Christians in Cinema BLOG

As little as 7-10 short years ago, no one had heard of the i-Phone or i-Pod. Blu-Ray? What was that? DVD players were still fairly new technology. Television was mostly broadcast or cable, and satellite television was in its infancy.
Major changes in many aspects of the film industry have occurred in the last decade as […]

A recent posting at PhilGons.com discusses what he calls “Christian piracy.” A friend told him about a Christian website where Christians share a variety of forms of illegal download content. You can even find pirated Bible software.
What is it about our mentality that causes us to want to find something for nothing? Are we wired […]

There was a slew of movies last year labeled “pro-life:”  Juno, Knocked Up, Waitress, Children of Men, Bella, and Lake of Fire. A new documentary Unborn in the USA takes an unflinching look at the pro-life movement. It’s a hot topic, and Hollywood seems to be leaning toward pro-life.
Another film on the topic of choice […]

Karen Kingsbury fans, rejoice! This weekend, filming begins on a movie based on one of Karen’s novels. Fans of the New York Times best-selling author have long been begging for one of her “Life-Changing Fiction” novels to be turned into a film. Several of her books have been optioned, but “Like Dandelion Dust” is the […]

It’s only Wednesday, and this has already been a busy entertainment news week. Oscar nominations were announced, actor Heath Ledger died, and a video of actor Tom Cruise raving about the virtues of Scientology is making the rounds on the internet.
First, the Oscars. Glad to see 3 songs from “Enchanted” nominated for Best Original Song. […]

Kelly’s Filmworks (The Perfect Stranger, Another Perfect Stranger, and The Stranger short series) is in production on a new feature film titled “Clancy.”
The original story is written and directed by Jefferson Moore. “Clancy” is the story of a 10-year-old runaway girl who connects with a homeless Gulf War veteran. Christina Fougnie (seen at left), […]

I ran across a movie called Fissure the other day. Don’t ask how I found it. I just did. It looks very interesting. Not safe, but interesting. So I decided to contact the producer (Russ Pond). That’s what I do; it’s part of my job to find people making films and get into their business. […]

Dan Millican (pictured directing Kevin Max and co-star) of Serendipitous Films is in production on his first Christian film in Fort Worth, Texas. Kevin Max of dcTalk plays the lead; a frontman for a Christian rock band. After losing everything meaningful in life because of his personal demons, he goes on the road to find […]

Just read a great article by A.O. Scott, who reviews films for the “New York Times.” His article discusses the appropriateness of movies for children, and why he chooses to take his kids to see PG-13 and even R rated movies when he believes his kids will benefit.
“Just-right” is often boring and frustrating
His arguments apply […]

St. Augustine St. Francis of Assisi (thanks for the correction, Gaspar) is reported to have said, “Preach the Gospel and if necessary, use words.” In a recent interview with Christianity Today, Veggie Tales creator Phil Vischer expressed a similar thought about film: “The more you preach, the less you reach.”
His point is that there’s a […]

Lifetime Television and Christian films. That’s a little like peanut butter and pickles. You don’t really think of the two as going together. But Fox Home Entertainment successfully struck a deal with Lifetime Televison to play Saving Sarah Cain not once but twice during the fall.
The latest offering from the production team of Michael Landon, […]

Saving Sarah Cain comes out on DVD this week. This adaptation of Beverly Lewis’ novel “The Redemption of Sarah Cain” was originally scheduled to release in theaters nationwide. However, last fall, Fox Home Entertainment struck a deal with Lifetime Television to show the film twice during the fall. Was that a good move on Fox’s […]

Guest post by Marc T. Newman, Ph.D., MovieMinistry.com
The first few weeks of any new year are peppered with top-ten lists. Critics re-hash last year’s reviews and place them in a hierarchy, kind of like their own personal awards show. At MovieMinistry we do things differently. Instead of looking behind, I prefer to look ahead at […]

Actress - Enchanted

Kevin Lima, the director of “Enchanted,” is a Disney fan. He should be. He executive-produced “The Wild,” directed “Tarzan,” “102 Dalmatians,” and “A Goofy Movie,” and was credited with character designer and/or animator for “Aladdin,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Little Mermaid,” and a handful of other Disney animated films.

As a special nod to Disney’s princesses, he invited 3 of them to be involved in the making of “Enchanted.” Jodi Benson, the voice of “The Little Mermaid,” plays the role of Patrick Dempsey’s assistant. [Notice the aquarium in the office] I was able to chat with Jodi about the film and her experiences as Disney’s ambassador for feature animation.

At the Ninth Annual Television Awards on December 27, 2007, the show “Ugly Betty” received the award for Best Comedy. What’s so unusual about that? It came from the Family Friendly Programming Forum, a group who is “taking positive steps to increase family friendly programming choices on television.”
We all have our own family dysfunctions.
“Ugly Betty” […]

“The Great Debaters” is a terrific film. It delivers on all levels. The acting is superb, the screenplay is excellent, it’s filmed well and it hits on an emotional level.
I watched it yesterday afternoon with a good crowd of people. That was nice to see, since a lot of the movies I’ve watched lately have […]

I don’t like to make New Year’s resolutions, because invariably they have been broken by at least the first Monday following New Year’s. What can I say? I’m human!
However, this year, I think it would be a good thing for me to make some movie-watching resolutions. If you want to join me, drop your resolutions […]