Heather Winslow’s life has gone from bad to worse. In a short amount of time, she receives news that her husband wants to divorce and that she has cancer. However, she convinces her husband to wait 30 days to see what happens. During this time, Heather must have faith that God is still in control.
Production Quality (1 point)
Despite fine video quality, this film contains on overall cheap production. Audio quality is very inconsistent, including background noises and hard-to-hear lines. Camera work is mostly acceptable except for some moments of shaky cam. Sets, locations, and props are fairly limited, and the screenplay is full of disorienting montages and the use of split screens. Editing is poor, but there is a tiny bit of improvement as time goes on. Nonetheless, it’s not enough to warrant any more than a low score for this section.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Due to stock and vanilla dialogue, the characters of this narrative are simply pawns in whatever scheme that the writers want to use them in. Bland conversations do nothing to aid character growth, and the creators give no real reasons for why the characters do what they do. Expository dialogue takes the place of scenes that show the audience what’s happening, and mentions of off-screen content are annoying. Events just happen randomly throughout the plot, and the viewing experience is confused by unnecessarily large time jumps. Lacking regard for realistic divorce proceedings and medical facts, the writers elect to advocate for unusual methods of getting a married couple to love each other again, demonstrating how little they understand about real relationships. In the end, with no potential in this aspect of the movie, no points can be awarded here.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
The acting is actually the strongest aspect of 30 Day Promise. Although the performances are generic, they are neither horrible nor dynamic. In some scenes, it feels like the cast members are awkwardly standing around and reciting lines. However, some actors and actresses are better than others. The finished product is enough to justify an average score.
Conclusion
It’s possible that the creators of film meant well. However, it’s hard to tell based on their portrayal of Christian relationships. 30 Day Promise is essentially a half-finished idea that needed a lot more fleshing out before it was released to the public. In the end, there’s really nothing memorable about this creation, relegating it to the stockpile of forgotten Christian entertainment.
In a sequel to The Life Zone, which nobody cared to remember, much less watch a sequel about, the horrific nonsense of the first installment is rehashed as a completely new cast of characters decides the fate of the perpetrators from the first film. These new characters form a jury who’s tasked with determining the innocence or guilt of the alleged criminals. In order for this movie to have a “plot,” one juror inexplicably thinks that the evil corporation that imprisoned three pregnant women is somehow innocent of all transgressions. She spends the entire screenplay trying to convince others, including the audience, of this fact. What ensues is a slow descent into madness that will leave you wondering how this garbage gets made.
Production Quality (-3 points)
Much like this film’s awful predecessor, Cries of the Unborn has an extremely cheap production that’s negatively impacted by other elements. Lighting and audio are quite poor, and the soundtrack is creepy. Sets, locations, and props are extremely limited. There really isn’t any editing present, and any aspects of the production that aren’t bad are washed away by all the other problems that are in this screenplay.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-3 points)
How is it even possible that there was enough money to make two of these terrible movies? To self-indulge in their first creation, the writers use Cries of the Unborn to provide a bizarre commentary on The Life Zone. Doing this requires the narrative to lead the audience in one direction, only to pull out a double fake twist at the end. As a result, the plot is completely mind-bending and out-of-this-world insane, essentially presenting a demented defense of the events that took place in The Life Zone. There are so many rehashed scenes from the first film that Cries of the Unborn feels like a sick director’s commentary on The Life Zone where the creators are speaking through the characters to lecture you on why you shouldn’t hate their utter madness. Contrived dialogue and trumped-up situations force propaganda down the viewers’ throats, including a very twisted obsession with eternal punishment for certain sins that the writers deem ‘worse’ than others. In the end, the awful nature of this section drags the entire creation down to the lowest level.
Acting Quality (-3 points)
On the whole, the acting in Cries of the Unborn is uninspiring. However, this section is overwhelmed by the sheer nonsense that overtakes the entire screenplay. When a central idea is this bad, it infects every section of the movie, causing an overall negative rating.
Conclusion
Additionally, this film receives a negative x-factor point for being offensive and for pushing toxic propaganda on the audience. It’s rare that film creators fail so hard that they produce two screenplays that each receive the lowest score possible from our ratings system. This is a feat that has never been previously recorded in our experience with the field of Christian entertainment. It goes without saying that both The Life Zone and Cries of the Unborn are among the worst movies ever created, and the views espoused by these films have no place among Christianity. If the pro-life movement is to ever be effective, it must dispense with poison like these two creations and actually care about every person like Jesus does.
Dusty Rhodes has had a hard time due both of her parents being in the military and being called out for duty at the same time during the Iraqi War. While she lives with her grandfather, Dusty has an idea to force her school to start a horse program by riding her horse to school. As a result, she gets a whole bunch of her classmates together to compete in horse competitions, but things get even more complicated from there. Can Dusty rely on her faith to make it through?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
For the most part, A Cowgirl’s Story has an average production, including fine video quality but odd camera work as some scenes appear to be filmed in busy public places. Audio quality is acceptable, however, and the sets, locations, and props are run-of-the-mill. Other aspects are okay, but the editing is a big detractor. The cuts and transitions are very poor, making for a choppy viewing experience. Due to this mixed bag, a middle-of-the-road score is warranted here.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
With absolutely no substantial plot content to speak of, this film lacks meaningful conflict and story focus. The narrative jumps all over the map as one thing happens after another without any clear connections to other events. A disjointed and spastic narrative presentation takes the audience on a wild ride through cheesy high school romances and horse subplots that just happen for no good reason other than the writers’ whims. The characters experience extremely unrealistic and absurd circumstances just for the sake of coincidences, and there’s so many things to keep up with since more and more new concepts are continually being introduced. This is disorienting to the viewer, and it makes matters worse that the characters are incredibly blank. Stiff and forced conversations accomplish absolutely nothing as they’re full of vanilla and stock dialogue. Therefore, due to purposelessness and pointlessness in this section, no points can be awarded here.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Despite some average performances from a handful of cast members, much of the acting in this movie is cringeworthy, especially the teenage and young adult actors and actresses. This includes forced line delivery and emotions. It’s hard to take some of the cast members seriously, especially when Pat Boone posts creepy performances. Thus, this section can only receive a meager score.
Conclusion
A Cowgirl’s Story is just another pointless screenplay littering the Christian entertainment landscape. There’s no point to films like these except to make an attempt at a cash grab. Hopefully, however, these days are ending as we look forward to an improved market where creators actually care about producing quality content that can connect with audiences.
Clay Bauer is a nomadic film maker who’s just trying to stay clean during his substance abuse recovery. He’s cut himself off from problematic relationships of the past, but when he suddenly discovers that he has a daughter he’s never met, he wants to get to know her. However, his daughter’s living situation is not ideal, and although Clay is still trying to get back on his feet, he wants to rescue his daughter from the toxic environment. Nonetheless, the courts don’t look very fondly on Clay’s circumstances, so only God can help him in his impossible quest.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Take Two bears a lot of the marks of an independent production, such as inconsistent audio quality that’s manifested in obvious overdubs, background noises, and a soundtrack that’s sometimes good but often overpowers other sounds. Nonetheless, the film’s camera work and video quality are acceptable, and the lighting is average. Sets, locations, and props are fine, but the editing is a bit choppy at times, sometimes cutting off scenes without warning. Certain transitions are a bit shocking, but there’s overall improvement as the movie goes on, which warrants an average score for this section.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Based on true events, Take Two is a realistic exploration of addiction and drug issues that makes good use of flashbacks. However, the past and present subplots made it sometimes hard to understand what time period is being shown. For the most part, the dialogue is pretty good although the characters would have benefitted from longer and more meaningful conversations that aren’t as chopped up by the narrative’s quick pace and abrupt transitions. Even still, the story’s artistic sequences are intriguing, but the good themes and messaging are easily lost in the avalanche of content. With too many characters and subplots to follow, this screenplay needed a lot more focus and organization, such as a non-linear narrative presentation that was more grounded in one time period. Overall, there was tons of potential in this story that could have been a lot better with refinement, which justifies this section’s rating.
Acting Quality (2 points)
As a whole, the acting in Take Two is either average or slightly better. This is demonstrated by mostly realistic emotions and natural line delivery. However, this section is held back from being perfect by some cast members whose performances tend to drag down the final score with inconsistency. Nonetheless, there is plenty of positive to note here, and it seems like most of the actors and actresses cared about making this a realistic experience, which is why it’s just above average.
Conclusion
With a commitment to use real-life source material, this creative team has lots of potential for the future. Take Two either deserves a remake with improved storytelling and editing or this collective needs to use the film as a starting point for better things. Further collaboration may be the key to improvement, but this group definitely has something to bring to the table. With more honest creators like these, the Christian entertainment market would be much improved.
Pastor Omar wants to make a difference in the lives of troubled youth. However, things become complicated when the pastor runs into two local police officers, Fitzpatrick and Finch. An unexpected turn of events occurs, and everyone involved must decide what their faith is in before it’s too late.
Production Quality (-1 points)
This production goes beyond simply being bad and is actually offensive. Poor video quality, shaky camera work, and weird camera angles are just a few issues that make this film nearly unwatchable. Inconsistent audio quality, wild zooms, and bad lighting are also concerns that disrupt the viewing experience. The editing is likely the most off-putting element as weirdly abrupt cuts and transitions sometimes completely interrupt scenes. Unnecessary stock footage wastes time and seems to replace more substantial content. In the end, this is just an awful section overall, which warrants a negative rating.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
Despite the presentation of realistic circumstances and themes that absolutely should be explored in the context of Christian entertainment, the narrative of Beyond the Shield is simply a train wreck. Subplots are dizzyingly offered to the audience, jumping from one thing to the next with no organization or continuity. In addition to an obnoxious portrayal of story happenings, some scenes nonsensically repeat over and over again. Basically a random collection of loosely connected ideas, this movie completely lacks any shred of character development. Dialogue is extremely stilted and wooden, and attempts at flashbacks but poorly executed. What’s more, there are annoying breaks in the screenplay for fake interviews and confessionals. All of this combined justifies a negative score in this section as well.
Acting Quality (0 points)
The acting in Beyond the Shield doesn’t inspire any confidence either, but it’s at least not offensive. Nonetheless, overly practiced line delivery and forced emotions are commonplace in these performances. Acting is either robotic or full of screaming and yelling.
Conclusion
The good thing is that negative-point films are few and far between, but when they come up, it’s just another instance of Christian entertainment’s reputation being tarnished. It makes the field into a laughingstock and turns potential audience members away. However, there are hopefully new creators who want to do what God has called them to and can rebuild what’s been torn down.
Jobari Martin McPherson is a successful lawyer with a bright future ahead of him, but one day, it appears as though he’s lost everything dear to him. Due to someone’s betrayal, Jobari is brought to his knees and forced to dig deeper into the faith he claims. Will his trust in God prevail against all odds?
Production Quality (1 point)
Unfortunately, this film’s production leaves a lot to be desired. While video quality is fine, the audio needs some work as there are frequent echoes in the background, an inconsistent soundtrack, and some very quiet scenes due to the microphone being too far away from the cast members. Camera work is mostly okay but is sometimes off-the-wall. Special effects, sets, locations, and props are all very cheap and sub-standard. The editing is average but contains some awkward transitions. As a whole, this is just a below average experience deserving of a low score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
As another Bible story adaptation plot, Sustained suffers in the creativity department. It’s hard to follow the storyline, and it doesn’t help that the characters are very bland and generic due to extremely stock and pedestrian dialogue. Time jumps only confuse matters and make it more evident that this narrative lacks a core purpose or focus. Despite a very long runtime, there is very little substantial content that keeps the audience involved in the story. To make matters work, the plot writers demonstrate a grossly inadequate knowledge of real-world legal proceedings, and the movie’s topic seems too complicated when compared with the miniscule level of research that was put into the concept. Thus, with no potential and some major pitfalls, this section can’t be awarded any points.
Acting Quality (1 point)
When the acting in this screenplay isn’t dominated by yelling, it’s overly practiced and slightly robotic. Some cast members seem too laid back while others overdo their performances. At times, it appears as if the film is full of one-take scenes due to possible line mistakes. Overall, emotions and lines are too uneven to warrant an any higher score.
Conclusion
Once again, Sustained is an instance where it’s absurd why this movie was even made. With no direction, poor planning, and low funding, it not only wastes the viewer’s time but continues to pile onto an already overcrowded market. If you want to make a screenplay, please make sure that this actually what God wants you to do.
Amelia Pittman wanted to be independent, but trouble with her business, along with nursing home troubles, has forced her to reconnect with her father over the holidays in a most unconventional way. Believing that he has the key to finding a substantial sum of money that he stole when he was younger, Amelia drags her dementia-suffering father across the country in hopes of jogging his memory. However, what they find along the way isn’t what Amelia initially expected.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
Despite a somewhat limited budget, Christmas Wander has an overall good production. Video quality, camera work, and audio are all at or above industry standards. The soundtrack is also creative as it uses typical Christmas music in unique ways. Sets, locations, and props are realistic, and the only concerns to note are some minor editing issues, such as awkward fadeouts and lagging scenes. However, on the whole, this production warrants a high score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Using a creatively comedic premise, this plot stands apart from your average Christmas movie fodder. The comedy therein is actually organic as it arises from the natural flow of dialogue, which also develops good characters, including motive and personality. Flashbacks are also efficiently used to craft realistic characters who are flawed and accessible. Though most of the storyline is initiated by character choices, some some slight coincidences keep the plot alive. Although the narrative as great themes and lessons, leading to characters learning something, the vague ending and slightly cheesy conclusion put a damper on the potential that was here. As the plot comes to a close, it tends to fall flat and lose its focus as if the writers ran out of ideas. This fact, combined with the convenient turns that keep the story alive, prevents this section from getting a higher score than it could have even though this narrative was a mostly enjoyable experience.
Acting Quality (3 points)
It’s clear that this film’s strongest point is its acting. The cast members are solid and honest in their performances without committing any glaring errors. Emotions are believable, and line delivery is on point. Thus, this rounds out a very good screenplay that could have been much better.
Conclusion
Christmas Wander had a lot going for it, and it’s still a good movie to watch. However, it’s hard to overlook how it could have been much more than it is. With a better conclusion and more clear direction for the characters, this would have been a Hall of Fame film. Nonetheless, it’s still a fine holiday screenplay and one that can be learned from.
