At Men at the Movies, we discuss the movies we love and why we love them. We discover what these modern parables say about who we were created to be. Our hearts reveal a roadmap to our design, and the movies that resonate most are worthy of examination to identify the truth about the men our world needs, the men God designed us to become.

Join us as we discover the God’s truth in the movies.

Looking for a specific movie? Use the search box to find it!



The Reason for Roadblocks
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

The Reason for Roadblocks

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, I talk with Lee Dickerson, host of the Black and White Review podcast and plays the role of Malcus in the upcoming short film, ⁠Shema⁠. Lee shares the story of finding his way through roadblocks to transformation, and the importance of healthy families. The overall theme of his journey is that anything can be redeemed.

Read More
Chasing a Dream
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Chasing a Dream

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, I have a conversation with filmmaker and content creator Chris Bowden from Refocus Creative. His desire is to create high quality, authentic stories. His goal is not to push people away, but to draw them to Jesus through what they see. Polished caricatures don’t move us to transform, but seeing the truth demonstrated in characters we relate to.

Read More
Finding Hope in Missed Opportunities
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Finding Hope in Missed Opportunities

Coming up on this episode of the Men at the Movies podcast, we explore the themes from Tron Legacy. In focusing on the father son relationship in this movie, we identify so many missed opportunities. Like Flynn, it’s easy to mess up in a pursuit of control, order, even perfection. But no matter how many times we fall, it’s not to late to reconcile. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Starving for Love
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Starving for Love

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we enter into the tragic story of Napoleon. In him, we see a man who is competent in the realm of battle, and incompetent in the realm of love. What fails in the relationship with Josephine, and how can we find true attachment and keep the battle out of the bedroom? Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
What Should We Do with our Feelings?
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

What Should We Do with our Feelings?

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we embark on our mission to explore the 2009 movie, Star Trek. In Spock and Kirk, we see the tension between two ways we deal with our own emotions. Spock tries to stuff and control his feelings, while Kirk embraces and lives for them. Both pursuits are flawed, and we need to understand two things. It’s okay to feel, and we were made for more. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Where Can You Find Identity and Purpose?
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Where Can You Find Identity and Purpose?

Coming up on this episode of the Men at the Movies podcast, Britt and I talk about Man of Steel. Clark had 2 fathers to give him his identity and purpose—where can we go to find ours? The only way to receive the validation and love from God is in solitude. We discover new identities, and prepare for the battles to head. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
What’s Your Response to Power?
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

What’s Your Response to Power?

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, power is the theme of King Arthur: Legend of the Sword. Vortigern wants more power and sacrifices everything to get more. Arthur tries to refuse the power that is rightfully his. Both responses do damage. But we find that the struggle has produced character in Arthur that makes him able to handle his strength for good. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie

Read More
Is Your Need For Control Ruining Your Life?
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Is Your Need For Control Ruining Your Life?

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we continue our conversation on the Godfather. When we want to take control, what we’re saying we want to take the place of God in our lives. We think that freedom is the ability to do whatever we want, but then we find ourselves slaves to our feelings and our desires. When we turn to God, and submit to him, we actually find a greater freedom than we ever thought possible. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie

Read More
Seeking Justice in an Unjust System
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Seeking Justice in an Unjust System

Coming up on this 4th anniversary episode of the Men at the Movies podcast, we discuss one of the greatest movies of all time, The Godfather. These movies awaken a desire for belonging, but also the ability to take justice into our own hands. However, it’s very easy for injustice to become a great reason to justify further injustice. In our own way, each one of us wants to be the one pulling the strings. Leave the gun, take the cannoli and join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Battling a Hurricane
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Battling a Hurricane

On Friday, September 27th, Hurricane Helene pounded western North Carolina with winds and rain, causing widespread devastation throughout the area. During that same time, Paul McDonald was driving through the storm, trying to pick up a friend to meet up with Rory Lawrence and Matt Fortin at Man Camp in Ohio. On this episode, Paul and Rory discuss that experience that seemed to end in dead ends and defeat, but was actually a redirection in a new way to take new ground.

