The God Who Wasn't There (2005) Review

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(More customer reviews)The reviewer who felt "let down" by this DVD and who worried that it was "teasing Christians" is either totally clueless or is engaged in a subtle attempt to discourage viewership.
I was impressed by the manner in which the director laid out his case for the non-existence of a historical Jesus. The information comes from scholars, researchers, and amatuer investigators, and is all available elsewhere, but this DVD brings the ideas together quickly and concisely. He then engages in a series of short interviews with those same scholars, researchers, and amatuer investigators, essentially allowing them to state their part of the case directly. (More in-depth interviews are available in the special features section of the DVD).
Equally illuminating are the interviews with believers in Jesus, who are allowed to make their own statements of belief without interruption. The fact that none of the believers were able to demonstrate any knowledge of the known history of Jesus or the early church demonstrates just how effectively Christian leaders have been able to divert attention from these controversial issues.
But the most compelling part of the film is the ending, where the director (a former evangelical Christian himself) visits the fundamentalist school he attended as a child and interviews the current president of that school. I won't reveal the dramatic ending to that interview (and to the film) but it truly tied everything together (the history, the controversy, and the impact on individuals today).
If you are a big fan of the Rev. Pat Robertson, (who just advised the people of Dover, PA., that they are no longer entitled to God's protection because they voted out a school board that supported teaching "Intelligent Design" in science class), then don't get this DVD. For anyone with an open mind on the subject, even if you are already aware of the intellectual arguments against the existence of Jesus, this DVD brings focus and a human context to the debate.

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Bowling for Columbine did it to the gun culture. Super Size Me did it to fast food. Now The God Who Wasn't There does it to religion. Holding modern Christianity up to a bright spotlight, this eye-opening documentary asks the questions few dare to ask. "Did Jesus even exist?" is just the beginning for The God Who Wasn't There. Your guide through the world of Christendom is former fundamentalist Brian Flemming, joined by such luminaries as Jesus Seminar fellow Robert M. Price, author Sam Harris and historian Richard Carrier. In addition to the film, which won the Best Documentary award at the 2005 Grassroots Cinema Film Festival, this feature-packed DVD includes: -Special commentary tracks with Richard Dawkins and Earl Doherty -Over one hour of compelling additional interview footage -An in-depth Web-enabled slide show -Music from the soundtrack -Bios of all participants This provocative DVD takes off the gloves and gives religion an unprecedented, no-holds-barred examination. So hold on to your faith. It's in for a bumpy ride.

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Powder Blue (2009) Review

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(More customer reviews)Everyone has their problems. This we are constantly reminded of in Timothy Linh Bui's latest film, Powder Blue. Linh Bui, who both wrote and directed this film, is a newcomer to mainstream film, having previously directed one feature-length film, 2001's Green Dragon.
Powder Blue is the story of a pivotal week in the life of four individuals struggling to keep their lives together. Charlie (Forest Whitaker) is an ex-priest battling suicidal tendencies due to the anguish of losing his wife. Jack (Ray Liotta) is a recently released hit man who recently found out about the cancer in his body. Qwerty (Eddie Redmayne) is an awkward, twenty-something mortician whose asthma acts up when he tries to talk to women. And Rose Johnny (Jessica Biel) is a stripper trying to pay the medical bills of her comatose son. Each is hurting immensely. Each is looking for some glimmer of hope.
This is a strange film in terms of the press that it has been getting. The overwhelming majority of articles and news surrounding this project have narrowly focused on the fact that Jessica Biel has a small handful of topless scenes. In fact, one online site boldly proclaims, "this film is always going to be known for one thing -- Jessica Biel was topless in it." Many other sites which have written pieces on this movie have uniformly dubbed Powder Blue "the Jessica Biel Stripper Movie." Commentary on the hyper-sexualized yet stuck in a 15-year-old boy's body nature of American culture aside, this film is much more than a stripper movie and will hopefully be remembered as a good piece of art, rather than the fact that one of the actors shows some skin.
The core of this film is the nature of love. What is love? How do we find it? What happens when we lose it? Everyone has their problems, but no one should have to face them alone. The characters understand this and each has a deep sense of the need for relationships, they just don't quite know how to pursue real and lasting love. Instead, their pursuit is initially selfish, built on what they themselves can get out of feeling loved and fulfilled in hopes that their problems will all go away. So Qwerty attends functions in hopes of getting a date. Jack attempts to restore and build a relationship with his daughter out of the guilt of never being there for her. Rose Johnny throws herself at men looking for someone to not only financially provide for her and her son, but also to treat her and love her as a woman rather than a piece of meat on a stage. And Charlie, the most desperate of the lot, cries out for help to anyone he can find, propositioning them to end his life for him in exchange for $50,000.
Each must discover, however, that honest love can only be so if both parties give of themselves to each other. Each of these characters must be willing to be vulnerable, to let others see the hurt and struggles that they are going through, and then be willing to let others help them and love them in ways that they never imagined anyone could. But again, this is a two-way street, and they must also be willing to do the same for others, allowing them to be vulnerable as well and to work with them through the pains and trials of life. It's only after each of the characters realize this that they are able to see glimmers of hope and redemption in their otherwise shattered lives.
Powder Blue is a fascinating film. Linh Bui has captured something very real and true about life, a feat which most of Hollywood either avoids or fails miserably at. He shows that life isn't a fairytale, hope doesn't come easily, and, again, everyone has problems. However, he also shows that there is true love out there, that there is hope and redemption even if such comes through the pain and hardships that each of us face in life, if we will only allow others in and allow others to help us through whatever it is we are going through, and be willing to do the same when the chance presents itself.
It is this writer's hope that this is what Powder Blue will be remembered for.