Joel wants to serve God and dedicate his life to the Lord, but one day, he begins to lose everything he holds dear. Those who used to be on Joel’s side have now turned against him. Despite the pain and hardship, will Joel hold into his faith in Christ?
Production Quality (.5 point)
Overall, Provision has a very cheap production. Video quality is blurry, and audio quality is inconsistent, including terrible overdubs, chopped-up sound, background noises, and a soundtrack that’s sometimes too loud. While camera work is okay, the sets, locations, and props are extremely limited. The editing is also hit-and-miss, sometimes acceptable and sometimes using weird fadeouts that cut off scenes. Some sequences seem very disconnected from each other as a few are too short to adequately portray their content. In the end, despite some slight improvement as the film goes on, this section digs too deep of an early hole to warrant a higher score than this.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
It’s hard to continually justify plots that are modern-day renditions of well-known biblical accounts. This aside, the least that writers can do is make it interesting, but Provision fails in this respect. Doing next to nothing to hold the audience’s attention, this narrative presents very vanilla characters and uninspiring dialogue. Some of them are total strawmen, and the protagonist is an unrealistically perfect victim. As the story presents one unrelated thing after another without any continuity, it gets worse with time, getting confusing due to large time jumps. Silly and nonsensical coincidences make things happen because they need to, and the Christian message of this movie leaves much to be desired. In the end, there’s no potential to award in this area.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Although this section is actually better than the previous ones, it still falls short. Performances are often overly practiced despite attempts to do the right thing. Lines and emotions are bit too bland, robotic, forced, and wooden. Some cast members try to unsuccessfully portray multiple age brackets. Moreover, though there’s improvement with time, it’s not enough to warrant a higher score.
Conclusion
Provision likely doesn’t fall into the category of Christian movies that are only about getting money from a certain audience. At multiple times, it felt like the creators wanted to do the right thing but didn’t know how. This shows the importance of effective collaboration, planning, and spirituality in the creative process. Without proper direction, support, and reliance on God, the screenplay always suffers.
Paul loved his family, but they were Christians while he wasn’t. Thus, when they were taken in the rapture, he was left behind to face an ever-darkening world. Becoming a violent hater of God, Paul joins the ruthless government agency known as the Horsemen, who stamp out any traces of Christianity left on the earth. However, when they turn on Paul, he’s forced to face the reality he’s been trying to avoid.
Production Quality (0 points)
From the get-go, Denounced exhibits very disorienting and off-putting audio quality that’s sometimes overdriven, and although the soundtrack can be interesting at times, it’s often too loud. Camera work is very inconsistent, and despite clear video quality, the lighting is all over the place. The same can be said for the cheap sets, locations, and props as they don’t adequately represent what they’re supposed to portray. Special effects and sound effects are annoying, and weird zooms and camera angles confuse the audience. The editing is a disaster, sometimes wasting time on nature footage that accomplishes nothing and others times letting scenes drag on for no reason at all. Needless to say, there’s too much negative in this section to warrant any points.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
In keeping with most apocalyptic films, as soon as the rapture happens in Denounced, everything in the world starts falling apart and melting down for no reason. How are supposed to be believe so many instant natural disaster occur in succession? Besides this, it’s hard to follow the movie’s storyline since it jumps from one thing to the next, vaguely constructing the world with cryptic dialogue. Despite okay attempts at flashbacks, they’re too heavy-handed and narrated, and other conversations don’t do enough to build characters. Long boring sequences go by wherein nothing really happens and no one talks. Then, these give way to scenes of unnecessarily extreme and sometimes gross violence even though they’re accompanied by some slightly interesting plot turns that give better understanding to what the writers wanted to do. Nonetheless, it’s just too little too late as some potential as wasted that could have been better presented in a short film. This concept simply demands too much funding and planning than was put into this screenplay, but it’s a shame that the imperfect character outlines weren’t fully fleshed out and were instead replaced with excessive torture scenes. Also, to make things even more complicated, the ending of Denounced is very confusing as it seems to negate everything that happened in the narrative. Due to all these concerns, zero points are also awarded here.
Acting Quality (0 points)
The acting performances of this movie are less than inspiring, including a lot of yelling and screaming. As such, most emotions are quite forced. Lines are also mumbled, and there’s generally not any positive here to offset the negative, which rounds out a zero-point effort.
Conclusion
Did we really need another apocalyptic film? This rapture-succeeded-by-worldwide-dystopia song and dance has been done time and again, and it basically never works. Then, as if the premise didn’t already short-circuit potential, all other movie elements are very low quality. Denounced is a classic example of biting off more than you can chew and pushing forward to make something without proper planning. We’re long past the era where any random piece of Christian entertainment is going to be embraced.
Joseph Gable is a police detective with a troubled past, but he never gives up trying to bring his son Adam back to the faith they once both had. However, a creepy businessman has come to city and seems to have some kind of magical hold over Adam, along with others in the area. Thankfully, there’s some ninja angels in the neighborhood who can help Joseph fight the forces of evil and take back his son!
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Despite acceptable video quality and camera work except for some randomly shaky moments, there are a lot of dark scenes throughout this production. The soundtrack is interesting, but audio quality is inconsistent. Special effects are very cheesy, and there are several awkward fadeouts. Further, the editing is mostly average; there are also some improvements with various elements as the movie goes on, which is enough to warrant an average score for this section.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Besides the typically absurd spiritual horror premise, the dialogue of Adam’s Testament is very obvious and message-pushing, making the characters feel like mere representations of issues rather than actual people. Despite a few interesting psychological elements, the spiritual warfare aspects are not handled well at all as they are too heavy-handed, leaving nothing to chance. Flashbacks are present but fail to properly build character personality and motive. What’s more, the audience can easily become isolated by the world built in this narrative since it’s hard to know where or what is happening as too many concepts are thrown at the viewers. At times, the writers become lost in their own philosophizing and their obsession with portraying Satan as a cheesy figure with more power than he actually possesses. Further, legalism and the unusual elevation of angels pollute the storyline, and it all concludes on a very bizarre note that only muddies the already murky waters. In the end, there’s just too much negative here to warrant any points.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Between forced emotions and line delivery, it’s clear that this cast was coached to as dramatic and serious as possible. Overall, the performances are trying too hard, and things only get worse as they go. Though some of acting is somewhat acceptable, it tends to get worse as it proceeds. Thus, one point is all that can be warranted here, which rounds out an overall absurd film.
Conclusion
Pretty much every spiritual horror screenplay in Christian entertainment history is a total bust. Adam’s Testament just falls into the already long line of awful offerings in this so-called genre. It seems like all these types of movies want to do is create a lot of sensationalism, using faith-based elements as props to reach a certain audience, whoever it may be. Thus, the next time a creator thinks about making one of these, they might should think twice and see if that’s what they’re actually supposed to do.
Two girls are stuck in a bad home situation, and bullies at school only make matters worse. However, tragedy strikes when school officials and those close to the girls fail to act in time. Will the community be able to come together and prevent future crises?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Although this production has fine video quality, the audio leaves much to be desired. Background sounds and cheap sound special effects are annoying, and the soundtrack sometimes overpowers other sounds. Camera work is okay at times, but there are also some tight shots and odd camera angles. Sets, locations, and props are not quite up to par. Further, the editing contains a lot of quick cuts and transitions. Nonetheless, there is some slight improvement throughout the film’s sequence, which is enough to warrant an average rating for this section.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Despite a choppy introduction sequence and initial dialogue that pushes issues rather than developing characters, there’s a surprising amount of potential in this plot. At first, many of the characters seem to only represent social concerns rather than people even though most of the highlighted problems are definitely realistic and worthwhile to look at in movie form. However, the conversations between characters do improve as the narrative proceeds, and the family issues that are presented are unfortunately believable and could exist anywhere. Connecting these negative elements to school struggles was a very good aspect of this storyline despite the fact that it’s a very sobering exploration of everyday pain that many experience. It’s also a hard look at the problem of evil and the church’s response to this concept. In the end, the plot has a very meaningful conclusion even if it’s quite sad. In conjunction with the first half being improved, it would have been better for this narrative to end on a better note of hope and redemption. As it is, many audiences will be isolated by the ending, and this blunts any impact the story would have otherwise had.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Despite a bit too much screaming, most of the cast members are okay in this screenplay. Child acting is not bad, and emotions outside of the yelling are acceptable. Some line delivery is a bit quick while other parts are fine. Overall, these factors contribute to an average score for this section, which rounds out a respectable effort.
Conclusion
No Place in This World is another film in need of a remake or adaptation. It’s an example of all we ask entertainment creators to do: put your best foot forward and see what God does. Though there were some definite areas in need to improvement, it’s clear that the team behind this movie were really trying to make something quality, so it will be interesting to see what they do next.
Trew doesn’t really like her life, but she lives with it anyway. She’s not interested in God, but when she wakes up one day to find that He wants her to do something for Him, she just wants Him to go away. However, He keeps pursuing her because He has something she wants to learn if she’ll ever listen. What Trew ultimately discovers is beyond her wildest dreams.
Production Quality (2 points)
For the most part, Trew’s Calling has a pretty good production. This is shown by good video quality and fine camera work. Sets, locations, and props are also professional. However, there are some annoying comedic zooms. Also, audio can be over-driven at times even if the soundtrack is acceptable. Further, editing tends to be choppy due to poor story structure. However, this is basically a standard production effort.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
It’s apparent that the plot of Diary of a Lunatic is meant to be purposely quirky and eccentric, which means it’s sometimes truly funny yet other times is either head-scratchingly bizarre or slightly sacrilegious. Some content seems a bit inappropriate and even somewhat blasphemous. A few aspects of the comedy and a handful of the themes are actually quite relatable and interesting, such as problems within the established church. However, there are still sequences that are extremely eyebrow-raising and appear to have no purpose or point whatsoever except to be purposely wacky and off-the-wall. The portrayal of God is odd at times but not all bad; some sequences are beyond explanation and seem totally out of place. The writers’ theology and beliefs seems to be very unusual and even borderline on new age philosophies. As a whole, the narrative is a giant mixed bag of potential combined with complete nonsense. Sometimes, the storyline pretends like it’s hiding a great secret that it never gets to. Its silly rushed conclusion and ending sequence are forced and basically fix everything without providing legitimate explanations for the stranger elements of the screenplay. In the end, if anything is to be salvaged from these ideas, they need a total rewrite in order to preserve the surprisingly worthwhile elements.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Surprisingly, the acting of this film is actually pretty good at times. However, it tends to be a bit over the top in some scenes despite some comedic elements. Emotions are forced at times yet other times are not. Line delivery is mostly even at times. As such, this section does enough to get above the average line.
Conclusion
With some worthwhile elements pulling Trew’s Calling in one direction and really bizarre aspects pulling it in the other direction, the movie’s score falls right in the middle of the scale. It’s very unclear what the screenwriters were going for except that they wanted to make a point about how organized Christianity often turns people away. However, this idea was packaged in such a wacky way because it feels like they just kept sticking random scenes together over time until they had a burgeoning screenplay. Also, it’s not like they just filled with vanilla content; many of the sequences are completely beyond explanation. As a whole, it feels like this movie had something going for it, but it gets completely lost in the shuffle of whatever vendetta this creative team had at the time.
After months of anticipation, Levi and Natalie have finally been able to get married. He’s a businessman while she’s a news anchor with a passion to end human trafficking. However, on their wedding night, Natalie is tragically kidnapped by human traffickers who want to put a stop to her activism. Thus, Levi begins a frantic search for his wife that leads him down paths he never thought he would travel and gives him a front row seat to the social issue he only ever heard about.
Production Quality (.5 point)
Strong Foundation Films is notorious for having low-quality productions, even in recent years when the field has evolved for the better. Run is no exception to this, as evidenced by over-driven audio, a loudly invasive soundtrack, and stupid sound effects. Though video and camera quality are average, lighting is inconsistent, and there are some weird zooms and camera angles. Sets, locations, and props are okay, but flashbacks are dizzying. The editing is atrocious since it’s very quick and abrupt; one scene after the next whizzes by at breakneck speed. Therefore, with very little positive to note here, this low score is warranted for this section.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
From the beginning, which contains creepy sequences, to the end, which basically resolves everything before cutting off in a wacky way, Run is one of your typically bad narratives. When the plot isn’t heavily relying on coincidences, it’s fully of obvious message-pushing as everything in the storyline is about the central issue rather than actually developing the characters. The dialogue is bland, and the conversations are extremely procedural; there’s also a lot of forced drama and constant suspense. The absurdly strawman villains are unrealistically obsessed with the protagonists and are somehow able to commit human trafficking crimes around literally every corner. This brings up the point that the premise is quite childish and is based on a ridiculous amount of luck and giant leaps in logic. It’s hard to understand why certain things happen except for the fact that the writers need them to occur in order to reach a certain point. Besides all of these problems, there are simply too many characters to keep up with, even if some of them do have flashbacks and though some of the minor characters are actually better than the major ones. Nonetheless, it’s not enough to make up for the sea of issues throughout this movie.
Acting Quality (0 points)
As is typical for Strong Foundation screenplays, Run contains a lot of unsure acting. This includes awkward and muted line delivery, forced juvenile emotions, yelling, and screaming. Josiah David Warren posts a traditionally bad performance due to trying way too hard to be something he’s not. While the supporting cast members are better than the principles, it’s not enough to present this section from earning zero points.
Conclusion
Even after terrible movies like The Takeover, A Golden Mind, and Seventy Times Seven, to name a few, the Strong Foundation team continues to churn out awful creations. Run is no exception to this. Despite the Christian entertainment market moving in a positive direction for the past few years, Josiah David Warren, Sun Hui East, and their team members continue to do the same old thing. With a lot of experience under their belts, they should be trending upward, yet they continue to be mired in the basement of Christian film.
Kyle and Amelia met in a seemingly chance encounter and quickly became friends despite the less-than-desirable circumstances around them. The more time they spent together, the more they fell in love. However, the closer they grew, the more complicated things became as they discovered that there was more holding them back than they previously realized. When it all finally comes to a head, they discover valuable lessons that will stay with them forever.
