Reviews

I've come close a few times: "Saving Private Ryan" and "The Weatherman" are two that I can think of right off the bat that have at least made my eyes well up; but this one...

I legitimately busted out crying in the last few minutes of the film, finding myself overwhelmed with emotion.

If you don't know the story of Paul, it's one of redemption. Of all people to be converted to Christianity, he was perhaps the least likely candidate being that he persecuted the early Church or Christ.

This film isn't a comprehensive study on Paul, but rather the final moments of his life, and the impact that it had on the Church.

Early on in the film, we're shown Paul taken to prison awaiting his execution, and that's where the main focus of the film is. To cover Paul's entire life in the Church would require a massive budget, so it's hard to complain about a film not doing that when the reality is it cost money to make movies, but I digress.

The most amazing things might be what Paul did for Jesus Christ, but the most powerful is his conversion and how he had to fight spiritually in even his last days. We see him revisit his past in flashback sequences that are probably the best interpretation of these events I have ever seen on film. It's beautifully filmed, and tragically dark; but despite the darkness, there is salvation for Paul, and that's what's so touching about the film: salvation is available for everyone, and despite all that Paul had done in his past, he ended up serving God faithfully, right up to his death.

The subplots revolve around a Roman soldier and his sick daughter, as well as the opposition the Church faced, and Luke also finding his place within all of this. The film doesn't shy away from the harsh violence that was inflicted on early Believers either, which makes for simultaneously enlightening and difficult viewing. Much of the film's impact hinges on the final moments, and that's where the emotional punches land; it opts to build up to the ending, even though there are powerful moments before that, some of which are truly unforgettable.

This film is less of a movie in the traditional sense and far more of an experience, as its pacing is slow and methodical but never dull. By the end, I cried harder than I ever had in any movie. I highly recommend this film. It's a film about a very dangerous time in history, and a reminder of the persecution that still happens today, in which many Christians are slaughtered for what they believe.

Watch it!

The Book of Hosea is one of the most compelling books of the Bible for a number of reasons, one of which is because it's a love story, so it's bound to resonate with everyone on some level. So for this film, a camping trip is used to contextualize the story.

It begins with a few young Christians taken to the wilderness for a weekend by none other than Sean Astin, a great casting choice. The core group gets along well enough, but one character is outed because she's different on the surface. With that said, the characters aren't the selling point, but I think they do good enough of a job that they don't weigh down the meat of the story, which is the story of Hosea.

In it, we get an interesting depiction of Hosea, the trials he endured with his wife Gomer, and the relation it had to God and Israel (or His people in general.) We're taken through the story while the characters react to it in a way that I believe teens actually would. They don't agree with God's ways at first, but once they understand the depths of love He has for us, it seems to make more sense. Willingness to sacrifice. The acting and sets in the ancient scenes are also quite good.

The camping trip may seem to be the weaker element at first, but the characters grow on you because they experience their own changes and growth; but as for the depiction of Hosea and his life, those scenes are engaging and compelling. Additionally, the youth scenes contrast the more serious parts for the sake of pacing and variety, as well as relatability.

Overall, it's pretty good. Not perfect, but the message was what mattered because Hosea's story is touching and poignant.

I'm alarmed by the amount of negative reviews this film has received. It doesn't deserve as much hate as it's received, and I'll explain why.

For starters, this film does NOT serve as an exploitative take on the Columbine shooting. In fact, that's really only a small portion of the content of the film. Ultimately, it's not so much about the quality of the film but the purpose and intention, especially considering one like this. There are plenty of films that are expertly crafted and yet reprehensible in their messages, but would be lauded for the former and even the latter.

For starters, this is a very well-made film, near superb. The cinematography, camerawork, editing, and lighting are all good, sometimes terrific, with very powerful images and striking shots. The scene with Rachel walking the edge of the building is hauntingly well-executed. Accompanied by the depth that she is given as a person, it's top-notch.