Read More
The Recipe for Transformation
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

The Recipe for Transformation

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we study the character of My Cousin Vinny. The man we meet hides inside his leather jacket, wanting to get things done his way and on his terms. Eventually, as we all will discover, he reaches a point where it just doesn’t work anymore. Thankfully, being in a no-win situation is a recipe for transformation. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Finding Ourselves in the Frontier
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Finding Ourselves in the Frontier

This episode kicked of an epic conversation with Jay Heck back in the summer of 2021 as we started a three part series discussing the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Join us as we uncover the power of hiddenness to produce character and integrity. We see the mark of maturity in a man is a reluctance to accept the power being offered to him. How do we find contentment in the wild, the invisible fringes where our most important role is? Join us as we discuss this and more as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Where Have All Our Friends Gone?
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Where Have All Our Friends Gone?

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we have a special treat as we discuss Stand by Me. The main theme was the closing line—“I never had any friends like I had when I was 12. Does anyone?” This movie is rich with themes of friendship, the loss of innocence, and discovering our true identity. Don’t be led by comfort and fear, but join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Recovering Your Manhood
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Recovering Your Manhood

Braveheart is one of my favorite movies of all time. I think I watched it 10 times when it was still in the theaters. This was a really fun, deep conversation with Daniel Schwabauer. One of his best lines was, “I wish I had something in my life I thought was worth mortgaging my house for.” I mean, don’t we all yearn, down deep in our hearts, for something to fight for. Something to believe in. For William Wallace fought for the freedom of his brothers. Just like Jesus. So come on and join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Finding Contentment Amid the Chaos
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Finding Contentment Amid the Chaos

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we explore the 2005 film War of the Worlds. This movie reveals how comfort can lead to a confidence and complacency that won’t stand up when catastrophe and chaos enters our lives. When that happens, cuz it will, how can we get through, survive, and even more importantly, find our contentment? We discuss all that and more, so join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
How Success Can Betray Your True Identity
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

How Success Can Betray Your True Identity

Paul McDonald and Sam Eldredge enter a galaxy far, far away and discuss Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back. While there are many scenes and themes we could talk about, we chose identity as the path to pursue. Luke had accomplished all he had dreamed about on Tattoine, but he was missing out on his true calling. In order to discover who we are, we will have to make difficult decisions. But those choices reveal our true identity, and who we will become. Climb on your tauntaun, we’re going where no man has gone before…nope, wrong movie. May the force be with you, and lets discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
How to Wrestle with God
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

How to Wrestle with God

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we break down the movie Here Comes the Boom. Scott is a man who has lost heart. The system has worn him down, and he’s tired of fighting. One problem with giving up is the message you give to those around you—it tells them they are unimportant and not worth fighting for. It’s time to get up, remember who you are, and come out swinging. Join us as we discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Fear as a Motivator
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Fear as a Motivator

The first Dune shows us it’s important to look at the themes of training, preparation, and responding to fear. How will you prepare for the dreams you have? How will you respond to the training you must endure? When you’re going through the trial and pain, which voice will you listen to: the voice of fear or of love? Strap on your still suit, conserve your water, and lets discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Discovering True Humanity
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Discovering True Humanity

Coming up on the Men at the Movies podcast, we discuss Terminator 2: Judgement Day. When we look at Sarah at the beginning of the movie, she is just as cold and calculating as the terminators. Both Sarah and the T-800 must learn from John what it means to be human, that life has value, and to choose risk and love over fear. Come with me if you want to live and let’s discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More
Finding a Vibrant Life with God
Paul McDonald Paul McDonald

Finding a Vibrant Life with God

This week on the Men at the Movies podcast, we get you ready for summer with Field of Dreams. In a vibrant life with God, He is always offering invitations to us. But we must cultivate the conscious awareness to notice when He is speaking. And when we embrace the risk and act on what he says, the story will always be better than we thought it would be. So let’s follow the voice and go the distance, and discover God’s truth in this movie.

Read More