Christians in Cinema

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.

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 […]

The other day, my sister and I were discussing what books we’d like to see adapted to feature films. Since we are avid readers, our list is very long. Here are just a few of our suggestions.
“Hidden in Time” and “A Rift in Time” by Michael Phillips - Biblical archaeological thrillers
“A Skeleton in God’s Closet” […]

A couple of days ago, my sister, her kids and I went to see the new “Alvin & the Chipmunks” movie. We went to an early show, so the theater was filled with young kids. I love the sound of kids laughing, and there was plenty to be heard during this cute and charming film.
The […]

Actor - The Great Debaters

In talking with Denzel Whitaker, I was immediately struck by his poise. The 17-year-old actor portrays James Farmer, Jr., a member of a debate team from a small black college in East Texas, who goes on to become one of the leaders of the Civil Rights Movement.

I had a few moments to talk with Denzel about the upcoming film, his family, and what he likes to do in his spare time.

Saturday afternoon I had a couple of projects to work on and I was in the mood to have a Christmas movie playing in the background. But when I went channel-surfing, I couldn’t find any. Bummer!
So I thought about my favorite movies - if I had to name them, what would they be? So here […]

In a season of films laden with special effects, Bella stands out as a refreshingly sweet and well-done film. Most of the scenes are so well-done that it’s hard to believe many were filmed with only one take. Lead Eduardo Verastagui (Jose) is very believable as a gregarious soccer star who becomes a reclusive chef […]

There’s been a lot of outcry about the film “The Golden Compass.” Numerous faith-based groups have called for boycotts of the film, and thus increased the publicity the film has received. That makes sense. I’ve talked here before about how negative publicity is good, so I won’t rehash all of that here. Just read the […]

The long-awaited fifth installment of the Love Comes Softly series releases on DVD this coming Tuesday (12/4). Love’s Unending Legacy picks up the story of Missie LaHaye, who returns home to her parents after the murder of her husband. With her young son at her side, she soon takes up the cause of an […]

Yesterday Matt Crouch of Gener8xion Entertainment (makers of One Night with the King, The Omega Code, China Cry) released a statement about a new film they recently acquired. Opening in theaters December 7th, Noelle is the the story of a young pastor sent to close down a dying church in a Cape Cod fishing village. […]

When I started celebrating Thanksgiving with my adopted California family, I became part of a long-standing tradition in their family: movies on Thanksgiving Day. The first year we watched several movies over the course of the day. We alternated between dramatic action films, chick flicks and football. Here’s an idea of our viewing that day: […]

David Hochman did an up-close and personal interview with actor Denzel Washington for the December 2007 issue of the “Reader’s Digest.” It’s a very engaging discussion, and the topics range from Washington’s personal faith to his relationship with his parents to “Godless Hollywood.”
Perhaps if we focus on the positive aspects of Washington and others of […]

Gary Wheeler’s film “The List” (see previous post) continues to set box office records and perform above expectations in theaters. Gary sent us an email update today, and every independent filmmaker should be encouraged by his success. When you get ready to release your own film, if you’re considering a targeted theatrical release, you should […]

George Barna’s recent book “Revolution,” about the state of the church in our Post-modern world, caused waves with its statistics and predictions about how the church is failing to engage our modern culture in a relevant way. That’s been a topic of other documentaries (Church Outside the Walls), and many long-time members of congregations all […]

There’s a curious phenomenon about films. The ones the critics hate are usually the ones the audiences love. Case in point: The Bee Movie. I went to see it with my friend Jen and her kids - I really liked it! Some of the jokes were a little on the corny side and the idea […]

Nearly 12,000 writers of the Writers’ Guild of America, East and West, went on strike at midnight last night. In New York, writers are picketing NBC Studios at Rockefeller Center, and in Los Angeles, the major studios are surrounded by picket lines.What’s at stake? If the worst-case scenario happens, potentially $1 billion in revenues. The […]

I mentioned in an earlier posting that the sequel to the popular Thou Shalt Laugh was just released on October 23rd. Released just in time for Christmas shopping, Thou Shalt Laugh: The Deuce will make a great stocking-stuffer for almost anyone you know. I know my dad will like it because he cracks up at […]

The rumor mill is working overtime this week. Promenade Pictures’ exec Cindy Bond (producer, “The Ten Commandments”) received an email inquiry from a church asking “We heard that the mention of God being God was not allowed to be in the movie is this true?” Cindy thinks it’s a devastating rumor that hurt last week’s […]

Today we received a report from director Gary Wheeler that the thriller The List (his directorial debut) is setting box-office records. Yet it has opened in only 4 cities; 3 in North Carolina, 1 in Georgia. How can that be, you ask? Well, I think he might have hit upon a great secret.
Build a strong […]