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On the gritty streets of LA, the destinies of four people desperate for connection and redemption are about to collide. Jessica Biel, Ray Liotta, Forest Whitaker and Eddie Redmayne lead a top-notch cast in this powerful thriller about an overwhelmed erotic dancer, a grieving husband who has lost his will to live, a terminally ill ex-con and a pathologically shy mortician. With Kris Kristofferson, Lisa Kudrow and Patrick Swayze in unforgettable supporting roles, this film movingly chronicles the imperfect lives of people teetering on the edge of despair and the miracles that bring them back.Stills from Powder Blue (Click for larger image)

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Holiday Switch (2007) Review

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(More customer reviews)Have you ever thought that your life could have been so much better if only you had taken a different turn at some point?
Paula Ferguson runs into her old boyfriend at Christmas time. He's turned out to be a wealthy art dealer, living a life of luxury. At least that's the way it seems to the hard-working Paula, struggeling with debt, housework and family issues -- just like the rest of us. She makes a wish, and ends up transported into the alternate reality of her dreams. Of course, in the end, Paula would give just about anything to get back to her real world. But, this time, the wishing doesn't work!
Holiday Switch was very cleverly done, and is a step above lots of other Christmas movies about dreams being granted.

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Its a week before Christmas, and Paula (Nicole Eggert) is struggling with bills, life with her blue-collar husband Gary and her two daughters. So when Nick, her high school boyfriend, returns to town a wealthy art gallery owner, Paula begins to wonder where she would be if she had stayed with him and not Gary. When Paula makes a holiday wish to see what life would have been like had she made another choice, she is magically transported through her washer/dryer to a parallel life where she is Nicks wife. At first, this other life seems the answer to her dreams, as she shops and dines out with her newfound wealth. But she soon realizes that the grass is NOT always greener on the other side. Her relationship with Nick is in shambles, and she misses her real husband Gary and her two girls. When she sees Gary and her kids living a happy life with another woman, she wishes for just one more Christmas gift--to have back the life she didnt appreciate.

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Barbie Presents: Thumbelina Review

