"No Title"

I've forgotten what I was going to write today, but I doubt that it matters: the cartoon is almost always the best part of this blog. That may not be saying much, of course.
Actually, I've been thinking a lot about religion and American culture: it's an overwhelming topic, and there are many ways to approach it. Last night I was particularly thinking about Richard Gere's monologue in "Shall we Dance?" as well as Curly's "meaning of life" in "City Slickers." I was also thinking about the lack of a theology in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (there's plenty of mythology there, but it's all based around vampires--of course--and elements such as the cross, death and rebirth, and the incarnation of an eternal energy all play merely functional roles, rather than relating any of the characters to a Higher Power or Ultimate Concern) and the way "Joan of Arcadia" fizzled at the end. A few weeks ago it occurred to me that the only reference in "Syriana" to religion was the young Muslim man who becomes a terrorist, despite the various moral struggles each of the other (white) characters goes through: there is no appeal or reference to God, any church, or any kind of spirituality that might help them to make the right (or at least justify the wrong) decision. Jennifer Aniston's "The Good Girl" at least mentions religion, but it's a threat rather than a help: she knows she's doing the wrong thing throughout most of the movie, but she never connects her struggles to... well, the same list I just mentioned.
Sorry I haven't provided any links to the various movies; I think they're all worth seeing, but maybe not all tonight. I'd certainly welcome any feedback on these or other movies.