Production Quality (2 points)
Despite an under-funded production, Little Notes to Heaven does enough to get past the middle mark, such as having clear video and artistic camera angles even though the camera work is sometimes shaky. Audio quality is on point except for a few obvious overdubs, and the original soundtrack is excellent as it flows with the scenes and mixes were creatively edited overlays. Though the sets, locations, and props are slightly cheap, they are overall okay, and the same can be said for the editing save for a few lagging scenes. In the end, however, this is a great first-time effort.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2.5 points)
Surprisingly, the plot is the strongest element of Little Notes to Heaven. Combining artistic tone and voice-over with a creative non-linear storyline, the writers use great conversations and flashbacks to establish the narrative’s philosophy and the characters’ motives. As such, the characters are extremely accessible and realistic via their believable personality and backstories. Psychological elements are also a plus since the creators demonstrate a profound understanding of what some people experience and secretly endure, such as complex family systems concerns and emotional struggles. It all reaches a slightly unexpected conclusion that carries a lot of weight and drives home awesome messaging. The only factors keeping this section from being perfect are the fact that some characters appear to have vague existences at times and the tendency for some events to happen because the story needs to reach a certain conclusion. Otherwise, from start to finish, this film demonstrates an excellent integration of concepts throughout its progression and serves as a great example for how to write a plot that’s driven by relatable characters.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Though the acting of Little Notes to Heaven is a bit awkward at first, for the most part, the cast members do well with assuming the roles of the characters. Emotions can be a bit extreme at time, but as a whole, line delivery is professional. By the movie’s end, the acting is nearly perfect, which is enough to make up for the earlier shortcomings. Thus, this caps off a very encouraging freshman offering.
Conclusion
It’s very clear that the creative team behind this screenplay did the best they could with what they had, which is really all we can ask as reviewers. However, it’s a shame that Little Notes to Heaven couldn’t take that final step onto the Hall of Fame due to a handful of rookie mistakes. Nonetheless, many audiences will enjoy this film, which is a great way to begin and shows that its creators have a lot of potential for the future. With better funding and collaboration, they could easily make a bigger impact and find their place in the Christian entertainment field.
When Larry and David Silver each find Christ while attending separate colleges, they have no idea how they will tell their Jewish parents when they both return home for fall break. Once back home, things don’t go as planned, and they find themselves at odds with some of their family members. However, just as God brought them into a new faith in the true Messiah, the twins discover that He will also provide what they need as they follow Jesus.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
For the most part, Silver Twins has an average production; it has fine video quality, audio quality, and camera work, but there are some obviously overdubbed lines. Also, there are times when the soundtrack doesn’t adequately fit the mood of the scenes. While the sets, locations, and props are mostly good and realistic, some of them seem slightly cheap and poorly utilized. Further, a handful of scenes are sometimes prematurely cut off, and there are some quick transitions that tend to hamper the viewing experience. In the end, the mixture of positive and negative leaves this section as middle-of-the-road.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
It’s usually a good thing to base a film off of a true story, especially an interesting one like this account. However, although the use of flashbacks is commendable, they sometimes unexpectedly invade the narrative and don’t always relate to the plot’s flow. Similarly, though the exploration of realistic family issues is a plus, the character arcs are too steep and lack believable explanations for why the people change as rapidly as they do. Also, while non-linear storylines can be a very good addition to the movie, the constant criss-crossing of Silver Twins‘ timelines is quite confusing and disorienting for the audience. Further, much of the dialogue is full of platitudes and cliched statements rather than substantial lines that reveal character motive and personality. In the end, the film ends seemingly before many of the subplots come to logical or meaningful resolutions; it was almost as if they intended to make a second part but never did. Thus, although there was some potential here, it just wasn’t enough and was weighed down with avoidable problems.
Acting Quality (1 point)
There are also a handful of unforced errors among the acting, such as obviously manufactured accents that come off as too fake. Also, some cast members trying to play multiple age brackets in the same film properly translate to reality. As a whole, many of the performances are a bit stiff and awkward in parts, and some of the emotions feel very forced and wooden. Certain instances of line delivery seem off point and somewhat robotic, like there are scenes that were done in one take. However, not all is bad here as there are some positives in each of these subcategories, but it’s just not enough to keep this movie’s proverbial head above water.
Conclusion
Films like Silver Twins tend to rely too much on the ideas behind them rather than the execution of the concepts. Dramatic conversion stories are intriguing and noteworthy to portray on the big screen, but in order to truly make a difference and to effectively engage the viewer, it has to be adequately represented. For potentially good narratives like this one, it’s typically better to wait until a good team can be assembled and an adequate budget can be applied. Later-released, quality content always beats quickly created and rapidly distributed movies.
Mike Andrews retired from his law career to follow what he thought was God’s call to be a pastor. However, that all changed when Muriel Miller came to his office to ask her to represent her eccentric husband who has gotten himself in trouble with the law due to his self-proclaimed spiritual gift of prophecy wherein he has visions of the future. Through a set of unusual circumstances, Mike agrees to represent Sam Miller pro bono, which sends the lawyer-pastor on a wild ride that he never expected to experience and that will forever change his life.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
Gary Wheeler and his team are well-known for their professional productions, and Mountain Top is no exception. There are virtually no concerns to note in this instance, which entails the use of effective camera work, high video and audio qualities, and well-utilized sets, locations, and props. The only minor nitpicks to note are the somewhat generic soundtrack and the minuscule editing issues that are mostly due to the expansive plot. However, this is an overall nearly perfect effort.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
The Level Path creative team has always had the right idea of adapting Christian novels into films, and Robert Whitlow has wisely sought dramatizations of his books. However, it’s unclear whether or not Mountain Top was the best choice of source material. While the psychological elements that make up the core basis of the plot are interesting, they are also a bit over the top and far-fetched since one of the main characters claims to have many supernatural visions covering a wide range of topics and issues. There’s never been historical precedent for any Christian being able to receive so many special revelations in their lifetime. Besides this, the character receiving the dreams is basically perfect and inaccessible as a person. Additionally, the sheer number of characters in this storyline is overwhelming for the audience and makes for a choppy presentation. They crowd each other out and cause dialogue to be inadequate at developing who they are. The many interlocking subplots are difficult to effectively follow and are better suited for a series if this idea must be portrayed in entertainment. However, there are simply too many convenient turns and coincidences that push the narrative along as the writers seek to cover as much ground as possible while at the same time including wastefully slow sequences. Due to Whitlow’s legal expertise, this aspect of the plot is mostly realistic, and it’s commendable to explore the existence of miracles in the modern world, but Mountain Top treats God’s power like a magic charm, which causes its premise to be simply too unbelievable. There was some potential here, but it was squandered in pursuit of sensationalism.
Acting Quality (2 points)
It seems like Mountain Top endeavored to include nearly every recognizable Christian cast member in one film, and it’s not a bad thing to have experienced cast members. There are actually only a few acting concerns here and there, such as some bland moments, but the sheer number of actors and actresses may mask potential weaknesses. In the end, emotional and line deliveries are at least average, if not better, with only a handful of small issues. In the end, this rounds out a basically average offering.
Conclusion
Wheeler and his team have always been so close to the Hall of Fame, and they do many things the right way. Adapting Christian novels and being committed to professional productions and experienced casts are a winning model on paper. However, many of their films still lack meaningful connections with their audiences and require deeper and more meaningful purposes in order to be truly successful. Perhaps, in the coming days, the Level Path team will finally make a breakthrough.
Dr. Zac Ryan is a clinical research oncologist searching for a cancer cure when he discovers that his trial patient is his biological father. This is significant because Zac’s mother had him at a young age, and Zac never knew who his father was other than the man who wanted to abort him. Will they be able to reconcile and find a cure for cancer before it’s too late?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
For the most part, the production of Life Changes Everything is average. Audio quality is inconsistent, and the soundtrack is generic. Lighting is mostly fine with some odd moments. Video quality and camera work are respectable, and sets, locations, and props are passage. However, the editing is quite choppy and a bit disorienting at times. Another dominant quality of this production is its extreme generic-ness. There’s really nothing special about it, and it’s hard to differentiate from a lot of run-of-the-mill Christian films. Thus, it receive a middle-of-the-road score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Moreover, the story is a bit convoluted at times. Narration cripples any chance of deeper development, and a lot of the happenings are squarely based on childish coincidences and unexplained happenings that have little basis in reality. However, there is a good use of flashbacks that saves this plot from being null though both the present and past storylines are very slow, boring, and empty. It’s hard to know who these characters actually are beyond being stand-ins for social issues. While some of the pro-life concepts are slightly intriguing, the core concept (trying to find a cure for cancer) is almost laughable since the writers had a very difficult time explaining how it actually works or answering legitimate questions some of their own characters ask other characters. It’s not clear whether or not they actually thought about how the medical breakthrough would look since they were so focused on engineering another pro-life gotcha moment. When dealing with such a huge topic, sound research and expertise is extremely necessary. In the end, however, the confusing concepts, combined with the drab nature of the storytelling, just aren’t enough to make this film worthwhile.
Acting Quality (.5 points)
To top things off, the acting of Life Changes Everything is unfortunately quite blank and vanilla, especially the lead actor. The performances don’t have anything substantial to offer since there is almost no emotion exhibited by the cast members. Line delivery is average, and there aren’t any glaring errors, which keep this section from being zero, but it’s not enough to save this movie from itself.
Conclusion
Some of the pro-life concepts put forth by this screenplay are worth seeing in some type of remake, but the idea of a person not being able to change the world if they are aborted is a bit of a red herring. Even still, the central components of the plot would be passable if the production was improved, the acting was upgraded, and the cancer cure was better explained. These alterations would have at least made it an average film, which could have been a good starting point. However, as it is, we’re left wondering what could have been.
Barrett Lenox, despite his dark past, aspires to succeed in the boxing ring. However, the pressures of helping his wife, Danielle, build their life together, are weighing on him. Her father, who is training him, also pushes him to do better. Will he ever measure up to who he needs to be before more time has passed him by?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
At the beginning of the film, the opening sequence is intriguing and shows promise of creative potential. Also, the soundtrack is effective, and video quality and audio quality are at least average. For the most part, camera work and lighting are good, even if there are some unnecessarily dark scenes throughout. Unfortunately, the editing is somewhat flat, which puts a drag on things, but these efforts were overall good for the tiny budget the production team had to work with. In the end, this is at least an honest attempt.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Since Sacred is only based on a handful of characters and is basically an extended short film, it would have been good to see more depth from both the storyline and the characters. Working with only one subplot requires a lot of refinement, yet there are good attempts at flashbacks throughout this film, which definitely help things. Even so, there needed to be more substantial character-building dialogue to make it easier to get to know them as real people. As they are, the conversations are a bit too matter of fact and flat, and there are a lot of sports training montages for a less-than-an-hour film. Thus, there is a lot of wasted time that takes away from better possibilities. Moreover, there are a lot of interesting concepts and ideas throughout the movie that make it more worthwhile than it would have been, even if the Christian message needs some refinement. The ending is certainty unexpected and slightly creative though it needed a better lead-up than it had. In the end, Sacred has a non-typical plot structure that shows a lot of potential but didn’t quite go as far as it could have.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
For the most part, the acting of this film is average since it has some good scenes and some poorly executed ones. At times, emotions are overdone, and sometimes, lines are forced. Some cast members appear to be trying too hard, but there are also a handful of good performances. Also, some of the makeup work is fairly low quality, and there’s an unusual insinuation (without hard evidence) that a Caucasian cast member is playing an African-American character, but it’s difficult to know. In the end, this section rounds out a passable effort.
Conclusion
The creators of Sacred were onto something, but it’s possible that they didn’t quite know how to convey it. With such limited resources, it was wise for them to choose a shorter-than-usual runtime though it could have been better utilized by delving deeper into character development. Because of this, the story concept could use a remake, or the creative team could use this film as a foundation to build on for better ideas in the future. Either way, it will be interesting to see what they produce next.
Scott Dauer is a successful Hollywood agent, but an untimely accident prevents his ex-wife from driving their daughter across the country to the Christian college she wants to attend. Thus, Scott is forced to reconnect with the young woman he’s been estranged from for many years as they make the four-day journey across the nation. However, little does either one of them know that their time together will forever alter their lives.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Especially in the beginning, the sets, locations, and props of Miles Between Us are fairly cheap and not well-thought-out. This include some sets that echo a lot of audio, yet most of the scenes have fine lighting and video quality. Camera work is acceptable for the most part, except for the shaky moments and the odd camera angles that sometimes appear. Audio quality is mostly okay, but the soundtrack leaves something to be desired. Finally, there’s virtually no editing in this film as many of the scenes are long and drawn out without proper cuts. In the end, though there’s some improvement as the movie progresses, the production still ends up average.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
At the start of this heavily character-based plot, the characters seem to be grasping for things to say in order to fill time while the story moves along. Many of the conversations seem unnatural and don’t do what they need to do with character development even though this plot line heavily depends on them and their personalities due to its limited scope. On top of this, the Christian characters are both perfect and condescending, and many lines spoken by all characters are sterile and clinical, like they were crafted by AI. The progression of time is also unrealistic, no doubt confused by the riveting driving montages and clouded by sequences of sermonizing. One of the only ways to save this plot would have been to transform the memory-based dialogue (“I remember when you did that!”) into actual flashbacks that integrate into a non-linear storyline; this would have done something to breathe life into the dead characters therein. This would have especially helped the fact that an important concept is explored in the last quarter of the film that, while it’s kind of out of left field for the movie’s context, really does need to be discussed in Christian entertainment. However, many viewers will never make it that far due to absolute boredom of the story’s first three quarters. It’s too bad this intriguing idea was wasted, along with the somewhat ambiguous ending, but perhaps, one day, it can be re-purposed in a better way.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Throughout a majority of the film, the cast members seem understandably bored with their lot and sometimes awkward around each other. We can’t blame them since they were given such poor lines to work with. However, their delivery of them is still overly practiced and stilted even though there are some fine performances. Emotions are a bit lame at times, and hair and makeup is strange. Nonetheless, there’s some improvement in these areas as the movie goes on, which is enough to warrant and average rating for this section.
Conclusion
The creative team behind Miles Between Us is almost onto something, but they would do well to make sure their screenwriting is up to industry standards. With the growth of Christian entertainment and the collective improvement of productions, the bar has been raised, and there’s little room for vanilla or basement-level creations anymore. Thus, this can be a learning experience for them; in the near future, they may be able to redo this film or at least use some of its concepts with better characters. Overall, film making is always a learning process, so it will be interesting to see what they produce next.