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(More customer reviews)This movie is drastically different from the other Barbie movies. They are trying to do their good deed by making a movie with an environmental message. This appears to be a calculated move from a marketing standpoint, rather than genuine concern for the environment since the only effort Mattel has made is with the items associated with this movie (recylced packaging for the toys, etc.). Nothing makes blatant commercialism stand out like a sore thumb like trying to package it as anti-commercialism. We all know that the Barbie movies are commercials for their toys (like the TV cartoons we grew up with), but as parents we've tolerated it with the Barbie movies because they've so far done alright at putting good moral lessons into them and making them relatively entertaining. This movie is not on the same level as the previous movies in a few ways. The writing, particularly in the dialog department, is very weak and stilted. They have built everything around their obviously half-hearted attempt at "doing a good deed for the environment" and it shows in that every element involved in the "green theme" is poorly executed. The dialog in these parts is atrocious, cringe-worthy jargon. It sounds more like a cheap PSA than movie dialog. The premise is horribly flawed that they would be trying to build a factory so far out of the way that they have to attack a field of flowers that nobody ever goes to. That they transplant a section of the flowers from the field to Makena's room using an excavator (and apparently so quickly and cleanly that the twillerbees inside have no idea where they are or what has happened) is positively laughable. I've had more to explain to my daughters of how things wouldn't happen the way they depicted in this movie than any other Barbie movie, and we have all but the Diaries and Fairytopia ones.
The animation is not up to par on this movie either, and I suspect it is because they are trying to churn out more movies this year than any previous year. They seem to have caught on that the movies are very effective at selling toys, so they're trying to hit us with a non-stop barrage. What happens then is that they are trying to slap these things together in maybe a quarter of the amount of time they used to have. Thus now the lifelike characters move like hollow rubber tubes, and the main characters aren't even attempted to look lifelike. Oddly enough, they look like the Sweet Streets dolls from Fisher Price... I also noticed several times during the movie that the image will pixellate and become grainy, so the finish is seriously lacking. Also noteworthy is the small role Kelly Sheridan has been playing lately. She got to mostly sit out of Mariposa, Christmas Carol, and Thumbelina and only had a starring role in the Diamond Castle movie.
I guess I've been lucky about the brattiness of the girls in this movie, as my daughters have not tried to emulate them. In fact the only comment I've received so far is my oldest asking "Why doesn't she say anything other than 'Ch-ya'?" which has given me the opportunity to point out that she doesn't have anything valuable to add so she just says something stupid. I also point out at the end that her part was so insignificant that nobody is credited for her. Frankly I thought the part was hillarious as a representation of the stupid things snobby people will say when they can't just be silent, but that is beside the point since I'm old enough to not be influenced by cartoons.
All of this aside, I will say that the weird looking characters can grow on you. Usually I like the villain characters in the Barbie movies because they tend to ham things up and totally upstage the heroic characters (particularly Martin Short's Preminger- classic!), but in this one, I think Thumbelina's ditzy friend, Chrysella steals a lot of scenes. Also the construction workers (not counting the crazy foreman) provided a few good laughs, although they would have a hard time keeping a job with the way they spend most of their time eating lunch and smelling the flowers. A good crew would have had the job of blading the ground done before lunch on the first day. Poor little pixies would never have known what hit them... All in all, the depiction of construction workers was pretty bad showing them to be lazy and more than a little weak in the head, and the foreman was the primary villain. In that respect, the environmental message skews the story into the very turbulent waters of over-generalization. It reminded me of a book that was just banned from the schools for trying to generalize Loggers as evil polluting critter killers. They tried to soften it by making it only the foreman who is really trying to tear the place up, but by doing that they made doofuses out of the workers. Way to go guys. Some kids watching this may have parents who work in construction, or other relatives, and now they are going to have to explain to these kids that they don't go around trying to destroy pixie homes... Does it also need to be pointed out that there is plenty of good that can be said in favor of green practices and environmental causes without having to involve magic and make-believe situations (which only dillute the message)? Since there aren't any pixies in the homeless shelters, trying to save their habitat is kind of pointless, you think?
This movie is mildly amusing and my daughters enjoy it immensely, but I think it has the worst dumbed-down plot of all of them. The parts about understanding what true friendship is are good, and that goes back to what most of the Barbie movies are good at, self-esteem stories. They need to stick to those motifs if they're going to do rush jobs on these movies.
And if you think this one was bad, the next one features four Barbies riding horses in mini-skirts waving swords around. That ought to get all of us parents up in arms!

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BARBIE PRESENTS THUMBELINA - DVD Movie

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Letters to God (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)this is a movie that inspires everyone you will cry laugh and learn to pray and believe in god the boy playing the part is excellent and as my sister said as we were leaving the theater- he has a beautiful smile

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A young boy fighting cancer writes letters to God. A postmaster who is at a crossroads in his life searching for meaning. He is confused over what to do but his decision ultimately is a testament to the power of the boy's shining spirit bravery and grace.Studio: Uni Dist Corp (music)Release Date: 08/10/2010Run time: 85 minutesRating: PgDirector: David Nixon

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The Nativity Story (2006) Review

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(More customer reviews)You know the plot: After young Mary is betrothed to an older man, she is told by an angel that she will bear God's son. She could be stoned for this pregnancy, but Joseph has a dream explaining the situation, and he takes her as his wife. They must then make the difficult journey to Bethlehem for the census, and they arrive just in time for the baby's birth in a stable.
It is a lovely story, told quite simply and tastefully. The costumes and village sets are rough-hewn and authentic-looking in earth-tones. The international cast features Keisha Castle-Hughes as a straightforward and uncomplaining Mary, used to hard work and Roman tyranny. Oscar Isaac is a warm and protective Joseph. Shohreh Aghdashloo is wonderful as Mary's cousin Elizabeth; in fact, the entire cast is excellent.
The movie is suitable for all ages and I hope it becomes a tradition to show it on television every Christmas. It sticks to the Bible story and is happily lacking in Hollywood razzle-dazzle. The photography is beautiful and it is respectfully directed. Highly recommended.

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It was the cruelest of times. Under Herod's torturous reign, families struggled to survive and yet, in the midst of utter turmoil, a young woman's faith is put to the test. Join Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes) and Joseph (Oscar Isaac) on an incredible journey of hope and discovery. Epic in its scope, yet intimate in it's portrayal of this historical family, this "wonderful film" (Bill Zwecker, Chicago Sun Times) is "a family feature that will be cherished for years to come!" (Greg Russell, WMYD-TV, Detroit).

