Christians in Cinema

Today in the neighboring town of Clovis, CA, Army Corporal Nathan Hubbard will be laid to rest. He was one of 14 men that died in a helicopter crash in Iraq on August 22. He was in one of two Blackhawk helicopters that had just completed a mission and were returning to base.
What made Nathan’s [...]

Remember the game about Kevin Bacon? Conceived by 3 students of Albright College and turned into a computer model by Brett Tjaden, called the Oracle of Bacon, it theorizes about the connectedness of people. On average, people working in Hollywood have a 2.9 Bacon number. In other words, take almost any 3 people in Hollywood, [...]

In a recent article by Terry Mattingly of Scripps Howard News Service, producer Rick Eldridge bemoaned the decision by 20th Century Fox to release The Ultimate Gift under the Fox Faith label. His concern, a valid one, was that labeling the film as Fox Faith would submit it to vitriolic attacks by a media that [...]

Writer/Producer – The Last Sin Eater

Brian (shown at right with production partner Michael Landon, Jr., and Liana Liberato, star of The Last Sin Eater, on the set)and Patty Bird have been married 26 years, and are proving that it’s possible to have a strong family and do the work they do. Their 5 children are the delight of their lives. Ben, 24, is a Biola graduate who works for the Chicago Fire, a major league soccer team owned by Phil Anschutz, the owner of Walden Media. Cameron is a 22-year-old senior in the USC journalism program, and Taylor is a senior in high school and will be attending Pepperdine in the fall.

Family vacations range from Hawaii to DisneyWorld and usually include at least one good solid week away as a family. The day after we talked Brian was leaving to go to Tempe, AZ, for a weekend at the Angels’ spring training camp. It’s an annual tradition he’s established with his boys. As much as their school schedule will allow, his kids join him on the set of his movies, and the whole family enjoys their ministry and membership at Saddleback Church in South Orange County, California.

In the midst of post-production on Saving Sarah Cain, Brian made time to talk with me about his passion for writing and his career in entertainment.

Writer/Director/Producer – The Moment After 1 & 2

Walk into a Sharper Image store in the greater Los Angeles area (Glendale, Burbank, Atwater Village), and you might see Wes Llewellyn there. However, you may not recognize him, because his best work has been from behind the camera. His list of credits includes director, producer, writer, cinematographer, editor, gaffer, and camera operator. Wes is a passionate filmmaker, who feels very strongly a commission from God for the work he does.

It’s not news that the world is against the cause of Christianity. In fact, there’s at least a couple thousands years’ evidence to support this. What is news (at least to me) is that it’s become so public and strong within the United States, especially for any Christians or Christian organizations that try to have [...]

Screenwriter/Producer/Editor – One Night with the King

Stephan was born in Perrytown, New York, (the location of Sleepy Hollow). His dad moved the family around every few years, and eventually wound up in Malibu, California. He attended UCLA where he played football and was part of the team that played in the Rose Bowl his senior year.

A fan of Italian food who would love to move his family to Italy, Stephan is also a surfer. His parents have a small vacation home on a golf course in the desert where the family likes to vacation. They also visit his wife’s parents at Hume Lake Christian Campground (only a few miles from the offices of ChristianCinema.com).

This weekend, the Lifetime Network is premiering “Saving Sarah Cain” on Sunday, August 19th, at 6 PM (Eastern & Pacific), 5 PM (Central), and 4 PM (Mountain). The latest film from partners Michael Landon, Jr., and Brian Bird (The Last Sin Eater) is based on Beverly Lewis’ novel “The Redemption of Sarah Cain.” (At right: [...]

Writers/Producers/Directors – The World Is Waiting

Of all the films listed on ChristianCinema.com, we guarantee you won’t find another one like The World Is Waiting. Brothers Reece and Lance Tedford created a goofy physical comedy that was an experiment in what could be accomplished with minimal financing, cast and crew. There were no stunt doubles used, nor were any animals harmed in the making of this film.

New from author Robert Whitlow and director Gary Wheeler the thriller The List has been playing in churches and theaters on the East Coast. Filmed in North Carolina, where both Whitlow and Wheeler live, it is a fresh entry into the “Christian thriller” category, joining the likes of The Visitation, Thr3e, and Hangman’s Curse.
I got [...]

By any standards, one of the outstanding Christian films of the last 12 months is Facing the Giants. It started as an outreach project of Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Georgia; the dreamchild of media pastors Alex & Stephen Kendrick. Their senior pastor said they could do it but couldn’t ask the church to fund [...]

Earlier today, I ran across a community forum where several people were slamming The Visitation, a Namesake Entertainment project that was filmed right here in our hometown. (One of the final scenes takes place in our VP’s house!) There were a lot of comments about the story, the way the script departed from Frank Peretti’s [...]

Director – Midnight Clear

Dallas Jenkins isn’t dreaming of a “White Christmas.” In fact, the Christmas he dreamed up is desolate, lonely and dark. It’s set in the Southwest, without any skiers swooping down pristine slopes or sleigh rides over the drifting snow. Dallas directed Midnight Clear (originally released as a short, now in post-production as a feature-length film), based on the book by his father, author Jerry B. Jenkins (‘Twas the Night Before).

A recent posting on the One News Now website provided some commentary about Disney’s recent announcement that it has banned smoking from its films. This move was applauded by Bob Waliszewki, who heads up Focus on the Family’s Plugged In department, which examines current entertainment trends. He believes this is a big step in “reforming [...]