FamilyChristianMovies.com

Movieguide Magazine posted a review praising the Greg Laurie’s Biographical Documentary, Lost Boy: The Next Chapter.  You can read a summary below or check out the entire post here.

LOST BOY: THE NEXT CHAPTER Content:

LOST BOY: THE NEXT CHAPTER Summary:

LOST BOY: THE NEXT CHAPTER Review:

Yesterday we shared a review of The History of Christianity from  a Pastor in Indiana who viewed it in his Sunday night meetings.  We asked him a few questions about it and this is what he had to share.

Ed, tell us a little about the church you pastor.  How would you describe your church in three sentences?

Thanks for your thoughts Pastor Ed!  You can learn more about Rev. Vasicek’s church and read some of his articles at http://www.highlandpc.com/

by Philip Pfanstiel

The Dilemma referred to in this compelling movie’s title is that of the Cambrian Explosion. This movie does an excellent job of presenting this momentous geological event in the earth’s history that seriously undermines current Evolutionary thinking. And unlike that last sentence, it does it in a way that is easily understandable.

Darwin’s Dilemma is by Illustra Media, the same company that created Privileged Planet and Unlocking the Mystery of Life, and is just as well done with cutting edge graphics, interesting yet understandable content and great ammunition for the friendly discussions with the evolutionists next door.

The film does present the average Christian with a dilemma: how far down the rabbit hole of the creation / evolution debate does one want to delve?

For a quick guide to the theories one might want to check the video On a Level Playing Field (full disclosure: this is the DVD I produced) since this DVD is designed for 7-10 grade students it is a great introduction to the debate on a level most people can appreciate.

Darwin’s Dilemma is a DVD that supports and promotes the Theory of Intelligent Design (ID). While Intelligent Design can be used to support Young Earth Creationism (the theory that most Christians are most comfortable with since it takes the Genesis account literally), it is actually more supportive of an Old Earth Creation viewpoint. This is the dilemma: do you want to remain comfortable in what you “know” is right, or would you feel comfortable questioning and possibly changing your current view?

This is no small question, but not one you have to answer now. Watch the DVD. It is very engaging and informative and does provide great ammunition to use against die hard evolutionists. But as with any firefight while its exciting and dynamic, no one leaves it unchanged.

by Philip Pfanstiel

I didn’t want to watch this movie. Knowing that “The Heart of Texas” is about tragedy and forgiveness and that it involves the death of a young child; these were all things that kept me from watching the movie. It hits too close to home. With five young children, thoughts of losing any of them to tragedy is a thought I want to avoid.

Surprisingly, when I did watch the DVD it was one of the most heartwarming, redemptive and thoughtful films I’ve seen in years. I would highly recommend it.

The premise of “The Heart of Texas” is simple; a young child is killed in a tragic accident and the film follows how the family and community responds. What is not so simple is how the family, especially the father responds.

The recommendation of Jesus to go the extra mile does not even begin to describe how the father reacts to this tragedy. I would go into more detail but the video does an extremely powerful and poignant job, so I won’t mar it.

However; I do think the practical examination of forgiveness and how forgiveness looks in real life was very powerful. I’ve shared with my students the basic premise of the movie and they are amazed that the father didn’t just “get even.”

I explained that no one ever gets even. You hurt me, I hurt you, you hurt me back … and the gift goes on and on. The teeter totter of hurt will only stop when one person decides to stop pushing back. As Gandhi wrote “an eye for an eye and the world will go blind.”

No one wins in the cycle of hurt and retribution that is glamorized by movies, TV and video games. While revenge satisfies a primal need, it in the end leaves everyone worse off. There is a power in forgiveness that the mainstream media doesn’t understand, but this film reveals beautifully.

As a recent immigrant to the Empire of Texas, I’ve often heard that things are always bigger in Texas, this film definitely proves that there is an immensity to “The Heart of Texas.”

I love stories of God working through normal people to do the extraordinary.  In fact, if I had a wish list of “Christian movies I wish were being made” the top of the list would be “true stories of normal people walking by faith in an awesome God.”  Set Apart is a film like that.

Set Apart is the story of two brothers; two normal, humble, Christian guys doing cool stuff for Jesus.  John Gunn is a pastor in the inner city.  His life consists of helping young people find their way off of the streets and leading them into a relationship with God.  His brother Randy has an entirely different ministry; he and his wife Heidi reach out to cowboys through a traveling team of riders and a gospel band that puts on worship services at cowboy get-togethers.  When Randy brings his riders to put on a show in the city, his brother John challenges him to bring four kids who are on the wrong path back to the ranch for the summer to show them a different side of the world and perhaps change the trajectory that their lives are on.