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To Save a Life (2010) Review

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(More customer reviews)To Save A Life is a terrific movie for teens and adults. It has a Christian theme, but is extremely relative and appropriate for any teen or parent. The movie is very gripping for most people to watch, and definitely one that will stay with you after it ends. It has loud music, partying, and subject matter that many parents wish were not so close to every home these days--cutting, depression, bullying, alcohol abuse, sex, pregnancy, drugs, suicide, divorce, and more.
This is great for a family or groups to watch together. Great talking points to address with teens about the realities of life, consequences, and the fact that things can't always be "fixed" instantly or undone. Parents could rent this and watch it alone first, or just buy it. It is a movie that opens eyes, and one that you will want to share with/pass on to others.
For parents: If you forgot what high school feels like, watching this will bring back memories you may have forgotten, plus others you can hardly imagine your teen dealing with everyday. Way beyond pimples. Disturbing, but highly recommended!

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DVD-To Save A Life by Outreach Inc

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Fireproof (2008) Review

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(More customer reviews)Reading the reviews here and seeing the variety of reactions to Fireproof is almost as interesting as the movie itself.
Most of the positive reviews focus on the message. Most of the negative reviews focus on the technical quality of the movie, and/or the reviewers' feelings about Christianity. Accordingly, I'd like to chime in on these three topics.
Technical Quality: Although I did like the movie, I have to admit the negative reviewers have a point here. The cinematography and special effects are more in line with what you'd expect on a TV show than a feature film. There's nothing glaringly awful, but the viewer is definitely aware this film was not financed like a big-budget Hollywood movie.
The acting performances are about the same. Cameron puts in a solid professional job, but nothing that's going to go down in history as one of the great performances of all time. The rest of the cast is pretty spotty, and most of them have at least one line or one scene that comes off a bit lame. Again, not so bad as to be unwatchable, but definitely below average for feature films.
The Message: This is why people like the film, and why I liked it too. There are actually two messages here - one about marriage and one about Christianity. Most of the negative reviewers can't seem to separate these two issues, which is understandable since there' entwined. Let me take a stab at dealing with them separately.
The marriage-related messages portrayed in this movie are:
1) Married people who are predominantly focused on their own feelings and their own needs are not likely to succeed. Marriage takes a lot of work, and a predominantly selfless attitude.
2) In order for a marriage to work, both partners have to be willing to admit that they are flawed human beings, that they make mistakes, that they are sometimes selfish and hurtful, and that they sometimes have to ask humbly to be forgiven. Christians certainly recognize this message, but it applies equally to non-Christians (except for those who are perfect, many of whom apparently have written reviews of Fireproof here).
3) There will be conflicts and hard times during a marriage, and when this happens, both partners must be committed to making it work and ensuring the survival of the marriage - even when this seems like a lot of work and doesn't seem to be rewarded or recognized.
4) For a marriage to really work, both partners will have to continually grow and improve themselves - often in ways that are not comfortable and entail sacrifices.
Anyone who has actually been married for a while and worked through problems will recognize the above themes as true to life - and, most emphatically, true to life in a way that Hollywood movie portrayals of love and romance are definitely not true to life.
I believe that most of the people who liked this movie - certainly me and my wife - are resonating with FINALLY a movie that seems to understand what enduring marriage and love that grows over the years are really all about. Most movies portray love as a state of blissful happiness - which it sometimes is - but miss the larger picture of love as an ongoing project that two people work on, working hard and selflessly, for many years.
The Christian Message: People who are just flat-out offended by Christianity, or those who have past traumas, grudges, or anger toward Christians, simply are not going to like this movie. If you're in this group, just don't go.
The people in this movie express and embody their work on their marriage and their personal growth through their faith. If you're a Christian, you will very likely identify with this and see it is a positive.
If you're a non-Christian who has a generally benign, friendly attitude toward Christianity and Christians, this movie might be worth a try for you. The challenges these folks face and the things they have to overcome are not limited only to Christians, and may be familiar to you. They do frame their solutions and their personal work in Christian terms. If you're interested in Christianity, or how Christains frame and work through personal problems, then this movie might have some interest for you.

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Lt. Caleb Holt lives by the old firefighter's adage: Never leave your partner behind. Inside burning buildings, it's his natural instinct. In the cooling embers of his marriage, it's another story. After a decade of marriage, Caleb and Catherine Holt have drifted so far apart that they are ready to move on without each other. Yet as they prepare to enter divorce proceedings, Caleb's dad asks his son to try an experiment: The Love Dare. While hoping The Love Dare has nothing to do with his parents' newfound faith, Caleb commits to the challenge. But can he attempt to love his wife while avoiding God's love for him? Will he be able to demonstrate love over and over again to a person that's no longer receptive to his love? Or is this just another marriage destined to go up in smoke?

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