Mackenzie Phillips never really trusted God after the abuse he underwent at the hands of his father, but he really felt abandoned by Jesus when his youngest daughter was kidnapped, raped, and left for dead by a twisted man. Floundering in his faith, Mack receives a mysterious note signed by God telling him to return to the place where his daughter was found dead: a shack in the mountainous woods. Mack decides to return, thinking he can avenge his daughter’s death, but instead, he experiences an encounter with God beyond his wildest dreams.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
As a mainstream production, The Shack hits all the right notes en route to a nearly perfect score. This is due to great camera work, video quality, and audio quality. The sets, locations, and props are effectively utilized and authentic. Also, the soundtrack is very poignant and accessible. One minor nitpick to point out with this production pertains to the editing concerns, but this is mainly a plot issue that inadvertently affects this section. Overall, this is almost as good as it gets for a production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (2 points)
Based on William Paul Young’s slightly controversial novel, the film is actually a step above the book as it takes time to explain more about the characters and their motivations. Even still, there are still some issues that hold The Shack back from being all that it could be. For one, the narration right out of the gate from Tim McGraw’s mysteriously omniscient character is completely unnecessary and calls into question why his subplot even exists. This brief, irrelevant storyline, in conjunction with some rushed and confusing scenes revolving around law enforcement, waste precious time at the beginning of the film and make the movie feel like it’s two different ones put together. This squandered time at the beginning hurts this section and likely keeps it from the Hall of Fame, but once the middle of the film arrives, it’s definitely worth a watch. At this point in the movie, The Shack isn’t afraid to tackle very realistic and raw issues we rarely see discussed in Christian film, including child abuse in the name of Christianity and incorrect views of God as well as the connections between these two concepts. Sometimes, flashbacks are used in very effective ways to present the plot and the character motivations, but it would have been better if all narration and early plot points were replaced with flashbacks to make it more of a non-linear style. However, despite a slightly incomplete view of God, The Shack does an excellent job with showing how God will relate to people on a very personal level via good philosophical discussions about life and power emotional experiences. Although it could have gone just a bit further with theological grounding (but not too much), this is a good place for a lot of people to start if they have a warped view of God. Basically, from the halfway point until the part before the end, The Shack is a nearly perfect film. The beginning and the epilogue that fixes things too easily detract from this section and keep it from being all that it could be. Nonetheless, this movie is definitely worth your time and can be a great tool to use to introduce people to God if they are closed to Him for one reason or another.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Another major detractor that keeps The Shack from being Hall of Fame is Sam Worthington’s accent-suppressing. If you’re going to cast a British-Australian actor for an American role, either train him with a better accent or just make the character British or Australian. As it is, the way he delivers his line is very distracting and comes off as breathy and insincere because of the accent clashing. This really puts a damper on things as it makes his emotions seem otherworldly and causes unsure line delivery, which is difficult to watch since he takes up so much screentime. However, other cast members, most notably Octavia Spencer, work overtime to make up for Worthington’s shortfalls and overall post very professional and noteworthy performances. In the end, this section is above average and rounds out a very commendable effort.
Conclusion
Though many theologically astute individuals like to “debunk” The Shack for its inaccuracies (there are a few small ones), the film as a whole demonstrates just how out of touch many Christian thought leaders are with everyday people. The movie does a much better job of relating to everyone on a personal level than any theological debate ever will, and it shows that God really wants with people: a relationship. While it could have use just a hair more theological grounding, The Shack is a great place for many people to start who have been hurt by Christianity or who may have invalid views of God. It’s unfortunate that it just misses the mark of being Hall of Fame, but that doesn’t mean it’s not worth a watch. Hopefully, in the future, we’ll see more films that walk the delicate balance of being personal-emotional and grounded at the same time. Once Christian entertainment as a whole learns how to relate to everyone personally, the industry will be unstoppable.
When a solar flare passes through the earth’s atmosphere, all electricity and electronic devices cease to work, which throws the entire planet into chaos. The cast and crew of a famous cooking show are stranded in a mansion in the middle of nowhere, a group of isolated preppers, and a homeschool colony are all forced to cross paths in unlikely ways as they fight for survival with guns and MRE’s. In the end, who will survive the deadly new world that’s been created since the power went off?
Production Quality (1 point)
On the bright side of this season, a lot of good time and money was spent on the video quality and drone shots in the episodes. Thus, for the most part, camera work is acceptable. The same can be said for the sets, locations, and props, even if some of them are overused (liked num-chucks). One of the most glaring issues to point out in this production relates to audio quality, as there are a lot of loud background sounds in outdoor scenes and echoes in indoor scenes. The audio as a whole is very uneven as many scenes are full of clattering noises and as the soundtrack is all over the map since many songs are not situation-appropriate and since the music often overpowers spoken dialogue. It goes without saying that the introductory sequence is arguably better than the rest of the series, mostly due to the fact that the editing throughout the season is horrific with many cut-off scenes and many choppy transitions that throw scenes at the audience one after the other with little organization. As a whole, unfortunately, while there could have been something here, it just didn’t pan out.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Needless to say, it gets worse too. The most glaring issue with the plot is obviously the 48340982 characters that have to be kept up with due to the sheer number of subplots that this season forces upon the viewer. For the first half of the season, every episode is constantly introducing new characters to the point of embarrassment. Thus, it’s nearly impossible to keep up with the sheer number of subplots throughout the course of this season, and this causes many subplots and storylines to become ‘extra’ and easily discard-able. Even if these subplots were the best in the world, it’s very difficult to understand the actual point of people randomly wandering around and acquiring guns and possessions in violent ways immediately after the power grid collapses. What are the characters defending themselves from? How are we supposed to know who they are as people? What does any of it have to do with a cooking show? Any hope or time there was for real content was frivolously used on trivial scenes and utterly purposeless asides. Narration randomly pops up throughout the course of the season, and flashbacks are used inconsistently where they should have been a focal point. A more consistent use of them would have been one of the only ways to fix this mess, along with eliminating nearly half of the characters and coming up with a real central focus other than prepping for an unknown and unseen apocalypse. What’s going on in the world outside of these characters? What is the government’s response? These are all unanswered questions that would be pertinent in this genre rather than sequences of forced drama, conversations depicting off-screen content that seems way more interesting than the actual season, cooking montages, and literal recitations of the Constitution and other forced Christian content. Basically, it’s better luck next time with trying a different genre.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Due to the high number of characters, this obviously leads to the assembling of a giant cast. One would think this would mask the minor weaknesses of some cast members, but that’s not the case as there are many acting errors, including overly practiced line delivery and stiff emotions. Some line delivery is half-hearted, unsure, and slightly mistaken at times, and many scenes depict cast members awkwardly standing around talking to each other like they’re not really filming a scene because it seems impromptu. Besides this portion of acting, the costuming is extremely random, and the hair and makeup do not jive with the notion that these people have been trying to survive an apocalypse away from civilization for days. Basically, this is just another mistake-prone aspect of this season.
Continuity Quality (1 point)
As previously mentioned, there are many, many storylines to contend with here, but despite this, there is actually some continuity between the episodes. However, the story and character arcs aren’t any good since there are no substantial instances of character growth or dynamic storytelling. There are, of course, the usual instances of romantic subplots and villain plans, but other than that, there’s not much continuity to mention here.
Conclusion
There’s no doubt in the world that Christian entertainment is starved for new genres and new concepts, and we have to commend this creative team for sticking their necks out there to try something unique, but this isn’t the way to do it. Regardless of genre, characters have to always be deep because audiences want to connect with real, accessible people. Science fiction stories can be difficult to write and even more difficult to produce professionally, which is why proper planning and truly creative writing are essential. The budget may not be there, but if the storyline is dynamic, it shows that the creator is ready for bigger and better things. If you’re faithful with the little God’s provided you, He will give you the bigger budget down the road.
Eve believes her husband is going to die soon, so she and her son Lonnie are planning on inheriting his million dollar fortune, so they think. They’ve grown tired of his constantly cheap lifestyle that he forces them to go along with, and with the brain tumor advancing, they feel like their freedom is close at hand. However, when something unexpected doesn’t go quite their way, they are forced to come up with a new plan.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
For an indie film, there are several good production elements to note, such as the great video quality and the professional camera work. The sets and locations are also fine and mostly well-utilized. While the soundtrack can be intriguing and creative at times and while the audio quality is mostly fine, there are also instances where the music covers up spoken words and where background sounds can overpower the scene. Also, there is some weirdly soft lighting at times, and some scenes are randomly in black and white for no particular reason. Perhaps the oddest part of this production is the usage of cheesy props from different time periods that creates a lot of confusion as to when this film is supposed to take place. Further, some scenes are strangely drawn out in unnatural ways, which speaks to somewhat of an editing problem. As a whole, this is basically an average indie production that could have been slightly better than it was and seemed to get in its own way.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Even more so, the plot certainly gets in its own way. In a quest to be creative and artistic (the effort is definitely noted), this story comes off in a very strange way with a weird sarcastic tone that’s not explained very well and with a collection of bizarre and slightly inappropriate scenes. It’s very difficult to discern what this film is actually going for without having the confusion about the time period. The attempts at artistic psychological elements fall flat, and a lot of the dialogue is basically cringe-worthy. It’s unfortunately a collection of odd cardboard scenes of nonsensical recitations that is very purposeless and aimless. To top it off, the ending is very strange and leaves a strange flavor in your mouth, which rounds out a section that basically confused itself along with the audience.
Acting Quality (.5 acting)
Indie film acting is fairly difficult to pull off, and while there was a slight amount of potential with this cast, a lot of it is very awkward and forced. The eccentric portions would work better if that’s what these characters were intended to be, but again, it’s very unclear what the film is even going for. This fact is also reflected in the weirdly inconsistent costuming efforts. As a whole, line and emotional delivery are stilted, which doesn’t leave much positive to state about this indie effort.
Conclusion
It’s great to want to try to create an original indie film, but Spent either takes things a step too far or a step too short. It’s a mystery what sort of Christian message is meant to be conveyed by this ‘dark comedy,’ and it’s unfortunately a waste of time due to its jumbled and confusing elements. The best an indie film maker with a small budget can do is to present a masterful plot, but this was unfortunately not done in this film.
Donaly Marquez is glad her foster family adopted her and her siblings, but she will carries inside of her the stigma of being a foster kid, and she still can’t shake the painful memories of her drug-addicted mother that continually make her feel inadequate. However, she’s always wanted to try out to be a Rose Bowl Parade Princess, so when she gets the opportunity, she jumps at the chance. Will she be able to overcome the past that wasn’t her fault or will she not allow herself to shine?
Production Quality (3 points)
In keeping with most UP Entertainment films, Christmas Princess exhibits a highly professional production, starting with great video quality and camera work. The audio quality is also on-point, and the soundtrack is effectively composed. Also, the sets, locations, and props are very much well-constructed and well-utilized, which contributes further to the professional of the film. Further, the editing is flawless, which rounds out a basically perfect production that should be the standard for made-for-TV inspirational films.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1.5 points)
It’s always clear that using source material from true stories that allow the audience to connect with believable and realistic characters is the key to having a good plot. Christmas Princess, though the title suggests otherwise, is a great example of what can be done when real-life events are depicted in the context of a movie that seeks to build accessible characters through great dialogue and an exquisite use of flashbacks and other psychological elements. The conversations do a lot to build character motive and personality, which in turn makes them feel like actual people that audiences can relate to. It’s rare to see such a consistent use of flashbacks to build the storyline in this type of film, but it’s extremely refreshing, especially in a Christmas film about a topic that could potentially be very sappy. Instead of this, however, the writers took the professional and realistic route that allows many different people to relate to this true story, so it’s definitely worth your time. The only drawbacks to mention here relate to some slow parts and montages, but as a whole, this is the best that could have been done with this story, which is all we ever ask.
Acting Quality (2.5 points)
Though this is not a ‘blockbuster’ cast, each cast member does a great job assuming his or her respective character role, and the cultural authenticity is refreshing. For the most part, line delivery is on point, and emotions are believable, even though there are a few weak moments. Even so, this acting and casting work is very professional and rounds out a very surprisingly worthwhile Christmas film.
Conclusion
Sometimes good films come from the most unexpected of places, but it still remains that true stories make some of the best films. When the writing is left to a talented writer or to real life, the production team can focus on maximizing the other elements of the film, and it’s clear the UP TV is outpacing other inspirational channels with quality content like this film. As this Christmas season comes to a close, this is another movie to add to your collection.
Maggie has always hated Christmas ever since her father left the family during the holiday season. Ever since then, she’s sought to control everything around her, especially her young son’s life. However, when his grades begin dropping, she is forced to entrust him to the care of an after-school tutor, but Maggie soon finds that she isn’t like what she expected from a tutor. Will she decide to open up her heart over the holiday season to love again?
Production Quality (2.5 points)
As expected, Maggie’s Christmas Miracle is a typically fine Hallmark production with good video quality and camera, as well as good audio quality. The soundtrack is predictably generic but not as bad as usual. The sets, locations, and props are fine, but the Christmas decor is expectedly overwhelming and beyond belief. Further, the editing is average, and thus, everything in this production is standard and expected from the Hallmark assembly line of Christmas films.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Though Hallmark movies are always better when using source material, especially from authors like Karen Kingsbury, there are still plenty of typical elements in Maggie’s Christmas Miracle. While Karen Kingsbury characters run circles around typical Hallmark fare, there are still a lot of cheesy feel-good elements throughout this plot. However, the dialogue is mostly good enough to develop character motive and personality, even if the plot is extremely predictable with a cookie-cutter romance plot where two people who don’t like each other at first are thrown together at Christmastime. The story includes all the expected turns and conventions, and all of the stereotypes are too easily fallen into. Since this is a character-based plot, we needed to see deeper character growth than this, and we also would have liked to see relationship twists and turns that were more based on past and present personality and behavior issues rather than on unrealistically stupid miscommunication problems (see The Bridge). Unfortunately, the story gets worse as it goes on as cheap Christian messages are awkwardly inserted and end up hurting any good portions of dialogue there may be. Essentially, the source material is helping this plot to be more than it would otherwise be, but there’s still a lot more that could have been accomplished here.
Acting Quality (2 points)
As expected, the casting and acting of this film is mostly professional with typical Hallmark elements, such as some overdone makeup. For the most part, the line delivery and the emotions are natural, but there are some portions that are a bit too sappy. However, as a whole, this cast is professional enough to know what they’re doing and to produce an above-average performance.
