I went with a few friends the other night to see October Baby and I went in knowing very little of what the story was about. I had planned it that way so I would genuinely react to the scenes instead of having preconceived notions affect my emotions. I had heard it was funny, sad and uplifting with a beautiful witness of life and forgiveness. I hadn't told my gal pals about the sad part even though they knew the premise "a young woman learns she had been given up for adoption after a failed abortion." I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't seen it but you will cry for it is...
heartbreaking uplifting emotional hopeful
It is a story of pain, mercy, forgiveness and hope.
The great news is that October Baby made the top 10 list on it's opening weekend! People want to see movies with Christian values and this one has all the drama, suspense and humor of non-Christian movies, yet it comes with a pro-life message that is important. At times, the humor fell flat and other times, it did very well. Go and see it! Bring tissue! It's only been released in a limited amount of theaters, so let's show Hollywood that movie goers want to see movies that are meaningful, heartfelt and with a moral message!
Going to see October Baby tonight! It looks to have a strong pro-life message that is emotionally appealing to everyone. I think it's a story that needs to be told. Has anyone seen it yet?
I came across mention of "Into the Desert: Lent and Film" at Decent Films Blog from Laurie at Catholic Baby Steps. Curious as to what films were listed as "good viewing material for Lent," I decided to check it out. The blog writer is Steven D. Greydanus who blogs for Decent Films: Film Appreciation and Criticism informed by Christian Faith. Mr. Greydanus compiled a list of "spiritual viewing for Lent." You can find it HERE. I went to my local library website and happily found the 6 movies he recommends and put holds on all of them. Some of them I noted, were created in a different language and would have English subtitles. I'll have to see if that takes away from my overall experience of viewing them.
I also found on his site a link to the Vatican Film List which is an old list from 1995 that was comprised by the Vatican for the 100th anniversary of cinema. It included a top ten list of movies for religion, value and art. I perused through that list too and was familiar with a few.
I would imagine the movie The Way starring Martin Sheen and written, directed and starring Emilio Estevez, would be added to Mr. Graydanus's recommendations for Lent and Films. This movie came out on DVD last month to my delight! I have bought it, viewed it and have passed it around to friends from my church. If you haven't seen it yet, please do! It should be in the local libraries by now if you don't want to purchase your own copy.
This movie was released last night around the nation and I cannot wait to see it! It's based on a true story of a woman named Kathy Rush who went to Immaculata College in Pennsylvania to coach their women's basketball team in 1971. Immaculata College is a Catholic School that was founded and run by nuns and I don't think they knew what they were getting when they hired Ms. Rush! It looks to be a great faith based movie. Here's a clip:
Courageous hit the movie theaters this past weekend and I went to it's opening debut. Happily, it was sold out! This movie is produced by Sherwood Baptist Church Films in an effort to make "faith-based" movies instead of the usual Hollywood style. It is the fourth movie written and produced by the film making ministry of Sherwood Baptist Church that stars one of their pastors ~ Alex Kendrick. The overall message is about fatherhood and responsibility which unfolds throughout the journey of the four main characters who are police officers as well as fathers. They befriend a fifth main character and the group of men share their struggles with their identity as fathers and the challenges of being a police officer.
Courageous was "preachier" and more intense than the previous films they produced such as Fireproof and Facing the Giants. In addition, it was also a bit drawn out at times leaving me wondering "where are they going with this?" but otherwise, it had humor, tears and intensity. Kind of like a Hallmark film or something you would watch on Lifetime.
I enjoyed it through the laughter and tears but I left wondering, would it reach the audience they were intending to reach? Or would it only be people of faith who flock to the theaters to watch it? And if it did, would the "preachy" style be a turn off for some people?
It's a fun time of my week again to gather with RAnn and friends at Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival. Here is a place to check out fellow Catholic Bloggers from around the United States and there may be some from other countries! Please come by and check out This That and The Other Thing to see who linked up this week.
I'm sharing my review on that fantastic movie that will soon be released, The Way. I highly encourage everyone to go and see this film which is drama, adventure, tragedy and joy mixed all together to make one very original and wholesome movie!
Last night I was privileged to accept an invitation to a prescreening of a fantastic movie that will be released on Oct. 7th in the United States called The Way. This movie was written and directed by Emilio Estevez and stars both him and his father, Martin Sheen as the lead character.
This movie is a powerful and moving story about family, friends, tragedy and hope. It takes place along the Pyrenees Mountains that separates France from Spain. The story focuses on the Camino de Santiago or the Way of St. James which is a very personal and spiritual journey that people of all faiths and backgrounds, from around the world, have traveled for a thousand years. The majority go on foot while others ride bikes or go on horseback with the pace set by each individual person. The pilgrims undergo this amazing 500 mile hike that takes anywhere from 6-8 weeks or much longer depending upon the person. Villages all along the way give shelter, beds, food and warm hospitality to all of their guests.
Pilgrims go on "The Way" for various reasons such as spiritual, penance, or adventure. It leads to the Cathedral in Santiago where the remains of St. James is reported to be. The Camino ends with a twelve o'clock mass at the Cathedral. Thousands of pilgrims traverse The Way each year.
Martin Sheen plays the father, Tom who comes to France to collect the remains of his son (played by Emilio Estevez) who died early on in his pilgrimage. Tom decides to embark on his own pilgrimage to honor his son and to wrestle with the pain and emotions of life filled with regret, disappointment and love. Through his chance meetings of fellow trekkers, Tom learns of their personal stories of pain and heartache that we all can relate to in our modern world and he begins to heal.
Here is the trailer:
This movie is a refreshing break from the typical Hollywood movie making machine. No worries of hearing bad language, inappropriate sexuality, or violence. It's a wholesome story based on morals which shows all along the way absolutely stunning Catholic Cathedrals constructed centuries ago.
What made it even more exciting, was that Martin Sheen and Emilio Estevez were present at this screening and answered questions following the show. They were both charming and engaging as they discussed their Catholic faith and their movie. Currently, they are on a bus tour to promote their movie and may be coming to your town. Here's the link: The Way
It's a must see! We need to get the word out that we want movies made with good standards and morals. We want Hollywood to take notice!!
I just learned that the movie Courageous is opening up on Friday, September 30th. This movie is from the creators of Fireproof. (You'll even recognize some of the same cast members.) It's a drama about the struggles fathers face raising their children in the modern age and how they desire to be Godly fathers. For more information you can go to Courageous Catholic Resources.
I've been contacted by a Media Group who is interested in inviting Chicago Area Catholic Bloggers to a pre-screening of the upcoming movie The Mighty Macs. It looks to be a fabulous true story of Cathy Rush who became the basketball coach of an all girls Catholic College in the early 1970's at Immaculata College in suburban Philadelphia. This movie is her story of bringing a struggling girls basketball team all the way to the national championship game.
Are any of you in the Chicagoland area and would like to attend the pre-screening? They're scheduled for early September. Please let me know and then I can forward you the information.
I am a Catholic mom who is enjoying the world of blogging. This blog is to honor God, explore christianity and share my life with you. What I am not, is a writer, expert on Catholicism or Christianity or a web designer. I have absolutely no experience at creating a blog whatsoever! What I do have is a desire to learn my faith and share it with others.
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