AFA Staff
AFA Journal staff reviews movies, books and other resources
Above, Brian Wells’s The League and the Lantern is aimed at girls and boys ages 9-14.
May 2016 – Action adventure novel for tweens and teens
“Is he dead?” Not a bad way to open a novel.
It’s the beginning of The League and the Lantern, the kick-off title of a series of action-packed, fast-paced, adventure novels for 9- to 14-year-olds. And to be frank, older students and parents as well should enjoy this debut novel from Brian Wells. (See related story here.) It is a great story to enjoy reading together.
The main characters are Jake, Lucy, and TJ – a trio of middle schoolers who find themselves in a life-and-death chase after they are lost in a dark museum where they run into the story’s villains who are trying to steal artifacts. What follows is a hair-raising, two-day fight for survival in a Chicago museum and on city streets.
Picture a contemporary version of Huck, Tom, and Becky in Mark Twain’s classic novels. It’s not a coming-of-age drama with a lot of angst and deep issues. It’s just good, rip-roaring fun.
It includes a lot of humor, some surprising twists, and always an undergirding foundation of moral family values. Not one dirty word. Not one sexual innuendo. Not one questionable theme. It will be available at LeagueAndLantern.com on May 17.
Randall Murphree
Wanted
With more than 415,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, filmmaker Nathan Jacobson reminds viewers of how these children need forever families in his award-winning, 22-minute film titled Wanted (wantedthemovie.com).
The fictional storyline centers on the Johnson family, who want to adopt Luke only two days before his 18th birthday, when he would age out of the foster care system. Having been in and out of foster homes from a young age, and still with no concept of family, Luke wrestles with the idea of being adopted.
Wanted is powerful and unpredictable, even a bit startling at the end. It is a hopeful response to a federal system for juvenile care that is jaded and broken.
Wanted is informative, chilling, and convicting. It is not rated but does contain some images that may be disturbing to young children. Wanted is available in digital format for online rental and purchase at vimeo.com/ondemand/wanted.
Rebecca Davis
Fuller House
The highly anticipated Fuller House leaves family-friendly viewers feeling empty. A Netflix Original series, Fuller House was created as a reunion series of Full House, a family-friendly TV sitcom that aired from 1987 to 1995. Full House is known for its wholesome and funny entertainment for the whole family.
Almost the entire original cast returned for the reunion (photo above), and fans assumed content and themes would be similar in nature.
Wrong assumption. Every one of the 13 episodes of the first season is filled with sexual innuendo. Furthermore, a pro-homosexual theme often feels “in your face.” For example, the term “luscious lesbians” is used to describe lead characters DJ (Candace Cameron) and Kimmy (Andrea Barber) in one episode; and there are at least two kisses shared by same-sex couples in other episodes. There are also frequent profanities and lots of skin and cleavage. Drunkenness is praised, and marriage and divorce treated lightly.
Rebecca Davis
Miracles from Heaven––In photo above, Annabel Beam, played by Kylie Rogers, is hospitalized with a rare digestive disease in Miracles from Heaven.
“Mommy! Mommy, it hurts!” Her daughter’s panicked cries pulled Christy Beam (Jennifer Garner) from sleep, and in that moment, the good life the Beam family had enjoyed became fractured by pain, fear, and a test of faith.
Based on the true story of a Texas family, Miracles from Heaven tells of a mother’s fight for her daughter’s life against all odds, even as she struggles to hold onto her faith.
When young Annabel is diagnosed with a rare digestive disorder, Christy leaves no stone unturned to find the cure doctors tell her does not exist.
“There was not just one big miracle, but all the small miracles, the little things everybody did every day,” the real-life Christy explained to AFA Journal. “I hope audiences see the significance of ‘ordinary’ events and people, all day, every day, and leave with hope.”
Based on Beam’s book Miracles from Heaven, the movie evokes tears and laughter with realistic drama for all ages. There is no inappropriate language, but a few low-cut blouses could have been avoided.
However, viewers should know that when some children are debating who goes to heaven or hell, the mom – out of sheer frustration – ends their discussion with a sarcastic “Nobody’s going to hell!” But in context, it does not seem to reflect her real belief.
The faith element is rather vague, and the depiction of church services and a pastor’s sermon feel caricatured. Its strongest element is its celebration of a mother’s strong and amazing love and God’s miracles.
Stacy Long
God’s Compass––In photo above Suzanne checks on her grand baby, who is struggling for life.
A woman in labor is driving herself to the hospital when a teenage thug attempts to steal her car. He winds up driving her to the hospital, where her baby is born with life-threatening issues. The baby’s recently widowed grandmother bails the rebellious teenager out of jail and takes him on as a project.
God’s Compass offers realistic characters who evoke sympathy without overloading the emotions. Engaging plot lines are woven tightly together into a cohesive story that entertains and demonstrates how one family lives out their faith and values in the face of great challenges.
God’s Compass first grips the viewer with its characters’ challenging situations – baby near death, orphaned street thug, missing child, grieving widow, troubled marriage. But the filmmakers achieve a balance between emotion and action.
Favorite faith-and-family actors include T.C. Stallings (War Room, Courageous), Karen Abercrombie (War Room), and Robert Amaya (Courageous, Mom’s Night Out).
There are no objectionable elements in the film, a claim that is all too rare these days, even in faith-based and family-friendly films. At press time God’s Compass was scheduled for a May 3 DVD release at Christian bookstore chains and other DVD outlets.
Randall Murphree
Electrifying: the burning bush, the parted waters on big stage
Moses, the inspiring Old Testament story of an unlikely leader of God’s people, comes to life on the big stage at Sight & Sound Theater in Branson, Missouri. This year, S&S celebrates 40 years of bringing stellar musical stage productions from the pages of God’s Word. The Branson theater, which opened in 2008, is an exact replica of the original S&S theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, where the drama Samson is playing this year.
As all S&S productions do, Moses sticks close to the details in the biblical record. One can only watch in awe as Moses encounters the burning bush, as his staff turns into a serpent, and as he parts the Red Sea and leads God’s people homeward. Acting, original score, vocalists, sets, dialogue, special effects – every element of this production is beyond words.
How can they part the Red Sea in a live production? See it on the Branson stage through December 31, 2016.
For show schedule and reservations: sight-sound.com or call 800-377-1277.
Randall Murphree
Profanity mars film
Amerigeddon is a fast-paced, action-packed political drama that weaves an intriguing story reflecting the concerns of many in the conservative community. Unfortunately, the dialogue is peppered with more than 20 profanities and obscenities, including two uses of God’s name in vain. A few graphic gun battles and torture of a prisoner are also included.
The plot features a U.S. president giving the UN control of the U.S. by declaring martial law. When UN forces begin confiscating private citizens’ weapons, a small band of patriots holes up in a wealthy man’s desert estate to resist a UN assault.
Randall Murphree
Bible Idiots
Bible Idiots is a DVD documentary that pushes back against those who believe that Christians are ignorant, narrow minded, or hateful. It is this politically correct attitude that prompted the title of the DVD documentary, which presents the case that the Bible is the sole Word of God.
The documentary features numerous apologists and Bible scholars. To reinforce the validity and authenticity of the Bible, comedian Chris Danielson and his son, Jacob, intersperse comedic stand-up bits throughout the commentary, a device that doesn’t always seem to fit the context. Learn more at bibleidiots.com.
Debbie Fischer
