Most Christian faith-based films mean well and have the best of intentions in terms of the inspiration it preaches to its targeted audiences. However, filmmaking brothers Andrew and Jon Erwin (“I Can Only Imagine”) go so much further, delivering with odd conviction, a saccharine-coated, religious-themed love story that taps more sap than that found in…
It’s a crime how rarely cinema objectively explores religion. While there remains plenty of lighthearted, faith-based fare tailored to specific churchgoing demographics, very rarely are audiences exposed to the challenging theological perspectives that lie buried underneath Lifetime-flavored fluff and grim, pessimistic horror clichés. Thankfully, in lieu of a fictionalized analysis, we have Deliver Us (Libera…
Inspirational dramas are inherently uplifting, motivational and psychologically gripping. Their feel-good elements or inevitable triumph-into-tragedy climaxes are the functional foundations behind rewarding, emotionally-charged cinema. However, tear-jerking tales of adversity sometimes often fall into the realm of derivative dramatics that register in mawkishness despite their well-intentional pursuit of truthful sentimentality. Writer-director T.C. Christensen’s (“The Cokeville Miracle”)…
It’s tough to make a religious film in 2016. Not that they aren’t produced anymore, far from it, but that their demographic continues to diminish. An increasingly secularized temperament in the world today means the topic of religion or spirituality in cinema becomes discussed in ever more derisive ways. For audiences, it was difficult to…
“‘I suppose you are right,’ said the Professor reflectively. ‘I suppose we might find it out from him; but I confess that I should feel a bit afraid of asking Sunday who he really is.’ ‘Why,’ asked the Secretary, ‘for fear of bombs?’ ‘No,’ said the Professor, ‘for fear he might tell me.’” — G….
In our very cynical times one could argue that the kind of movie genre needed more than ever is the faith-based drama. And with recent spiritual outings such as “Risen,” “Miracles From Heaven” and “The Young Messiah” invading the box office this movie season, it would seem Hollywood agrees as we are subjected to yet another…
“Are we clear? Are we clear?” . . . “Crystal.” — Tom Cruise and Jack Nicholson in “A Few Good Men” Based on the book by Lawrence Wright, director Alex Gibney (“The Armstrong Lie”) has delivered another hard-hitting documentary in Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, an exposé of the abuses of the…