Conclusion
If Hallmark only used books and true stories as source material from here until eternity, the channel would be a much better place for it. However, this is highly unlikely to happen. Even still, there is enough good in Maggie’s Christmas Miracle to make it a passable holiday film to watch if you want a safe, benign movie that’s not too old and not too cheesy. Also, if you like Karen Kingsbury novels, this film is definitely for you.
John always likes to go with his father to pick out a new horse every year, and he knows his father is good at picking out the best horses. However, this year, his father acquires a crazed unruly mare and decides that she belongs to John so that he can train her. John is dejected at this prospect because he feels like he’ll never be able to fix his new broken horse. Nevertheless, this father persists in forcing him to train it, which leads to surprising results.
Production Quality (3 points)
John Lyde and his Covenant Communications and Mainstay Productions teams are consistently committed to quality productions even though their films are not traditional length. This commitment to good quality is evident in crisp video quality, professional camera work, and good audio quality. The soundtrack is interesting and engaging, and the sets, locations, and props are well-constructed and well-utilized for the historical time period. In the end, though the editing is a bit average, this production doesn’t have any major problems, which warrants a perfect score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Lyde and his team always prize shorter stories over long and drawn out films that have no interest, and basing this short film off of a Christian novella was definitely a good idea to acquire source material. Because of this source material, the plot is slightly more creative and different than most Christmas films, but it seems to contain a lot of odd messaging that appears to glorify patriarchal attitudes. The father character is likely realistic in his portrayal, but the story seems to pass along messaging that he is a wise and all-knowing character. Other characters need better development through more substantial dialogue, which one would think would come from basing a short film off of a novella. Since it’s so short, we needed to see very streamlined character development, but the plot instead lags behind and chooses to focus on pushing lessons on the audience that really don’t make much sense and on forced Christian messages that don’t seem to apply to the characters’ situations. Some portions don’t appear to be very rooted in reality, and the abrupt and rushed ending causes the story to be over before much happens. In short, while this could have been an honest and raw character biopic, it was reduced to a quasi-sermonizing piece that pushes messages that are hard to comprehend.
Acting Quality (2 points)
As a whole, there aren’t many acting problems in this film, which is a consistent component in John Lyde’s creations. The casting and coaching appear to be professional, and for the most part, emotions and line delivery are natural. However, this section isn’t perfect before of some slightly over-dramatized parts and some weak child acting, but in the end, this rounds out an another above average film for the Mainstay\Covenant team.
Conclusion
It’s absolutely a great idea to use Christian novels and novellas as source material for Christian films, especially since there are so many options to choose from. This high number of selection opportunities makes it odd when obscure novellas like this one was chosen, especially when it’s not clear what My Broken Horse Christmas actually wants us to learn. It’s a visually appealing yet substantially vague experience that will likely and unfortunately be easily forgotten. John Lyde has always been right on the cusp of greatness, so it’s time for him to take the next step into dynamic creations.
Clara wants to have the ultimate Christmas or something, but her dad is always working on ‘projects’ and ‘contracts’; he even has to fly out to finish a project in NEW YORK on CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!!! Thankfully, Clara has plenty to keep her busy with her VLOG and her dog, which keeps getting lost. She also hangs out with her awkward cousin, uncle, and aunt while her mother sees how bored she can be with this movie. The real question with this film is can it get any less creative?
Production Quality (1 point)
As Clara’s Ultimate Christmas is basically an enhanced collection of home videos, production is greatly lacking. This is manifested in random and off-the-wall camera angles and shaky camera work. While video quality is fine, audio quality is inconsistent as there is basically no soundtrack. Sets, locations, and props are severely limited for good reason since the entire movie basically takes place in one house. In keeping with the home video theme, editing is virtually non-existent, which rounds out a very poor production score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
The home video theme continues with basically no plot content as Clara’s Ultimate Christmas is essentially Clara’s and her family’s activities of daily living (ADL’s), including eating breakfast, playing with dolls, walking the dog, crafting, cooking, vlogging, and talking on the phone. I don’t know about you, but one-sided phone conversations aren’t what Christmas is all about. In pursuit of ADL’s, characters and dialogue fall flat as we don’t really know these characters as real people but as pawns in the chess game played by the Hallmark Holiday Syndicate. Granted, this isn’t a Hallmark movie, but the plot might as well be. Every scene is squeezed and stretch to manufacture any possible content out of it, and the Christian messages are extremely vague and forced. Essentially, there’s nothing good to say here since there’s nothing to this ‘plot’ at all.
Acting Quality (0 points)
The horrific child acting in this film is almost enough on its own to make this section negative, but the vanilla acting from other cast members just makes it zero. Since this cast is so small, errors are greatly pronounced, especially when the child acting is forced through a strainer. The adult cast members come off as very awkward and uncomfortable in their interactions with each other, and some cast members seem very bored with the film. Emotions are either over the top or too bland, and line delivery is mostly lazy. As a whole, there’s really very little good to say about this ‘film.’
Conclusion
It’s great that Bridgestone gives independent Christian film makers chances to get their content out there, and it’s been helpful for films like Altar Egos that people disregard for no reason, but movies like Clara’s Ultimate Christmas have literally nothing going for them. There’s no purpose or point to them, and they just used worn-out and recycled ideas that nobody cares to see again. Maybe we will see fewer and fewer of these sorts of films moving forward.
Sara, Coley, Patrice, Glen, and Gracie were close college sorority sisters, but now that they have grown into their middle ages, they have each taken different paths in life. Sara is weary of going to the annual get-together of the girls because of her newfound faith, but her pastor encourages her to go to witness to her friends. However, the weekend getaway does not turn out as plan as each woman is hiding their own secrets, which lead to intense conflicts between them. To cap things off, tragedy strikes the group of friends in a way they never expected. Will they be able to pick up the pieces and change their ways?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Though on the surface Only God Can seems like a good production, there are a handful of hiden problems that keep it from being all that it could be. For example, the audio is strangely quiet except for the blaring and generic soundtrack. Video quality and camera work are standard caliber, but the sets, locations, and props, though they are professional-looking, are fairly limited and underused. Further, the editing is very disorienting and choppy, but this is likely primarily due to the poor plot structure. However, as a whole, this production is good enough to be average, even though it could have been more.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Only God Can follows a story-telling style similar to that of Do You Believe? as it juggles many under-developed and hard-to-fully-grasp subplots and tries to make nearly every scene a dramatic climax. The presentation of the many subplots is dizzying for this reason, and flashbacks are used very poorly. Each character is developed as a representation of an issue rather than a real person, and this is done through very forced and stilted dialogue that is designed to push a certain agenda rather than to create relatable characters. The back stories of the characters are therefore flat and empty, and scenes that could have been used to develop them better are instead used for empty and mindless montages. Sometimes it’s hard to understand what’s happening from scene to scene, but it all comes down to a predictable and forced conclusion that fixes everything. In short, this plot unfortunately had no potential from the get-go.
Acting Quality (1 point)
Unfortunately, many of the cast members in this film appear to be overly made-up and overly fake. Emotional delivery comes off as plastic and unrealistic as many cast members don’t appear comfortable with their lines or their respective roles. However, there are a handful of cast members that are okay and thus prevent this section from being null. Nevertheless, this film is overall a disappointment and doesn’t really have much to offer.
Conclusion
Overall, Only God Can is another moderately-funded, partially-marketed inspirational film from PureFlix that falls flat and doesn’t hold up to scrutiny. On the surface, it has good production qualities, but there are hidden issues that undermine this. The plot is very empty and wanting as it tries to push typical agendas, and the acting missed the mark as well. It’s very predictable and formulaic, yet this is the type of Christian film that no longer needs to be seen in the market. The reputation of Christian movies is bad enough as it is, so we don’t need anymore examples of ineptitude.
Izzy already has a strained relationship with her parents, but when she finds out that they have lied to her all her life about her being adopted, she decides to take a road trip to see her biological mother without them knowing. However, she quickly finds out that her road trip is not what it seems as things go from bad to worse. A nightmare scenario suddenly unfolds as she finds herself a hostage in a desperate situation. Though she has resisted the Christian faith for years now, she begins to change her mind when faced with death.
Production Quality (.5 point)
Sense of Urgency is unfortunately a fairly cheap small time production that had some obvious funding shortfalls. This is evidenced by a weird light filter that plagues the film and gives the video quality a bizarre gray look. The soundtrack is also generic and fairly loud at times. The sets, locations, and props are mostly pedestrian, and audio quality is somewhat inconsistent. While the camera work is fine most of the time, there is some weird lighting in some scenes. There are also cheesy special effects to contend with, and the editing is choppy in some places. Overall, while there was some effort here, this production needs a lot of work.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
The surprising thing about Sense of Urgency is that the core idea of the film is actually slightly interesting. While the beginning of the movie is hard to understand since random things seemingly happen, there is some potential for the development of flawed and accessible characters with slightly complex back stories that cannot be typically found in the inspirational world. However, a lot of this potential never comes to fruition. Nevertheless, this plot idea is interesting enough as a suspense idea and would probably benefit from some sort of remake. Even so, this good effort is unfortunately not enough as some of the characters are too cheesy, such as the villain and the Christian characters, and some dialogue is too forced and expository for the moment. The conversations need to build characters better, and the circumstances need to occur more naturally rather than out of necessity for the plot. Further, the Christian message needs to be less childish, and the ending doesn’t need to try to fix everything. Overall, this was a nice effort, and it offers some slight hope for future projects.
Acting Quality (1 point)
As this cast is mostly composed of inexperienced members, the acting is unfortunately pedestrian and basically below average. This is due to forced emotional performances and line delivery that needs some work. At times, the cast members are not very convincing in their roles, but there are also moments of potential and more natural performances. Perhaps they can continue to improve their craft with better coaching.
Conclusion
Overall, Sense of Urgency does what we ask of struggling film makers: when the budget is low, focus on the plot. While this storyline is not the most creative in the world, it demonstrates potential and is definitely something to build off of. It’s almost always better to depart from the average inspirational fare that crowds the market, so trying a different type of suspense plot can help you stand out. However, what is much better is learning to portray real people in more natural ways without the message pushing. If you get this right, God will send the funding at the right time.
Jason Hansen has a seemingly perfect family life, but tragedy strikes when his oldest teenage daughter Kennedy is diagnosed with terminal juvenile Batten disease. As their family grapples with this new reality, they soon find that there is hope even in the hurt and that God does have a plan for Kennedy even if her life will be shorter than usual. Together, they find that God’s plans are always greater than people’s plans.
Production Quality (2 points)
T. C. Christensen has always had a commitment to professional productions, and Love, Kennedy demonstrates this commitment by having good video quality, above-average camera work, and fine audio quality. However, there are one too many musical montages as a lot of the film is saturated with music. Sets, locations, and props are realistic and appropriate, however. The main thing that keeps this production from being all that it could be is the choppy editing that contributes to an awkward story-telling style, but for the most part, this production is above average and professional.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Though it’s basically obvious the T. C. Christensen pushes Mormon messages in his films, at least he tends to craft films about real life stories and events. Regardless, the true story of Love, Kennedy is unfortunately stifled by unnecessary heavy-handed narration, which also stunts character development. Since these characters are based on real people, we need a chance to get to know the characters better, but this chance does not materialize. Unfortunately, this makes the slight Mormon message-pushing more noticeable since the dialogue is rushed and empty. It seems like the characters get swept along in the predictable plot progression without any choice of their own. Elsewhere, Christensen includes his typical magical elements that are a bit much. As a whole, Love, Kennedy is a nice try but not quite good enough.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Overall, the acting of this film is mostly fine with no obvious glaring errors. However, the acting is not dynamic either, and there are a handful of minor issues that add up over the course of the film, such as some half-hearted performances and some odd portrayals of cast members. Moreover, as a whole, this section is mostly above average and is better than a lot of films on par with it.
Conclusion
Christensen and his team outpace many other Christian groups in film making when they make clear efforts to build professional productions and to coach above-average acting performances. The Mormon message-pushing may be off-putting and not much better than other Christian message-pushing (see: Christiano Brothers), but at least it’s packaged in a semi-acceptable way. Nevertheless, this still isn’t good enough to get past the halfway mark, so maybe it will be better luck next time for the Excel Entertainment team.
Richard and Eddie became close friends while in college, and they have maintained their close relationship even though life has taken them each in different directions. Eddie is battling a terminal illness in the hospital while Richard struggles as a young teacher in the school he was raised in. Richard tries to do what he can to help Eddie and his family, but Eddie’s brother is having struggles of his own in the school where Richard teaches. They will each have to return to the faith they were raised in to find a way forward.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
On the surface, the strangely-titled One Stop Away (there’s never any explanation for that title) has a fairly professional production, as evidenced by good video quality and camera work. Lighting is mostly good except for a few instances of unnecessary darkness. The soundtrack is a bit generic, however, and the flashbacks have a purposely odd quality about them. As for audio, there are too many obvious voice-overs and unnatural sound tricks. Sets, locations, and props are professional-looking, but the editing poses a substantial problem as it is somewhat disorienting due to a lot of choppy and cut-off scenes. Overall, this is mainly an average production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
The choppiness bleeds over into the plot, unfortunately, as the storyline is very disorganized. It depicts random characters doing random things without any clear continuity; it is very difficult to discern which character is which due to the confusing use of flashbacks. The random time jumps that happen with no warning certainly don’t help things. Usually, non-linear and out-of-order plots using flashbacks are great ideas, but in this case, One Stop Away is presented very poorly, which seems to indicate that the intended plot is fairly unsubstantial and the premise is too thin. Elsewhere, dialogue is too empty and expositional, which leads to wooden characters. Thus, it is very difficult to see the point or purpose of this story as it has one too many boring, lagging, and pointless scenes. In short, whatever was trying to be conveyed in this film is totally lost on the audience.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
As a whole, the acting of this film is mostly okay, but there are one too many awkward moments. Line delivery is fine, but the emotional is a bit flat, and there are a lot of scenes that come off as overly practiced. Costuming is better than usual for this sort of film, but this section is unfortunately not more than average.
