Our very first movie review!
    Yaaaaay!
    Okay, calm down, calm down, and let's get down to business. I'm so excited to be reviewing this particular movie as our first featured film.

                                                                                        Overview
    The movie begins with a freshman college student, Josh Wheaton, registering for classes. Seeing the cross and Newsboys t-shirt he's wearing, the staff member warns him away from Philosophy 150 with Professor Radisson. "Think Roman Colosseum. Lions. People cheering for your death." But Josh sticks with the class and within the first ten minutes finds his faith challenged by the preacher of atheism. The professor asks everyone to write "God is dead" on a sheet of paper, sign it, and turn it in.
    Josh refuses to do so.
    The professor then challenges him to support his position that God is alive by teaching the next three classes. If he can prove that God's alive, he passes. If not, he loses thirty percent of his over-all grade right off the bat.

    The movie deals heavily with the component of Christianity being challenged and ridiculed, particularly in secular universities. If viewers stay and watch through the end credits, they will see numerous cases listed of Christians/groups vs. universities where freedom of speech and religion were threatened to the point it was taken to court.
   
    But I don't want potential movie-goers to think they'll be stuck in a philosophy classroom for over two hours listening to a professor and student debate. Numerous spin-offs occur throughout the film that deal with the questions of sickness, relationships, death, and multicultural perceptions of Christianity.

    For the non-Christians that are likely to write this film off feeling it will be too preachy- too forceful and abrasive- I challenge you to see this film. The producers did an excellent job of approaching many of the issues addressed from the perspective of non-believers, atheists, and agnostics alike. Many of the questions and mindsets posed are identical to those of my own prior to becoming a Christian.

    Some of the issues addressed include "where is God when bad things happen and why would He allow it," scientific reasoning behind God's existence (including excerpts from Charles Darwin and Stephen Hawking), and the consequences that are faced in several other cultures by choosing to be a Christian.

                                                                                       Content
    Sexuality: None (Unless you count the general overview shot of campus showing several girls in semi-short-shorts.)
    Substance Abuse: None (Unless you count the philosophy department sipping wine.)
     Profanity: None
     Violence: Minimal **spoilers** A young woman is drug out of the house by her hair and struck several times by her father. A man is hit by a car and his body is shown being thrown through the air. This happens quickly and there is minimal blood or lingering visualization.
    Other Elements: Obviously the spiritual content is high. The purpose of the movie was to delve into the common debates surrounding spirituality. But the essence in which this is done is appropriate and the motives are pure. No complaints there. Also, some more strictly rigid Christians may have objections to the presence of a contemporary Christian band's presence in the film. Also the fact that the movie is currently playing in a movie theater....

                                                                            Wrapping It up                    
    Some surprise elements I loved: I had no idea that Willie and Korie Robertson guest starred for a short cameo. I was pleasantly surprised to see the Duck Commander pop up on screen ya'll.
    Also I had no idea the Newsboys had a cameo. And a decently long one. As evidenced by my yelping out loud in the theater, "Duncan!...and Frankenstein!"

    One of the huge reasons this film struck so near and dear to my heart is that I experienced something similar to what Josh went through while at the state university I attended. While the experience was nowhere near the magnitude of what he faced, I had to answer some very difficult questions on the spot, my first semester, in front of easily one hundred classmates, and found myself gritting my teeth at some of the ridicule Christians received in my humanities class. And again, at the end of my baccalaureate career, my nursing class was told we were not allowed to say the traditional nursing prayer at the end of our pinning ceremony due to a parent being offended the semester before. Thankfully, the class came to a unanimous agreement and was able to sway the dean by all signing a petition requesting the prayer to continue.
    My school was in an isolated rural area. And this is still an issue.
   
    The last thing I'm going to leave the audience with is the answer to the question, "How's the quality of the film?" There's no secret in the fact that many Christian films leave much to be desired in the way of filming and production quality. Let's face it, most of these independent companies simply have not had the revenue or time in existence to build up that kind of silver screen sterlingness (I'm aware that's not a word. I was going for alliteration, k?).
    This movie is hands-down the best I've seen in aspects of quality. The filming is crisp and clean. And the settings are diverse. Some of the inexperience is still evident in the dialogue of the script. As the great Cherith Plesscher whispered to me in the dark of the theater, "They're a little extreme with the personalities sometimes, hey?" Yes. The good people are good. The bad people are bad. And the art of subtlety still has some room for improvement. But the quality has improved in leaps and bounds and the progression of Christian independent films in the last 5-7 years amazes and excites me. The acting has improved immensely as well.
    And you know how we can keep this trend going? By supporting them when they come out. So go!
    We are giving this film a 9.75 out of 10 star rating. And telling everyone to go!

    Has anyone seen it yet? Want to see it? Have an opinion on Christian films?
    Let us hear it!         




Picture Credits: www.charismanews.com                           

   Movies. We all love movies and TV shows, and have pathetically devoted much time to watching them. It is where our inner nerd comes alive. We feel accomplished when we drop a movie quote into a normal conversation, and even more accomplished when we pick up on them.  The world of the cinema can transport us on many adventures and make us feel emotions we would otherwise not experience. We started talking about the most moving moments in cinematic history the other day and couldn't stop! Our lists went on for pages. Somehow, we managed to whittle down our top ten and thought we would share them with you.
     So without further ado, these are our Top 10
 Most Touching Moments in Cinematic History.

10)     I'm about to strongly endorse a movie which I hope is OK (I'll ask Cherith's permission later. Thanks, Cherith!). But if you haven't seen this yet, I highly recommend it when it comes out on DVD.