Although feeling wholly inadequate and unqualified for such a venture, Randy and Heidi accept the challenge and bring this motley crew of teens to the ranch with them.  You can guess how it ends, and I won’t fault the writers for a predictable ending.  The thing I loved about this story was to watch Randy and Heidi step outside their comfort zone and walk this unknown journey that God has called them down.  Throughout the film, we see them attempt to relate to inner-city kids whose world they know nothing about.  We see them trying to point the young people to God, but struggling to find the right words.  We see them depending completely on the Lord and crying out to him in their weakness.  We also see a mature Christian couple who loves each other deeply and is committed to following God wherever He leads.

Set Apart elevates these ordinary heroes who are worth looking up to and glorifies God in the way that he works through us in our weaknesses.  The film does all of this in the context of beautiful scenery, great horse-riding sequences and the quality of production we would expect from Provident films.   Set Apart also makes the reality of life on the streets clear while excluding profanity and limiting the violence.  This is a film that the whole family can enjoy together.

You can buy Set Apart at FamilyChristianMovies.com.

Set Apart had 5-Star Dove approval.  You can read Dove’s review here.

Click here to read another review by our friend Dana Chaffin

Have you heard about The Widow’s Might? It’s an independent Christian film that has gathered quite a bit of buzz since it was completed last year and has just been released to DVD this week. I’ve wanted to watch The Widow’s Might since January when it won the “Best of Festival” audience choice award at the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. I watched it last week in anticipation of its release to DVD. I was not disappointed.

The Widow’s Might is the story of two aspiring filmmakers whose main vehicle of expression is the production of short films for a local filmmaker’s competition. Although the filmmakers have experienced measurable success, they’ve hungered for a project with more purpose. They find that purpose in local politics when they learn of a widowed woman in their community who is being forced from her home because of a city expansion project. In response, they craft a western musical that will not only compete well in the competition, but also cry out to the community on the widow’s behalf.

As the young filmmakers create their film over the course of the movie, the viewer gets an up-close look at what goes on in the making of an amateur film, and what goes on in the making of a great filmmaker. In this sense, the film is autobiographical, as the lead actor, John Moore, is also the producer, director and screenplay writer. As the viewer, we see the lead character raised in a supportive environment, struggling to make a film that is true to his conscience, and living with the stress of both getting the film right and being in charge of a project that involves many passionate participants. In many ways, this is a film about film-making, and it’s a unique inside look.

In the end, the viewer is both entertained and inspired to take up righteous causes with righteous means. I want to underscore that The Widow’s Might is truly entertaining. I laughed, I was engaged, I teared up, I wished I’d watched it with my wife, I really liked the film. Often, Christian films can be so heavy on message that they forget to entertain. No so with the Widow’s might.

Despite it’s self-conscious stance as an independent film made by young amateur film makers, The Widow’s Might is one of the best produced, best acted Christian films I’ve seen since I taking this job with FamilyChristianMovies.com. The Widow’s Might is clever, entertaining, funny, serious, inspiring and weighty at different times and it is produced at a high level of excellence

The Widow’s Might was just re-released to DVD on Sept 22. You can buy it here at FamilyChristianMovies.com

I connected recently with independent filmmaker Chad Stembridge on Twitter.  He mentioned that he’d be watching the Christian DVD “Faith Like Potatoes” and he graciously agreed to review it for us.

Chad Stembridge is a 19-year-old homeschool graduate and an aspiring film storyteller. Visit his website http://stembridgemill.com/blog or follow on Twitter http://twitter.com/stembridgemill .

I’m not sure what I was expecting before watching Faith Like Potatoes, but whatever it was, I didn’t get it. This film is definitely not your typical Christian film.

Faith Like Potatoes follows the true story of Angus Buchan, a South African farmer whose life is dramatically changed after meeting God. I have to be honest — there were some moments, especially before Buchan’s conversion, that left me wondering “Okay… where’s this going?” But like I said, it’s not a typical Christian film. It was refreshingly different and creative, plainly showing the progression of changes God can make in a man’s life when he gives himself to Him.

Great films make people think. Faith Like Potatoes did just that. The primary message of the story, of course, is faith — trusting God no matter what, even when circumstances are more than impossible. Angus sums it up perfectly when he states: “The condition for a miracle is difficulty, however the condition for a great miracle is not difficulty, but impossibility.”

The story of Angus’ strong faith in God got me thinking about how often Christians in America miss out on God’s blessings because of self-sufficiency. Instead of trusting God to heal sickness, we turn to a realm of doctors and drugs to fix our problems; Angus saw God raise a person from the dead. Instead of trusting God to protect the framework of our lives, we worry and stress ourselves out making our jobs and finances secure; Angus saw God protect his crops by sending a downpour of rain in the driest season of the year. It makes me wonder: what would I see God do if I were to trust Him in everything, believing the promises from His word with a child-like faith?