Conclusion
Basically, while the effort may be commendable in films like One Stop Away, they will unfortunately be easily forgotten and overlooked. Their messaging is too vague and confusing to each most audiences, even if there was a good idea in here somewhere. Non-linear, flashback-based plots need deep character development through poignant dialogue and realistic scenes that demonstrate character motive and accessibility. This is something we have been talking about for a while, but Christian films continue to show a lack of understanding of real people.
The Lukens family is tired of living in their old, creepy house, so they want to downsize. However, an unexpected addition to the family throws them for a loop, as does a disturbing presence their daughter keeps seeing and hearing in her room. As they must make difficult decisions regarding the life of their future child, the evil presence seems to tighten its grip on their lives, pushing them to the breaking point. Will they be able to survive the onslaught of the paranormal force?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
For another independent Christian horror film, Wraith doesn’t have that bad of a production, but it is still mostly average on the whole. Video quality is mostly fine, but there is some poor lighting throughout, perhaps by design. A lot of the dark scenes appear to be for dramatic effect, but there are other typically cheesy elements that seem to always come with a cheap horror production, such as wild camera work and dizzying cuts. Though the sets and locations are somewhat limited, also by design, the props are fine, and there appear to be attempts to create authenticity throughout. The editing is mostly fine, but there are too many issues with this indie effort to give the production anything more than an average score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Making a pro-life Christian horror film is an interesting endeavor, and it is not one without potential, but Wraith has too many problems in the plot department to reach this possible potential. When setting out to make a Christian horror film, it’s like it’s a requirement to totally disregard character development. This film is no exception as the characters are extremely bland and empty due to cheap and stilted dialogue. Though there are some interesting attempts at flashbacks and creative psychological elements, they are too muted and downplayed in the midst of wasted time that is mostly filled with stupid jump scares and incoherent moments that are meant to be ‘thrilling’ or ‘scary’ but really just end up being stupid. Randomly vague things just happen as opportunities to build real characters are squandered by kicking the proverbial can down the road just to get to the ending. Unfortunately, this storyline gets worse and worse as it goes as it slowly reveals a very ill-advised approach to dealing with demonic entities until it finishes with an extremely cheesy climax that endorses dangerous practices. Overall, this plot is just a mess and really needed to be completely reworked.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
While some of the more experienced cast members, such as Ali Hillis, are mostly fine in their performances, some of the younger cast members, particularly the younger female lead, are quite bad at acting. Some line delivery is painfully forced, and emotions are uneven throughout. Other moments are far too dramatic, which is an unfortunate byproduct of the difficult horror genre. In summary, this film squandered whatever potential it may have had.
Conclusion
Christian horror films desperately need a better basis. It is important that the core concepts of psychological thrillers are well-thought-out and have some logical basis before they are thrown into a movie. Pro-life themes are great, but this consistently has been one of the worst sub-genres in Christian film. Besides the fact that the basis for the horror elements in Wraith are difficult for most audiences to grasp, the practices that are seemingly endorsed (trying to cast demons out of houses) are extremely dangerous to practice in real-life and should be heavily discouraged. Unfortunately, this is just another awful attempt at Christian genre-busting.
Dr. David Horton is known as a great professor in Lynchburg, and his ‘running’ class is extremely popular. His reputation is that he helps all of his students by connecting with them on a personal level. Dr. Horton is also a marathon enthusiast, but his passion often takes away his time from his family, which is something his wife greatly struggles with. Much to her chagrin, David embarks on a dangerous cross-country marathon for two months, even though he is secretly battling health problems. Will his health and their marriage survive the trek?
Production Quality (2 points)
Liberty University has all of the toys and resources an independent film maker could dream of, yet they consistently settle for just above average productions. There’s no doubt that Extraordinary has some great cinematography, even if it’s mostly a collection of American landmark shots. Nevertheless, camera work is excellent, and video quality is great. Sets, locations, and props also make this production a mostly good experience. Editing is standard, and on the surface, this is a well-produced film. However, beneath the surface, there are some head-scratching inclusions, such as silly production gimmicks and weirdly bad special effects. These elements are reminiscent of film school professors playing around to see what they can do with what they have. However, most audiences will likely look past these issues and see the above-average production that it is.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Based on a true story, the Liberty University team had a lot to work with, even though they have struggled in the past with storylines. However, in Extraordinary, the Curlee\Schultze team continued their issues with very thin and empty plots and characters. Though this is based on real people, they clearly had no idea how to craft realistic characters as the story does not translate well at all. The characters are empty due to dialogue that is full of title-dropping, pedestrian platitude-pushing, and repeated content. Many scenes are basically filler with no substantial contribution to the overall plot. There are one too many ‘funny’ scenes, and the majority of the movie is packed with musical montages and dramatic moments that have no meaning. In the end, though the basic idea behind this story was great, the film version leaves the audience with no real focus or purpose as it tried so hard to drive the point home that it fell flat.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Acting coaching and casting is another area the Curlee\Schultze team struggles in, which is a shame since they claim to be prodigies of the Kendricks. The lead actor of this film is particularly weak and awkward, and several supporting cast members are annoying. Kirk Cameron is beyond obnoxious, and Shari Rigby struggles without better directing. However, there are enough good areas here to make this section at least average; one has to consider that this cast didn’t have many substantial lines to work with. Nonetheless, the Liberty University team continues to disappoint.
Conclusion
Scotty Curlee and Stephan Schultze have the film world at their fingertips, yet they constantly settle for half-measure and expect you to deal with it because at least it’s a Christian movie or something. Unfortunately, they are consistently wasting the time and money of Christian audiences as all of their marketing is for nothing but a quick cash grab. Extraordinary is another example of a squandered opportunity because Curlee and Schultze refuse to retain a truly talented screenwriter (like Sean Morgan) and have demonstrated time and again their lack of regard for improvement. Now we can just wait with bated breath for their upcoming Trump film.
Faith Scott and her uncle Donny live in the struggling small town of Clifton, Tennessee. Everything’s closing down in town, and people are either strapped for cash or leaving the area. Thus, the theater that has been in their family for years is on the brink of foreclosure, which is the delight of the evil local businessman Peter Marsh. Thus, Faith and Donny decide to schedule a desperation attempt to save the theater: a Christmas in June show featuring big names in Christian music. Will it be enough to save the theater and even the town from extinction?
Production Quality (2 points)
The good thing for Chip Rossetti is that he has shown great production improvement over his movie career. This fact is also evident in Saving Faith, as evidenced by great video quality and camera work. Sets, locations, and props are mostly fine, if not a little quaint. However, the soundtrack can be too loud at times, and there are a handful of unnecessary background sounds, as well as some cheesy sound effects and special effects. Moreover, the editing is pretty good, thus rounding out a slightly above-average production.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Unfortunately, there is little to nothing creative about the plot of Saving Faith as it follows a stereotypical save the _____ with a holiday show plotline. The progression of the story is very predictable, as are the characters involved. A good portion of the characters are also cheesy and generally eccentric, such as the head-scratching Elvis character (no, it’s not The Rev). The villain is also ridiculous and over the top; each character fits into a predetermined small-town mold: the local eccentric, the local business owner, and the local evil bank guy. While there are some attempts to have a good Christian message, all the problems are very easily solved in the end. The romantic subplot is also awkwardly predictable. In short, there aren’t many positives to note here.
Acting Quality (1 point)
For the most part, the acting of this film is awkward and overplayed. It is at least good to see Jenn Gotzon and Jim Chandler star opposite each other as a couple. There are some good moments in this cast, but for the most part, unfortunately, it is mostly bland or silly. Thus, this rounds out an unfortunately disappointing and pedestrian film.
Conclusion
There truly is little point in constantly perpetuating this same small-town narrative over and over and over again. If we need more of that, we can always watch Hallmark. There is no creativity or authenticity in this concept, unless a film maker wants to explore some legitimate reasons behind collapsing small towns. Constantly making movies about the ‘good old days’ in the name of Christian film is disingenuous and worn out.
Kate Montgomery is a big city art dealer who travels to a quaint small town to purchase some mysterious paints from a mysterious artist whom no one in the art dealing world knows the true identity of. However, she is also on the run from her psychologist and her dark past. While running away, she will have to end up facing everything she’s trying to hide from in the most unlikely ways.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
While there are some positive elements in this production, there are also some negative ones. For instance, video quality and camera work are mostly fine, but there is some poor audio quality throughout. The soundtrack is also a bit generic. Lighting can be a problem at times, and the sets, locations, and props are somewhat limited in some areas. For the most part, editing is fine, even though there are a few too many lagging scenes. Thus, as a whole, this production is basically average and has some room for improvement.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
The Colors of Emily is mostly a departure for the Rossetti group. This story tries to delve into the psychological\suspense\mystery genre, and it contains interesting attempts at psychological elements, but there is too much wasted time before getting to the substantial mystery elements. This wasted time mostly consists of tongue-in-cheek dialogue about predictable fish-out-of-water concepts, as well as a seemingly vague premise and loose grip on reality. At times, the storyline seems very unfinished, and the characters come off as too understated and under-developed. Further, the villain is fairly cheesy, especially in the ‘climax’ scene that’s full of monologuing. In short, while there is some potential in this story idea, its final product is too vague and undeveloped.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
Unfortunately, most of the acting in The Colors of Emily is very awkward and not well-coached. A lot of the cast members come off as too unnatural, although Jenn Gotzon posts a more authentic performance than usual. Moreover, there are some other strange characters in this cast, and there are too many sequences of yelling and screaming, especially in the suspense scenes. Overall, there are too many forced lines and emotions to warrant any more than half of point here.
Conclusion
The Colors of Emily has a good idea behind it, but its effort is basically half-cocked and incomplete. On the whole, the production needs an upgrade, as does the acting. The storyline needs more clarification and deepening, as do the characters and dialogue. This film appears to be an example of the importance of taking time to make quality films rather than just making another movie most people are going to forget about.
When Becca Smith suddenly loses her husband in a tragic car accident, she feels like her world is falling apart. Then she meets an old friend from the past who decides to introduce her to a new lifestyle of partying and drinking to help drown her sorrows away. However, Becca is unable to fill the void. Will she come back to the faith she was always taught before it’s too late?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
On the surface, My Daddy’s in Heaven has a fairly good production, as evidenced by some great outdoor scenes and good video quality. For the most part, camera work is good, except for some weird camera angles. Audio quality is sometimes too echoed, especially in indoor sets. Lighting is somewhat inconsistent, including some odd sequences of soft lighting. There are also some sequences of disorienting sound effects and special effects, but there is some slight production improvement shown throughout, thus warranting an average score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Unfortunately, though this film is based on a book and tries to have a good point, the storyline is quite thin. There seem to be a lot of scenes grasping for substantial content as the plot meanders aimlessly and purposelessly for nearly sixty minutes. During this time frame, a good portion of the time is spent on the main two characters getting drunk. Dialogue is all over the place, including too many instances of forced comedy. Though this film is billed as a family movie, there is a lot of embarrassing content within, including long and pointless bar scenes. However, the last ten to fifteen minutes of the film take a slightly interesting turn based on some intriguing ideas. Unfortunately, with no buildup to this point and no support from the rest of the film, these ideas are wasted, and there are too many quick fixes employed. Thus, only half a point can be awarded for this section.
Acting Quality (.5 point)
The two female leads of this cast, outside of a few good moments, do their best to make fools of themselves. Most of the acting in this film is oddly forced and awkward, but it’s likely that the cast members didn’t have much good to work with in the first place. There are also some mumbled and whispered lines that make for a frustrating experience. Overall, unfortunately, there is little good to mention about this film.
Conclusion
While the effort and the heart behind this film might have been there, the good intentions were terribly misplaced. Production was almost passable, but it’s unsure what the intention of this plot was. Audiences who are expecting a family-friendly film will likely be disappointed at the number of drunken scenes of this film. While it great to show the struggles of real people in film, there is a way to do this without being so embarrassing. Unfortunately, the interesting pivotal scene near the end of the film is out of place and could have been used in a better film. Better luck next time, I guess.
Every year, movies are released and cast members show off their talents. Writers and directors showcase their creativity. Films are separated into roughly three groups: the truly talented, the potentially great, and the others. At Box Office Revolution, we believe it is our prerogative to annually recognize those movie makers and players who have the ability to bring revolution to Christian entertainment.
Ron Hall is a successful art dealer who has it all—except for a successful marriage. He and his wife Debbie have grown apart from each other, and he has been looking in the wrong directions for love. His marital conflict has now come to a head, so Debbie decides to make Ron exit his safe, affluent world to come volunteer with her at the local homeless shelter. While there, though his heart is not in the work at all, Ron forms an unlikely relationship with a violent homeless man whose story captivates Ron in a way he never expected.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
As a clearly well-funded and well-marketed production, Same Kind of Different As Me had a lot going for it from the get-go. This production is obviously high quality in a lot of ways, including video quality, camera work, and audio quality. The soundtrack is also very intriguing. Sets, locations, and props are very well-constructed and utilized appropriately, especially the historical components in the flashbacks. The only minor nitpick to note here pertains to some small editing issues, such as lagging scenes and awkward transitions. Otherwise, this production is top-notch.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
As Same Kind of Different As Me is based on a book and a true story, sometimes it seems like it’s too much like a book turned into a movie. This is evident in unnecessary narration and obvious dialogue that tends to spoon-feed the story to the viewer. Some of the characters tend to be portrayed too perfectly, yet this is a great true story despite these flaws. The flashbacks are used in highly effective ways and are actually the highlights of the film because of the story they tell. There are a lot of great messages and lessons to learn from this story, but we would have liked it if this film indulged less in drama and more in the opportunity it had to portray an epic story full of realistic, flawed, and accessible characters. As mentioned before, there are too many lagging and choppy scenes that hurt this goal from coming to fruition. However, there is enough good to make this at least an interesting movie to watch.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Though this movie is mostly professionally cast, there are a few issues that keep this section from being all that it could be. For one, the lead actor and actress sometimes seem to be phoning in their performances, and at times they are too dramatic. However, Djimon Hounsou and Jon Voight are particularly well-cast and well-acted; these two almost save this cast on their own. Moreover, other cast members outside of Greg Kinnear and Renée Zellweger are also fine and post good performances. In the end, this punctuates an above average film that could have gone further.
Conclusion
Same Kind of Different As Me had everything going for it, but it stopped just short of greatness. The excellent true story and high amount of funding almost forced this film to be above-average from the beginning, but the pedestrian nature of its presentation and its over-indulgence in drama apart from character development tripped it up. In the end, we can’t help but wonder if this was another one of those movies designed to make a quick cash grab at the theaters rather than make a real difference, which seems like the original intent of the book’s authors. We may never know, but this is at least a fine film that most audiences will enjoy.
