Gospel.com Blog

Each Friday, Past the Popcorn offers a thorough look at the latest round of films opening on big screens.

This week, the strongest new releases are serious, adult-oriented examinations of evil in the world—and these aren’t horror films, either. They’re dramas and documentaries.

Read on for a roundup of this week’s movie reviews. (more…)

If you’re a parent, the prospect of determining which games your kids can and can’t play is a daunting one. Fortunately, ministries like Al Menconi Ministries are here to help you out: Menconi’s team has been reviewing games for years with an eye toward their moral content and acceptability. Recent reviews have explored Command and Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars, Star Trek Legacy, Super Paper Mario, and others.

In addition to the reviews, there are a number of good articles for parents about how to discern which games are acceptable for your kids: see for instance the Computer & Video Game Buying Guide, which gives practical advice for making wise game purchasing decisions. Whether you’re a gamer looking for some help in buying acceptable games, or an overwhelmed parent wondering whether or not to puchase a certain game for your kids, stop by the AMM site for help.

It’s Friday–so it’s time for another film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Two weeks running, and no certifiable dogs. What a stroke of luck for this time of year!

The most universally appealing release this week is Mira Nair’s fish-learning-about-water story, The Namesake. Based on the book of the same title, it’s about the culture clash of Indian immigrants and the familial struggles that result. Greg Wright calls it “a virtual masterpiece, one that might, hopefully, establish a new mode for coming-of-age stories,” in an era when “young adults are not truly achieving independence until deep into their twenties.”

Right behind that, Kathy Bledsoe wishes that she had been able to see Premonition at least two or three times before having to write her very positive review. She says the film was “made to showcase” Sandra Bullock’s dramatic talents.

For those interested in the harsher side of life, Jenn wright recommends The Dead Girl, a seamy look at what happens to the people who are left behind when a runaway-turned-hooker falls victim to a serial killer. She says “the subject matter isn’t one for the Glee Club,” but “the story itself is utterly absorbing.” Go in fully warned.

And that goes the same for I Think I Love My Wife, which for Greg Wright invokes phrases like, “I Think I Hate This Movie.” So there’s your clinker, even though he says technically it doesn’t stink.

Also check out Greg Wright’s extensive interview with James Scurlock, director of last week’s release, Maxed Out.

This week’s film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Top boxoffice be dogged… sometimes films are just bad. This week, though, there’s nary a howler in the bunch, dog days of the cinematic calendar though it be. Jeff Walls had a dandy week, catching the eye candy that is 300, the entertaining morality tale that is The Ultimate Gift, and the amusing if gender-bending Gray Matters (clearly not everyone’s cup of tea, but fairly well made nonetheless). And he ranked them in just about that order.

Jenn Wright also raves about the documentary Maxed Out–for its financial lessons, if not for its occasional spin. Kathy Bledsoe also liked the re-release of 1939’s The Rules of the Game, and Mike Smith was pleasantly tweaked by The Host, a Hong Kong monster flick.

Finally, Greg Wright interviewed Steve Stockman, the director of Two Weeks, who had some interesting thoughts about the interplay of business and art.

Break out your drawing tools and your imagination! The Second International Christian Comics Competition, hosted by the Comix35 ministry, is underway? Entrants (who can be from anywhere around the world) have until June 13, 2007 to submit a short, original comic that is either evangelistic in nature or which displays an aspect of Christian discipleship. Winners receive a cash award and will be published in a compilation. See the full contest rules for details.

Oh, and one film that should die a quick, painful death. It’s the Friday film roundup from Past the Popcorn:

Leading the pack of new releases is David Fincher’s Zodiac, which Greg Wright finds oddly entertaining in spite of itself, if only midly so. He positively gushes, though, over Days of Glory, Algeria’s official submission for Best Foreign Language film at the Oscars. Wright compares it favorably to Patton and Platoon, and says the performances are the best you’re likely to see — in spite of the subtitles. He also finds Two Weeks, the new Sally Field fatal cancer dramedy, spot-on and a needed dose of reality.

Mike Brunk also finds redemptive value in the, shall we say, earthy Black Snake Moan, while Jeff Walls finds Wild Hogs a big bore.

Wrapping up the schedule is Mike Smith’s interview with documentarian Katharina Otto-Bernstein, and Greg’s thoughts about Amazing Grace’s not so amazing historical liberties.

Christians have been known in the past for their loud condemnations of films containing immoral or inappropriate content–and so it might come as a surprise that American evangelicals go to more movies each year than their non-Christian counterparts! In a recent column, Jim Dahlman looks at this trend, and at what it might mean for an evangelical culture that has long had an uneasy love/hate relationship with pop culture.

Are evangelicals becoming more discerning and mature in their attitude toward mainstream entertainment, or are they lowering their guard against dangerous secular influence? That depends on who you ask–read Dahlman’s essay for the story.

In a recent post at his ministry blog, media expert Al Menconi notes the revealing results of a poll conducted at a popular website devoted to computer and video games. Asked about their parents’ involvement and knowledge of their gaming habits, gamers responded overwhelmingly that their parents just didn’t pay much attention to the games their kids played. Al comments:

With over 30,000 votes, 64% said their parents that haven’t a clue what their children play, and over 70% are in the dark about the “more violent” games their kids play. Thirty thousand respondents can give a good indication of what is going on in the home. What is happening in your home? Do you know what kind of games your children are playing? No? Why not? May I suggest that you get involved in their lives and help them maneuver through the entertainment mind-fields?

Parents are justifiably concerned about the violent and sexual content in many video games today–but Al suggests that tackling that problem must begin first with parents demonstrating that they care about the entertainment and activities their kids are investing time into.

Al Menconi Ministries exists to help you and your family make wise choices about the entertainment you allow into your household. At his blog, Al has posted the first essay in a series of articles about understanding the extent of influence that movies and music hold over your life.

Al sees “entertainment” as a major front in a larger spiritual war–and he thinks that your entertainment choices can positively or negatively affect your spiritual life. From his post:

If my theory is true, shouldn’t churches take a stronger role in educating believers on how to fight in this spiritual battle for our minds? Most churches and parents want to avoid the entertainment issue entirely. But we can’t. It is all around us. It shapes our world, but it doesn’t have to shape us.

Read the full post for some concrete guidelines for thinking through your entertainment choices in a Biblical manner.

How should Christians understand the movies we watch? Is there more to the media we consume than what’s on the surface? Past the Popcorn is a new ministry founded by Greg Wright, a Christian film critic who’s written extensively at Hollywood Jesus and elsewhere about the intersection of faith and film, and a team of Christian critics and writers.

Past the Popcorn launches today with interviews with Neale Donald Walsch and documentarian Amy Berg. Check back regularly as Greg Wright, Mike Smith, and other Christian film critics weigh in about the films we watch, the people who make them, and the ways that Christians can better engage the culture of art and entertainment.