Aesthetically, the film was beautiful. The landscapes of South Africa and Zambia were gorgeous, camera angles carefully thought out, color and lighting quite well done. The film had plenty of eye candy for those who love good cinematography!

Faith Like Potatoes isn’t a perfect film… But then, what film is? I highly recommend it for viewing by both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Thanks Chad!

If you’ve seen this film, please leave your thoughts in the comments.

“Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story”
review by Philip Pfanstiel
reviewed: July 21, 2009

Synopsis / Major Character & Actors: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is a biographical made for TV movie about the world renowned pediatric neurosurgeon Ben Carson.  Dr. Carson is played by Cuba Gooding Jr. Gooding, who won an Oscar for playing an over the top athlete, performs a complete transformation to play the studious and deliberate Ben Carson.  Gooding pulls it off and proves his acting chops.

Strengths: Probably one of the most accurate true story films I’ve seen.  No doubt this is because Ben Carson is still alive and could help keep it honest.  There are no over the top theatrics meant to spice it up.  And while Carson’s faith is obvious it doesn’t get preachy.

Weaknesses: Ironically the truthfulness of the story did hurt the overall pacing.  Drama is so much easier when you can throw in stuff that never happened to speed it up.  There just wasn’t enough conflict to keep it moving.  It was never boring, but it never got very exciting either.
The film, while missing major conflict, also seems to move too quickly from plot point to plot point and doesn’t allow the lessons and truths to sink in.  I can’t help but wonder if there were additional scenes that were cut to get it down to a brisk 90 minutes.  A rarity for films where most films tend to go on too long, is that this film could use an additional 10 minutes.

Recommendation: Gifted Hands is definitely a great movie to own, show to your older children (surgery scenes may scare younger viewers) and discuss with them.  As a teacher I’m already thinking of ways I could work this into my curriculum so I could show it to my 6th graders.  The message of overcoming obstacles and persevering is one of my favorite to teach.  But this movie doesn’t preach about perseverance, it shows us Carson’s perseverance and we’re inspired to think differently about our own destination.

Plot/Writing: 4 of 5 stars.  Excellent biographical movie.  Straightforward story wasn’t very confusing and hit on all of the major themes in Dr. Carson’s life.
Acting: 5 of 5 stars.  These are quality actors who make us forget they’re acting.
Production Quality: 4 of 5 stars.  High production quality.  It was a made for TV movie so don’t expect car chases or explosions.  Otherwise very solidly built.
Redemptive Qualities: 5 of 5 starts. Great messages illustrated by the life of Ben Carson and his mother, Sonya.  More stories like these need to be presented to every American student.  Minorities and economically disadvantaged would be especially well served to witness the life of someone who came from the same circumstances and succeeds because of his mothers encouragement and his choices.
Objectionable Material / Warning: Surgery scenes where blood, brain matter and skull plates are cut and moved about.  It wasn’t overdone but this is a film about a brain surgeon so avoiding this would have been dishonest.

Final Thoughts: Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story is not a theatrical film.  It wasn’t released in the theaters.  It was first shown on the cable television station TNT.  Someone, somewhere was asleep at the wheel and missed a great opportunity to develop it just a bit more and release it to theaters nationally.  The story is great, the actors saw the potential and TNT hit a grand slam.  The shame is that such a gem missed the showing it deserved while polished clay is given front stage at the nation’s theaters.  As far as for viewers this is a great film, don’t miss it.

You Can buy Gifted Hands: The Ben Carson Story at FamilyChristianMovies.com

by Philip Pfanstiel

Janette Oke went west with her novels about women settlers and struck gold. The eight novels she wrote comprised her first series and have also debuted as the first to the big screen.

Since the Love Comes Softly series was published Janette Oke has gone on to write over 75 books with sell of over 23 million copies. Her success highlights her ability to connect with her audience and provide women the strong characters, situations and struggles that everyone experiences sooner or later.

Oke has met with similar success as her novels were adapted and made into movies by Hallmark Channel and Michael Landon Jr. The first two movies starred Katherine Heigl (an A-list actress on TV’s Grey’s Anatomy and movies) as the matriarch of the series. Installments 3 thru 8 follow the continuing history of the family as seen through three generations of women.

While not skirting the tragedy, violence and harshness of the Wild West, the series takes a very soft brush to this often bleak landscape and has produced a realistic but kind portrait of the West. Oke even turns to her own family’s history as settlers in Eastern Canada for inspiration for the “Love Comes Softly” series. She also used her husband and sons as models for the strong but caring men that populate the series.

