REVIEW: GOD'S NOT DEAD 3 - HIS LOVE CONQUERS ALL

In an age where an increasing number of young people under 30 are now starting to walk away from the One True Faith, it is fitting that those of us with a large megaphone, speak up with solutions. This is precisely, one of the major takeaways from the brand new movie (released March 30, 2018) - GOD'S NOT DEAD 3 - A LIGHT IN THE DARKNESS. 

In a sense, one of the major solutions reminds us that the old must become new again. That particular solution is Love and a great message coming out of this new movie by David AR White and his Pure Flix production company. We live in times of extreme hatred, bullying, permanent division and upside down morals. GND 3 attempts to address some of this division, in light of everything else, with the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and some strong human emotions from both sides of the conflict, in the movie.

At the end of GND 2, released in 2016, the scene was set for this sequel at the end of the credits. David White, as Pastor Dave, was taken away in cuffs because he refused to submit his sermons for review by an oppressive city hall. At the time, this issue was heavy in the air with the overreach of the former Houston Texas Mayor, in real life, who had subpoenaed the sermons of five Houston preachers in 2014, over the pastors teaching directly from God's Word. This unconstitutional act backfired nationally, as it should.

However, GND 3 - heads off in a completely direction. The arrest of Pastor Dave brought up another issue, which while related to the freedom of religion and to preach the Bible, tested the limits of the so-called "separation of Church and State". Religious liberty is still a potent issue with atheists attempting to remove chaplains from NCAA football teams in recent years, in the Bible belt of all places. Here in this movie, the increasingly liberal and narrow thinking of an anti-God society led to the accidental burning down of a historic church on the "Hadleigh" college campus.

The secular staff, of this once Christian school, used that tragic occasion, which resulted in the death of a visiting African pastor, to kick the burnt out church (St. James) off campus for good. This, obviously, did not sit well, with Pastor Dave and his congregation or friends.  He decides to travel to Chicago in his Prius to seek legal help from his brother, Pearce, who is a social justice advocate. Pearce is not a believer even though both he and David grew up in the same home with dad as the pastor of St. James. Pearce is played by John Corbett, who just a year ago, had the lead role as the real-life Pastor Michael Spurlock, who became renowned for rescuing a Tennessee church, which he was assigned to close down. Corbett is one of the well-known star-studded cast of God's Not Dead 3. 

The amazing thing, from the casting point of view, was how all cast members appeared in sync with both the screenplay and the execution of their roles. Christian movies with controversial themes are difficult enough for an authentic Christian to bring off the role with believability. David White did this perfectly here. I have seen his movies from the early evangelical short films of over 20 years ago, up to now. This role was his best ever, as all the nice happy church days of God's Not Dead 1 and 2, disappeared with the reality of late 21st Century American attitudes towards church and God.


This movie is full of drama with a well-written screenplay, which was obviously keyed in on current real-life events, and how it affects both the Church and young people. One particular scene involves the coed lead Samantha Boscarino (Keaton) telling Pastor Dave off about the reason millennials are not interested in Faith (Christianity) anymore. While Keaton character has a point, this did not happen in a vacuum. The "NONES" - the increasing number of people who do not believe in God etc. - got that way because of school indoctrination, parents who did not raise them with the Bible and THEN a church which is still playing games, instead of reaching souls and making disciples of their members. 

All of us in strong ministries which focus on discipleship, prayer, and families should go see this movie.  It will also remind us in ministry, especially the pastors and church leaders among us, that the Church of Jesus Christ is NOT theirs to do as they/we please. It is God's and He will do as He pleases. It is also a good one to take an unsaved friend to, because those who doubt or walk away, need to come around to the Truth that is an old-fashioned concept like Love, is still answer. However, more importantly, this Love has only one Name - and His Name is Jesus! His Love is victorious over all.

MOVIE WEBSITE HERE
PURE FLIX WEBSITE HERE

IT WILL INSPIRE YOU: "I CAN ONLY IMAGINE" (OPENS MARCH 16, 2018)

MOVIE REVIEW:

The first time I saw the band Mercy Me LIVE was 15 years ago when WinterJam went through Bloomington, Illinois. Success was wearing very well on lead singer Bart Millard as his mega-hit song “I CAN ONLY IMAGINE”, not only became the biggest Christian hit song of all time, in modern history but was all over the secular radio stations. I mean, who would not want to go to Heaven? The lyrics of this song and the rising melody, combined with expert phrasing made it a perfect balm for the easy listening mainstream radio types.

