Epiphany of the Throne-Chariot: Merkabah Mysticism and the Film Contact

I first review the features of Merkabah Mysticism emerging from the Jewish Hekhalot literature. I then get into an open-minded, creative exploration of what I see as cinematic allusions to Merkabah motifs in Contact through a consideration of thematic and stylistic patterns. I graft onto the scholarly efforts to bring out deeper aspects of meaning-making in film using the discursive framework provided by biblical theology

In This World

This is a review of In This World (2002)

Dekada 70

This is a review of Dekada 70 (2002)

Heaven

This is a review of Heaven (2002)

Kandahar

This is a review of Kandahar (2001)

Perfumed Nightmare and Negative Experiences of Contrast: Third Cinema as Filmic Interpretation of Schillebeeck

In this paper I propose that the stylistic signature of a film may represent its theological meaning just as much as more apparent thematic/narrative considerations. For this purpose, I choose to analyze Perfumed Nightmare, a Filipino film (aka Mababangong Bangungot, directed by and featuring Kidlat Tahimik, 1976, 91 min., color). This film, lensed originally on Super 8mm at minimal cost, has received critical praise. It was the winner of the Berlin Film Festival International Critics Award in 1977 and is classified under an evolving research category known as Third Cinema . I present the argument that Perfumed Nightmare analyzed as Third Cinema, may provide a filmic interpretation of the eschatological concept of Negative Experiences of Contrast as proposed by the Roman Catholic theologian, Edward Schillebeeckx, O.P

Divine Intervention

This is a review of Divine Intervention (2002)

Manila’s Black Nazarene and the Reign of Bathala

A consideration of how the dynamics surrounding Manila\u27s Black Nazarene express crucial themes in the Filipino psyche. The article specifically addresses the importance of felt-experience (pagdama) in devotion to the Black Nazarene as well as its connections to indigenous Filipino religion

Facing Forward, Looking Back: Religion and Film Studies in the Last Decade

On November 17, 2012, at the American Academy of Religion’s National Meeting, the Religion, Film, and Visual Culture Group sponsored a session entitled, “Facing Forward, Looking Back: Religion and Film Studies in the Last Decade.” The session focused on four recent books in the field of Religion and Film: John Lyden’s Film as Religion: Myths, Morals and Rituals (NYU, 2003); S. Brent Plate’s Religion and Film: Cinema and the Re-Creation of the World (Wallflower Press, 2009); Antonio Sison’s World Cinema, Theology, and the Human: Humanity in Deep Focus (Routledge, 2012); and Sheila Nayar’s The Sacred and the Cinema: Reconfiguring the ‘Genuinely’ Religious Film (Continuum, 2012). Each author was present to make remarks on his or her book, and then three respondents made remarks on each of the books as well. The respondents were Stefanie Knauss, Rachel Wagner, and Jolyon Thomas. Joe Kickasola introduced the session, and moderated the discussion that followed. This session represented a rare opportunity for scholars of the field of Religion and Film to reflect on the past, present, and future directions of the field, and the Journal of Religion and Film is happy to be able to include the remarks of all the presenters here

3D Time-lapse Imaging and Quantification of Mitochondrial Dynamics

We present a 3D time-lapse imaging method for monitoring mitochondrial dynamics in living HeLa cells based on photothermal optical coherence microscopy and using novel surface functionalization of gold nanoparticles. The biocompatible protein-based biopolymer coating contains multiple functional groups which impart better cellular uptake and mitochondria targeting efficiency. The high stability of the gold nanoparticles allows continuous imaging over an extended time up to 3000 seconds without significant cell damage. By combining temporal autocorrelation analysis with a classical diffusion model, we quantify mitochondrial dynamics and cast these results into 3D maps showing the heterogeneity of diffusion parameters across the whole cell volume