This was a young girl as conflicted and flawed as any one of us, despite her faith. She isn't depicted as a total saint or a complete do-gooder, but rather as someone who chose to do good, despite having many instances in which she was rebellious, even making wrong decisions in her walk and still feeling empty when everything seemed to be going good. The depiction of Rachel dealing with her emotions is so raw and believable that there's no way this could be seen as exploitive. She was seeking a more intimate relationship with Christ and struggled to see Him, but she never gave up. The performance given by Masey McLain is OUTSTANDING! Not only does she look like her, but she sounds like her. Rachel Joy Scott may have been a Believer in Christ, but that didn't mean that she was sterile, bland, without personality, uninteresting, or sinless, so I STRONGLY admire the realism that was put it in to making her come to life on-screen. I can't really complain about the music choices because it'd be too expensive to license music from the 90s, but what is there works.

So that covers the filmmaking aspect of it; yet does it deliver a good message?

Yes, I'm happy to report. All of this talk about it being exploitation is nonsense. The reality is that the media simply doesn't like the Christian message that's a huge part of this film, considering that it wants to be an accurate depiction of... a victim who was actually a Christian. Why are people so opposed to the way this person lived her life? She wanted to make an impact on others, and that's how she was remembered. She fought to live her life for Christ, and being the victim of a horrendous act of violence, it's all the more tragic.

She wasn't perfect in her walk with Christ, but she seemed to have a heart of gold. The beliefs shown in the film are what she wanted to project in public, and it's honorable that her mother continues her legacy of spreading love.

I highly recommend watching this movie carefully, and if you do, you'll notice that it doesn't use tragedy to exploit. Even though there are conflictions with this, if the last words she gave were truly what she said, then I can only commend her for her nobility in her beliefs in Jesus Christ. This movie had me all kinds of emotional. Loved it.

It's basically "Groundhog Day" but with Christian values, yet I don't think that cheapens the film at all, considering that "Groundhog Day" already had Christian themes in it to begin with; so to complain about this being a knockoff is kind of pointless.

Rather, it takes that established formula of living the same day over and does new things with it, which is always welcome.

The main character, Jason, goes through the same thing, except what he has to confront is the bitterness and disdain he has for the rough patches in his life. This is brought about by the girl he meets, Mack, who propels him toward his journey of trial and error until he gets it right. The chemistry between the characters is believable due to the humorous writing. It's a common thing for reviewers to point out the humor which fails in faith-based films, but I legitimately laughed out loud at some of the scenes. Additionally, the acting is quite good here, particularly so in the more serious moments. The humor can still be cheesy at times, but it's so little that it's easy to overlook at about the 20-minute mark. The chemistry between the leads had to work in order for this to be good, and it did. It was borderline excellent.

The message of forgiveness may have been done plenty of times, but as long as humans exist, there will always be interesting ways to tackle old themes. In the case of "77 Chances," the same applies, and it still feels fresh for doing so. It's also very well paced, and solidly lit with some moments of very good cinematography.

I would definitely recommend this movie to non-Christians because it is competently acted and directed, but I have to give major props to the main actor. He was great. He doesn't deal with his pain in a predictably angry and over-the-top way but rather, he's deeply hurt by his past so his bitterness manifests itself in his life in both obvious and far more subtle ways. The obvious ways are that he's not enthusiastic about his job and not always considerate of others. The subtle ways are that he's actually polite when confronted about the heavy things in his life, even if he suppresses them. This makes a world of a difference in terms of execution.

Another interesting thing to note was how Jason and Mack were opposites. It's not that Jason is shy, but rather lowly and quiet. Mack was the extrovert. These personality types work believably together; and yes, there are extroverted girls out there who initiate contact. They exist. It's happened to me. I didn't entirely buy in to the nerd-girl aspect of Mack's character, but it's a movie. You don't watch this for absolute realism. You watch it for the message and for it be conveyed well enough.

Christian or not, give it a go. I could see even the most cynical viewers enjoying it because the date scenes are actually sweet and funny. There's no denying the effort that was put in to the script for the romantic parts to work. Besides, who doesn't enjoy a good love story?

