:27
How do these films illustrate the cross-cultural pollination between Japan and the United States, given they had similar relatively lawless “Wild West” phases in history? Why does it show us the high level of distrust for the Samurai or gunfighters on the part of the villagers that hire them? Is that distrust justified? Why, after the victories, do the leaders of the two bands of defenders both...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 41:54
What does this 1965 film, based upon a James Clavell novel of the same name, show us about Clavell’s own experiences in the Changi POW camp in Singapore from 1942 to 1945? How does the fact that escape is impossible affect the attitudes of the POWs in the camp? How does the main character, American corporal King, exercise power in the camp, even though he is an enlisted man? Why do the British,...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:32
What does this 1966 film, detailing the conflict between King Henry VIII of England and Sir Thomas More tell us about the cause of the tension between Henry and the Catholic Church, and the conflicting loyalties of More, a devout Catholic? What does it tell us about European religious conflicts of the time period and the painful development of the Western world’s tolerance on matters of...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 42:36
This 1984 BBC television film, set in England during and after a major global nuclear war, asks us to consider the likelihood of a near total breakdown of governance, public order, morality and civilization in such a circumstance. How does the film portray the social impact of an extended nuclear winter? How and why does the film portray the breakdown by having the second-generation characters...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:42
What does this groundbreaking 1920 German expressionist film tell us about political movements and environments like that which was prevalent in Post World War I Germany? What commentary does it provide about the rise of charismatic, messianic and utopian movements on the left and right? What aspects of the German body politic do Cesare and Dr. Caligari represent? How does the film portray...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:53
What does this film, which tells the story of Anna a so called ‘savior child,’ conceived expressly for the purpose of saving her older sister’s life via stem cell and organ donations, tell us about the conflicted nature of parental obligations in such situations? How does it illustrate Kantian strictures against using people merely as means? How does the case of Kate and Anna compare with...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 38:08
What does this 1956 film tell us about the treatment of POWs during the Korean War by Chinese and North Koreans? What does it tell us about the effectiveness of isolation as contrasted with torture in attempts to force POWs into collaborating by making propaganda or soliciting fellow POWs to aid the enemy or make confessions? How do Captain Hall’s actions while in captivity support the charge...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:40
What does this latest (2022) iteration of the Batman franchise tell us about the dangers of cynicism in people whose profession it is to protect and serve? How does the film force the question of cynicism or retreat from duty or moral obligation in light of the apparently irredeemable nature of Gotham City? Do Catwoman and Batman represent two different answers to that question? How do Gordon...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:36
What does this 1969 film based upon Joseph Kessel's 1943 novel of the same name, tell us about the moral stresses involved in being operatives in the French Resistance during Nazi occupation? How does it illustrate the psychological, emotional and moral costs involved in making mortal choices in service of protecting that resistance effort? How does the film use the fate of resistance leader...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 31:00
What does this 1981 German film, set in autumn 1941 during the period of most success for the German U-boats in the Atlantic, tell us about the leadership abilities of the ship’s captain, life in the submarine services during that war, and the rigors of that life? How does the Captain deal with the crew’s behavior before deployment, and why does he take the approach he does? How and why does...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 36:52
What does this 1949 film, set in post-WWII Vienna, tell us about the black market in post war Europe? How does the story of Anna’s plight reflect the fate of citizens of East European countries occupied by Soviet forces? Why does Anna persist in her loyalty to black marketer Harry Lime even after being informed that his activities caused children who had contracted Meningitis to die after being...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:54
What does this 1998 Japanese film, set in a way-station between life on Earth and an afterlife, intend to tell us about the connection between personal identity and memory? The recently deceased are assigned a sort of social worker who, over the course of one week, helps them pick one memory from their lives that they will recreate as a short film, and which they will carry into the afterlife...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:47
What does this 2021 film based on Jim Dent’s book of the same title, tell us about the life changing influence of Coach Rusty Russell on the boys in Forth Worth’s Masonic Home and School during the Depression? How does the film contrast his coaching philosophy with others? How does the film use the story of eventual NFL standout Hardy Brown to illustrate Coach Russell’s impact on their lives?...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:52
What does this 2013 film, taking place during a drive, involving the driver in a series of phone calls as he attempts to oversee a very important project while dealing with a personal crisis brought on by his own infidelity, tell us about Ivan Locke’s moral character? Did Ivan make the correct choice in leaving the major project, a concrete pour in order to be present for Bethan during birthing...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 35:59
