The Best Christian Movies of All Time
http://www.christianmovies.biz/
Some of you may not realize that I own a web site dedicated to Christian movies. I majored in film criticism at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, back in the 1970s. Before the days of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, Hollywood was starting to look very much like an industry on its last leg; so I switched to art - a far, far more stable profession. 
Then the motion picture industry made its incredible comeback, thanks to independents like Stephen Spielberg and George Lucas. I don't regret my decision to switch professions; yet, film has remained one of my passions, and I have looked forward to the day when Christian films would be able to stand alongside non-Christian films and hold their own. With movies like Blindside and Soul Surfer, I think that day has come.
There wasn't always a need to distinguish Christian films from non-Christian, because most films before 1968 were Christian, in worldview if not in theme, thanks to the Hays Code. There was a genre called "Biblical Epics," which, technically speaking, is what we today would call Christian films. But there was as much Christianity in movies like Mr. Smith Goes To Washington, The Hunchback Of Notre Dame, and It's A Wonderful Life as in any Biblical Epic. It seems unfortunate that this division between what is Christian and what is not exists today. It was The Passion Of The Christ and its $400 million gross sales that convinced us that this may not be a bad thing.
Three well-respected writers take issue with this dichotomous thinking:
Waitsel’s Best Movies of 2011
GRAB YOUR POPCORN AND LET'S TALK
This year was probably the best year for movies that I can remember. Let me say that again: the best year for movies that I can remember - and I can remember a long ways back. This year we saw what is, in my opinion, the best silent film ever made, as well as one of the best films ever made, period: The Artist. We had two delightfully impressive surprises from top-notch directors working in genres that aren't their norm: Steven Spielberg's War Horse and Martin Scorsese's Hugo. We saw one of Woody Allen's most interesting, imaginative, least offensive and even charming films: Midnight In Paris. We saw the film adaptation of a book about the color line of the 1960s that is actually funny: The Help. And we saw another film adaptation of a book by Michael Lewis, author of The Blindside: Moneyball. We saw the best Mission: Impossible film ever, not to mention what is probably one of the best action films of all time: Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol. And we saw two more super hero movies to add to the growing list of very well-made films in that genre: Captain America and Thor. We saw two Spielberg films reminiscent of his hey-day: Super 8 and The Adventures Of Tintin. If all that were not enough, we also got one of the best Christian films to date: Soul Surfer. And if you can believe this, most of these wonderful films are up for Academy Awards! So all I can say is, "Wow!"
What's the thread through all of these films? I'd say it is nostalgia, plus fantastic production values. Being a history buff, I love the love of history displayed in The Artist, War Horse, Hugo, Midnight In Paris and The Help. I also love the attention to detail and beautiful production displayed in these films, as well as Captain America and Thor. But over and above all that, I love the good story-telling that all these movies embody, as well as the award-winning performances of Jean Dujardin in The Artist, Viola Davis and Jessica Chastain in The Help, Jeremy Irvine in War Horse, and others. Yes, this has been a year to remember: and I'm just giving you the creme de la creme. There were also some very good "little" films made, like Win/Win, to name one. So, without further adieu, roll the film.
Best Dramatic Comedy - The Artist
5-Star Masterpiece - Romantic Comedy-Drama - starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo and John Goodman; written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius - Weinstein Company
Rarely do I see a movie that I would call "perfect"… but this one is. It has everything: a wonderfully touching story, great performances, beautiful cinematography and score. The one thing it lacks is sound. That's right - it's a silent film. Because it is about a silent movie star, the producers decided to make the film itself silent. When I first heard about it, I doubted that a silent film would work today, let alone get to me - but it did. It is the most delightful film I've seen in a long, long time. The details of late 1920s Hollywood, when sound movies were making their debut, are perfect: no film has ever been successful at capturing that period, in my opinion - until now.
