I am a sucker for redemption stories. I will admit it may be cheesy at times, but as a Christian I believe life and redemption go hand in hand. Although we are born into situations in life that are less than ideal, we have a choice as to how we let those situations affect us. What defines us is not the situations we face in life, but the choices we make in those situations. Continue reading
Boycotting: Sending a Message or Increasing Sales
Does anyone remember the election campaign of 2012? I know you all have blotted from your memory all the ads and the billions of dollars spent to get your vote, but try to remember what convinced you to vote for one candidate or the other. For me personally, I got very little from the ads, debates, or headlines in the campaign. This was mostly because the candidates were too busy tearing down each other rather than speaking about their own platform.
A bit of a long post but it mentions a lot of Christian movies that have come out recently. Feel free to check them out. Thanks to efministries for the info.
Welcome to another edition of EF Ministries News.
Here’s What is happening at The Enduring Faith:
We are proud to announce that EF Ministries now offers DVD rentals. EF Videos understands that most video stores do not carry a large selection of Christian and Family movies. We have hundreds to choose from! Most people rather rent a movie they’ve never seen or heard about before purchasing it. EF Videos gives you that option. Our goal is to promote God honoring and family friendly films to inspire, teach, and share your faith in Christ. We are not about making a profit but getting the message out for others to share and spread the Good News of the Gospel. Films are powerful tool for witnessing and sharing your faith with others who may have never set foot into a church. This ministry is planning to also begin producing movies. In fact, we have…
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Maximizing Movies 11/02/2012
Disney, Fox, Sony, New Line Cinema, Dreamworks, Paramount, Pixar. These companies all have images associated with them when they are mentioned. When I say Disney you might think Mickey Mouse. When I say New Line Cinema you might think Lord of the Rings. When I say Sony you might think Spider-Man. So who puts out Christian Films? Are there any film production companies to keep an eye out on whats next. Unfortunately the quality of Christian movies still don’t have the anticipation level of say a Star Wars or Avengers movie, but there are a few companies I would describe as up and coming. Continue reading
What’s the Big Idea
The slogan that appears before many of the Veggietales movies (pictured above) is “why we do what we do” and is accompanied by a picture of a young child. Veggietales was created by Big Idea productions with the intention of teaching young kids about the Bible in a fun and entertaining way. The company says right in the beginning we have a message and this is what it is. When thinking about other companies can we say they are as transparent. When other companies are named, can we easily tell what they stand for? The underlying goal of most companies is to make money (Including Big Idea). Although most companies have monetary reasons for existing, many were also started with an inspiration that was to be the reason for starting the company. Some reasons include quality storytelling, bringing literature to life, redefining genres, helping young filmmakers, and creating positive uplifting films.
Just as movie production companies have a purpose for making films, viewers also have specific goals when watching. I believe the number one universal reason for watching movies is to be entertained. The second is to be informed. The third is to change our worldview or strengthen it. Many of our social beliefs and understandings come from the movies we watch. Movies are a powerful medium, and it is nice to see a company like Big Idea recognize that in their slogan. So what is the “Big Idea” for us as viewers? What standards will we set for our lives as viewers?
Star Wars Episode 7….And Beyond
I have recently found out that Lucasfilm is being bought by Disney and are planning to release a new Star Wars film by 2015 and has plans for more. Disney and Lucasfilm are two forces that have brought numerous blockbusters to the big screen. The two (separately) have been the creative force behind Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Avengers, Toy Story 3, The Lion King, and many more of the highest grossing films ever. Star Wars is another hotly discussed topic when it comes to discussing different films moral themes. The biggest discussion usually revolves around the “Force” and the mystical religion that surrounds it. I will give more of my thoughts on the Star Wars movies in the future. What are your thoughts on this merger? Do you think this is a good move for creativity and morality in movies?
Film Genre
The Box Office: Are Moral Films Successful
In previous posts I have mentioned that movies that are considered clean and morally uplifting tend to do better at the box office. So how do clean movies stack up against movies with less desirable content. Here is the top 20 list of films by gross in North America (as of October 2012)
- Avatar
- Titanic
- Avengers
- Star Wars
- The Dark Knight
- Star Wars: Episode 1
- The Dark Knight Rises
- Shrek 2
- E. T. The Extra-Terrestrial
- Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest
- The Lion King
- Toy Story 3
- The Hunger Games
- Spider-Man
- Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen
- Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows part 2
- Star Wars: Episode 3
- Finding Nemo
- The Lord of The Rings: The Return of the King
- Spider-Man 2
To see more about how much each movie makes you can visit Boxofficemojo.com.
To see predictions and commentary on the box office visit Box Office Nerd.
I found this post on the blog suitable for mixed company. It has links to a story that emphasizes many of my points about the affect what we watch can have on us.
Wow. A missionary decided to show the movie Courageous to tribes in Malawi, even though her intended audience didn’t speak English. So, what happened? Read on.
Small Budget, Large Impact
The Christian movie industry has seen a rise in higher quality films on low value budget. Hollywood and the Christian movie market are slowly coming towards an understanding of what the other has in terms of quality filmmaking. The Christian market knows how to give an audience a clean film at a low cost. Hollywood knows how to tell an entertaining story in a believable fashion. There are two films I believe that have started the process of bridging the gap between the two. This means quality stories that are inexpensive and are morally clean but still entertaining. Continue reading
Moose's Moral Movie Reviews 