A festival like none other…
Recently, the San Antonio Christian film festival (SAICFF) culminated with an inspirational award ceremony. With movies such as Return to the Hiding Place, Indescribable, and the Drop Box, the quality of Christian movies continues to improve. We look forward to see what awaits each of these exiting projects and the influence they have on people around the world.
Winner of the film festival, The Drop Box, gave the touching story of Pastor Lee Jong-rak in South Korea who made a drop box for disabled, unwanted children. Maker of The Drop Box, Brian Ivie explained he “went for the grittiest human story possible – a mailbox for babies.” Read more >>
Crystal Creek Association Project Wins Award!
Last weekend Crystal Creek Media’s association feature film project Indescribable was announced as the runner up for the Best Music Score at the 2013 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival. The award was presented last Saturday in San Antonio’s Lila Cockrell Theater during the Jubilee Awards ceremony. Read more >>
Kendrick brothers take breather from movies
By Joe Westbury/Christian Index
Jan 17, 2013
Stephen (left) and Alex Kendrick relax for a few moments in the casting studio at Sherwood Baptist Church in Albany, Ga. The brothers, who serve as the brain trust behind the stream of faith-based movies flowing out of the church, are writing a book and taking a break from movie making. By Joe Westbury/Christian Index ALBANY, Ga. (BP) — For almost a decade Alex and Stephen Kendrick have wooed theatergoers with faith-based films that garnered the attention of Hollywood and were viewed by audiences around the world.
Local Film Company Spends Time in Livingston County Jail
By Penny Carlisi
BRIGHTON, MI – Most people are not excited to be sent to jail, but it was a dream come true for a local film producer, Penny Carlisi of Milford. Last November, her crew went to jail by special invitation and now, one year later, the feature-length movie she produced, “Unexpected Places” is premiering in Brighton. The event begins at 5 p.m. on December 1, 2012 at Brighton Nazarene Church, 7669 Brighton Rd. in Brighton. Tickets are available online in advance for $6.00 at RevealFilmGroup.com or $8.00 at the door. Musical guest, Messenger, will kick off the evening at 5 p.m., followed by the premiere showing of the movie at 6 p.m. The evening will end with a dessert reception at 8 p.m.
Carlisi’s time in jail started innocently enough, when she asked Chaplain Jim Proos if he knew where she could borrow two beaten-up metal bunks for the jail scene. Read more >>
‘Lord of the Rings’ actor John Rhys-Davies joins new Christian action film
Published October 8, 2012 in The Examiner.
By NATHANIEL DARNELL
What do The Lord of the Rings, Indiana Jones, and a new independent Christian filmBeyond the Mask (currently in production) have in common?
This evening the actor performs his first shoot on the set of the film, which takes place in the tumult of 1770s England and America. In 1981 and 1989 the SAG award-winning actor brought the good-natured Sallah to life inRaiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. Last decade he won the hearts of millions with his boisterous performance as Gimli in Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
Making hay while the sun shines!
Growing up as a city slicker I’d heard the phrase “making hay while the sun shines” and I thought that I had some general idea of what it meant. After all, I had read and reread all the Little House on the Prairie books and, in my opinion, that made me practically an expert on farm life. However, it was on a blisteringly hot summer afternoon as I threw hay bales up onto a flatbed trailer that I fully began to appreciate the sentiment of working in the moment. Read more >>
The bright side and the dark, dark side of ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Rises’
Christopher Nolan’s final chapter in the Batman series continues to stress the moral messages about man’s self-determination in the compelling, although ultimately hollow, way that Nolan has become famous for over the last decade.
First off, I have to say that even when Christopher Nolan is showing signs of storyteller exhaustion, as he does in The Dark Knight Rises, he still stands out way above the pack. Let’s highlight just a few strong points. Number one, he’s a master of suspense. I’m pretty good at predicting plot-twists in movies, but Nolan is the best by far for throwing me for a loop. His mastery at creating suspense is seen in how he sets up not only false resolutions but also false dangers.
For example, in the recent movie we find Batman caught by police in the middle of Gotham holding a computer that says somebody’s money just got sucked away. Nolan sets up the scene so that the viewer thinks the danger is that Batman’s going to be blamed for the criminals’ theft. But we already saw that before in the last movie, so Nolan surprises us by making the stolen money belong to Bruce Wayne, Batman’s alter ego. Never seen that in a Batman film before. It was one of several brilliant tensions for Nolan to explore because it had not been done before and few would see it coming.
Likewise, at the climax of the film, [Big Spoiler Alert here!] as Batman finally seems to be getting the upper hand of Bane, a dagger comes from the character the audience would least suspect, and we discover that Bane was never the real arch-rival of this film at all. It’s another great example of false danger.
Do some of Nolan’s plot twists seem contrived and hard to believe? Yes, at least a handful of times, but given the huge number of plot twists in the movie (some subtle, some very pronounced) his batting average is pretty good. The brilliance of the good twists almost makes the bad ones forgiveable. Read more >>
Stand Up for God!
By Dr. Ted Baehr
Editor’s Note: On June 8, people in more than 160 cities held rallies for religious freedom, to protest the Obama administration’s new healthcare regulations forcing religious groups and employers to pay for birth control and abortion. Dr. Ted Baehr, publisher of MOVIEGUIDE® (www.movieguide.org) and The Culture Watch (www.theculturewatch.com) and chairman of the Christian Film & Television Commission®, spoke in Ventura, Calif. at the religious freedom rally held there, before a crowd of about 300 people. This is a slightly abridged version of his speech:
This is a talk about helping you. It’s about helping you to be equipped to take every thought captive so you can stand up for religious freedom. Religious freedom is the very cornerstone of all of our other freedoms. James Madison defined religion as “the duty we owe to our Creator,” which is, of course, to know God and to make Him known.
Recently, I spoke at the Russian University of TV, the University of Film, and the House of Journalism. Lenin felt if he could control the mass media, he could control the world. Under the guidance of Lenin and the total control of the Communist revolution of 1917, two-thirds of all churches in Russia were torn down, and 60 to 120 million people were killed.
Is Joss Whedon’s ‘The Avengers’ Theistic or Agnostic?
Atlanta Art Cinema Examiner
“There’s only one God, and I’m pretty sure He doesn’t dress like that.”
It may have been the most frequently Facebooked line from the new movie The Avengers that appeared on statuses its opening weekend. Especially if you were an evangelical Christian.
The line is spoken by Captain America (actor Chris Evans) shortly after the hero character Thor (Chris Hemsworth) appears in the film to steal away his villainous brother Loki (Tom Hiddleston). S.H.I.E.L.D. agent Natasha Romanoff (Scarlett Johansson) tells Captain America to be careful in approaching Thor because he’s a Norse god, and Captain America makes the above quip.
For Christians watching the movie with its array of aliens, gods of antiquity, and an irreverent super-suited playboy, director/writer Joss Whedon is throwing a bone. And the pack is jumping up with excitement to get it.
Five Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
Five Characteristics of Successful Entrepreneurs
Originally posted on entrepreneurspro.com.
A successful entrepreneur has certain characteristics that compel them to succeed. They have an innate ability to push for a new way of life and are dedicated to that dream. Entrepreneurs move on a vision by taking action, and accepting full responsibility for the outcome. They are not conventional thinkers but innovators of new ideas. Read more >>