Faith-based movies tend to get a bad rap for the qualities that they lack compared to secular films, so what's more important? The movie, or the message? There are movies out there that have great performances, terrific casting, excellent cinematography, a good story, and well-written script, but are morally bankrupt with not an ounce of emphasis on personal integrity or honorable qualities.

Then there are films which have poor acting, miscast actors, bland cinematography, a competent story, and a jagged script, but they have a lot more to offer a person in terms of value and virtue that's actually applicable to life. So the divide between the realms of secular films and faith-based films is clear.

Fortunately, "Faith Like Potatoes" is a film possesses the best of both worlds. It's got a great message and tells a real story, without being so far off in to the distance that it isn't good, as the main character is a man who begins flawed but grows in to someone much more mature in the end. A lot of the credit would have to go to the acting because the work was put in, delivering believable performances, while the film on a story level could actually be unpredictable at times, even having the self-awareness to recognize the oddity within the title. The way it's filmed isn't spectacular, but it's one of the better one's I've seen from independent Christian film-making. It's inspiring, touching, and well-made enough for average viewers to actually enjoy.

8/10

It's a pretty simple and straight-forward short film, but it's consistently engaging and good for younger viewers. It may come off as predictable to anyone who regularly watch short films, but it's fantastic for kids to watch because it shows the old and new still having conjunction with each other, in addition to the importance of trying new things and not giving up.

I won't give away the ending, but I love how rewarding it is that the story goes on and that the girl makes an interesting decision. Give this one a watch on YouTube or Vimeo. It's positive and funny as well.

I heard about this movie because of the famous rap group The Wu-Tang Clan. So i checked it out on youtube. And man is it fast!!!! When i say say fast, I mean it is difficult to keep up with a technique that is so complex. There are excellent fight scenes, especially at the ending! The acting isn't so terrific, but since this is real genuine kung-fu that very few practice, it doesn't matter. The storyline is decent, but you don't always need a storyline for old fashioned fun. Funny haircuts, funny English dubbing, intensely good scenes. It would make an excellent remake.

Plus, it's not overly violent either. Kids tend to watch kung-fu movies regardless of the violence level. So this would also fall into parental approval.

This film is quite amazing, as far as visual effects, story, and exploration of new worlds. But the thing is, this movie isn't really one of the best this year. Good but not great. I enjoyed it enough though to think the film was unforgettable. And it is unforgettable. It's just very overrated and over hyped. But I definitely recommend it. It's truly a blast to watch. Plus, the performances are excellent too from Sam Worthington (a rising star) and Sigourney Weaver (a veteran actress). It's hard to say that the movie isn't good, because of the groundbreaking special effects. Plus, in 3-D, they don't throw too much at your face. They just add some emphasis to it. Just go see it for yourself. That's all I can say.

8/10

I can't stress enough how good this film is! The special effects are well made, but the story line is incredibly interesting and intriguing. The movies goes about like a fake documentary, so it takes its time explaining and walking you through the everyday life of an alien. But the believability rate is so high. They put aliens in slums where they stay away from humans. But that's just story line. The action is just pulse-pounding. It's intense and a blast to watch. The acting is also really good too. Plus, it's actually an emotional film too. You'll find yourself getting attached to the aliens. All I can say is just see. It's simply incredible! 10/10

I remember seeing this film for the first time on bootleg when I was five years old. I couldn't believe my eyes!!! The visual effects still don't look phony 'til this very day! And when I watched it again when I was older and obviously more mature, I love the story line. It made the movie a million times better! The reason I was blown away again when I watched it was because of the storyline itself. It just comes together so well. About this perception of reality and the human race living in an artificial world made sense for all the action-packed sequences to cross boundaries. If you like the movie for the action, that's fine. but if you want a full blown movie, here it is. The Y2K of film. The movie makes sense story wise, emotionally, and even if you judge the action to look phony, it'll all make sense when you see it. Perfect film. And Keanu Reeves isn't too shabby either, and Lawrence Fishburne's performance is very underrated. Trust me on this. You will love this movie. I know it's my favorite movie.