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Reviews
Journey to Hell (2022)
My Top Ten Faith-Based Movies of All Time (in order)
My Top Ten Faith-Based Movies of All Time (in order)
1) Chariots of Fire
2) Ben Hur
3) Journey to Hell
4) War Room
5) Courageous
6) Passion of the Christ
7) The Hiding Place
8) Silence
9) Time Changer
10) Suing the Devil.
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Chariots of Fire is EPIC faith-based
Chariots of Fire is EPIC faith-based. As a Christian Methodist, I love movies about missionaries. Powerful and stunning about a real man of FAITH. Even though it may not have been the most memorable among the nominees (Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), On Golden Pond (1981)) that year, this film took home the gold for Best Picture, and won Oscars for Original Screenplay, Costume Design, and unforgettable Score by Vangelis (who hasn't really been heard from since he dropped his Greek surname Papathanassiou).
The great character actor Ian Holm received his only Supporting Actor nomination (two years after he helped Alien (1979) make an unforgettable debut). Director Hugh Hudson and Editor Terry Rawlings were also nominated.
The story is a fictionalized account of the real miraculous achievement by Great Britain's male Olympic sprinters (e.g. Over the favored U. S. team) at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, France. There are two religiously-based background stories which stay above melodrama (if barely): Ben Cross plays a Jew battling anti-Semitism - his situation is complicated by the controversy of his having hired a professional trainer (Holm) for his quest to become the fastest man in the world (e.g. The 100m champion) - and his Christian opponent, Ian Charleson as Eric Liddell, who runs for the glory of God and thus refuses to run a heat on the Sabbath; Liddell competed in (and won) the 400m instead.
The cast also includes some recognizable Britishers John Gielgud, Nigel Davenport and Patrick Magee, and a post-Breaking Away (1979) Dennis Christopher and a post-Midnight Express (1978) Brad Davis as American sprinters.
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End (2007)
Good film
Less than a year after the previous installment of the popular pirates trilogy, Jack Sparrow and company return in Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The film should be great, given a three hundred million dollar budget, huge anticipation, and the closure a third installment inevitably brings to a series. While this film does show its budget and is quite visually arresting, it lacks a fair share of resolution to the trilogy and confuses with its overflowing exposition rather than purely existing to entertain.
Even in an action packed pirate movie, overly chatty sequences will simply bore audiences just because it's too hard to follow what exactly is being said. The movie really just had too many vague or unnecessary plot points that didn't affect the main plot at hand.
All the acting was perfectly fine, with Johnny Depp as Captain Jack Sparrow and Geoffrey Rush as Captain Barbosa unsurprisingly being the standouts. The introduction of Depp's character in the pirate equivalent of Hell called Davy Jones' Locker is a particular favorite, as well as the scenes at World's End, which somehow involves a giant, deep waterfall. Keith Richards' hyped cameo as Jack's father is nothing to go crazy for, he does a decent job, but his screen time lasts only about two minutes.
Director Gore Verbinski and his crew knew going into this that the reviews would be mixed and the plot would be confusing (in order to encourage repeat viewings), but honestly, at nearly three hours, the more the film confuses you the more it becomes an endurance test. Also, rather than providing a satisfying conclusion to the series, the end opens up the possibility for a fourth installment, which might not even happen. The crew put every penny of the film's budget on screen, made evident in the hour or so of its bloated climax. The film looks and feels like a true epic, shots are wide, locations are vast, costumes are extravagant, and the scope is large. However, the film needs to scale down its plot in order to let the characters we fell in love with stand out and shine, as that's what makes these films unique.
Jane Eyre (2011)
Gresat film
I saw a sneak preview of Jane Eyre last night at AFI/Silver in Silver Spring MD. This is a beautifully filmed, engrossing, and haunting version of the classic Charlotte Bronte novel Jane Eyre. This film is worth seeing and it will leave you thinking about it long after you have left the theater. It captures that otherworldly and isolated environment that Jane inhabits in her lonely life. After you witness the unloved childhood and brutal boarding school you can understand how Jane can not only adapt to her isolated employment but revel in a world where the absence of abuse is a relief. One thing that struck me was the way the actress portraying Jane Eyre, Mia Wasikowska, inhabited Jane's being. The quiet stillness, the dignity, the steely nerves under the mask of composure. I have been trying to recall another actress who portrayed the physicality of a woman, a governess, in that time period so perfectly. She wasn't a modern actress in a corset, she moved like a young woman who is used to the corset and layers of cloth, and the expectations on a young woman in Victorian England. I also particularly enjoyed the portrayal of a vibrant, intelligent, woman who knows she is caged by the norms of her society and her position in it. Miss Wasikowska did a wonderful portrayal of Jane, giving her great depth while still letting the emotions flit across her usually stoic face. I also liked Mrs Reed - she is a wholly human villain, petty, cruel, insecure, and resentful. You can see her in Miss Ingram, a petty woman who could turn hateful. The young Jane is a stand out performance, all spit and fury, you realize that Jane's survival is due to her courage. That the intensity of the child is coiled inside the adult Jane. The cinematography is beautiful, the sets and costumes look accurate, the screenplay handled well, and the directing outstanding. I also appreciate that no character was over done. This film will age well, where some other versions can make you cringe now. This film is going to make me pick up the novel and read it again after a very long time. Not a bad recommendation for a movie.
Suing the Devil (2011)
One Of The Greatest Faith-Based Films Ever..........and that says a LOT
If you haven't seen this film, you need to run somewhere to watch it.
This was one of those movies I didn't expect that much when I first saw it so I was pleasantly surprised. Since then, it has skyrocketed to nearly the top on my list of all-time favorite films. I can't think of too many other Christian films that are better. Just a great, great movie.
It boasts an interesting story filled with intense characters, beautiful scenery, a fantastic score, good action and a nice romance. So....there is a lot to like about this film.
The courtroom scenes are quite realistic, and border on being almost too prevalent, to be fair. However, even if it may be a little too intense or frequent, the action is always interesting and varied, from all-out assaults to individual battles.
The eye candy includes a handsome leading couple: Bart (?) and the gal from Facing the Giants.