Fifteen years after the release of the song, I CAN ONLY IMAGINE was made into a full-length feature movie starting some pretty good mainstream stars. Anyone who knows the background of Mercy Me or the story behind the song itself “I Can Only Imagine”, will know it is lead singer’s Bart Millard’s personal life story....to a certain extent.

Growing up an only child in the dusty small Texas town of Greenville, Bart Millard (played in the movie by J. Michael Finley) just barely made out of his teenage years alive, after a lifetime of physical and emotional abuse by a very abusive father. His mother had flown the coop after one too many beatings from Millard’s father. In the soon to be released I CAN ONLY IMAGINE (March 16, 2018), Bart Millard’s father is played by the great Hollywood actor Randy Quaid, who has played in good family movies before. Quaid is completely in character, superb and gave an amazing portrayal of Bart's real-life father.

Purely by accident, Millard was found out to have a powerful singing voice and a lot of talent. After high school football injury sidelined him permanently, he went into music up to and after graduation. Due to the continuing abuse at home, the post-high school Millard, could not wait to get out of his father’s house and go launch what he thought would be a good music career.

Along with three other high school friends, the musical quartet hit the road and with some minor success. In the meantime, Bart was busy doing some emotional abuse of his own. His relationship with his high school sweetheart (now his real-life wife Shannon) was going further south than Galveston, Texas. The movie, expertly done by the Erwin Brothers of Alabama reminds me of another true story spectacular event they produced in recent years called Woodlawn!

If you loved Woodlawn, with its gritty and bold screenplays and acting, you would more than love I CAN ONLY IMAGINE. How this song came to be is incredible in itself. The Bart Millard I once stood next to at the Dallas-Fort Worth Airport early one morning a few years ago, was not the same arrogant young man who ended up writing and performing this multi-million crossover pop/Christian music hit. J. Michael Finley did a great job portraying the Mercy Me lead singer and frontman and throughout the movie. He takes you through a wave of emotions, concerning Bart, from his very sympathetic years through high school, to the unbearable years when the band was in its infancy, to the great man of God, he is today.

There is one very touching (and warm) surprise in I CAN ONLY IMAGINE and you will have to see it to get the full story. Through the Erwin Brothers great story-telling and weaving of the perfect choice of character actors, whether it was Trace Adkins or Randy Quaid or J. Michael Finley as Bart Millard, the viewer is taken on a really inspiring soft roller-coaster ride. It can be emotional at times, so feel free to take your Kleenex. But like all Erwin Bros. movies, there are some great humorous moments. The Erwins are well-known for movies like Mom's Night Out, October Baby and others, apart from Woodlawn.

This is an unsolicited, unpaid or un-anything review. I just loved the movie and predict it to be the biggest Christian movie of the year. It may not bring in the $1 billion that some Hollywood blockbuster would, but this one has something more important than any Hollywood movie- REAL HEART! It has also eternal consequences, as Jesus is boldly proclaimed and it is for the entire family. The Erwin brothers (Jon and Andrew); Producer Kevin Downes (actor from Courageous) and Executive Producer Cindy Bond have made, what could very well be,  the best movie of 2018. We shall see!! God bless.

CLICK HERE FOR I CAN ONLY IMAGINE WEBSITE
GET TICKETS HERE FOR YOUR LOCAL THEATER

LET THERE BE LIGHT....(NOT YOUR TYPICAL MOVIE REVIEW)

This is a review of a paying customer to a local AMC Theater. It is totally unsolicited, just like all reviews posted on this site. Thank you.
As mainstream Hollywood flounders under the weight of itself, the increasing abundance of some amazing Christian films is just astounding. Let There Be Light (LTBL) is one such film. While Pure Flix has become the "Warner Brothers" of Faith and Family big time movies and streaming services, LTBL is in independent movie produced by none other than the top U.S. Cable News Host - Sean Hannity of the Fox News Channel.

The official Let There Be Light website describes the movie thus, in part:
"....But even with all the fame and success, Sol is empty and distraught on the inside and his increasing reliance on alcohol to numb the pain is only making things worse. His New York party lifestyle has isolated him from his ex wife Katy and their two remaining sons.  Their unrelenting faith in God is something that Sol has actually grown to resent and he tells Katy that he just got sick and tired of her praying for his soul. Sol’s self-destructive habits eventually catch up to him and a serious car crash leaves him clinically dead for four minutes before he is finally resuscitated by some heroic first responders.  It’s a miracle that he’s still alive, but what really changes Sol’s outlook on life is what happens during those four minutes.  It’s a four word message that refuses to let him go despite his best efforts to deny it"...and those words are "LET THERE BE LIGHT".