    Saving Mr. Banks

    For anyone who has dealt with a loved one who struggles(ed) with alcoholism or suicide, this movie will punch you in the gut and leave you gasping for air.

    Throughout the movie, we learn that the author of Mary Poppins really wrote the book as an alternative to the scarred childhood she experienced. I don't think I'm giving anything major away when I tell you "the moment."

    The Moment:
    For me, watching MRS. (you'll get it later) Travers sit in the theater and watch the book she wrote come to life on the screen was powerful. In a way, she comes to terms with her past and is able to see her father portrayed to the public as the man she wanted him to be for her. She cries. And once you watch the movie, you realize what a huge deal that is for her.
    Now go watch it and cry me a Nile River.
    -Corinna

                                                                                                                                                                         -Cherith





6)     Patriotism and military service run deep in my family, so it goes without saying that any military movie rings a strong bell for me. Therefore introducing to our list (dun-dun!):

    Saving Private Ryan

    'Murica!

    Basically, for 2 1/2 hours, we follow the story of a squad of soldiers whose sole responsibility is to rescue and bring home a young soldier to his widowed mother who has already lost three sons to the war (yes, THREE.). The ensuing struggle results in the loss of nearly the entire squad of soldiers as they fight their way through Normandy to find Private Ryan.

    The Moment:
    In the last scene of the movie, years later, an elderly man, who we now know is Private James Ryan, is standing in front of the gravestone of Captain Miller (the commanding officer who came looking for him with his men). Ryan is crying as he tells Miller's gravestone that he hopes he has been worthy of the sacrifice so many men made for him. He asks his wife if she thinks he has been a good man and led a good life. He then salutes the gravestone while an American flag flies in the background.  

    If you can make it through this movie and NOT get choked up at the end, well then I deport you effective immediately, you filthy animal.
    -Corinna

This is my favorite movie reveal. Professor Snape is portrayed as the dark character throughout the whole series. In The Half-Blood Prince he has book readers and movie watchers alike  convinced he is the bad guy.  That is until the final movie, Deathly Hallows Part 2, when we find out what side his heart truly was on. Now there are several excellent scenes in this movie series, but the rules of the countdown are we can only choose one.
5) Harry Potter

                                                                                                                                                                                   -Cherith




4) Confession: My favorite movies AND books of all time are anything Tolkien related. So naturally, one of the movies from the Lord of the Rings trilogy had to make the cut. And "the moment" is an easy pick.
   
    The Return of the King

    The moment (spoiler alert! {in case you've been living in a cave like Smeagol since 2003 [or 1955 if we're going by the books]}):
    Frodo is about to leave Middle Earth and sail to Valinor. For anyone that isn't super familiar with the back story of this fantasy world, Valinor is Tolkien's allegorical equivalent to heaven.
    As Frodo is boarding the ship that will take him away from Middle Earth, he turns back and smiles at his four friends. This is what gets me about this scene:
    a) For the first time in the trilogy since he was given the ring, Frodo's smile is joyful and peaceful which
    b) tells his mourning friends that he is not afraid of what is about to come, but he is actually looking forward to it. Like a burden was just taken off his shoulders. His friends, seeing his smile, smile back through their own tears. And the ship sails off into the sunset.

    Maybe it's because the first time I watched this movie, one of my dearest uncles had just passed away. But for me, there is no other more thought-provoking representation in all of Hollywood's history that represents our passing from this life to the next quite like this scene. It's beautiful. It's heart-wrenching. It's perfect.
    -Corinna

   

It was extremely hard to settle on one scene from The Lord of the Rings, but I love this speech.
Frodo is exhausted from the weight of the ring and the insufferable odds they are faced with. Sam has a way of always helping Frodo get up when he is knocked down. He delivers a speech in the middle of awfulness that would make me want to carry the ring to its destruction.
3) The Two Towers

                                                                                                                                                                  -Cherith




2)     So, ladies, let's be honest. How many of us have a feel-good, emotional, go-to movie when we're having "one-of-those-days"? Or if we just want an excuse to sit on the couch with a bowl of ice cream... *ahem* Well, I'm about to reveal mine (Shockingly enough, it isn't Dirty Dancing or Bridget Jones' Diary. Even more shockingly, I've never seen either of those. Sue me.)
    Ready?

    Warrior

    A fantastic chick-flick about an ex-marine, prodigal son that comes home to his in-remission alcoholic father. Who trains him for the superbowl of all MMA tournaments. Pitting him against his estranged older brother. (Ok, so nothing remotely close to a chick flick.)
    The "moment" that gets me every time (major spoiler alert!):
    Near the end of the movie, the two brothers, still at odds, face-off in the ring. After four grueling rounds, the oldest brother, Brendan, has his brother, Tommy, locked in a hold. Tommy, arm broken, continues to fight and refuses to give up the battle.
    The beauty of this scene is that the producer is able to play out the strained relationship between the two brothers metaphorically through the physical fight. In the middle of the screaming fans and flashing cameras, Brendan leans in to his brother and says, "I love you, Tommy. I love you," extending an olive branch. And Tommy accepts. He reaches up and taps out on his brother's arm.
    The movies ends with Brendan pushing away cameras and shielding his little brother from the crowd as they hold one another up going down the tunnel. Their father and Brendan's wife look on.
    At which point, I don't know if I want to fight someone or cry.
    Ugh. Gets me every time.
    -Corinna

Gladiator is jam-packed with adrenaline pumping fights , gore, and honor. The movie takes place in Rome. General Maximus (Russell Crowe) has had his whole world taken from him, and almost his life, when he is betrayed by the emperor's son. Below he meets up with  the man responsible who is unaware that Maximus is alive.  And delivers a moving speech.
1) Gladiator