This groundbreaking 1994 documentary a ‘longitudinal’ documentary following two young men through four years of high school after being recruited to play basketball for a prominent private school in the Chicago area, tell us about the transactional nature of recruitment for athletics at prestige institutions? How is the high school recruiting experience similar to the college experience? What...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 37:45
How does this 2012 film, the last in the Chris Nolan Batman Trilogy, reflect contemporary concerns with national security measures such as the Patriot Act? How does nemesis Bane’s takeover of Gotham City reflect revolutionary rhetoric and its rationalization of violence and injustice? How does it mirror the rhetoric that appeared in the French Revolution and other periods of history? How does...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:30
What does this film, set during the Roman conquest of Britain, tell us about the effects of reciprocal barbarity between the Roman and British tribal kingdoms during wartime? How does the story of Etain, the Pict scout illustrate? How does the film attempt to fill in the historical blank with regard to the “Lost Ninth Legion” of Rome? How does the film fare in its portrayal of small unit...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:50
What does this 1991 Frank Oz comedy tell us about neuroses, narcissism and careerism? How are the personalities of the two main characters, Bob Wiley and Dr. Leo Marvin similar? How does the film show us the impacts of Marvin’s narcissism and careerism on his family relations? How does Bob’s taking on of a father’s role with the two kids, Sigmund and Anna, show Marvin’s lack in this regard? How...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 37:10
What does this 1962 film, centering on the request by a Ronin (a wandering and un-employed Samurai) to be allowed a Hari Kiri ceremony on the grounds of a Samurai clan, teach us about the Samurai concept of honor? How does the main character’s quest for revenge serve as a commentary on two faces of Bushido code, one gentle and aimed to one’s own, the other cruel and aimed toward outsiders? What...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:52
What does this film, which plays with the idea of a shared virtual gaming world somewhat like a “meta-verse,” tell us about the tensions between the creator of that virtual world and those that would monetize the creation? How does the film contrast the bleak real world of the gamers with the excitement and sense of mission that exists in the simulated world, OASIS? Why does the film choose to...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:30
What does this 2012 film based on the science fiction of Edgar Rice Burroughs, show us about his ability extrapolate from scientific and historical fact to features of Carter’s experiences on Mars, and the races with which he interacts? How do the psychological and moral characteristics of the Thark civilization reflect reptilian life on Earth? How do the Therns, an immortal race, resemble the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:41
What does this 2017 South Korean film, loosely based on the true story of the Hashima Island coal mines off Nagasaki, tell us about the motivations of so called ‘revisionist’ films centering on nations or ethnicities that were victims of WWII atrocities? How does the history of the island and Japanese treatment of Koreans, as well as the subsequent controversies over this past, reflect Japanese...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:45
What does the 2019 animated film, which presents an original retelling of the origins of the Santa Claus myth, tell us about mixed motivations when it comes to moral behavior? How does the character arc of Jesper as well as the children of the town of Smeerensburg, show that self-interest not only can incentivize moral behavior, but reap deeper change of moral character? How does the story...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:10
What does this Japanese animated film, set during the Christmas season, tell us about family? How does the character arc of the ersatz family of homeless individuals who have found an abandoned infant illustrate the sometimes highly frictional dynamics of family interaction, and the respect and love that families also instantiate? What message about family and society is contained in the story...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:17
What does this 2001 film, concerning a complex military operation to take two lieutenants of a Somali warlord, tell us about the complexities of peace-keeping operations and military operations in heavily populated urban environments? What does it tell us about state-building efforts that the UN took upon itself in Somalia in the 1990s? How does it presage similar efforts in the Post 9/11...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 35:20
What does this 2021 film adaptation of the 1965 Frank Herbert novel attempt to portray in terms of the predestination of Paul Atreides and his evolving attitude toward the leadership role toward which he is being groomed? Do Paul’s visions of his own future raise moral questions for him as to whether he should take on the leadership role he is apparently destined to take? How does the story...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 37:20
What does this story, set in 1957 Detroit tell us about the efforts of Ted Lindsey to unionize the players of the 'original six' teams of the NHL? How does the monopoly power over US teams, such as the Redwings and Blackhawks held by the Norris family illustrate points raised by Plato in his famous Ring of Gyges thought experiment? How does the insulation provided by great wealth and political...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:15
How does this 2005 Steven Spielberg film attempt to update the basic storyline from the H.G. Welles novel? What thematic elements does it leave out and why? Does the imagery, reminiscent of news coverage of the 9/11 attacks, convey any important message about that event? How does the film attempt to portray Welles’ meditations on empire or human relations to non-human animals we exploit for...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:43
