Posts in Film & TV
Reporter Focuses Lens On The Spirit Of Moundsville, West Virginia

John Miller’s film with David Bernabo, titled “Moundsville,” is a biography of a small town along the Ohio River — from its beginnings with a 2,200-year-old Native American burial mound, its economic boom and bust times as dozens of factories arrived and disappeared, to the current age of Walmart, shale gas and new generations hoping to figure out a future for the small town. The documentary is currently streaming on PBS.

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'American Gospel' Shows Tangible Consequences Of Poor Theology

(REVIEW) The new Netflix documentary “American Gospel: Christ Alone” navigates the theological mechanics of the Prosperity Gospel movement with surprising nuance and accuracy while avoiding the temptation to aggregate all of American Christianity, or even all of American Evangelicalism, under a single, pejorative header.

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Impurity In 'Ramy' Season 2 Presents Consequences, Chance for Growth

(REVIEW) Season 2 of “Ramy” follows a young American Muslim man in his earnest struggle with sexual impurity and relationships. He wants to practice Islam dutifully, but the consequences of his actions serve as a haunting reminder of how he’s failed — or maybe an encouraging reminder that it’s never too late to start over.

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True Story Of Racism and Redemption ‘Just Mercy’ Now Streaming Free

(REVIEW)Just Mercy” follows civil rights lawyer Bryan Stevenson as he represents a black man on death row in Alabama, wrongly accused of murdering a white 18-year-old girl. The movie based on a true story is about systemic racism and corruption within the justice system, but it’s also about how those injustices can change.

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'AKA Jane Roe' documentary misrepresents her work, pro-life activists say

The FX program airing Friday says Norma McCorvey, the “Jane Roe” in the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S., made a “deathbed confession” that she was not pro-life and that pro-life organizations paid her nearly $500,000 during the decades she spoke out for the pro-life cause. However, the film doesn’t make it clear that many of these payments were fees for speaking engagements, and those who knew her insist her conversion to Christianity and repentance of pro-choice activism was genuine.

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Phyllis Schlafly cast as feminism’s anti-hero in new series ‘Mrs. America’

(REVIEW) The new series on Hulu debuting April 15 and starring Cate Blanchett tells the underrecognized story of the counterrevolution in the women’s movement: a battle against Gloria Steinem and Betty Friedan’s brand of feminism led by Catholic political activist-lawyer, self-identified housewife and mother of six children, Phyllis Schlafly. Schlafly successfully led a conservative grassroots movement to squash the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA).

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5 Jesus Movies You Should Watch This Easter

As Christians around the world embark on Holy Week and prepare for Easter, here are five movies about Jesus, both featured in theaters and on TV through the decades, that rise above the rest.

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'Reel Redemption' is the History Lesson on Faith-Based Films We Need Right Now

(REVIEW) Reel Redemption is a new documentary that breaks down the history of the complicated and sometimes contentious relationship between Hollywood and Christianity, ending with the current rise of faith-based films. The director Tyler Smith told Religion Unplugged that while people have often rightfully criticized Christian films, some of the best moments and films in the faith-based genre are overlooked by secular critics who don’t agree with the values expressed.

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Why Mister Rogers Is Worth Watching During Coronavirus Quarantines

(OPINION) As our lives are forced to slow down and spend more time with our children working from home and conducting school online this spring, it’s an opportunity to embrace our own children, strengthen our own families and deepen our faith. And perhaps Fred Rogers is a perfect guide in that process for adults and children.

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'The Chosen' Sets a New Gold Standard for Depictions of Jesus

(REVIEW) The first season of eight in the biggest crowdfunded media project of all time sticks to Biblical accounts of the life and character of Jesus while imagining how he may have spent his leisure time, prayed about his struggles and changed lives. The show’s makers have just allowed free streaming until Mar. 30 to help people quarantined by the novel coronavirus outbreak.

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How 'I Still Believe' Overcomes One of Christian Films' Biggest Problems

(REVIEW) I Still Believe is a beautiful and necessary Christian love story that corrects some of the problems of other Christian films. Still, the movie suffers from the same weaknesses that plague the secular young adult romance genre.

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‘I am Patrick’ shatters myths to highlight the true ministry of Ireland’s beloved saint

(REVIEW) Saint Patrick’s Day is celebrated with beer and parades, often neglecting the true meaning of the day. For Ireland and its largely Catholic population, Patrick is their patron saint. He is a man many people think they know. This new docudrama tries to get to the true story of a man who converted an entire country to Christianity.

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Ben Affleck's New Film Introduces Religion To The Conversation on Addiction

Ben Affleck’s new film, The Way Back, takes a classic trope and exploits the old cliche for a slightly new take on an old tale: the film focuses less on the redemption of the team and more on the redemption of the coach.

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'Accept the Call' shows Somali father wrestling with his American son's radicalization

The 2019 documentary, now airing on PBS, follows a Somali father’s quest to understand why his American-born son tried to join ISIS in Syria.

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'Holy Silence' tries to get into the mind of Pope Pius XII during World War II

(REVIEW) Seventy-five years after the liberation of Auschwitz, the film Holy Silence focuses on the pontificate of Pius XII and whether the pope did enough to help Jews from Nazi persecution during World War II.

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