Right off the bat, as the movie swings open, a big debate is going on between a polished, apparently mainstream evangelical Christian TV show guy and the celebrity atheist and superstar author Dr. Sol Harkins, played by "Hercules" - Kevin Sorbo. The debate happens in front of a huge lecture crowd which is actually representative of a lot of professing "Christians" these days. While the evangelical debates from familiar talking points, the accomplished celebrity author is able to not just passionately proseltyze as a pagan to the weak minds out there, but then go Elmer Gantry on them, with raw emotion. You see, even atheists know there is a God. Just ask Richard Dawkins, who once remarked "Oh my God...." when he forgot the full title of the book "Origins of the Species" by Darwin!

I have read other reviews of LTBL, by Biblical solid christian websites and blogs I always rely on for good discernment, and I could not disagree with them more. One of them is Patheos. This is NOT a cheesy Christian film. On the contrary, as anyone can see from the articles on this blog, I only promote the Bible and what it says - as far as life is concerned. I see the heresy out there and leave it to great people like Challies and Patheos or Dr. Al Mohler to talk about those things. My calling is to alert those who are open to it and what that scene, where the great Kevin Sorbo and his character shows is just how gullible and easily led into oblivion, the majority of people are. It was almost infuriating to watch our God being blasphemed by "Dr. Sol Harkins" (Sorbo) and people sit there and applaud him for doing so. These are some of the same people who will show up in a megachurch, the very next weekend and singalong with the latest Hillsong worship song, while sipping a caramel macchiato from the coffee shop in the church lobby. This is my first takeaway.

The movie DOES takes several turns from here on out as Sorbo's character embarks on a search for the meaning of those four words - LET THERE BE LIGHT. I see nothing hoaky or cheesy about it, just some good screenplay writing and as an evangelist and author myself - Gospel preaching. What some of our own evangelical critics of this movie may have forgotten is that the prime focus of a Christian and Faith-based movie is the Gospel. Using a former Italian 'wise guy' who spent 10 years in the joint and got saved when someone gives him a Gideon New Testament - his only companion for "three years in the hole" is genius. After all, the movie background is New York City and some of the best churches in NYC are in Brooklyn - the biggest being the Brooklyn Tabernacle, which covers every single nationality in the world. (Never mind the movie was filmed in Birmingham, Alabama! Lol).

Two hundred Gideon New Testaments 

like the one in the movie, handed out

at Inner City Trunk or Treat, 90 

minutes, to people who have never

had their bibles  - IN AMERICA! 

What Pastor "Vinny" does in his simple, funny and "goomba" - speak is to explain the Gospel of Salvation to an atheist better than some real preachers on TV and whom I know personally, who spent four years in seminary! He does that while having us laughing out loud.

I have been a Gideon Bible Society man for going on 23 years and have handed out 1000's and 1000's of Bibles to so many people as well as tens of thousands of tracts. I have had one man come looking for me at a Christian men's conference years ago, who said I gave him a gospel tract in front of a bar, during a parade once, and he didn't want to take it, but his wife did. These things have eternal consequences. As one who is hands on involved in evangelism no matter the neighborhood (from college campus to the inner city), there is something happening when the Word of God changes hands from me to a recipient. I just finished handing out 200 Orange New Testaments (student) to child and adult alike at an inner city "Trunk or Treat" Halloween replacement party for almost 400 people in a disadvantaged neighborhood. The hugs and love were icing on the cake. This was the second takeaway from LTBL - Pastor Vinny's Gideon bible from jail.

Kevin Sorbo and wife Samantha with real life son.
They all had a part in Let There Be Light.

My final takeaway, which actually had me teary-eyed, was Dr. Harkins' wife Katy (who is actually Kevin Sorbo's real-life wife, Samantha) and her explanation to her two (also real-life) sons as to why God chooses to answer prayers the way He does. Her two surviving sons were praying for her healing from a terminal disease and worried God was not listening to them. THIS is the sort of thing which each one of us as Christians and believers will ultimately face in life, as sure as we live and breathe. If we cannot explain it to someone else, or understand it ourselves, then there will be bitterness, doubt and even unbelief.

