Movie Time

I enjoy good movies. I love really good movies. Some may find it strange, but my favorites are old ones. "Singing in the Rain," "Mary Poppins," "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang," etc. I love a good story. One that's entertaining. One that you can watch over and over again.

Movies I don't really care for are ones that push agendas, or paint certain types of people to be more than they really are. We see that a lot today coming from Hollywood. We call it propaganda. Television and film have proven to be powerful forces in shaping the way future generations think about subjects.

Those pushing the propaganda aren't terribly concerned about shaping our opinions. They're interested in our children. History has shown that cultural shifts usually begin with the youth. Educate them a certain way, and they grow up believing that as truth.

So, when Hollywood pushes films that promote violence and dysfunction, we shouldn't be surprised that our society gradually embraces that violence and dysfunction. No singled movie or TV show is to blame. They all work together to numb our senses to the atrocities around us.

As a Christian, I want to see films that promote family values. I want films that illustrate how men are supposed to act, how dads are supposed to be there for their children, how moms are supposed to care for their families, how spouses can work through their difficulties without violence and dysfunction. That type of film may sound phony to most people, but I would remind you that the stuff you see on the silver screen is mostly phony.

Here's an example. One of the great movies of all time, Mel Gibson's "Braveheart," botches the historical accuracy just to make a compelling story. And, the botch job isn't a small one. We're talking people in wrong time periods inaccurate.

I'm writing all of this to point out that the newest installment in the Sherwood Pictures line of motion pictures will be announced this Sunday. You will recognize their three existing offerings as "Flywheel," "Facing the Giants," and "Fireproof."

Critics of their work would point to the unrealistic and somewhat hokey nature of the first two films, plus the poor production and scripts of all three. I'll even grant it that elements of all three films are kinda lame. But, these are all progressions in Sherwood's maturity. The newer has always been better than the predecessors as these film makers learn the trade.

Whatever your opinion of Sherwood's work thus far, you have to credit them with one thing. They're trying. For decades, Christian film makers have put out some of the worst possible productions with terrible scripts and horrendous acting, slapped a dove sticker on it, aired it on TBN and tried to claim their work glorified Jesus. Instead, they end up being a slap in the Almighty's face for their lackluster efforts.

Back in the early 90s, I interviewed Steve Wiggins of Big Tent Revival. At the time, he was an aspiring Christian film maker, but admitted to running into difficulties, because there was little to no support from the church community to see wholesome films made. He had a desire to make the type of movies that Christians wouldn't be embarrassed to show their friends.

I think that's what the people behind Sherwood are trying to achieve. Their most recent title, "Fireproof," went where no other film was going, into the home of a couple on the way to divorce. It tackled some of the issues that most churches are afraid to touch, because they're uncomfortable. And, it provided a solution, a forty day study to "fireproof" your marriage. What's more, it worked.

So, here's hoping the next installment in the Sherwood feature film line will be an improvement on their previous work, and one that offers a way out of the troubling path Hollywood is leading society down.