OCTOBER BABY -- A Movie Review

by Molly Noble Bull

http://www.mollynoblebull.com/

“Christians don’t know how to make movies.”

At least, that’s what my former pastor said after several poorly made Christian movies hit the dust, and that might have been partly true in the past. However, October Baby was different. It could be the best Christian movie I’ve seen, so far.

Nineteen-year-old Hannah (Rachel Hendrix) collapses on stage during a play she is starring in, and her parents finally decide it’s time to tell Hannah the truth. Her health problems stem from the fact that she was adopted after her birth mother attempted to abort her. 

October Baby is about forgiveness and might well be the first movie ever made that talks openly about abortion from a Christian worldview. I hope more movies on the silent holocaust called abortion will follow so everybody will know that a baby is a human being from conception and not a blob of flesh.  

(Jeremiah chapter one and verse five.)

Regardless of the deep storyline, I laughed in the funny parts of the movie. At other times, I cried. More than that, the story moved me—encouraged me to get out of my comfort zone and do something to stop a terrible wrong.

It is my prayer that the subject of abortion will be discussed again and again until hearts melt and abortion is removed from the face of the earth forever. 

Click below to see October Baby, the movie trailer.

http://youtu.be/L52Lciaui4o 

To find a theater near you that is showing the movie, click below.

http://www.octoberbabymovie.net/theaters

I give October Baby five stars, and I hope all of you will go and see it. The movie is in theaters right now. And tell others to see it, too. When we buy tickets to good movies like October Baby, we are sending a message—telling Hollywood that this is the kind of entertainment Americans want and certainly need—now more than ever.

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I would like to introduce Connie Almony, a talented writer who will be writing articles for Writers Rest very soon. 

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The Overcomers: Christian Authors Who Conquered Learning Disabilities by Margaret Daley, Ginny Aiken, Jane Myers Perrine, Ruth Scofield and me, Molly Noble Bull, is a finalist in the 2011 Women of Faith contest for writers. The winner will be announced on March 31, 2012. 

The Overcomers is available in paperback and as an e-book. To find it online and at walk-in bookstores, write Molly Noble Bull in the search slot. 

  

THE WAY: A Movie Review

By Jane West

It’s not often a movie comes around that you’d recommend to friends. The Way (based on a pilgrimage called The Way of Saint James) is such a wholesome experience, and I want to tell you about it.

The Way is the story of a father’s love for his son, which heals his heart and changes his life. Martin Sheen portrays the father with sensitivity and pathos. On the pilgrimage Way, which he would never have taken on his own initiative, he begins to clearly see the beauty of our world, which puts other things in perspective. Walking this long, difficult pilgrimage over the Pyrenees Mountains, gradually his busy, scheduled life fades, relegated to a lesser place in the importance of life. He meets other pilgrims on the Way, and finishes his route with three of them who trek with him. Totally different from him, they become companions, making an unusual foursome.

The photography is wonderful, with wide, sweeping views of valleys and villages and people who live in Eastern Spain past the western slopes of the mountains.

The powerful, yet simply story draws you in right away, and one scene has a pro-life message, but not blatantly. Because The Way is the story of a man’s pilgrimage to commemorate his adult son’s life, the movie is not one that young children would find interesting.

A wholesome movie. What a refreshing surprise; what a nice gift for the moviegoer. The Way is not highly advertised, and most people have gone because of word of mouth from a friend, as I did.

Click below to see the trailer,

http://theway-themovie.com/

I would like to introduce Jane West, the newest member of our Writers Rest family. Welcome Jane. It’s great to have you.

Jane West is an author and teacher mentor. She has written books, short stories for adults and children, how-to’s, newspaper articles, a manual for her position as Administrative Assistant in Marion County psychologist’s office, and a play which was performed in church. Her poem Tumbleweeds won first prize in the Southern Oregon. Poet’s contest. She  teaches a writing class in Oregon, where she lives, near her children and grandchildren.

The Gospel--A Movie Review

A review by Teresa Slack www.teresaslack.com
Netflix Overview:
David Taylor is a dynamic young R&B star whose chart-topping albums have earned him fame and wealth, but his decadent lifestyle has estranged him from his father, the Bishop of his hometown church. When David learns his father is ill and near death, he returns home to try and reconcile and discovers his former best friend, Charles, is poised to become his father's successor at the church--and threatens to ruin everything David's father worked so hard to achieve. Torn between his successful new life and the one he used to know, David has to decide whether he can give up his own desires to protect his father's legacy and make peace with his family, his beliefs, and, ultimately, himself.

