Jesus’ teachings about helping those in need are constant throughout Scripture.

Heaven Is for Real is the fourth Bible-based/faith-based film this year to reach blockbuster status (the previous three were Son of God, Noah, and God’s Not Dead). The success of these films indicates that there is a huge evangelical Christian audience out there looking for films that will support their faith, promoting a belief in Jesus, God, or heaven. Of the four films, only Noah was not endorsed by evangelical leaders, but its high-profile actors, awesome special effects, and violent action scenes ensured a large mainstream audience.Todd’s crisis of faith is the film’s biggest strength, and Kinnear, who is perfectly […]

Topic RecordsIt is a treat to hear these traditional tunes preserved with such care.

Writer’s note: When Michelle Sinclair went on maternity leave we temporarily lost our blockbuster/sci fi/superhero stalwart. Michelle used to have the slot the week before me and my hunch is that she would have written about Captain America: Winter Soldier last week. So I’m channeling my inner Michelle this week on the latest Marvel Comic movie, and latest in the Avengers series.Walt Disney Company’s movie strategy these days is to scoop up well-known brands and release a movie from one of these entities every quarter. The company paid $4 billion for Lucasfilm, another $4 billion for the Marvel Cinematic Universe […]

A t-shirt memorial to 201 victims of gun violence in Philadelphia last year. (MCC photo/Agnes Chen)

As more and more films come out based on the “true stories” of people, we encounter the disconnect between appearance and reality and search for a nugget of truth we can take away.Watch such movies with the understanding that they cannot tell the whole story… and learn more of that story.

Despite limiting himself to a unique genre of quirky, intelligent, and surreal comedy dramas, Wes Anderson has become one of the best filmmakers of the 21st century. The Grand Budapest Hotel may be his greatest film yet and is by far my favorite film of 2014 thus far (though it’s early).“There are still faint glimmers of civilization left in this barbaric slaughterhouse that was once known as humanity.”

May we better heed Jesus’ call to love our neighbors as we seek shalom in the public policy of our nation.

Red House RecordsWhile we would expect the music to be darker, there is a great deal of hope fluttering out of these meanderings.