What does this film, a sequel to the famous 1973 film, tell us about the problem of evil? How does the friendship between police Lt. Kinderman and Father Ryan allow the film to explore the issues raised for belief in God posed by the occurrence of gratuitous evil of the nature portrayed in the film? How does the film raise the question with regard to Satan’s evil? Does it imply that evil is...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:35
What does this animated Batman film, based upon a graphic novel, tell us about Hobbesian views with regard to self-interest, social mores, legal codes and social contract? How does Batman’s motivation differ from the crime families portrayed in this film? How is he similar? Do his actions give support to Hobbes’ view as to man’s essentially selfish nature? Why do he, Gotham DA Harvey Dent and...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:20
What does this film, based upon Ken Feinberg’s account of his work as Special Master of the 9/11 Victim’s Compensation Fund, tell us about the tension that exists between efforts to economically quantify the impact of the loss of human life and the sense of loss felt by surviving loved ones? What light does it shed on the uniqueness of individual human lives as the staff go about the process of...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:14
What does this film, based upon the Jim Dent book of the same name, tell us about football coaching philosophies that were common in the 1950s and 1960s? Does Paul (Bear) Bryant come to the conclusion that he went too far in his efforts to break the lackadaisical culture at Texas A&M? What positive results did his hard tactics have with regard to character formation of players, many of whom...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 34:25
What does this film, set in 2000 Taliban-controlled Afghanistan, tell us about the misogyny at the heart of Taliban governance? How does the bully character Idrees instantiate this? How does the film's portrayal of Parvana and her father show they have values and goals that are in conflict with this world-view? How does Parvana’s disguising herself as her deceased brother show not only her...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:47
How do two films, one produced in 1996 the other in 1932, based upon the H.G. Welles novel explore the ethical challenges posed by genetic engineering? What sort of commentary does it provide concerning the slide into morally dubious actions that can be brought about by scientific fascination with following a trail of research? How do the original book’s anti-vivisectionist roots explain...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:40
What does this 1992 Clint Eastwood film tell us about mythologizing of cruel figures in the so called ‘Wild West’? How does the character “English Bob” reflect the sanitizing fictions that were circulated in the press and popular culture in the late 19th and early 20th centuries? How does the film illustrate the real emotional and moral impact of killing? How do the differing reactions of...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 30:00
What does this 2017 Film about the origins of the HELA cell line used in biomedical research, and the family of ‘donor’ Henrietta Lacks, show us about the ramifying effects of the loss of Henrietta on her children and extended family? Would it have been more true to the rich source material (a best-selling book on this family's experiences) to have created a mini-series instead of a single...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 31:30
What does this 2011 Science Fiction film, premised on the technological possibility of reliving the last few minutes of a person’s life by soul-jumping into their bodies in parallel universes, tell us about ethical issues that would arise in using such technology? Does the program director, Dr. Rutledge, believe that Source Code is merely a simulation, or does he think Colter Stevens is...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 31:35
What does this 1962 Orson Welles film, based upon the incomplete Franz Kafka novel, tell us in its utilization of a nightmarish story? How does the illogic of transitions mimic nightmares? Do any of the characters surrounding and including protagonist Joseph K, truly know what is going on? Are they all in the same uncomprehending state with regard to their places in the world? How does Joseph...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:00
How does this 1972 film, based on the Second Continental Congress’ deliberations on Independence, reflect the times of its production, as well as the actual events surrounding the adoption of the Declaration? Does the effort to make the founding fathers more human work? Does the film accurately reflect the motivations of men like John Dickenson? Why does it simplistically portray some of them...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 36:29
What does this miniseries, based upon the Chernobyl nuclear power plant disaster and its aftermath, tell us about the contribution made to the disaster by the closed Soviet system, and its Marxist/Leninist ideology? How important was international media to the eventual clean-up and averting of an even worse disaster? How do the film-makers portray the heroism of ordinary citizens in the cleanup...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:09
How does this 1951 film set during the contemporaneous Korean War explore racially connected issues in the U.S.? How does it go against type for so called “B” movies in its exploration of these issues? How does it reflect the communist world’s awareness of America’s faults and attempts to exploit the existence of racial bigotry? How does the director, Samuel Fuller’s, military experience lend...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:41
