Ahem.
Beware for this post will contain Angst.
For those of you who don’t already know… I’ve become increasingly frustrated with the Christian film industry over the past few years.
Movies like God’s Not Dead, Fireproof, Courageous, Soul Surfer, and Grace Unplugged are low-budget, badly acted, possibly written by your grandmother, and – worse than all of these things – they hurt rather than help the cause of Christianity.
In other words, they make me want to throw up.
And I don’t like it.
We should have to accept this sort of shoddy filmmaking!
I demand excellence and will accept nothing less.
Now, you may be thinking, as I once did, that these groups are working with scant resources and that is why the movie are subpar. I agree, to an extent. The demand for Christian films is small and so they have less money to work with and that certainly makes things difficult for them.
However.
No financial handicap excuses bad writing. Cliche lines. Stilted delivery. Stiff acting. Overdone, preachy, in-your-faces messages. These are movies we’re talking about, not billboards.
Now you might be wondering – if I hate all the most popular Christian films so much – if there are any that I actually approve of.
I’m glad you asked.
Because, in fact, there are. And the fact that they are rare gems in the world of Christian movies only makes me treasure them more.
Gifted Hands
Gifted Hands is based off of the book by the same name, written by Ben Carson about his journey from a disadvantaged child to a brilliant neurosurgeon.
So… yes. This is a Hospital Movie.
Which means that if you are anything like me, you will spend part of this movie with your hands covering your terrified eyeballs. I am squeamish about blood! And brains! And scalpels!
This is why I never watch Medical Dramas on TV!
Still, I can’t deny that this movie is well done and Cuba Gooding Jr.’s portrayal of Ben Carson is passionate and respectful and just perfect. He captures the laidback, softspoken part of Ben’s nature, but also his upbeat kindness and quiet intensity. A lovely thing to watch.
The actor playing Ben’s mother is also fun to watch and the music is a definite highlight of the film. Ben Carson loves classical music – it helps him concentrate – so the elegant instrumentals are infused throughout the movie.
I may not want to watch this one every day because all that blood scares me just a bit, but this is still a flawless tribute to a brilliant pioneer.
Priceless
This.
This movie.
I am almost afraid to scare you away with my passion for this topic but… Priceless is about human trafficking and that cause is near and dear to me in a way that few other things are.
And yet… there are so few people talking about. People need to know what’s going on, but the it would seem that Christians think it is too embarrassing, too dark, too gritty, too disturbing, too difficult to tackle.
They’re wrong.
The two brothers who composite the band For King And Country spearheaded the making of this film because honoring and respecting women is important to them. And while the quality of the cinematography could be better in this film, the acting is fantastic and the message is… heartbreaking.
We need this movie.
And for those of you who are concerned, they handle the subject with grace and dignity. There is nothing inappropriate about this film, though it could be disturbing, I suppose. But aren’t some things worth being disturbed over? This movie should break your heart. It should keep you up at night.
Still, the message is one of hope and healing and while it is never glib or unrealistic, it is never explicit.
Woodlawn
This is the part of the post where you decide that I have lost my marbles.
And I’m almost inclined to agree with you? As you may have guessed, Football Movies are not my thing.
But there is something endearing about this one. The quality is superb… the young actor who plays the main character is talented… the dynamic between he and the football coach is moving.
It isn’t all about football, you know? It’s about politics and how a town could be torn apart by racism, it’s about kids who grew up amid that kind of festering hurt and hatred and the fear that they lived with, it’s about relationships and friendship and fatherhood. I think it’s beautiful.
But I will forgive you if you just roll your eyes and cross it off your list because I would normally do the exact same thing.
October Baby
Oh, man.
Forget the label “Christian Movie,” this movie is excellent by any standard.
This right here is My Kind Of Movie, okay?
It has the roadtrip to find oneself, it has childhood friends and friendzoning, it has college kids and humor, it has the sunsplashed, VW bus, acoustic guitar, summer aesthetic, the painfully gorgeous soundtrack… I could go on about the actors who are so underrated and the fact that the main character wants to be an actor like me and how she has epilepsy but…
I guess I just did, didn’t I?
The Ultimate Gift
This one is kind of old. Which makes it a million times more impressive that it managed to not be cliche and horrible.
But The Ultimate Gift is not cliche or horrible.
It is about a spoiled rich kid and a little girl with cancer and… he just falls in love with this little girl. It is so special.
Jason is the average main character. Flawed but cute. His journey seems predictable as well – find redemption and realize that there is more to life and all that jazz.
It’s Emily who makes this movie more than just your typical turnaround story.
Not that the actor who plays Jason isn’t fabulous – he is. But the plot, at least, would have been boring if it weren’t for this tiny, screaming, absolutely terrifying young lady.
The tragic ending, brilliant supporting cast, and the decision to use a Switchfoot song in the soundtrack only make it better.
Amazing Grace
Oh, hi.
Don’t mind me, this is just my favorite movie of all time.
No matter.
No matter at all. I will calmly report my approval of this breathtaking and emotional epic.
I hope you know who William Wilberforce is. In case you don’t, I will briefly state that he ended slavery in England and he sacrificed everything to do so.
This movie so perfectly captures his passion to end slavery and his pain on behalf of those who are not free and his great brokenness of mind and body when he fails, that when he sits there, at the end, as everyone else in the room applauds his courage and perseverance, with tears shining in his eyes… I find myself crying as well.
I wish I could have met Wilber. I wish I could have told him how much I respect him and that he is my hero.
More than that, I want to be Wilber.
I want to do something great and change the world the way he did. I guess it’s too early to know if that dream will ever be fulfilled, but in the meantime… I can watch this movie and feel like I knew this great man.
Mom’s Night Out
This one is just fun.
Because it’s a comedy.
And how cool is that? A Christian comedy.
Who would have ever thought that we would live to see the day when Christians realized that they too could be like the rest of the filmmakers in the world and produce chick-flicks and period dramas and thrillers and crime shows and fantasy…!
But wait.
There are no Christian fantasy films, are there?
Ah, yes.
Because we all know what the result of such a movie would be.
Certain. Death. For the entire earth.
Instant implosion. Boom. Splat. Dead.
Anyway. This is a hilarious film, featuring actors like Sean Astin of Lord of the Rings fame and Kevin Downes of no fame but funny lines.
The story is about Allyson, who feels like she is failing as a mother because she has three demon children and they are driving her insane. I personally feel that this should not be called Mom’s Night Out as much as Dads Attempt Babysitting. With disastrous results.
Not that the dads are incompetent and bumbling fools when it comes to their own children! They just mix all their children together like a big playdate kind of thing and it goes… awry.
Still. The humor is on point, in my opinion. The soundtrack is lots of fun. And the words-scrolling-across-the-screen as Allyson narrates her nightmarish life adds a quirkiness that works perfectly.
I don’t love this movie as much as I think it is incredibly brave.
Captive retells the harrowing experience of Ashley Smith, who was held hostage in her own home by convicted rapist Brian Nichols.
I’ve never seen a Christian film in which the main character was a drug attack who visibly struggled with her addiction onscreen. Captive does. It is honest and raw and I admire that.
Actors Kate Mara and David Oyelowo dominate most of the movie – and you don’t even notice the lack of a supporting cast because they are so talented.
I enjoyed this movie, but I should admit that I wasn’t in love with how it ended. But I reviewed the movie back when I first moved to this blog, so you can clicky-click on the title to see my complete thoughts!
storiesinmysoul.wordpress.com 