AFA Staff
AFA Journal staff reviews movies, books and other resources
May 2011 – Few positives, mostly cautions to cite
While a couple of this month’s reviews merit positive consideration, most reveal that companies hawking “family friendly” entertainment still include far too much objectionable content. For a pleasant contrast to the reviews below, see the feature story on Family Movie Night films from Walmart and P&G (here).
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
The third big-screen installment of the Chronicles of Narnia series was released on DVD and Blu-ray April 8. The younger Pevensie brother and sister, Edmund and Lucy, and their cousin Eustice enter Narnia, where they meet up with King Caspian and head off in search of seven noble lords.
Before they get too deep into their search, they are warned that they will each be tested before their journey is over. It is a story of temptation, success, failure and redemption, all climaxing in the healing and restoring power of the great lion Aslan.
Some scenes may scare small children. And, being in the land of Narnia, magic and magical creatures are a thread that runs throughout every story. However, all of the Narnia stories make for a great family movie night and can lead to some very interesting and spiritually deep conversations.
Review by Teddy James
Friday at Noon CAUTION
From Timepiece Family Media, Friday at Noon is the story of one man’s wrestling with the ethical questions of right and wrong – “Who decides?”
Cody Rawlands grieves the death of his murdered son. His grief is compounded when the murderers receive a light sentence.
Jack Shatley is a humanistic professor at the local college where the convicted men were his students. Rawlands blames Shatley’s teaching for his son’s death. So in his twisted quest for justice, he kidnaps Shatley’s young daughter. The ransom he requires is an answer to the question, “Why shouldn’t I do to your daughter what your students did to my son?”
It’s a creative approach to exposing the fallacies of post-modern ideologies. Production qualities are average for a first-time project. Parents should exercise caution not for offensive content, but for the subject matter – intense grief, child abduction, a murder victim is abducted and killed, one implied suicide and a resolution that is easy to miss.
Review by Debbie Fischer
Run On
Starring David White, Tommy Blaze and Brad Stine, Run On is a stage production retelling the parable of the prodigal son. The show opens with a song about how, sooner or later, God will cut you down, meaning He will reveal your pride and your need for Him.
While there is no objectionable language or content, some of the situations described by the actors are intense. David White speaks about trying to follow God’s plan for his life. When things don’t work out the way he wants, White decides to make his own plans. Tommy Blaze uses humor that at first may seem to trivialize divorce. However, in the end, his point is serious and well-made. Brad Stine offers insights on his attempts, even as a fourth grader, to follow God.
While the viewer is challenged to consider his own relationship to Christ, this DVD is not for young children. Rather, it’s aimed at older youth and adults.
Review by Teddy James
Gulliver’s Travels CAUTION
21st Century Fox Home Entertainment re-created and modernized the literary classic Gulliver’s Travels in an April 19 DVD release. Sadly, the alleged family friendly movie fails miserably to fulfill that billing.
Within 20 minutes of the film’s opening, the term “lame-a**” is used half a dozen times in one 30-second conversation. The lead character lies constantly, and there are other indecent acts.
Review by Teddy James
Karla Faye Tucker: Forevermore CAUTION
Based on a true story, Forevermore details the last days of a former drug-crazed prostitute and convicted pick-axe killer who finds redemption through Christ on Texas death row.
Her story of love, forgiveness, transformation and faith garners media attention and compels others to pray and send letters of support in an effort to save Karla Faye from lethal injection.
Karla Faye’s testimony is remarkable and challenges viewers to think about the authenticity of their love for Christ. Unfortunately there are several uses of profanity, graphic images of murder victims, a candid conversation about sex, and scenes of kissing, smoking, immodesty and reckless living.
Review by Rebecca Grace Davis
Johnny CAUTION
Johnny, a foster child dying from leukemia, believes he was put on earth for a special mission. He is adopted by Dr. Drew Carter, a grieving man who is trying to pull his family back together after the tragic loss of his son. Johnny’s positive outlook on life that comes from his firm faith in God is just what the Carter family needs.
Titled Johnny after the main character, the film stirs the emotions, warms the soul and breaks the heart. It’s full of Scripture quotations and candid talk about God, salvation, forgiveness and trial, but the theology is not always sound.
The film contains some immodesty and deals with heavy situations such as terminal illness, child death, anger, parental rejection and a fractured marriage.
Review by Rebecca Grace Davis
Secret at Arrow Lake CAUTION
When Mia, an aspiring journalist who has never known her father, suddenly loses her mother in a fatal car wreck, a mysterious stranger comes into her life to offer comfort and the Secret at Arrow Lake begins to unfold.
Mia is convinced this stranger is her father – the man she has prayed to meet since she was a little girl. They develop a father/daughter bond and over time, the truth is revealed.
The movie is entertaining but it is tainted by profanity, several uses of God’s name in vain, immodesty, alcohol, and bar scenes, and it includes elements of abandonment and rape.
Review by Rebecca Grace Davis
Flight of Faith CAUTION
Ever wondered what it would be like to have a bird’s-eye view of Jerusalem? Flight of Faith: The Jesus Story sets out to do just that, giving viewers a glance of the Holy Land and surrounding areas.
While this documentary succeeds with wonderful cinematography, some commentary is unsettling. At one point, the narrator says Jesus’ message was that the poor and disadvantaged deserve a place in the kingdom of God, as if that station in life is the only requirement.
It says the crucifixion, burial and resurrection were actual events, but other comments are misleading, e.g., the narrator says Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane was evidence of a crisis of faith.
Review by Teddy James
The Encounter CAUTION
Starring Jaci Valasquez and Sting (the wrestler), The Encounter is an original look at what it means to have an encounter with Jesus. After a flash flood closes a road, five strangers are stranded in a diner to wait the storm out. They each need a unique touch from Jesus who owns the diner and offers them food He knows they will love. Each person must decide to accept or reject the gift.
This film challenges the viewer to examine his own salvation. However, there are a few things parents should make note of. It deals with suicide, sexual abuse, alcohol abuse, divorce and other tough issues. None of these issues are taken lightly, and the movie might be a good conversation starter for families and churches.
Review by Teddy James
