Road to Emmaus [2010] (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

After the death of Jesus, two men were on the road to Emmaus when they were suddenly met by a (perfect?) stranger Who appeared both know little about recent events and yet know so much about the Jewish Law and Prophets.  As the (perfect) stranger talked with them, they became hopeful over what He had to say, but they had no idea that their encounter (lol) with Him would change their lives forever.

 

Production Quality (2 points)

Beginning with recycled footage from The Visual Bible: Matthew, Road to Emmaus is essentially an add-on to The Visual Bible saga.  As such, the production is relatively the same, except the constantly moving camera work that gets dizzying at times.  Otherwise, video quality, audio quality, and soundtrack are all fairly standard.  Sets, locations, and props demonstrate the usual attempts at authenticity.  There are some abrupt cuts that keep the editing from being all that it could be, but Road to Emmaus is generally another above-average production.

Plot and Storyline Quality (1 point)

While this is an interesting idea for a short film since this is a Biblical story that often receives little attention, it is still just a short film, unfortunately.  As such, it employs unnecessary narration that is not in the typical word-for-word model, as well as information-heavy dialogue that doesn’t help to build the characters and mostly tries to force the plot along.  The conversations therein are too obvious and push an obvious message rather than letting the characters try to naturally develop as real people.  It would have been more interesting, in my opinion, to frame the entire Gospel story into this one story through the use of flashbacks, but that would have required a feature length film.  For the most part, this rendition of Road to Emmaus is fine, even if it has a below average plot.

Acting Quality (2 points)

Like The Visual Bible: Matthew, Road to Emmaus has mostly fine acting, even though the cast is not completely culturally authentic.  However, emotions and line delivery are good, even though they tend to be slightly over-practiced at times.  There are some slightly theatrics, and Marchiano is not in his better role in this film, but costuming to good, and there are enough positive elements to make this section above average.

Conclusion

As previously mentioned, the story of the road to Emmaus could have been more effectively utilized as a present-day anchor for flashbacks to other aspects of the Gospel as Jesus explains the Law and the Prophets to the two travelers.  However, as this rendition is, it mainly just feels like a tack-on where it could have been the main thing.  Perhaps another film maker will remake it in the future.

 

Final Rating: 5 out of 10 points

 

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February 12, 2018January 1, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Biblical, Historical, Movie ReviewsTags: 2010, Bible, Biblical, Boettcher/Trinklein Productions, Bruce Marchiano, Christian Art Media, Darren Elliot Fulsher, Dave Kehl, five points, Guy Holling, Historical, John Braun, Kristie Cooper, Michael Landers, Mike Trinklein, Simon Jon Provan, Steve Boettcher, The Visual Bible, Vision Video Gateway Films, Visual International Leave a comment

Come Follow Me [2013] (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

When Jesus called Peter to follow Him, Peter never thought he would experience what he experienced.  Jesus called Peter to follow Him no matter what, but Peter faltered at the darkest hour of Jesus’ earthly ministry.  Peter could not understand why Jesus was allowing Himself to be overpowered by evil, so he took matters into his own hands and found himself fallen away was Jesus was taken captive.  However, Jesus gave Peter a second chance after His Resurrection and led Peter to change the world for the sake of Christ.

 

Production Quality (2 points)

As a short film with a loose association to The Visual Bible, Come Follow Me is almost an afterthought, even though the production is mostly good.  Video quality, camera work, and audio are all on par with what they should be, even if the soundtrack is a bit odd a times.  There are some random bouts of odd lighting, but the sets, locations, and props demonstrate a lot of attempts at authenticity.  There are also some intermittent sequences of slow motion, and the editing is somewhat choppy, but on the whole, this production is good enough to be above average.

Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)

Although Come Follow Me is not a word-for-word rendition of the story, there is still unnecessary narration presented.  However, not being tied to the word-for-word model helps to develop the characters better, even though they could still use some deepening through more substantial dialogue.  It is good to see a portrayal of different aspects of familiar stories, even if some parts are overly dramatic.  As previously mentioned, this short version of the story of Peter is a bit rushed as it comes off as choppy and even flat at times.  It tends to only hit the high points, even though this could have been a feature length film, as there is plenty of Peter content to work with in the historical accounts.  Thus, this section can’t warrant very many points.

Acting Quality (1.5 points)

Unlike his original performances in The Visual Bible, Bruce Marchiano shows his darkly dramatic side in Come Follow Me, which is off-putting.  Other cast members also tend to be too dramatic and theatrical in their performances.  On the bright side, costuming is fine, and there are some attempts at cultural authenticity, even though this is not consistent throughout.  In the end, however, this film comes off a mediocre and forgettable.