Yesterday I borrowed The Gospel from my local library. This movie caught my eye. It was the type of story I usually like. Redemption, prodigal son returns, romance—all the ingredients for a good movie. But I think I might’ve missed the point. I found myself in the Villian’s camp more often than the Hero’s. Of course the villian’s motives were motivated by jealousy and greed, while mine were based on Biblical principal.

Here’s the deal: David (hero) and Charles (antagonist) grew up together with the same goals and values. Frank went into the ministry while David became a secular singer. His song, Baby, Undress Your Man, is moving up the charts when he returns home to help out Dad. The whole neighborhood is thrilled to see him and entranced by his charm and celebrity. They put him in charge of the choir to raise money for the building fund despite his unrepentant and unapologetic approach to his wild, womanizing ways.

David becomes unequally yoked with the Heroine, something she doesn’t seem to have a problem with even though her faith is important to her. I won’t say much more to keep from spoiling the story for potential viewers. Not a bad picture, all in all. Guess it depends on your own beliefs and standards. Call me “Old School”. I’d never put an open sinner in a position of authority just because he’s talented, amazing, and the son of a bishop.

The music alone makes this movie worth watching. The sound track features artists like Yolanda Adams and Kirk Franklin and is beyond awesome.

Have you seen The Gospel? Am I too judgmental? Please chime in and give me your thoughts. I’d love to know what you thought of the movie.

Posted by Teresa Slack

Soul Surfer--Movie Review

SOUL SURFER: 30 Second TV Spot
From movie info, trailers and clips:
"Bethany was born to surf. A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age, she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl's life on the Kauai Coast, competing in national competitions with her best friend Alana, when everything changed in a heartbeat. On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical ocean outing when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter all her dreams.

In the moving aftermath of this headline-making story, Bethany fights to recover and grapples with the future. Strengthened by the love of her parents, Tom and Cheri, she refuses to give in or give up, and begins a bold return to the water. Still, the questions keep hammering her: Why did this happen? Why did she have to lose everything? Will she ever feel the joy and power of riding the waves again? And if she can't be a surfer, then who is she?

The devastating 2004 tsunami in the Pacific Ocean unexpectedly gives Bethany a new perspective. Traveling to Phuket, Thailand with her youth-group leader Sara Hill, she witnesses life beyond her own shoreline and discovers her greater purpose--she can make a difference in the lives of others. Filled with a new sense of hope and direction, she returns home with a renewed resolve to conquer her own limitations and set an encouraging example for people facing adversity.

At the National Championships, Bethany bravely faces off with her fiercest rival, Malia Birch, and takes her astonishing one-armed surfing technique to the limit. But as the horn blows, and the suspenseful competition kicks off, Bethany is no longer thinking about the challenges of her body. Now, her surfing, her biggest dreams and her life have become about pushing her own physical limits to touch the souls of others."

Last week I was surprised to see Soul Surfer, a limited-release movie playing in our small town. I try to support family-oriented, especially faith-based movies, when they're available, so I took my 11-year-old granddaughter to see the movie.

The movie opened with the family sitting in church. The choir, led by country singer Carrie Underwood, was singing Blessed be the Name by Tree 63. Unfortunately The Name was never mentioned. The story talked a lot about faith and belief and putting others before oneself. The girl told her Dad she had lost everything after she lost her arm in a shark attack. Later she goes to Thailand on a missions trip and meets a woman who lost her family and everything she owned in the 2004 tsunami. After that, Bethany was able to put her own losses into perspective.

It was a good movie, with a good message for families. I would’ve preferred more emphasis on the faith message and what we should actually have faith in. There is one scene where the girl’s father is reading the Bible so you knew they were a believing family. I suppose Hollywood didn’t want to offend viewers by talking too much about faith and especially the only forbidden five-letter word in media—Jesus.

I would recommend Soul Surfer to all movie goers, especially families where there is so little quality programming available to us. We didn’t take our 5-year-old grandson, not because of any disturbing images he might see, but because I didn’t think he could sit still that long without bothering other patrons. But if the child is old enough to sit still for nearly two hours, then parents can take a child without worry. The images are not graphic, and the stunning scenery will make you want to buy airline tickets to someplace tropical.

As soon as we left the theater, my granddaughter said she planned to buy Soul Surfer as soon as it comes out on DVD. I don’t think a movie can earn higher accolades than that.