With great charisma and charm, French actor Jean Dujardin portrays silent film star George Valentin (loosely based on Douglas Fairbanks), the hottest idol in Hollywood, and someone who really enjoys the spotlight. Then he meets Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), a young woman who wants to break into film herself. George is taken with her and decides to give her a break; in the process, they fall in love. Then sound enters the picture, and movies go from silent to talkies almost overnight. As George, who is unequipped for this change, watches his star fall, Peppy's rises meteorically. It's a classic love story set against the most turbulent years of Hollywood.
The filmmakers masterfully use the medium of silent film to tell their story in a very poignant and very clever way that I predict will take the Oscars this year by storm. (Dujardin has already won Best Actor at Cannes and the Golden Globes for his performance, and the film itself has won Best Comedy and Best Score at the Golden Globes.) There are many nods to Hollywood icons, including Singing In The Rain (which deals with the same time period), A Star Is Born (which, like The Artist, deals with the rise of a young actress and the fall of an older actor), Asta (the scene-stealing dog from The Thin Man series), etc. John Goodman is wonderfully cast against type as producer Al Zimmer. For those who love good movies, this one will steal your heart.
Rated PG-13
For resources for this movie, go to my web page, "Best Movies of 2011."
Leaving Vanity Fair
John Bunyan's Christian classic, The Pilgrim's Progress, has been called the first true novel.
Bunyan wrote Pilgrim's Progress in 1678 while in prison for preaching without a license.
Vanity Fair, where Buyan's hero, Christian, gets waylaid, is a place of many enticements.
Christian and Faithful being accosted by the citizens of Vanity for their faith.
Christian was able to escape with his life, but his companion, Faithful, was burned for his faith.
Where are you in your journey? In Vanity Fair?
If life is a journey, as John Bunyan indicates in his Christian classic, The Pilgrim's Progress, and if there is a place along the way called "Vanity Fair," then many of us are probably in that place right now. Many of us may even feel that we are stranded there, much as the guests of Casablanca felt, helplessly waiting for an exit visa that never arrives. We are overwhelmed with an addiction, an illicit relationship, a bad marriage, a career dead-end, an empty retirement account - whatever. Where is the way out of our Vanity Fair?
My Favorite “Little” Movies
Independent, low-budget, big-hearted, well-written, well-acted, intimate little films that will bring a smile to your face and a tear to your eye.
Twice a year, in the summer and at Christmas time, Hollywood rolls out their big blockbuster movies, full of special effects, including 3D. But you know, I rarely go back to those films. The movies I keep coming back to are what I would call "little films": movies that are full of intimacy, a good story and memorable characters. Those are the films that last, and, if it's possible, change lives.
Here are some of my favorite "little" movies. For the most part they're independent, low-budget films; yet, they're all well-written, well-acted and full of heart. They're the kind of movie that puts a smile on your face and a tear in your eye. I hope you enjoy them. Happy New Year!
The Artist (2011)
5-Star Masterpiece - Romantic Comedy-Drama - starring Jean Dujardin, Berenice Bejo and John Goodman; written and directed by Michel Hazanavicius - Weinstein Company
Rarely do I see a movie that I would call "perfect"… but this one is. It has everything: a wonderfully touching story, great performances, beautiful cinematography and score. The one thing it lacks is sound. That's right - it's a silent film. Because it is about a silent movie star, the producers decided to make the film itself silent. When I first heard about it, I doubted that a silent film would work today, let alone get to me - but it did. It is the most delightful film I've seen in a long, long time. The details of late 1920s Hollywood, when sound movies were making their debut, are perfect: no film has ever been successful at capturing that period, in my opinion - until now.
With great charisma and charm, French actor Jean Dujardin portrays silent film star George Valentin (loosely based on Douglas Fairbanks), the hottest idol in Hollywood, and someone who really enjoys the spotlight. Then he meets Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo), a young woman who wants to break into film herself. George is taken with her and decides to give her a break; in the process, they fall in love. Then sound enters the picture, and movies go from silent to talkies almost overnight. As George, who is unequipped for this change, watches his star fall, Peppy's rises meteorically. It's a classic love story set against the most turbulent years of Hollywood.