As one teenager lies in a hospital bed waiting for a heart transplant, the lives of several families around the small town are impacted in different ways. One family waits for the father to return home from prison, while another prays for their son to live. The pastor’s family wants to know why he is rarely home, but all of them want to know where God is in all of the pain as they try to medicate their hurts with many different things that will not satisfy.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
The opening sequence of Saving the Tin Man is interesting, but it’s still a bit confusing. However, the soundtrack is definitely creative, even if there is a lot of shaky camera work and poor lighting in the beginning of this production. There are also some weird sound effects and some moments of randomly bad audio and loud background noises. Flashbacks are also of an odd quality, and the editing has a strange penchant for cutting to the characters being talked about. There are also quite of few awkward and even abrupt cuts and transitions. Nonetheless, there is definite improvement throughout in all production areas, which is enough to earn this section an average score.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Though this story tends to be a bit vague and artistic, it portrays the realistic struggles of the characters, even if they are a bit hard to access at times due to the fact that there are many of them. In fact, this plot has a hard time deciding on which character to wants to focus on, and thus elects to present their stories in an odd overlapping fashion. This makes the film very fractured and disjointed, and the sheer number of subplots hurts character development and makes dialogue too shallow. Also, the Christian message is a bit too trite at times. However, there is plenty of potential in this plot, and the ending is fairly though-provoking. With a bit more organization, this could have been a great film.
Acting Quality (2 points)
Portions of this section show an amateur nature, such as strange makeup work and some out of place line delivery. Other lines seem like they were done in only one take, while others are overly robotic and practiced. However, most mistakes are near the beginning and are mostly ironed out as the film proceeds. Thus, the acting becomes much better in the second half of the film, thus earning it an above-average score.
Conclusion
Movies like Saving the Tin Man are frustrating because it seems like they have the potential to go further than they do. Most of the time, movies like this one appear to be rushed, which prevents them from being all that they could be. With some improved production quality and a more focused plot, this film could have gone further. However, it will be interesting to see what this team does next.
The powerful Trisk family funs the influence ISLE News Network, and they are headed up by the patriarch Daniel Trisk. However, when he has a sudden stroke on air, the entire empire is threatened. Victoria Trisk, wife of Daniel, wields her power over the family while her husband lays in a coma. Everyone in the family has a secret to guard, and each one of them wants the upper hand in the ISLE News Network business. Will they remember their Christian faith and learn what really matters in the midst of all their conspiracies?
Production Quality (1 point)
Though there are attempts at making this ‘hope opera’ series a good production, many of them fall flat. Beginning with a disorienting opening sequence and continuing with time and location captions, this series commits quite a few errors. Though location footage is excellent, we never see the characters go to any of those places and instead are forced to watch them awkwardly stand around in cheap and limited indoor sets and in front of painfully obvious green screens. Issues like these seem to suggest the PureFlix team didn’t know what they were doing with this series, even though video quality, camera work, and audio quality are fine. The soundtrack is mostly generic, and there is a lot of awkward editing throughout, including lingering scenes and fadeouts. Unfortunately, a lot of this series’ production is a cover for shortcuts and cheaply done work.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
This ‘hope opera’ also commits pretty much all of the clichés that exist in the severely limited genre of soap operas. Everything is overly dramatic for no reason, and every conflict seems forced and trumped up, as well as the premise itself. It feels like this series exists in some alternate world, like a child’s play world, rather than the real world. Most, if not all, of the characters are annoying and impressed with themselves as most of their dialogue is filled with information dumps of things that happened off screen. For that matter, there is a lot of talk about these characters doing media work, but we rarely see any of it. The Christian themes therein are extremely forced and plastic; however, near the end of this season, things take a sudden turn towards remotely interesting rather than the previous fingernails-in-the-chalkboard style they were going for. Unfortunately, this is too little too late as too many loose ends and unnecessary subplots are introduced in the latter half of the season. Though there are some interesting attempts at creating flawed characters, it’s just not enough to save this series from itself.
Acting Quality (1 point)
The cast of Hilton Head Island is perhaps among the most plastic-looking and fake-looking we have ever seen, including Hallmark casts. The makeup work in this film is freakishly awful and out of place. Besides this pageantry, as previously mentioned, cast members stand around awkwardly like they don’t know what to do. Their line delivery is unnatural and stilted, while emotions are very wooden and forced. A lot of the time, they are trying way too hard, especially in scenes that are supposed to have high emotion. However, there is some improvement noted throughout that keeps this section from being zero. As a side note, why did Bradley Dorsey choose this mess to restart his acting career with?
Continuity Quality (1 point)
Most of the time, episodes break and transition in the oddest ways. Also, the same old transition sequences are used over and over again between scenes. Though there are some attempts at character backstory, many concepts tend to recycle and repeat themselves throughout this series. There are also way too many subplots going on for any hope of organization to exist.
Conclusion
Once again, PureFlix tries to breach new territory in the Christian entertainment world, and once again, it’s a swing and a miss. We definitely need a series that has intrigue, conspiracy, and flawed characters with no clear heroes, but this is not the way to do it. The soap opera mentality is doomed to failure from the start, and the plastic Christian message of this series is laughable, not to mention the utter pageantry embarrassment that this cast is. Better luck next time, PureFlix.
Sarah Miller hates her life and wants to escape the clutches of her mother’s abusive boyfriend, but she has no way out. However, a concerned friend and her fellow college student intervene when she acts strange in class, and they are able to rescue her and help her to start a new life at a shelter. Sarah is also introduced to Unbridled, a horse therapy center for troubled girls, where she bonds with a stubborn horse. However, when he mother’s boyfriend comes back for revenge, will she be able to survive?
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Though the production of Unbridled begins somewhat rough, it definitely demonstrates care and effort. There is some shaky camera work throughout the film, likely for dramatic effect. However, video quality is fine, and audio quality gets better as the film goes on. Sets, locations, and props are excellently constructed and utilized. There are some slight ministry ‘product placements’ throughout, but it means well. One caveat to raise in this production is the very awkward editing throughout. Some scenes lag on too long, while others are cut short. Still other scenes appear to be unneeded. However, despite the issues, this is a great beginning production for the Moving Visions team.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
As this storyline is based on true events of real people’s struggles, it definitely has its share of positives. One of these is its excellent use of underlying philosophy that is manifested in well-crafted dialogue. Thus, this creates believable characters who have unfortunately realistic struggles. There is also a great portrayal of trauma and mental health in this film, as well good research on the under-explored world of horse therapy. However, this plot also has its share of drawbacks. These include some cheesy horse story elements and a lot of unnecessary sidebars and rabbit trails that are underdeveloped. There are also some concerning plot holes and a lot of scenes that have been read into very much in order to be fully understood. Thus, some organization of this otherwise good content was definitely in order. However, it is still likely worth your time to see if only for the good cause of the film.
Acting Quality (2 points)
The acting and casting of this film is somewhat of a mixed bag, as it contains many familiar faces of Christian film. For one, Eric Roberts is just too much, even though he is appropriately cast as a creeper. Jenn Gotzon-Chandler is awkward at first, but she gets better as she goes; the same can be said for Rachel Hendrix. T. C. Stallings is always good, but he has his moments of over-playing. Tea McKay is a great lead and has a lot of promise for the future. On the whole, this is an above-average effort that shows great potential for the future.
Conclusion
Unbridled is a rare caused-based film that is worth recommending because it presents a real issue in a way that is not extremely obvious. The creators of this film clearly knew how to portray real people and their struggles. However, a series of rookie errors kept this film from being all that it could be. Nonetheless, this is certainly not something that will hold them back in the future, as we believe they will get better as they continue on. With a few production tweaks and an improved story presentation, the Moving Visions team is going to go great places in the future.
Betsy Simon is a struggling children’s author who wants more out of life. After her work is rejected again, she complains to God that He never answers the prayers she wants Him to answer. However, this complaint triggers some unforeseen and unwanted consequences as Betsy suddenly finds herself in a world where God answered every prayer she ever prayed. While it seems good at first, Betsy soon finds that not all is as it seems and quickly looks for a way out, but finds none. Will she be able to return to the life God has for her before it’s too late?
Production Quality (2 points)
As a newer production, Heavens to Betsy is an improvement over the previous effort in Angels in Our Midst. This includes good video quality and camera work. However, there are some cheesy sound effects, as well as a generic ‘silly’ soundtrack. There are also some odd background sounds in some scenes, as well as randomly cutoff audio at random times. Nonetheless, sets, locations, and props are great and appropriate. The editing is mostly okay, but this story basically writes itself, so not much effort is needed. On the whole, this is, for the most part, what a modern Christian production should look like.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
In the beginning, Heavens to Betsy is a ridiculously forced comedy that is trying way too hard to be funny. This is evident in the very cheesy comedy elements and the forced dialogue that causes the characters to be one-dimensional and even mindless at times. Besides this, the premise is based on the predictable wish-comes-true-in-alternate-reality-to-remind-protaganist-they-don’t-like-that-idea-anymore storyline. This predictable convention is coupled with a cheap Christian message in the beginning, yet it becomes more meaningful as the movie progresses and even ends with a slightly interesting lesson that is based on a partially creative idea. Though this story gets better in the end due to some unexpected turns, it is still too little too late as the beginning of the film is likely to lose a lot of viewers before they get to this point. However, the effort is commendable.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Like the plot, the acting begins as awkward, unsure, and trying way too hard to be funny. Lines and emotions come off as overly practiced in the beginning. However, there is improvement after the middle point of the film as there are some better, more well-acted moments. Thus, this rounds out an almost-average film.
Conclusion
Believe it or not, Heavens to Betsy, especially the second half, is an idea that is worth remaking or redoing in some way. While the premise has been used before, transposing unanswered prayers into it gives it more than just a ‘Christian spin,’ even though it can come off that way at times. This is a pertinent issue that needs to be explored in a far better forum, preferably not in a comedy. Regardless, Christian film makers need to continue to shed their ‘silly’ or ‘cute’ image, and this film doesn’t really do its part on this front.
When a group of teens, under the prompting of a college student, becomes involved in illegial drug use, the community is rocked after one of them overdoses herself into a coma. The police are pressured to find the culprit, but the kids run and hide, except for one brave Christian boy (who was at the drug party that night for some reason) who wants to help his friends (?). As family is being torn apart by destructive choices, only the power of God can save them from themselves.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
The UnMiracle (strange title indeed) is an extremely unique film in many ways. For starters, the beginning of this film is a different sort of experience, mostly due to some strange and dizzying special effects. There is also some shaky camera work for drama’s sake. Also, at first, there is some weird audio quality and odd sound effects, as well as some strange lighting in some scenes. However, for the most part, these quirks improve throughout to make for a mostly average production. Video quality is relatively stable throughout, and the soundtrack is at least creative in some ways. Though the editing can be confusing at times, this production is basically fine and just needs a little tune-up.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
From the get go, The UnMiracle has a clear agenda that is pushed through obvious dialogue and messaging. While there are many pertinent and realistic issues portrayed here, they are not presented very well. The characters are very flawed, which is great, but they tend to only be one-dimensional in order to represent the issues that are being pushed here. At first, there are some strange undertones to the film that are mostly driven by the creepy Stephen Baldwin narration. It seems like sometimes this film is trying to tell us something deeper that it never quite conveys properly. Yet these cryptic factors are not all bad, as they also include some intriguing psychological elements, as well as a relatively fair portrayal of mental health issues, even though it could use a little deepening. But this does not make up for the confusing and disorienting sequences throughout, as well as the trite and simplistic approach to problems and the very easy fixing of characters’ struggles by throwing Bible verses at them. There are also tons of characters and subplots here with very little focus. Thus, there is too much going on that needs severe organization, yet there it still potential even in all of the confusion.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
With Kevin Sorbo and Stephen Baldwin pulling Eric Roberts roles (very brief and small appearances) in this film, the remainder of the cast is hard to figure. For one, there is a lot of strange and loud makeup throughout. At first, a lot of the acting is unsure and amateurish and even lethargic and passive at times. The drug acting is odd and needs work. However, emotions are mostly realistic, and there is concerted improvement throughout, which is enough to make this an average score.
Conclusion
This film is mostly a hot mess and needs a major remake or rework. It could potentially be a series if done properly. But this would mean serious acting coaching (and possible re-casting), way more focus in the storyline, fewer ‘fancy’ production tricks, and some education and research on mental health and substance abuse issues. In the end, it could be done, and this creative team has some potential, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with next.
John works too hard as a doctor and never leaves time to be with his family, but the sudden death of his father at Christmastime forces him and his family, along with his extended family, to slow down and focus on what’s really important. But getting back together also brings back old memories and reopens old wounds from the past. John will have to wrestle with his old bitterness in order to face the future in a better way.
Production Quality (.5 point)
From the dizzying opening sequence to the end of the film, this production uses a strange amount of skycam footage as the camera constantly moves around, even during scenes. While video quality is okay, it is really the only good element of this film. Many of the scenes utilize extremely natural lighting, and the sets are strange and filled with tons of Christmas decorations and prominently displayed Catholic imagery. There aren’t really any locations to speak of. Audio quality, for the most part, is overdriven, and the soundtrack is a generic holiday one. Basically this is a very poor production, but unfortunately, the negative does not stop there.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Filled with trite Christian dialogue, Coming Home is extremely shallow yet still is very heavy with message-pushing. This is not a good combination. The characters are either very flat or bizarre, thus creating a lot of unintentional comedy. Besides these obvious errors, there are plenty of Christmas clichés throughout this plot, and it really does not have a clear purpose. It is a character-driven plot, yet the characters totally drop the ball due to very bad dialogue. While there might be a good idea in here somewhere, it really does not come through at all. The presentation is all wrong, which causes this section to not produce any points.
Acting Quality (0 points)
Much like the plot and characters, the cast members also come off as very bland and dry. Lines are very robotic and are at times mumbled. Emotions are blank and stone-faced. Also, a lot of the makeup is poor throughout. In the end, there is really very little good to say about this movie.
