Same Kind Of Different As Me (2020) - Movie Review

Okay, this film technically came out in 2017 (which was after it spent a good three years on the shelf from its 2014 finish date), but considering it only just became available here in Australia this year, and how royally muffed-up the cinematic release schedule has been across the board all year, I’m counting this as a 2020 movie. This is actually one that I’ve been keeping an eye out for when it would drop over here, and it’s something I hinted at when I reviewed Monster Trucks. Yep, this is another film with Don Burgess attached to it as DOP that seems like a major step-down for such a legendary figure. However, as I’ll get into, this is a much better fit for him than something like Monster Trucks.

I Still Believe (2020) - Movie Review

Yes, this is a film about music. No, it doesn’t have anything to do with The Lost Boys and/or Tim Capello. Yes, this is a Christian film. No, it isn’t of the same variety that I have spent quite a bit of time on here railing against. Yes, this stars the same couple from A Dog’s Purpose, making me think that the Erwin Brothers just wanted to salvage what they could from that feature, given Dennis Quaid’s casting in their last film. And no, with all of that in mind, this isn’t that bad. If anything, it’s alarmingly good.

God's Not Dead: A Light In Darkness (2018) - Movie Review

The plot: After his family church goes up in flames, Reverend Dave (David A. R. White) finds himself at odds with the local university whose land the church stands on, who would rather tear it down than pay to have it restored. As Dave reconnects with his estranged brother Pearce (John Cobrett) to put together a legal case against the university, he finds himself questioning not just his faith but also his actions and whether he is as righteous as he once believed.

Chasing Comets (2018) - Movie Review

The plot: Rugby player Chase (Dan Ewing), after being caught cheating by his girlfriend Brooke (Dan Ewing), has lost his self-confidence and decides to make some changes. For a start, guided by his local reverend (George Houvardas), he takes a vow of abstinence and sets out to prove that he can be faithful in more ways than one. However, between the jeerings of his local town in response and the perplexed reactions of his best mate Rhys (Stan Walker), his plan to take control of his life again is going to be an uphill struggle.

I Can Only Imagine (2018) - Movie Review

The plot: Christian band MercyMe, lead by singer Bart Millard (J. Michael Finley), have scored a #1 hit with their song I Can Only Imagine. As Bart is interviewed and asked what went into writing the song, he recollects his troubled childhood under his aggressively abusive father (Dennis Quaid), his connection to his faith, and how the latter ended up helping him reconcile with the former.

The Case For Christ (2017) - Movie Review

The plot: Lee Strobel (Mike Vogel) is an acclaimed investigative reporter for the Chicago Tribune. However, he soon turns his investigative efforts towards a more personal agenda, when he discovers that his wife Leslie (Erika Christensen) has become a Christian. He sets out to find evidence that Jesus didn’t exist, interviewing experts all over the country, but the answers he finds may not be the ones he was looking for.

Silence (2017) - Movie Review

When talking about a filmmaker as lauded as Martin Scorsese, traditional adjectives like “important”, “influential” and even “lauded” still feel too small to properly illustrate his reputation both in the industry and with audiences. Aside from his ground-breaking work with crime epics like Goodfellas, Casino and The Departed, he has also shown himself to be one of the most incredibly versatile filmmakers this side of Steven Soderbergh. Psychological thrillers, philosophical dramas, family films, even blacker-than-pitch comedies like the nuttiness of his last film The Wolf Of Wall Street; the man’s well into his 70’s and he still shows no signs of slowing down. So when someone of this calibre comes out with a film that they have apparently been trying to bring into fruition for literally decades, it’s no wonder that it’s gotten the attention that it has. But is it worth the acclaim it has already garnered? Let’s pretend I’m in a position to comment on such things and find out.

Hacksaw Ridge (2016) - Movie Review

In no uncertain terms, I don’t have the will nor the intestinal fortitude to ever consider joining the military. I’m a proper soft lefty that sees all life as sacred and not worth ending over what are usually rather petty squabbles, and the very thought of killing another person for any reason makes me incredibly uneasy. However, that doesn’t mean that I hold any ill will towards those who fight in my place. I may have my issues with the higher-ups who send them out, usually for the reasons why certain governments see fit to get involved in war, but I have nothing but respect for those who do the fighting themselves. Not that cinema seems to share that respect, though, as more times than not, modern military cinema goes for the murky and moralistic approach that is meant to make us question just whose lives are being affected, be it through death or otherwise. So, with noted firebrand Mel Gibson returning to the director’s chair, how does today’s war film turn out?