How does this film’s attempt at a realistic or plausible variation on the theme of superheroes work as compared with more mainstream films in that genre? How does Elijah Price’s disease, and his mother’s attempts to counter his fear, lead him to believe comic books contain a kernel of truth with regard to people that are physically impervious to harm, and how does this lead him to discover...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 31:32
How does this noire film, which contrasts a barely noticeable wallflower of a main character with a set of boisterous ‘BS-ing’ characters, use this contrast, and for what purpose? How is Ed’s position in this ‘big wide world of yakity-yak’ like ours? How does Ed’s passivity illustrate points made by existential philosophers, with regard to alienation and 'authentic' existence? How does the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 30:00
What does this 1963 film, based upon an actual escape attempt from a German POW camp, tell us about the high levels of creativity within the aviator POW community? Were the Germans wise in collecting their most accomplished aviator escapees into one camp? How does the relationship between the Camp Commander, Luftwaffe Colonel Von Luger, and POW CO Roger (Big X) Bartlett exemplify professional...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:10
What does this film, set in the waning days of the Indian wars, tell us about forgiveness between two of the main characters, Captain Blocker and Chief Yellow Hawk, who had fought each other during the wars? Do they, in the end forgive, or come to a respectful understanding of each other? How does the fact that they are both warriors motivate the character arc of Blocker? How does the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:22
What does this film’s combination of rich symbolism, a Christ-like character, and his retelling of the story of the Ark intend to communicate with regard to the passage of time, and its impact on faith? How does the male character’s portrayal of forgetfulness develop the theme of God becoming human? How do both characters represent the fact that we find ourselves ‘thrown’ into the world, not...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:45
What does this film, about the early stages of a 90 year journey on an interstellar starship, tell us about the moral status of the actions of its main character, Jim, who, in order to alleviate his own loneliness, awakens another passenger, Aurora? Is Aurora’s arc, from justifiable revulsion at Jim’s actions in waking her, to ultimately forgiving, and falling in love with him a second time,...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:00
What are the metaphysical presuppositions of this horror film? What would have to be true about the world in order for the efforts toward manifestation of the “Empty Man” to actually succeed? How might one explain the possibility of such success on the basis of the analogous phenomenon of trauma induced multiple personality disorder? How might this analogy, in combination with a ‘panpsychist’...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:30
What does this film, about two spouses who come to realize that their spouses are carrying on an affair, tell us about the effects of abandonment and betrayal? What does it tell us about the impact such affairs have, even in societies that tacitly accept such behavior? Why do the two main characters attempt to reconstruct or act out meetings or conversations between their cheating spouses? What...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 33:15
What does this film, about the 1919 ‘Black Sox’ scandal, tell us about the Kantian stricture that we should not treat people merely as means to our own ends? How does the team ownership, in the person of Charles Comiskey, illustrate? How do the gamblers illustrate? How does their taking advantage of the illegality of the arrangement, to break promises to the players, illustrate? How does the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:55
What does this film’s bleak story relay to us about the problem of pain and suffering and mankind’s relationship with God? How does the interaction between the atheistic characters Ottway and Diaz reflect the loss of belief or anger and sense of divine injustice people will often experience in the face of repeated tragedies in life? How does the film connect with, and tap into the themes raised...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:33
What does this story, premised upon the possibility of transferring a person from body to body, tell us about the moral implications of such technology, should it ever become available? Does the fact that Mark voluntarily sold his body in order to raise funds that save his daughter’s life make it the case that there is no grounds for moral qualms? Does the film miss an opportunity to explore...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:51
What does this film, based upon the true story of Jesse James’ death, tell us about celebrity, and the lionization of criminals in American popular culture? How does the formation of Robin Hood myths around figures like Jesse James reflect upon America’s image of itself? How did the fact that Missouri was a border state play into this myth making in Southern press of the day? Why did the...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 32:36
What does this pair of films, one a documentary about POW Dieter Dengler, the other a drama based upon his story, tell us about the moral obligations film makers have toward the subjects of their films? How does the treatment of Eugene DeBruin in Rescue Dawn illustrate director Werner Herzog’s failure in regard to these obligations? How did Dieter Dengler’s early life in Post War Germany...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:55
What does this film tell us about the difficulties encountered by WWII veterans as the re-entered civilian life? How does the film show the uncomprehending nature of those that did not serve, and how best to bridge that experiential divide? What must veterans do to ease anxieties of family, friends a colleagues? What must family, friends and colleagues do to ease anxieties or PTS in veterans?...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:55