For me, this last portion of the Hannity-Sorbo creation was worth the entire endeavor - first, the risk of these great men taking a chance to make a movie like this and secondly, to have solid Bible based doctrine to apply to real life, and then write it into a screenplay like this. I think the misunderstanding of what a Christian movie, whether it is Let There Be Light or God's Not Dead (1 or 2) and some others is expectation.  Sure we want to be entertained and have high standards due to the production quality of mainstream Hollywood.  But a Christian movie is more than just watching Star Wars in IMAX and going "wow" for about 5-10 minutes afterwards. 

We expect something more life-enhancing, rich, solid and sound when we watch a Faith Based movie, whether is by Sorbo or David A.R. White or the Christiano Brothers. The good thing is - these men never disappoint and I for one, will continue to support these movies in the theaters. I have already started word of mouth among my own circle of friends of LBTL. Let's continue to do pass the word along, this holiday season!

Roll Tide

DAVID A.R, & ANDREA LOGAN WHITE - THE REEL DEAL/NEW AUTHORS

The first I ever heard of  David A.R. White, was from watching a series of movies I had bought at the now defunct Family Christian Bookstores, over a decade ago.  Second Glance (1992) showed a young David, who himself was not too long out of high school, in what was the first of a multitude of independent Christian films which are assuming higher prominence, in these last days.  It was not his first movie, but the first one which led me on a journey to build a library of these early movies produced by transplanted New Yorker Rich Christiano, his brother Dave and starring David A.R. White. I have spoken with Rich several times over the years, in the course of public showing of his movies, and understand his heart and passion for what began in this genre over two decades ago with the young David and others in this now established field of Christian film.

Fasting forward to White's powerful alliance with Michael Scott, Russell Wolfe and Elizabeth Travis, David formed PURE FLIX (2005) which took the message of the Gospel, Christianity and the Bible to various action movies like Jerusalem Countdown; The Mark 1 and 2; Sarah's Choice with Rebecca St. James and so many more, one will have to go to their website (here) to get the full list. Some of my absolute favorites, for which I purchased several licenses over the years to show at church were The Book of Daniel; Woodlawn; Do You Believe and what several of us consider the best movie on Evangelism we have seen - Encounter with Bruce Marchiano!

CLICK HERE FOR BOOK INFO

Of course, what really blew Pure Flix, the Whites and Kevin "Hercules" Sorbo into the stratosphere was God's Not Dead (GND)1! The award winning GND 1 was the highest grossing indie movie of 2014. It has not stopped as the world keeps giving storylines with God's Not Dead 3 due in the near future. However, while most people associate David A.R. White with Pure Flix and Christian movies, they may not be too aware of his first book - "BETWEEN HEAVEN AND HOLLYWOOD....Chasing Your God-given Dream" (2016). Click here to read the First Chapter and here for purchasing opportunities. Any successful person will tell you, there is no such thing as an "overnight success". What can happen though, is a Christian who is faithful in the hard things, the seemingly small but important things and who completely follows the God Who will break things open in His Timing. I read the book and enjoyed the funny narrative of this young man from a conservative Mennonite background, who never took his eyes off why God put him here. I heard him describe the book for a full interview on Chris Fabry's Moody Bible Radio show and it became obvious why he wrote it - to encourage somebody else to follow their calling God has put in their hearts. White says on his website "there is no one too common, too uneducated, too poor, too inexperienced, or too broken that he or she cannot be used by God". This is reason enough to get his book.

CLICK HERE
 FOR BOOK INFO

The family that writes together, makes a whole of impact together! Andrea Logan White is David's beloved wife and from the state of Illinois.  Her book was released less than two months ago (Sept. 2017) and is a stunning work called "PERFECTLY UNFINISHED: Finding Beauty in the Midst of Brokenness"

Two things I gleaned from reading Andrea's book. The first one is do not start it unless you intended to finish reading the entire book, because it is not what you think. The second thing is, once you have decided to read it, you cannot put it down. It will stun you, make you scratch your head and then you get to the incident where God reveals Himself to the hurting and lost Andrea, your concern turns to rejoicing as another soul is added to the Rolls of Heaven.

