Everyday Is Filled With "Miracles From Heaven"

Miracles From Heaven (2016)

Rated PG

Starring Jennifer Garner, Kylie Rogers, Martin Henderson, Brighton Sharbino, Courtney Fansler, Queen Latifah, Eugenio Derbez,

Directed by Patricia Riggen

The Story:

Anna Beam (Rogers) keeps feeling sick. Hospital visit after hospital visit turns up nothing, but the poor thing is getting worse. Her mom (Garner) finally manages to get her to see one of the top specialists (Derbez) in the States and diagnoses Anna with a rare, non-treatable disorder. The pain gets worse, and little Anna is ready to throw in the towel. Her mom breaks down and begs God for a miracle.

Based on a true story, naturally!

However, that's not to say this movie doesn't have a few hiccups along the way.

They condense Anna's 4 year journey into a condensed to fit  your movie running time year.

Naturally, there are a ton of skeptics that feel and believe that Anna was never sick to begin with, and this is just a cash grab by the Beam family to make a buck off the Christian market.

Well, judge not lest ye be judged.

:)

I can, however, judge the movie, and it's not too bad.

There are naturally a few heartstring tuggers along the way, which is par for the course in most movies like this.

I don't think it beats a Christian message over the head of those that are skeptical, and it even briefly launches into the "why do bad things happen to little kids" endless debate.

There's also a few clunkers that keep the movie from reaching the full potential. One that pulled me out of the movie completely and made me start laughing was when a tearful, angry mom yells at the doctor "no, you calm down!"

The doctor was already calm and explaining why he couldn't help the daughter any further.

So a few misfires like that keep the movie from being a must-see and relegate it to a could-see.

That said, the movie does emphasize that your life is filled with little miracles every day that you may be too busy to notice and realize they were miracles at the time, and that is a message that's worth repeating over and over until the world gets it.

Final Grade: B-

So That's How "Christian Mingle" Works

Christian Mingle (2014)

Rated PG

Starring Lacy Chabert, Johnathan Patrick Moore, Morgan Fairchild, David Keith

Written and Directed by Corbin Bernsen

The Story:

Gwyneth (Chabert) has it all in life, except for Mr. Right. So in an act of desperation, she puts a profile on Christian Mingle dot com. There she discovers Paul (Moore) and the two hit it off. There's only one problem, really: Gwyneth isn't really a Christian...

Cue the ominous music and crash of thunder!

:)

Okay, this lighthearted romantic comedy is a labor of love for writer/director Corbin Bernsen. He is a devout believer, but tries to deliver the message in a way that's enjoyable for those that believe and even those that don't.

Many accuse a lot of films with a Christian message or theme to beat it over the head of the audience so that nobody will enjoy it unless you're preaching to the choir.

That probably holds true here again.

Gwyneth is about to tell Paul the truth, that she's not really a Christian, and then doesn't, then it snowballs out of control as she overdoes it every time that religion is brought up.

The comedic effect is there, but it begs to question how blind is Paul when everyone else notices that Gwyneth is struggling with her faith, except the guy who likes her?

Of course, if she doesn't struggle with this portion, she doesn't get to come to terms with what she actually does believe in, if anything, and that's kind of the point behind the whole affair in the first place.

Bernsen surrounds Chabert with a great cast of familiar faces, and after a long career in front of the camera, I'm more than willing to give this former Psych star a chance behind the scenes.

While I watched it on disc, it is now available to stream on Netflix as of this writing.

Final Grade: C

Faith On The Gridiron... "Woodlawn"

Woodlawn (2015)

Rated PG

Starring Nic Bishop, Sean Astin, Caleb Castille, Sherri Shepherd, Jon Voight,

Directed by Andrew Erwin and Jon Erwin

The Story:

Coach Tandy Gerelds (Bishop) takes over the Woodlawn High School team in Birmingham Alabama at the height of desegregation in the 70s. Trying to integrate his racially mixed football team proves to be challenging, but Hank (Astin) comes to ask if he can give the team a pep talk. Hank preaches about the love of Jesus and how they should all work together towards a common goal, and the message of love makes the team bond together and they go on a remarkable run through the season that inspires the entire community.

This is their story.

Faith.

Football.

Mix these two together and it should be a slam dunk (wrong sport, I know) yet there was something slightly off with this film. I can't pinpoint exactly what it was that just didn't register with me on this film.

Perhaps it was the length of the movie (a bit over 2 hours) or the repetitiveness that seemed to happen during the season. Sure, I get it, it's football after all, but it really seemed to just keep pushing the same three buttons over and over again and never really expanding any of the character focus.

Granted, these based on a true story films, you can only take so much creative license with, but it just seemed like there should have been more conflict based on the desegration or the faith inspiration than was really portrayed.

The cast was fine, with a lot of focus put on Castille who portrayed Tony Nathan in the film. The nice part, that while Woodlawn doesn't go on to have the happy ending you normally get in the movies, they do tackle a bit of Nathan's story to end on an upbeat note when he does finally win a championship and one of the first people that he calls is his old coach.

It's a good movie, just not a great one.


Final Grade: C

Is There Space In Your House For A "War Room" ?

War Room

Rated PG

Starring Karen Abercrombie, Priscilla Shirer, T.C. Stallings

Directed by Alex Kendrick

The Story:

Elizabeth (Shirer) and Tony (Stallings) have it all. Or so it seems. Appearances can be deceiving, and their marriage is falling apart. When Elizabeth meets Clara (Abercrombie), Clara shows her how she fought for her husband, instead of with him: through prayer. Elizabeth creates her "War Room" and begins praying for her husband and their family. Her attitude begins to change. Will it be enough to change their relationship, or is it doomed to fail?

Yep, it's a film about prayer, which will turn off a majority of viewers from even wanting to see the film, and that's fine. Not every film is for every person, however the Kendricks have a way of preaching the gospel that is both genuine and it doesn't overwhelm you by beating you over the head with the message.

The saying "preaching to the choir" exists for a reason, though, and for those that believe, this should be a really enjoyable movie.

Overall, whether you believe or not, this shows that if you can change your heart, you can effectively change the hearts of others.

Whether that's Divine Intervention or not, again, it's in the eye of the beholder, but what a wonderful concept to know that you really do have that much power.

The Kendricks continue to grow their ministry through film, and while I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as Courageous, it's still a really good film. I'm really looking forward to seeing what they put out next.

My main complaint is the one running joke throughout the movie about the wife's feet is rather mean-spirited. However, it does show how much Tony's heart will change by the end of the film, so there is a point to it.

Final Grade: B

The Message Is In "The Song"

The Song (2014)

Rated PG-13

Starring Alan Powell, Ali Faulkner, Caitlin Nicol-Thomas

Written and Directed by Richard Ramsey

The Story:

Jed King (Powell) is a singer who wrote a song about his wife (Faulkner) that thrust him into the spotlight. When he takes on a tour with a new singer (Thomas) his faith and his marriage begin to crumble as he is tempted at every turn.

Sound familiar?

It should.

It's "The Song" of Solomon, as rebranded as a 21st Century ode to Country music.

And, aside from being a touch slow in a few spots, it's actually not bad.

The message is clear throughout, and the nods to King David play out early in the film.

The preaching is not heavy handed, but it is there, it's coming straight out of Solomon's memoirs, but if you're in the mood for a romantic drama, ala Lifetime, you could do much worse.

Final Grade: C+