Conclusion
First-time films are hard to pull off most times, but there are definitely ways to make the job easier for yourself. One way to do this is to make the plot very engaging through realistic characters and accessible dialogue. You can also do this by having a really good background idea that drives the movie and by making sure it is presented well. You can also work on assisting your cast to not come off so boring. Yet unfortunately, Coming Home does none of this, thus leaving us with a poorly created film.
When Madison’s mother dies tragically, she is left with the custody of her special needs brother, Sam. She had tried to escape from him by striking out of her own because she felt jealous of the attention he received, but now they are forced to live together. However, Madison’s landlord takes an interest in Sam and takes him under his wing. Together, the three of them learn about God’s love for every person, regardless of their needs.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Much like their freshman project The Return, Salty Earth Productions appears to mean well with most things they do. This is a mostly average production, and it sports good video quality. However, there is some odd lighting in parts, especially in the flashbacks. Sometimes camera work is too stationary, and sets, props, and locations tend to be limited and cheap-looking. However, there is production improvement throughout, especially with the outside scenes. Yet the soundtrack is sometimes too loud and there one too many musical montages. Also, there are unnecessary fades and cumbersome transitions sprinkled throughout. However, this production is overall good enough to be average.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
Much like The Return, The Open Door is based on a good, well-meaning idea that doesn’t really follow through or completely deliver. Most of the time, the storyline is too vague and underwhelming. The plot is too muted, slow, and drab. It is also extremely simplistic—concepts are portrayed in slightly juvenile fashions at times. Since this is a character-based plot, and since there are few characters, they need to be developed through more meaningful dialogue. However, the flashbacks and psychological elements utilized throughout are interesting, yet they are not enough to really hold the attention. In the end, this is another nice try, but not good enough.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
With a similar cast to The Return, these cast members in this film appear to mean well, even though they tend to be awkward. Too many lines are forced and too many emotions come off as very unnatural. Yet there are enough good moments here to make this an average contribution.
Conclusion
The Salty Earth team is showing some improvement, and they do continue to show attempts to portray real people. It’s possible that this cast could be better with more upgraded coaching, yet they need some way better lines to work with. A character-based plot like this one needs to contain very deep and complex characters, especially since there are so few of them. But unfortunately, this sort of film is hard to come by in the Christian industry.
Dorothy Thorp is an 88-year-old widow who is tired of just existing in her home and waiting to die while the doctors slowly prescribe more pills for her. Thus, she decides it’s time for her to take a road trip back to her hometown to make peace with her past. Though her worried neighbors and daughter try to deter her, Doroth stubbornly decides to go ahead with the trip. She knows God is with her no matter what and she is surprised about the people she is able to meet along the way.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
It’s clear from beginning to end that the Pruitts and their team are committed to high quality production. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all what they should be. The soundtrack is also appropriate and intriguing. Sets, locations, and props are also well-constructed and used. The only issue to raise here, as is common in independent films, pertains to some small editing concerns due to some lagging scenes. However, regardless of this, The Tree has a very respectable production that shows great promise for the future.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
Since this story is based on true events, it is obvious that care was taken to make these characters realistic and believable. Though things start off a bit slow, time is taken to establish things without the use of narration, so this is a plus. Similarly, there is not much dialogue throughout, but the small amount therein is quite good and shows that effort has been put into it. However, there are a few too many asides that go under-developed, and the story overall needs more scope and deepening. Yet this is a great start and demonstrates an ability to connect with the lives of real people and to depict this on screen.
Acting Quality (3 points)
Though this is an ‘amateur’ cast, there are virtually no errors present here, which speaks to good acting coaching. There are no flaws to point out as emotions are all believable and authentic. Line delivery is on point as less is more. Overall, this rounds out a job well done.
Conclusion
The Pruitts and their team have already set themselves apart in the indie landscape by being committed to quality and by doing the best they can with what they have. These are the types of film makers that should and can receive better funding when the time is right. When that time comes, it will be exciting to see what they can do, because being able to depict real-life people properly in a film is very difficult yet worthwhile to do.
Ben and Cricket and their friends make up The Fix It Boys, a group of boys determined to make things that were once broken working again—at least over the summer break. Together, they hide in their forest getaway and think up ways to make the world better. However, when a friend of theirs asks them to make her parents’ marriage fixed again, they don’t have any answers for her, and they also don’t know what to think about the faith that she never lets go of.
Production Quality (2.5 points)
As a 2017 production, this is an understandably professional production. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all what they should be. The soundtrack is a bit underwhelming at times. Sets, locations, and props are all well-constructed and appropriate for the film. Though there are some minor editing concerns, this is still a great production and is of a type of quality that we need to see more of consistently in all Christian films.
Plot and Storyline Quality (0 points)
However, the good production does nothing to help the floundering plot quality. The first half is dominated by narration that stunts character growth and leaves nothing to chance. But even after this is over, nothing useful as accomplished as the impossible-to-access characters wander around in the forest and sit around and talk with quirky dialogue. With no clear direction or purpose, this film boils down to a silly kids so-called comedy that’s full of awkward and forced humor that falls flat. The premise is too juvenile and under-developed to go anywhere. In the end, it’s very unclear what is meant by this film, but it’s hard to believe it was even made.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
With a cast composed mostly of child\teenager actors and actresses, the performances are inconsistent. There are some bright spots, but there is also a lot of forced line delivery and emotional delivery. Some cast members seem bored and appeared to be phoning in their performances. However, there is improvement throughout, making this section at least average.
Conclusion
It’s great to be able to pull off a professional production and halfway decent acting, but if you have no real idea to work with in your plot, then what’s the point? Films like this one look good on the surface, but they will have zero impact because they have no purpose or direction. Unfortunately, this is basically just another silly ‘nice try’ Christian movie that will be forgotten in roughly six months.
Jenny and Autumn were best friends growing up, but life took them different directions. Jenny is now a Christian, working as a hospice nurse. One day, her path once again crosses with Autumn’s as she is assigned her as a hospice case, which she had to refuse. However, Jenny still goes to visit Autumn since she feels guilty about leaving her behind. Jenny wants to save Autumn before it’s too late, but she will have to learn that only God can save people.
Production Quality (1.5 points)
It’s probably not the best idea to make two movies in one year. This puts a strain on the creative team, and it shows up in the production. Though video quality, camera work, and audio quality are okay in Redemption Way, the soundtrack is basically pedestrian and the lighting is too inconsistent. Sets and locations are quite limited as well. Furthermore, the editing is quite bad as there are some very long and lagging scenes that pump the film’s run time. It is extremely difficult for this movie to hold the attention for this reason. However, this is a first-time production shows some slight potential for the future.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
While there is a good idea behind this film, it is certainly not communicated well at all. Everything is too drab and dour. I would say it’s melodramatic, but then again, it’s just not dramatic at all. The messaging is too dry and simplistic as the story plays out like a long funeral. It is difficult to relate to the struggles of the characters because they are so one-dimensional and because the plot is so narrow-minded. The dialogue is also very dour and pedestrian; thus, it is not inspiring. There are no twists and turns—just one long and sad story that fails to connect with the audience. In the future, this team needs to work on making their plots more engaging.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Though the acting shows potential and though the cast members are certainly trying, their performances are just too overly practiced and robotic to be dynamic. Some care was given to line delivery, but believable emotions are almost non-existent. Basically, the acting is too textbook and not natural enough, but there are enough good moments to keep this section average.
Conclusion
This film really contains an incomplete idea that needs deepening, especially since grief plots are already quite hard to do. It can be easy for plots like this one to fall into the slog that it fell into. In order to understand what the characters of this plot are going through, we need to be able to connect with them as people. Also, the cast members need to be coached to be more interesting, yet they also need better lines to help them out. In the end, this film is mostly just a rough start, so it is possible that this team could improve down the road.
You never know when the Rapture might happen…it might just happen on a Sunday morning when a long-winded pastor is preaching about how Christians can escape all the current and coming evil. This story follows a whole bunch of random people that go to this particular church as some of them live for the Lord while others pretend to. When that moment comes…some of them will be…left behind (oops wrong movie).
Production Quality (1.5 points)
Surprisingly, this awful film has a somewhat decent production, certainly a better one than its cousin Final: The Rapture. The production of Sunday Morning Rapture is mostly average, with fine video quality and camera work. However, the soundtrack is quite overpowering at times, as are weird sound effects. There are also some bizarre special effects, even though the sets, locations, and props are mostly okay. Furthermore, the editing is very disorienting and off-putting, but one can’t expect much from another strange apocalyptic concept. Yet all of this aside, the remainder of the film’s elements are just awful.
Plot and Storyline Quality (-1 points)
Besides this ‘plot’ being a random collection of schizophrenically presented scenes that have little to no relation to one another, the film is chock-full of very heavy-handed juvenile message-pushing about obvious Rapture beliefs and apocalyptic concepts. Dialogue is very in-your-face as it feels like the characters are just reading lines from a John Hagee book. If this wasn’t bad enough, this movie progressively more insane as it goes on, jumping from Latin American and South Korean media coverage of sudden Rapture-induced natural disasters to people who were left behind literally screeching and rolling around on the floor of the church (without Benny Hinn even present). Basically, it’s an experience you have to see to believe. What we can’t believe is how these sorts of drug-laced Christian films are continually generated.
Acting Quality (-1 points)
As you can expect, the acting that accompanies to sheer madness is extreme and over the top in every way. Line delivery is very forced and eventually just becomes screeching, yelling, and wailing. Thus, the performances are extremely theatrical and overly dramatic, and cap off an overall embarrassing experience.
Conclusion
This is 2017, and Christian moves like this are still FUNDED and created. What was the pitch for this film? ‘Our church needs to make a movie about a Rapture that takes place on a Sunday.’ It sounds okay on its face…if we need another apocalyptic film, that is. But then to couple this with downright insanity is highly unacceptable. You have to try to make a film this bad, hence the negative rating.
Dr. Solomon Harkins is the rising atheist star bent on destroying the faith of many because of a personal tragedy he endured that tore his family apart. However, one night while driving drunk, he wrecks his car and has a near-death experience that rocks his worldview and alters his life’s course. Will he be able to grapple with the new reality he has experienced or will he turn his back on God forever?
Production Quality (2.5 points)
Because Sean Hannity has put his money behind this film, its production quality is almost automatically professional. Video quality, camera work, and audio quality are all flawless. However, the original soundtrack is a bit much at times. Nonetheless, sets, locations, and props are all realistic, adequate, and appropriate. Everything demonstrates great funding and execution—the only nitpicks to raise here pertain to some minor editing concerns, as the film is presented in a choppy fashion. But in the end, this film goes to show what funding can do to even the worst of Christian films.
Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)
Unfortunately, big money from a Fox News personality means big message-pushing from that personality’s unusual worldview. Though there is a tiny amount of potential in this film, it is quickly squashed by Sean Hannity’s ego and his attempts to combat ISIS with a cellphone app. Dialogue is mostly absurd as characters are required to make a certain number of ISIS references, not to mention advertise Sean Hannity’s ratings. Besides this, there is too much of a strawman-atheist-has-a-conversion feel to this film and the character arcs are way too steep for reality. Though there could have been something to this, it just boils down to a hair-brained idea thought up in the Fox News echo chamber. This is pandering at its finest.
Acting Quality (1.5 points)
Though this cast is mostly professional, it is hurt by over the top theatrics and forced emotional sequences, especially Kevin Sorbo doing his best David A. R. White as an atheist impression. Granted, some of these lines leave the cast members hamstrung with no hope of making anything good out of it (“Like a selfie for God”). Overall, the Sorbos do a decent job with this, and it’s great to see them star opposite each other for once.
Conclusion
What is one to do with Sean Hannity? Struggling film makers need his money to make their films great again, but with money comes long strings attached. We believe that the original idea of this film meant well—before Fox News product-placed it to death. This is the age-old dilemma of Christian films (and ministries for that matter). But money or no money, an idea as absurd as a cellphone app that hijacks your phone’s flashlight feature in order to combat ISIS (even in North Korea!) should never, ever be placed on the big screen.
As Sarah is dying of cancer, she makes her oldest son, Drew, promise to take his younger brother back to the hometown they had once escaped from. Drew reluctantly agrees and is forced to reconnect with the brother he doesn’t know very well in order to return and find what his mother wanted him to look for: redemption. The problem is, once he’s back home, Drew begins to remember everything he wanted to forget—especially the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father. Will he be able to grapple with his past in order to find hope for the future?
Production Quality (2.5 points)
As production newcomers on the Christian film scene, Spencer T. Folmar and the Third Brother Films team are already making waves. In Generational Sins, they have demonstrated that they definitely know what they are doing. Video quality is crisp and camera work is creative. Audio quality has no issues and the soundtrack is very intriguing and thought-provoking. Sets, locations, and props are well-invested in and well-constructed. The only errors in this production pertain to some small editing issues, but on the whole, this is a top-notch effort that should continually yield great results in the future.
Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)
It’s clear that the Third Brother team wanted to do something different with this movie, and it’s completely fine to create ‘edgy’ content in Christian movies for the purpose of demonstrating true redemption. However, it’s another matter to jump head-long into a typical secular film script and completely overuse profanity and expletives. While it’s true that this is realistic for the people portrayed, it doesn’t exactly convey the message that I think the writers are trying to convey here. The characters are definitely realistic—maybe too realistic—yet the dialogue suffers for creativity. The circumstances portrayed in this film can definitely be related to by an unfortunate amount of people, yet they are not entirely handled well. There is too much brooding darkness in this movie with very little redemption. Even the redemption that is offered seems cheap and just for the sake of tacking it on at the end. On the whole, this plot is somewhat predictable, and it’s not helped by the free-flowing expletives, yet there is a ton of potential here if it’s honed properly.
Acting Quality (2.5 points)
Though this cast is made of people not well known in most circles, they do a fine job with what they have been given. Most of them assume their roles appropriately and deliver their lines adequately. The only issues to point out here pertain to some extreme emotions that seem to be overplaying a lot. However, this section contributes to a respectable effort.
Conclusion
The last thing we needed was a cheap Christian movie about happy plastic white people, so at least Folmar and crew steered clear of that mold. But perhaps in reaction to this caricature, they have gone too far in the opposite direction. Yet despite this movie’s too-honest raw nature, there is still a lot of potential here that, if used in a healthy and redemptive way, could take the Christian movie field by storm. If we have honest, raw, edgy films like this one that have a palatable amount of ‘realistic’ content, then Christian film makers can change the world.
Box Office Revolution 