Summer is drawing to a close, and looking back on things I enjoyed over the past few months, I remember these with particular fondness: golfing, walks on warm summer nights, swimming in our lake, out of town guests, strolls on our downtown boardwalk listening to several bands, and… MOVIE NIGHTS!
Okay, movies aren’t restricted to summers, but around Christmas and summer holidays, you can generally look forward to a few great movies arriving. This summer, I enjoyed Divergent, Train Your Dragon 2, Guardians of The Galaxy (yes, I’m a bit of a sci/fi fan), The Fault in Our Stars, and am looking forward to seeing The Hundred-Foot Journey.
But is it just me, or are Christian movies gaining popularity?
When Heaven is for Real arrived, I scooted out and took my mom to see it on its first weekend, concerned it would only last a couple weeks at most. But SURPRISE! The movie was in our town for over a month, and the second time I went three weeks after its opening (yes, I do go see movies a second time if they’re good) the theatre was still more than half full! SHOCKING! But very encouraging!
Now, the movie, Noah, was surrounded by much controversy, as it really didn’t follow what many consider biblical fact. But to be fair, the movie was based upon only a very short part of the bible: Genesis 6 – 8. So there was a lot of ‘artistic license’ used to pad the story and fill 2 hours. When I went with my minister and a few friends to see it, I was prepared for an aftermath of heated words against the producers, directors, screenplay writers, characters, and anyone else connected to the movie. Imagine my awestruck wonder when my minister LOVED it! His comment was that Noah kept to biblical principles and themes, and was a good ‘ride’.
Next up, will be Exodus; Gods and Kings. With actors and actresses like Christian Bale, Sigourney Weaver, and Ben Kingsley, and director Ridley Scott (Aliens), my ears are in a full-up-perk.
But even if these movies tank, which they haven’t so far, the whole idea that religious movies are starting to take center stage is exciting. For so long, any movie that had even a sniff of Christian content, would rarely make it to the big screen, (The Passion of the Christ being one of the exceptions of course).
I remember when a bus cruised through our town sporting the words “There’s probably no God, so stop worrying and enjoy.” I was appalled to say the very least, however a minister was quoted saying “When the subject of God enters conversations for any reason, it’s all good. These words on the bus started a dialogue.” Which was true, it certainly did!
So what is your opinion on the latest religious movies? Have you seen them? Did you like them? Were there any others you enjoyed over the summer?
The Scriblerians 