I was not planning to write a full article like this on this, the REAL (reel?) Power Couple of Hollywood and both their books, until I could not put down the second half of Andrea's book, in spite of an busy early morning coming up. All I had planned on doing was to leave reviews on Amazon.com, where I got both David's and Andrea's books.  But completing Andrea's books in one sitting opened my mind to this article. It is, as Rich Christiano's movie is called - "A Matter of Faith" 

In troubled times, the matter of Faith, with feet that walk righteously, requires us to do the following:
1. Praise God in the Storm. This is not just a Casting Crowns Song. It is the foundation of a lasting Faith.
2. Love God in the choppy seas of doubt, pain and suffering.
3. Obey God even if you think you have nothing left to give...because you do (have something left to give - YOU).
4. Say NO to temptation to shake your fist at God. Job's wife told Job to "curse God and die". Job refused because He knew the Character of God and that His Redeemer liveth.
5. Trust, follow and BELIEVE God in Christ, no matter the depression, doubt and despair. Trust Him completely, even there seems no earthly hope. Trust Him because Hope in God IS out of this world.
6. Praise God in the Storms. While weeping may endure for a night, joy cometh in the morning (Psalm 30:5) 

The portion of the book which describes Andrea's Walk with Christ as a wife and mother could describe the hidden trials and tribulations of many in today's high-stressed world. What was incredible to me was the previously unheard-of level of pain (physical and other) which one human can endure. I minister in men's ministry (for over 20 years); senior homes for about 14 years; street ministry etc. for over a decade, and have never come across such a warm, heart-felt, completely heart-breaking yet uplifting series of pages as I read in PERFECTLY UNFINISHED.

As I read about the Faith behind Andrea's pain, which led to her present perseverance, my mind immediately shifted to the words of the great Joni Eareckson Tada (a quadraplegic) who had this to say about living in constant physical pain and a horrid diagnosis. Joni said the following during an interview with Christianity Today (in part): "Even though it seems like a lot is being piled on, I keep thinking about 1 Peter 2:21: 'To these hardships you were called because Christ suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his steps.' Those steps most often lead Christians not to miraculous, divine interventions but directly into the fellowship of suffering".

Andrea Logan-White is not without her own movie portfolio! She was one of the leads in the hilarious "MOM's NIGHT OUT" and is currently in a weekly comedy series with her husband and several others, on the increasingly popular PURE FLIX Streaming service called "HITTING THE BREAKS".

PERFECTLY UNFINISHED is available here on Amazon.com.

NEW MOVIE REVIEW: THE RESURRECTION OF GAVIN STONE (2017)

GRACE...HUMOR...FELLOWSHIP... AND JESUS TURN A HEARTBREAK KID AROUND

The first brand new Christian movie to be released in 2017 is guaranteed to wash your winter blues away. W.W.E. Studios (yes, THAT W.W.E – World Wrestling Entertainment) produced one of the most humorous and clearly impactful Christian films I have ever seen. The RESURRECTION OF GAVIN STONE (R.O.G.S.) is due to be released nationwide on Friday January 20, 2017 and stars Brett Dalton, as Gavin Stone. Wrestling fans will also recognize HBK – Shawn Michaels, the Heartbreak Kid as one of the main characters in the movie. Shawn is a born-again believer in his real life.

R.O.G.S's swift flowing storyline revolves around the former “child actor” Gavin Stone (TV Actor Brett Dalton, AGENTS OF S.H.I.E.L.D. ABC TV etc.) who later became a troubled young adult, typical of Hollywood child actors, who made it too big too fast. Like most actual child actors, he hailed from either the Midwest or the South and Gavin Stone’s hometown was Masonville, Illinois. (By the way, Masonville looked eerily like Mason City, an actual small Central Illinois town, where the main attraction is an actual 1920’s era theater, with authentic era seating, called The Arlee). Those Midwestern values went out the window once Gavin moved to Hollywood to become the great child actor with the catchy phrases, the merchandise and more. That is, until it all went south and like most child actors, Stone ended up on the wrong side of the Law.

To work out his drug addiction rehab, Stone was sentenced to 200 hours of Community Service at the local megachurch, as a janitor. His displeasure at this required responsibility is obvious until he notices that the church's Passion Play is about to get going. His ego causes him to desire the lead role of, you guessed it - Jesus Christ. There is only one problem: the Bible preaching pastor (played by TV/Movie actor D.B. Sweeney) mentions to Stone that the role is only open to someone who is a Christian.  Naturally, the self-absorbed actor suddenly declared that he indeed was a "Christian" and did what any self-professing "Christian" does - he mouthed words about Jesus.

This sudden "conversion" began both a series of humorous incidents throughout the movie, which flowed effortlessly into the well crafted and directed narrative written by  Andrea Gyertson Nasfel. She may not sound familiar but some of the most powerful Christian movies with self-effacing, subtle, clean humor were written by Ms. Nasfel! Her increasingly impressive portfolio include Mom's Night Out; WHAT IF; Christmas with a Capitol C and others.