90 Minutes In Heaven (2016) - Movie Review

It’s religious cinema time again! I want to point out that I am not doing this because such films are generally easy targets; sitting through God’s Not Dead 2 was anything but easy. No, I maintain that I want to see really good religious cinema come to theatres around here. One of my favourite films is Kevin Smith’s Dogma, something that affected me so deeply as to completely shape my views on theology to what they are today, and I’d give anything for someone else to be similarly affected by a recent release. The problem is, between the preachiness, toxicity and just plain banality that fills an awful lot of these kinds of releases, it doesn’t look hopeful. Not that I can guess who will be influenced by what; I’m just saying that, if there are people who sees something positive and enlightening in something like War Room, I’ll be happy for them from a very, very safe distance. So, on my quest to find a Christian film that doesn’t suck on toast, I came across this fairly recent release featuring Hayden Christensen. Well, that optimism was nice while it lasted.

Miracles From Heaven (2016) - Movie Review

God's Not Dead 2 (2016) - Movie Review

I doubt I will ever dread seeing a film for the rest of the year more so than this one. The first film was one of the first that I covered on this blog and… well, it is ugly on just about every level imaginable. As such, I spent two weeks prior to the film’s release to try and convince someone I knew, anyone I knew, to see this film with me. Needless to say, trying to sell someone else on a film that even you don’t want to see is a tall order. Thankfully, I did find someone else to watch it with and share the pain, but that kind of shows just how much seems to have changed over the last two years. Back then, I was that ill-prepared that I had to edit down entire pages worth of notes on the film out of some fear that I’d piss off Christians; now, I actually some confidence in being able to be non-biased and fair to this film. Does it deserve such treatment? Well, only one way to find out as we look at this inexplicably wide release; seriously, this is the biggest release I’ve seen for any Christian film in the last several years over here in Australia.

War Room (2015) - Movie Review

It is seriously kind of confounding just how low the quality standards for Christian films are. Of all the sub-genres out there, I wouldn’t have guessed that this would be one of the weakest had I not seen a fair share of them for myself. Is it because of an innate need to endorse anything that shows support for your religion, or is it as a result of just accepting to take what little entertainment you can get out of defeat? Given what I’ve seen of the Australian and American critical circles respectively, and a few choices blogs I’ve stumbled upon, I could easily believe either one of them. I mean, outside of films directly involving Jesus, the only really good Christian film I’ve seen was Danny Boyle’s Millions; that’s a bad sign when the guy behind Trainspotting is leading the pack in terms of good religiously moral cinema. As much as my reviews for God’s Not Dead and Left Behind may argue, I don’t actively want to hate Christian films. Hell, I can easily say that I have had what could arguably be called religious experiences while watching films; I’d give anything to feel that again in the appropriate context. Until the collective decides to pick up their game, it’s up to masochists like me to hold them to task.

Left Behind (2015) - Movie Review

Time to return to that always endearing topic of Christian propaganda films. Yay. It’s not like the last time I did that was extremely painful or anything(!) The original Left Behind, released in 2000, is the poster child for the Rapture movie; in that, it is the most popular example and it is also a good indicator for just how bad the rest of them can get. Morally questionable actions made by both sides, rampant use of stock footage, an inability to show the complete story in a single film; everything that makes the Rapture sub-genre what it is is in there. Then there’s the inclusion of Kirk Cameron, one of the most insane human beings alive today that is somehow getting mass media attention. Who else in the world would say that you should of lit-up crosses whenever they see trees in a Christmas movie? Yeah, I eagerly await when Saving Christmas gets an Australian release, because that kind of naïve madness is perfect for this blog. Until then, I have the remake of Left Behind to deal with. Yes, seriously; even the realms of Christian cinema have gotten the re-hash bug.

God's Not Dead (2014) - Movie Review

I am not really a religious person, but I don’t identify as an atheist either. Since I don’t think what I believe falls under agnosticism either, I have taken to calling myself a ‘cynical spiritualist’. I believe that everyone is free to believe what they want without being persecuted. However, if someone uses their religious leanings (or lack thereof) as their reasoning for doing stupid/vile things, for example the Westboro Baptist Church, I believe that we are all well within our rights to mock them for doing so. Punish for what they do, not what they think. My own personal philosophies have been brewed over time from a mixture of tenets from different religions (e.g. Christianity, Buddhism, Ancient Egyptian, Dudeism, among others), and they continue to build themselves over time. I have, at different points in my life, identified as a Christian and a rather militant Atheist, so I like to think that I can look at today’s film with some level of objectivity. Then again, talking about religion on the internet is like coating yourself in gasoline: You’re kind of asking for flames.