Conclusion

There was a lot of untapped potential left at the table when it came to this film.  There are plenty of Peter movies on the market, but we could use one that truly captures Peter as a real person who can be related to by many.  The Bible and other historical accounts have plenty of content on Peter to use, so it’s up to a responsible film maker to use them well.

 

Final Rating: 4 out of 10 points

 

February 10, 2018January 1, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Biblical, Historical, Movie ReviewsTags: 2013, 4 points, Bible, Biblical, Boettcher/Trinklein Productions, Bruce Marchiano, Dave Kehl, Emilio Doorgasingh, Historical, Jeffrey Porter, John Braun, Mike Hinz, Mike Trinklein, Neil Vanides, Paul Hartman, Ricardo de Herrera, Simon Jon Provan, Steve Boettcher, The Visual Bible, Visual International 1 Comment

The Open Door [2017] (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

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.

 

Final Rating: 2.5 out of 10 points

 

https://vimeo.com/191292401

November 4, 2017January 3, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Inspirational, Movie ReviewsTags: 2017, 3 points, Bethany Provan, Curt Backlund, David Ruprecht, Elizabeth M. Zambo, Eric Mohr, Inspirational, Jessica M. Zambo, Joel Gaertner, Joyce Beglinger, Karen Erdmann, Karl Schlueter, Kelly Zierath, Laura Backlund, Mark Erdmann, Marva Schlueter, Megan Ann Jacobs, Michael Jeske, Michael Westendorf, Rachel Backlund, Rachel M. Williams, Rick Richter, Salty Earth Pictures, Simon Jon Provan, Steven F. Zambo, William Beglinger 2 Comments

The Return [2015] (Movie Review)

Plot Summary

Leah of Nod is a thief and has never known anything else.  she spends her days stealing from unsuspecting villagers.  She is being controlled by the evil Dybbuk and doesn’t think she can get out.  But one day, a huntsman named Yadid comes to town and Leah meets him.  He is unlike any man she has ever met and he treats her different than Dybbuk treats her.  But when Leah is accused of wrongdoing and sentenced to death, who will stand up for her?

 

Production Quality (.5 point)

With an obvious low budget, the production of The Return is quite cheap, although it seems like it’s the best the team could have done with what they had.  Camera work and video quality are almost passable, but the audio quality is quite bad.  The soundtrack is too loud at times and is too generic.  Though this allegory relies on the quality of its sets, props, and locations, these elements are very cheap and drag the movie down.  Finally, the editing is very unprofessional, with awkward cuts and transitions that make for a choppy presentation.  In the end, since this genre required a more substantial budget, it might have been a better idea to not try to force it to happen with limited resources.

Plot and Storyline Quality (.5 point)

Allegories are always interesting, and it’s refreshing to have a movie from a different genre, but The Return is somewhat simplistic and even childish at times.  The scope and premise are very limited and there are far too few characters.  The small number of characters only highlights the fact that the dialogue is extremely empty and cheesy.  There are too many allegorical concepts that are isolating and need better explanation.  These ideas also need further expansion and development in order to be more substantial.  They are not effective because they are too shallow, thus rendering the allegory almost pointless.  The ending is also confusing and isolating.  In the end, The Return is a nice idea but is greatly short-sighted and underdeveloped.

Acting Quality (.5 point)

While is some potential in this cast, they seem quite amateurish and need further coaching.  It seems like they mean well, but they are misguided.  There are too many awkward moments and emotions.  Line delivery random.  Overall, this cast definitely would have benefitted from substantial coaching.

Conclusion

The Return is a half-idea that needed a lot more deepening before it was allowed to go into production.  With a very limited budget and an incomplete concept, more time needed to be given to this project before it was forced into creation.  Allegorical films can be very powerful tools if used properly, but without careful planning, like in the case of The Return, it can become a big disappointment.  There is absolutely a place for this type of film in the Christian entertainment industry, but it must be done properly.  Perhaps in the future, this will happen.

 

Final Rating: 1.5 out of 10 points

 

May 5, 2017January 9, 2019 by Box Office Revolutionary Categories: Fantasy, Movie ReviewsTags: 1.5 points, 2015, Abigail Gerdes, Allegory, Baxter Colburn, Charlie Hohenstien, Dan Kunz, David Ruprecht, Elizabeth M. Zambo, Fantasy, Frank Datzer, Heather Ricks, Jeffrey Schallert, Jessica M. Zambo, Karen Erdmann, Ken T. Williams, Mark Erdmann, Marva Schlueter, Matt Koester, Paul Leverence, Rebecca Eicksteadt, Salty Earth Pictures, Simon Jon Provan, Steven F. Zambo, Vicky Kunz 1 Comment