Without giving away most of the plot, the expert weaving of this holy humor

Angelah Johnson- Reyes,  with Brett Dalton

and complex human relationships, speak to regular people who simply do life! There is notion out there that a Christian has to have a great life of health and wealth and great relationships. This is about 180 degrees out of phase with life where wayward teens walk out on their parents and have rough and tough relationships with them. (For example, Gavin Stone and his movie father, played by former Second City actor Neil Flynn). We also see imperfect people seek after goals they can never attain, in this movie. Yet they can come together and worship the same God, staying true to the Bible, under the banner of Grace.

Grace is a huge theme of R.O.G.S. We see a lot of Grace with the former Hollywood "bad boy" Stone being welcome back by his formerly estranged father (Flynn). We see Grace in a church and a group of regular people welcoming a stranger in their midst, who is doing community service. We see the doctrine of the "second chance", which God has given to each one of us whom He saved by that same Grace. 

We see Grace in an ex-con named Doug, who now runs a well stocked automotive shop full of custom choppers and equipment. This former ex-con is now a sold-out man for Jesus who loves to do anonymous good deeds, like repair cars for single moms and use the word "Crush" a lot! This was a perfect role for the former World Wrestling Entertainment long time crowd favorite Shawn Michaels, the  Heartbreak Kid (HBK), who is still a favorite with a lot of folks, and is a real follower of Christ himself. 

For a serious student of the Bible or even a casual one, the best illustration of this Grace, which caused God to come down from Heaven and be born as a man to save to world, was the Grace shown by the main female cast member of this movie. Wonderfully played by Angelah Johnson-Reyes (as Kelly Richardson, the pastor's daughter), she is exhibit A of poise and character who gets double-crossed again by Gavin Stone, just after she trusted him as a close possible romantic interest. Stone had gone briefly back to his old life, another illustration of the attraction of the devil just before real breakthrough,  when he felt the tug on the heart which all of us, B.C. (Before Christ) feel, just before conversion.  As Stone is about to make a mistake which could permanently ruin him, he decides to return from Hollywood to Illinois, only to be welcome back with open arms by those he seemingly betrayed.

Director Dallas Jenkins with WWE
wrestling pro Shawn Michael

What happened after Stone's return and the Passion Play's actual performance is the most significant portion of the movie. Every person of faith, from church leader to congregant, can find absolutely no fault with what happened when Gavin Stone finally understood not just Grace, but atonement and what God really did on the Cross.  As his Jesus character hung on the Cross in a "bloody mess", Stone (Brett Dalton) not just comprehended the truth of the Gospel, accurately, but he verbalized it and then surrendered his life to Christ, right there on the Cross...while playing Him! As a minister of the Gospel, I can say that this alone is worth the price of admission!

The Resurrection of Gavin Stone is directed by Dallas Jenkins, the young and accomplished Christian movie director. Dallas is known for directing Kevin Sorbo in "WHAT IF" and others. He is the son of Jerry Jenkins, co-author with Tim LaHaye of the popular LEFT BEHIND Book Series. Dallas is now the director of media arts at Harvest Bible Chapel in the Chicago, Illinois suburbs. Click here for Dallas' bio and portfolio. The Resurrection of Gavin Stone comes out on Friday January 20, 2017 nationwide and is a FIVE STAR PRODUCTION from WWE Studios.

(Movie Website Here)

(IMDB)

"LOVE DIFFERENT" - THE MOVIE WITH A MOVEMENT MESSAGE

FAITH-BASED MOVIE REVIEW

There have been wonderful faith-based movies made by African-American producers like Tyler Perry, T.D. Jakes and others. However “Love Different” is a body of work by Producer/Director Anthony Hackett which defies a label and even a category. It is so woven with continuously flowing themes of humor, love, faith and human interaction that 94 minutes go by without you noticing.

“Love Different” tells the tale of a young Iowa born and bred woman (expertly portrayed by Christian actress Jenn Gotzon as Lindsay Walker) who accepts a job at an all-black consulting firm in Maryland.  Right off the bat, we know where this is heading. The humor and cultural clash immediately become evident, fueled by some excellent writing by Anthony Hackett and his team. 

Lead Actress Jenn Gotzon

The head of the consulting firm, the affable Mr. Chamberlain, assigns his best consultant – JonNeque (Neque) Campbell to come alongside Lindsay Walker in order to give her a two day crash course in “Black Culture” after discerning that his new consultant may be unable to relate to her prospective new clientele! The humorous crash course in the culture fall under the rubric of “don’t try this at home, folks”.