The filmmakers masterfully use the medium of silent film to tell their story in a very poignant and very clever way that I predict will take the Oscars this year by storm. (Dujardin has already won Best Actor at Cannes and the Golden Globes for his performance, and the film itself has won Best Comedy and Best Score at the Golden Globes.) There are many nods to Hollywood icons, including Singing In The Rain (which deals with the same time period), A Star Is Born (which, like The Artist, deals with the rise of a young actress and the fall of an older actor), Asta (the scene-stealing dog from The Thin Man series), etc. John Goodman is wonderfully cast against type as producer Al Zimmer. For those who love good movies, this one will steal your heart.
Rated PG-13
My Latest Work – Pirate Illustrations for the Travel Channel
Last fall, I was asked to do some illustrations for a series on the Travel Channel called "Hidden City," dealing with infamous crimes in places that people like to visit. One of the episodes - which airs Tuesday, January 24 at 9 PM - is about the Florida Keys, and involves a notorious pirate named Black Caesar, who roamed the Keys in the late seventeenth and early eighteenth centuries. The filmmakers at Crazy Legs Productions here in Atlanta, producers of the series, needed some illustrations of the pirate, since very few pictures had ever been done of him. I accepted the commission, and below are the results. I hope you enjoy them. I also hope you will watch the show next Tuesday night on the Travel Channel. It's very entertaining.
A Christmas Carol
The Best Christmas Story Ever - 5-Star Masterpiece
How Christmas Was Saved, and So Were We
In the mid 1800s, Christmas was a dying holiday, much as it is today. Many of its traditions were being neglected, and even the idea of "Peace on earth, good will to men" was considered passe. Then something extraordinary happened: Charles Dickens published "A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a Ghost Story of Christmas." It was an instant success, and launched one of the biggest comebacks in history: not of Dickens, but of Christmas.
The English poet Thomas Hood once wrote, "If Christmas, with its ancient and hospitable customs, its social and charitable observances, were in danger of decay, this is the book that would give them a new lease." That's how powerful a tale it is. And it doesn't take that long to read.
Over the course of my life, I have enjoyed many and sundry versions of A Christmas Carol on screen and stage. But only a few years ago did I finally get around to reading it. To my surprise, it turned out to be a Christian story. I knew it was inspiring, but I never dreamed there were so many references to Christ, because only a few of them have survived in the many dramatic productions. (There have actually been fifty or sixty different film versions of A Christmas Carol made. You can read about most of them on the definitive Christmas Carol web site, http://www.cedmagic.com/featured/christmas-carol/christmas-carol.html.)
The amazing thing about this five-part story, which is one of the shortest in Dickens' career, is that we never tire of seeing or hearing it. We seem enthralled by the idea that Christmas can transform us, if only we'll let it. In A Christmas Carol, we see the Victorian Christmas we have always dreamed of. In the miser Scrooge, we see the best and worst of ourselves. And in the conclusion to the tale, we see the hope that we, similarly, can be transformed by the Spirit of Christmas.
Why Things Aren’t Working: or, The Parable of Bedford Falls
I believe the movie, It's A Wonderful Life, holds the answer to why our nation is in trouble. Almost nothing in America is working right now: not our economic system, not our political system, not our housing system, not our educational system, not our health care system, not our immigration system, not our banking system, not our social system - not even our postal system, which has always been the government agency that worked the best. Nothing in America is working right now, and the reason is pretty simple.
In the movie, It's A Wonderful Life, there are two towns: Bedford Falls and Pottersville. (They're actually the same town, but under different circumstances.) You'll remember that Bedford Falls is the town that George Bailey, the hero, grows up in, and that Pottersville is the town it would have become had George Bailey never been born. It's a dramatic contrast, presented by Heaven to show George that his life really has made a difference. If George is a Christ figure in the movie, which he is, then you could say that we get to see how a town with Christ looks, and then how it would look without Him. If George is also a Christian, trying to love his neighbor as himself, which he is, then you could also say that we get to see the impact that one Christian life can make.
Here's my contention: America, which was once made up of homey little communities like Bedford Falls, is quickly becoming a country of Pottersvilles; and we, who were once a nation of caring citizens like George Bailey, are becoming a nation of Potters.