The Dove Foundation has given all of the first seven DVDs its approval for family viewing of 12+. While four of the seven even received approval for all ages (Volumes 1, 2, 6, & 7).

The Hallmark Channel will be broadcasting the first seven volumes of the series on September 5. You can also purchase the series in box sets or individually.

The Complete Released Series Volumes 1-8
Box Set #1 (Volumes 1-3)
Box Set #2 (Volumes 4-6)
Love Comes Softly (Volume One)
Love’s Enduring Promise (Vol. 2)
Love’s Long Journey (Vol. 3)
Love’s Abiding Joy (Vol. 4)
Love’s Unending Legacy (Vol. 5)
Love’s Unfolding Dream (Vol. 6)
Love Takes Wing (Vol. 7)
and Love Finds a Home (Volume Eight) -Available November 17, 2009

Pendragon: Sword of his father
Review by Philip Pfanstiel

How do I review Pendragon? Do I review it as a Christian movie or as a mainstream Hollywood theatrical film?  It is far more than the first (it easily outdoes most of the Christian films that I’ve seen) and so therefore deserves to be measured by the standards I’d apply to mainstream movies.  In that sense this review may seem harsher then it needs to be.  But any criticism needs to be understood in light of the fact that I’m reviewing it by professional and not Christian standards.

Synopsis: Pendragon: Sword of his father follows the journey of Artos, Aaron Burns, as he learns to lead the Britons in their defense against the Saxons.  As the title suggests, this is a retelling of the Author legend but with a very decidedly Christian point of view.

Strengths: The film does many things well. From the authentic sets, realistic period costumes, and night time lighting to the fine acting and beautiful cinematography.  Another bonus is that for a Christian film it delivers a solid Christian message but doesn’t come across to preachy and keeps the Christian cheese to a minimum (there is some but it only comes in the end and is expected).

Weaknesses: It seems that the Burns production team tries to do too much.  While the main characters are solid actors, some of the supporting characters are not the best and their acting is obviously pained. A number of battle scenes come and go too quickly and they seem like exactly that - haphazard. About half the action scenes are very well choreographed, while some of the others are obviously faked.  My only suggestion would be to cut the number of action scenes in half and do the remainder with the same choreography and planning that they use in the opening siege sequence.

Recommendation: I strongly recommend Pendragon: Sword of his father.  It was fun to watch and entertaining.  Once you watch it, check out the making of featurette.  Then as you re-watch it you’ll be amazed at how they were able to pull off this whole production and at such a minimal cost.  It reminds me of an independent film made in the early 90’s called El Mariachi (not a family film).  This film was shot for $7,000 and launched the career of Robert Rodriguez (The Spy Kids movies) and many other future filmmakers were inspired by it.  Pendragon looks even better and I can’t wait to see what the Burns production team can put together with more resources and exposure.
Plot/Writing: Three stars.  Solid story but doesn’t deliver anything unexpected and does give into some tired cliches near the end.  Also there are some connections, choices and characters that stretch credibility.  Again no more than the typical Hollywood movie.
Acting: Three stars. The main actors are solid, but the supporting actors could use some more rehearsals or recasting (ouch! how would you fire someone in your family?).
Production Quality: Four stars. The lighting, audio, soundtrack, visuals, camera, costume and production design were great.  Some of the computer graphics were obvious and there were a few scenes where audio and coloring were inconsistent.
Redemptive Qualities: Five stars. A strong Christian message that comes across just right.  Not too big, not too little.  I heard Jake describe Pendragon as a Christian “Braveheart.”  The comparison is apt.  While Braveheart has a strong Christian subtext, it was not a family film.  This film has a similar feel but is very family friendly.
Objectionable Material / Warning. A lot of fight scenes.  There is no blood or extended deaths, but people do get hurt and die.  Spoiler alert: Someone that you think is dead early in the film comes back at the end of the film (yes, this is one of the cliches mentioned).  Until then some children may wonder what happened to her and why she died.

Final thoughts: Fireproof was the Kendrick brother’s third film and one can see the improvement and refinement through each film.  This is a tremendous freshmen effort for the Burns production team (I say team because I counted over a dozen different Burns family members involved).  I can’t wait to see what the Burns families can do with more resources and the chance for Aaron, Marilyn and Chad to focus on one or two jobs.  In this film they did three or four jobs each.  I wonder how much better they’ll be when they get a chance to concentrate on one or two jobs.  If they continue improving and refining their talents, these future films are going to be smokin’ the competition at theaters worldwide.

Watch the Trailer or BUY the film here