However, while this is going on, a few subplots develop. One subplot involves  Neque’s  equally professional wife, a regular church-going woman, who is beginning to feel neglected. The second subplot revolves around the Jenn Gotzon character (Lindsay) and her parenting skills with her teenage son. Both main characters in this warm, humanity-enhancing film are individually competent in their careers, but are also works in progress – needing to “love differently”. Neque is in need of understanding his wife’s “love language” – attention. Lindsay’s need at this time is to be firmer in a phase of discipline with her rebellious but really obedient son, with tough love. 

Actor/Director/Writer
Anthony Hackett

Apart from the obvious humorous situations  and scary moments,  there are some  intentional stereotypes which some of the general public may have of African American culture and life.  However, whether the Writer/Actor/Producer Anthony Hackett intended it or not, he hit on a powerful truth about the state of not just the inner city church, but youth ministry in general. When the mask Neque (the main character) was wearing fell away, after the two day crash course with Lindsay Walker, as to why he stopped going to church, it exposed a huge wound which has gone unattended for a generation now. This wound is the unattended to and gaping in the soul of young America.  

The premise Anthony Hackett used to underscore the title of his movie is the actual project on which he and Jenn Gotzon (Lindsay) are supposed to be working. It revolves around a public relations campaign for a youth outreach program, of a traditional church. Like many of the churches in any city’s older neighborhoods in America, this church had lost most of its youth and sought out this consulting agency to handle its outreach optics. 

WATCH TRAILER HERE OF "LOVE DIFFERENT":

As a lay minister/evangelist/event promoter who works across cultural lines in a city of about 120,000 in the Christian music and evangelism arena, I see the same world which “Love Different” addresses. It is universal. The Body of Christ has a generation of young people already gone because of the lack of love, truth and the Gospel. 

If this movie can spark renewal and a reflective look at our human interaction, in a personal, social, work and community level, it would be a beautiful statement. Love Different can be more than just another cute, funny and inspiring faith-based movie, it can be a catalyst for some church leaders to look in the mirror and get moving back to our original mission. That mission was given by Christ – love God, love people, make disciples.

Visit the following sites for more information:

Movie Website: www.LoveDifferentTheMovie.com

Producer Website: www.SonsetFriday.com

Movie Facebook Page
Jenn Gotzon's Movies & Website Here

FAMILY MOVIEGUIDE AWARDS ON THE REELZ CHANNEL THIS SATURDAY

 The 22nd Annual MOVIEGUIDE Awards 
this Saturday March 1  2pm EDT . 1pm CDT . 11am PacTime


LIST OF NOMINEES

• BEST FAMILY FILMS
• Black Nativity
• Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2
• The Croods
• Despicable Me 2
• Frozen (2013)
• Grace Unplugged
• Linsanity
• Monsters University
• Oz, The Great and Powerful
• Turbo

• BEST MATURE AUDIENCE FILMS
• 42
• Captain Phillips
• Gravity
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
• Iron Man 3
• Man of Steel
• Thor: The Dark World
• The Tower

• EPIPHANY PRIZE MOVIES
• 42
• Black Nativity
• Grace Unplugged
• Man of Steel
• The Tower

• EPIPHANY PRIZE TELEVISION
• The Bible
• Blue Bloods: Bad Blood
• The Cross
• Duck Dynasty: Till Duck Do Us Part
• Last Man Standing: Back to School

• FAITH & FREEDOM AWARD MOVIES
• 42
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
• Iron Man 3
• Man of Steel
• Turbo

• FAITH & FREEDOM AWARD TELEVISION
• Blue Bloods: Bad Blood
• Christmas in Conway
• Duck Dynasty: Till Duck Do Us Part
• Last Man Standing: Back to School
• Remember Sunday
• Secret Millionaire: George & Kym Rapier: Oakridge, Oregon

• FREE ENTERPRISE AWARD MOVIES
• The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
• Monsters University
• Turbo

• FREE ENTERPRISE AWARD TELEVISION
• Christmas in Conway
• Last Man Standing: Back to School
• Remember Sunday
• Secret Millionaire: George & Kym Rapier: Oakridge, Oregon
• Shark Tank: Episode 4.20

• GRACE AWARD MOVIES
• 42
• Harrison Ford
• Black Nativity
• Forest Whittaker
• Grace Unplugged
• AJ Michalka
• James Denton
• Gravity
• Sandra Bullock
• Man of Steel
• Henry Cavill
• Russell Crowe

• GRACE AWARD TELEVISION
• The Bible
• Roma Downey
• Diogo Morgado

Last Man Standing; Back to School

Tim Allen

Willie Robertson

The Cross

Billy Graham

Blue Bloods: Bad Blood

Len Cariou

MOVIE REVIEW - " THE MARK"

JULIA ROBERTS’ BROTHER IN END TIMES THRILLER!

