Posts in Film & TV
‘The Chosen’ Shocking Season 4 Premiere Proves A Gutsy Winner

(REVIEW) Overall, this new season of “The Chosen” is its strongest one since the first. If it can build on this with the rest of the season, then it’s possible — as hard as it might be to believe — that Season 4 might be its best to date. Season 4 of “The Chosen” is exclusively in theaters from Feb. 1-14 and later via streaming.

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Do Movies Like ‘Barbie’ and ‘Poor Things’ Encourage Toxic Masculinity?

(ANALYSIS) The two biggest feminist films of 2023, “Barbie” and “Poor Things,” are poised to be heavy hitters at this year’s Oscars. And yet, despite the fact that both films claim to be overt pro-feminist manifestos, what both also have most in common is that they actually encourage the very toxic masculinity that they claim to be deconstructing. evangelicalism may hold the true answer they’re looking for.

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‘The Book of Clarence’ A Satisfying Remix of Familiar Biblical Movie Formulas

“The Book of Clarence” is an entertaining and God-glorifying hero’s journey story of redemption that – if not for some of its PG-13 material and off-beat style – would be right at home in any faith-based movie environment, but far better quality-wise than most.

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Attempting To Define The Faith-Based Movie Genre

(ANALYSIS) As long as they’ve been around, so-called “faith-based films” have been mired in controversy. Whether it’s accusations of bad writing and acting, heavy-handed messages or the demonizing of non-Christians, such movies always seem to be a lightning rod of passionate disagreement.

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A Look Back At The Top 10 Faith-Based Films of 2023

Faith-based films are more prevalent than ever. Whether that’s the growing number of Christians entering the faith-based industry or the larger number of Hollywood filmmakers dealing explicitly with religious issues in their films, it's easier than ever to find films that affirm and celebrate religious worldviews with truth and beauty. Check out which movies were best in 2023.

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‘Freud’s Last Session’ Imagines A Debate With CS Lewis On The Existence Of God

(REVIEW) “Freud’s Last Session” wastes its fantastic premise of pitting C.S. Lewis against Sigmund Freud with boring execution — and a bafflingly underwhelming portrayal that fits an odd pattern by people who often negatively characterize the famed Christian author.

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‘The Mission’ Is A Challenging Documentary Held Back By Its Own Blind Spots

(REVIEW) “The Mission” is a courageous and well-meaning attempt to wrestle with an important topic, held back by “not knowing what they don’t know” about their own biases much like some of the missionaries in ages past. Hopefully, the filmmakers and audience will use this film as a conversation starter rather than an ender. If they do, the world will be better for it.

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‘The Oath’ Shows Mormon Movies Still Have Growing To Do

(REVIEW) The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a group known as Mormons) has its own, often overlooked, film industry within the subculture of Christian Films. While evangelicals and Catholics have produced such movies as “Fireproof,” “I Can Only Imagine” and “God’s Not Dead,” Mormons have “The Best Two Years” and “The Other Side of Heaven.”

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‘The Prince of Egypt: The Musical’ Is A Triumph Of Faith And Art

The stage version of “The Prince of Egypt” is a rousing triumph of both faith and stagecraft. It is one of the most satisfying viewing experiences of the year and a stunning reminder of what can be accomplished when faith and art are put together well.

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In Search of Christmas Classics: Where Have All Those Family Movies Gone?

(ANALYSIS) There are lots of theories as to why the Christmas classic died. Perhaps it simply takes time to become a Christmas classic with culture-wide acceptance. And yet, that wasn’t true of the Christmas movies that came out in the 1990s and early 2000s. Perhaps streaming is to blame, where movies would become classics had they come out in theaters.  

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Why Christians (And Everyone Else) Love Tyrants Like Napoleon

(REVIEW) “Napoleon,” the latest historical war epic by the legendary Ridley Scott stars Joaquin Phoenix as the legendary French emperor and Vanessa Kirby as his wife Josephine. The movie details the the historic rise and fall of his empire and marriage. The film has opened to mixed reviews, but an unexpectedly impressive box office over the Thanksgiving weekend.

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Disney’s New Movie ‘Wish’ And Its Anti-Christian Messages

(REVIEW) Christians have always had a love-hate relationship with Disney since I can remember. Growing up in the Christian culture of the 1990s and early 2000s, all the Christian parents I knew loved watching Disney movies with their kids — but have always had an uncomfortable relationship with some of its messaging.

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Faith, Family and Foul Play: Exploring The Modern-Day Contradictions Of Thanksgiving

(REVIEW) There’s a picture-perfect version of Thanksgiving that exists in cartoons of overflowing cornucopias and naively cheerful turkeys. It’s meant to celebrate a bountiful harvest, a good meal and time together with loved ones. The real Thanksgiving is a lot more complicated — and unpleasant. A new movie out now captures just that.

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What A Gathering of 1967 Impalas Reveals About Fandom And Religion

(ANALYSIS) Among the many spooky events happening last month was the biannual “Haunting of Impalas” at Family Business Brewing, a 15-acre brewery in Dripping Springs, Texas, owned by actor and musician Jensen Ackles. Along with Jared Padalecki, Ackles is the star of “Supernatural,” a television series that ran from 2005 to 2020.

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Why Marvel Changed Its Mind About God’s Goodness

(ANALYSIS) Marvel continues its trend of wrestling with the goodness of God — but now has started to tilt toward believing that the Almighty may be good after all. Why the change and what led them to this newfound realization is rooted in both faith and power.

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Jesus vs. John Wick: Loving Killers More Than The Savior 

(OPINION) Jesus instructs us to be meek and gentle the way our authority figures have always instilled in us, following Jesus can feel like giving into more social conformity. Jesus, it seems, does not seem to be either able or willing to protect us when we need it or to give us a model for how to protect ourselves and those we love.

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How The Sexual Revolution Killed The Hollywood Rom-Com

(OPINION) There’s good reason to believe that at least part of the decline in rom-coms comes from the fact that a large part of the audience just doesn’t believe in romance anymore. Fewer and fewer people are getting married and increasingly people are disillusioned with dating. And this is bleeding its way into people’s viewing preferences.

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