What does this dystopian film tell us about connection between feelings or emotions and evil? Does the fact that the film is derivative of several films and works of literature dilute its message or its entertainment value? How does the society's social control technique, (chemical deadening of emotions and feelings, as a preventative for warfare and inhumanity), bring about the very things it...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:55
What does this film tell us as it contrasts the busy stressful lives of its two main characters in modern Japan and the idyllic life of the remote Chinese village they visit? How does it the film portray the diluting impact of modern technology and culture on unique indigenous cultures? How do the villagers instantiate conflicting interests that remote villages might have in trading with and...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 0:00
What does this film, set in 1980s East Germany, tell us about the role of culture ministries in closed and authoritarian communist countries? What does it indicate about the role of fear and self-preservation in the exertion of control in such totalitarian systems of government? Is manipulation of such fear an engine of betrayal? How does day to day surveillance of private life affect Stasi...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 28:28
What does this 1964 film tell us about the state of the Cold War in the early 60s? How does it illustrate the unique nature of the American constitutional order, as compared to other governments of the world, where extra-constitutional military coups, overthrowing elected governments, often occur? How does the film reflect upon contemporaneous conspiracy theories of its day, and those of today?...
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Duration: 28:04
What does this film tell us about the role of alcohol in Danish culture, in particular, youth as they navigate the milestones of academic life? How does it illustrate the dual nature of alcohol use for purposes of lighting creativity or buoying self confidence or verve for life? How do the middle aged teachers that are the main characters illustrate the risks and rewards of using alcohol for...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:44
What does this film, (premised upon the notion that time travel is possible, and there is only one possible world - our own - the events of which are fixed), tell us about how much influence such time travelling agents would actually have in their attempts to alter outcomes? What does it tell us about the author's intent with regard to designed complexity of the plot line? Is this film a case...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:03
What does this 1968 film portray with regard to the possible interplay between intelligent guidance and evolutionary processes in the origins of humanity? What resonances does its story have with religious traditions on this subject? How does it reflect pop-cultural trends on that same question? How does it illustrate, in the 'person' of the HAL-9000 computer, the potentials and pitfalls of...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:55
What does this classic film suggest to us about travel between the actual and possible worlds? What does it suggest about invariance of character traits of individuals across possible worlds? Are Potter and George Bailey such invariant characters, the former always depraved, the latter always good? What was Clarence's purpose in showing George a particularly bleak alternate history of his town,...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 28:30
What does the film, based loosely upon the Robert Heinlein novel, tell us about director, Paul Verhoeven's opinion of the novel? What is the message the film and novel transmits concerning civil/military relations today? What is the role for philosophical and ethical education in Heinlein's vision of secondary and post secondary education? What does he have us consider with regard to the notion...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:30
What does this film tell us about the range of responses we can have toward aspects of our lives that are outside our complete control? How does Charles Foster Kane exemplify, through failure, Aristotle's views on virtues, his doctrine of the mean, and his views on happiness or flourishing? How does he exemplify, through failure, Stoic Doctrine? How does Kane's life parallel Welles's own life,...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:00
What does this film tell us about the potential to bio-engineer characteristics that would suit human beings for roles that require use of violence, such as bounty hunters or military combatants? What does it tell us about the ongoing project of creating AI that has an ability to perfectly mimic human emotional reactions? What does the ambiguous interpretation of Joi's actions indicate about...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:35
What does this documentary series tell us about the sense of duty and service to country that was felt by five directors from the golden age of Hollywood (John Ford, John Huston, Frank Capra, George Stevens and William Wyler)? What does it tell us about stewardship responsibilities, with regard to US troops that was shouldered by General George C. Marshall and civilian leadership, during WWII?...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:13
What does this movie, based upon a Phillip Roth novel, tell us about cancel culture on campus? What does it tell us about the difficult choice made by the main character, Coleman Silk, who disowned his African American family in order to pursue success in his careers passing as a white Jewish man? Does the film attempt too much by cursorily including too many of the novel's narrative threads?...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:45
What does this 1973 film tell us about post Hays-Code Hollywood and the ethics of using child actors in roles such as that of the posessed daughter, Regan? What does it tell us about the interaction between the MPAA and film producers/distributors? What does the film make us consider with regard to the problem of the existence of evil and God? Why would God allow a perfectly malignant demon to...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:40