CHECK OUT MY MONTHLY REVIEWS HERE

 ON TWINAS LATINAS ONLINE MAGAZINE!

If a movie can hold your attention at 3 o’clock in the morning on New Year’s Day, you know it was well put together! One of PURE FLIX’s latest offerings fills that bill and more! “THE MARK” is a very well written, produced and executed. Released in 2012, THE MARK is serious business! Troubling End Times days are already here, where the world systems have already developed the microchip which is termed “The Mark of the Beast” in the Book of Revelation (Chapter 13:16-18).  Just briefly, the movie takes place almost entirely on a Boeing 747 flight on “Pacific Airways” to Berlin (apparently from Thailand).  Viciously evil mercenaries, led by the Gary Daniels character (Joseph Pike) are on board the flight to capture a human guinea pig named Chad Turner (Craig Sheffer) who has been implanted with a microchip that a shadowy “political figure” badly wants!  

Through a fast moving sequence of events, Chad becomes the unlikely hero (somewhat) and rescues what is left behind of the passengers on the aircraft, which includes a “Christian” pastor! They were all left behind when a sudden flash of light from Heaven removes all believers in Jesus Christ (the Rapture) and the pastor and Chad realize that his implant is really the “Mark of the Beast”! In a surprisingly turn of events,  famed Hollywood actress Julia Roberts’ brother Eric turns in an extremely credible and revealing performance as the corporate mastermind behind Chad’s implant. Eric Roberts is lesser known than his famous sister, but he has been showing up more and more in faith-based movies.

The rest of the movie, which will be continued in a sequel to be released later this Spring (March/April 2013) according to a tweet I received from the great folks at PURE FLIX, is the beginning of the path to REDEMPTION (title of the Sequel) by Chad and the stewardess he rescued from the doomed plane. I am eagerly awaiting this sequel as one who has studied these microchips. What makes this movie so gripping and believable is that these microchip implants are already in use in America and probably around the world!  Like the one in Chad’s right arm, which cannot be….and will not be removed from those who actually take the Mark of the Beast (according to Revelation 13:16-18), the ones currently in existence do become part of the bloodstream. They also identify a person via the wireless signals from the RFID device’s transponder to the future government official, who has the microchip reader.

Since this is an entertainment review, I will not go into all that technical stuff. However, it is the knowledge of the existence and sophistication of this same “technical stuff” which makes the thriller in the night skies, at 30,000 feet in “THE MARK” even more compelling.  The increasing professionalism of PURE FLIX and its production techniques are a beauty to behold. The photography can match any secular mainstream Hollywood thriller and the life-like feel of the 747’s Cabin and layout is perfect. I can just imagine how this looks on a HD 70 inch or a theater screen! The film edits and special effects, especially in some of the tighter settings are expertly done. 

If you have a good theater sound system at home, warn the kids and crank it up! Pure Flix, with whom I hope to have a long relationship with, in our monthly movie ministry outreach here at First Baptist Church, Springfield has a long track record of fantastic and spiritually challenging movies with the themes of Redemption, Salvation, Pro-life and the Hope which is to come. Like “THE MARK”, Pure Flix also has the ability to draw in well known top Hollywood favorites like Lee Majors (Jerusalem Countdown); C. Thomas Howell (Escape etc); the late Della Reese and the popular Tamera Mowley-Housley (Christmas Angel). They also have produced excellent evangelistic movies starring my favorite actor who has ever played Jesus in any capacity – Bruce Marchiano! If you ever have a chance to purchase the Book of Matthew DVD with Bruce as Jesus, please do. It brings across the full love and scope of the message of the Savior.

“THE MARK” is recommended top drawer entertainment/wake-up call for a cold wintry night and should send us searching our own souls. The movie ends with a brief preview of the soon to be released sequel “THE MARK – REDEMPTION”!

BE CHALLENGED, ENTERTAINED & EXPERIENCE MORE HERE ON THE BRAND NEW TWINAS LATINAS MAGAZINE - LESS THAN ONE YEAR OLD!