What does this retelling of the Godzilla story tell us about the responsibilities of governments in handling emergency situations? How does it reflect contemporary Japanese bureaucracy and does it provide a window into how the Japanese conscience feels about WWII era lmperial leadership in the terminal stages of that war? The film's first half is dark satire, while the later half portrays...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:00
How does this horror/suspense film engage with recent philosophical thought experiments having to do with brain transplants and issues of personal identity? What does it tell us about submersion of identity for social purposes? How does producer/director Jordan Peele utilize awkwardness in white/black relations to build suspense and foreboding in his audience? What did he intend to tell us...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:49
What does this film tell us about the human proclivity to use fellow human beings as mere means to larger ends, such as corporate gain or climate change mitigation? Is it realistic to assume a corporation, its employees or society would treat cloned humans as less than human? How does the AI robot, GERTY illustrate codes of ethics for AI human interaction? What evidence is there that GERTY is...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:22
What does this story, about the court-martial of a black cavalryman accused of rape and murder of a white woman, tell us about justice, fairness, and bigotry in the post-bellum U.S. Army? What does it tell us about the tenuous and inconsistent nature of the American social contract at the time? What message does John Ford wish to send his audience of 1960 with this film? Does he presage...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:15
What does this story, based on the early days of American involvement in the air war over Germany, tell us about the tensions that exist, for commanders, when they try to balance mission accomplishment with stewardship responsibilities they have for the well-being of the men and women they lead? How does it illustrate the emotional and psychological toll that these command responsibilities...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:51
What is the relationship between violence and civilization? How do the two main characters, Tom Doniphant and Ransom Stoddart reflect that relationship? What does the film tell us about circumstances where it becomes necessary to act with 'dirty hands' in order to preserve civilization? What does this film tell us about America's founding, and the mythologizing of our founders? How does John...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 28:40
What are the concepts of the natural lottery and moral luck, and how are they represented in the film? Does the gritty realism of the film’s opening sequence morally contextualize the choices Capt. Miller and his squad make during the film with regard to POWs? Is it fair of Capt. Miller to demand, with his last words, that Ryan “earn it” as he dies after defending the bridge? Did Ryan satisfy...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:40
What does this 1952 Japanese film, about a bureaucrat who discovers he has terminal cancer, tell us about choice, direction in life, and living authentically? What does it tell us about the focus and hard questions that often happen when confronted with one's own mortality? What does it say about the compromises with reality or necessity that most people must make when it comes to the ability...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:41
What does this film tell us about the benefits and risks associated with reviving long extinct life forms? What is the interplay between scientific inquiry and entrepreneurial efforts in the film? What are the competing motivations in such cases? Do such projects as the real-world enterprise "Pleistocene Park" run similar risks while offering their possible benefits? If so, how might they be...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:00
What does this film, about nerve regeneration research, tell us about utilitarian thought and the role of consent in medical research using human subjects? Is the film too far-fetched? How does the history of WWII medical research help to answer that question? What sorts of rationalizations do we find in the U.S. Public Health Service Syphilis Study at Tuskegee (1932 to 1972) that have...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 27:10
What does this film, about Jesuit missionaries in Algonquin territory during the 1600s tell us about rationality and religious beliefs? How does it illustrate the conceptual difficulties that can occur when we attempt to understand cultures whose experiences and outlooks are foreign to us in fundamental ways? How does it illustrate the alliances and power politics of the colonial period, and...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:35
What does W.E.B Dubois' concept of 'double consciousness' tell us about the main character Starr Carter, and life as a black American? What does it tell us about recent police shootings of unarmed black men? What does THUGLIFE mean? Is the message of The Hate U Give one of despair or hope when it comes to race relations? How does this theme connect with other recent films and the comedy of Key...
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 29:44
What does Blade Runner tell us about the role of empathy in morality? How are memories connected with personal identity? What connection is there between the capacity for cruelty and moral agency? Is there religious significance or commentary in this film and in the book upon which it is based? These, and other questions are explored.
Shaun and Alex Baker
Duration: 23:48
What does the 2016 film Arrival tell us about time, and our relationship to it? If you knew your future and could choose, would you live it exactly as it is to unfold? Does foreknowledge of the future course of our lives imply that there is no free will? Would it be wrong to inform loved ones of the tragedies you see for them? Would it be wrong to enter into relationships that you know will end...