The Next Sherwood Movie

[Buzz]

The movies just keep getting better! First was FlyWheel... Pretty bad. Old, not edited well, and very cheesy. Then came Facing The Giants. Okay. Still a little corny but not terrible. Good story. Then came Fireproof. Good. Pretty good actors, minus some. Interesting and entertaining, but still a little cheesy. Then came Courageous..... Great! Good story, good acting, good plotline, it was great! It was meaningful and wasn't rushed, and clever and thought out.

I bet the next movie they make will be awesome!

[Shennifer]

I saw this movie in theaters over Christmas break with my dad It was a great movie, and though I wish that there could've been a whole other side story about some of the cops, I liked what they did with all of them. Touching, inspiring and not only did it make me appreciate my own dad, but on a different note, made me want to wait for a guy who will be a good dad to my future kids.

Anyway, they do keep getting better and better, and I look forward to the next one!

[Lee]

I got to see the first half of this on the bus trip home from DC in January. I was really disappointed not to get to see the whole thing. Could someone maybe give me a recap? I saw up to the point where Javier was riding with the police officers. It looked like it had the potential to be fantastic though.

[The Top Crusader]

I didn't really care for it. It had a good message, but definitely had problems. They tried to shove in too many unrelated plots, for one thing. They should have either cut some stuff or done a better job integrating them. The first half of the movie is focused a lot on Javier...then... he basically vanishes except you see him at church.

Also, it was laughably bad (which if its laughable, maybe thats good?) that when they had the one cop dude stealing stuff from the evidence locker, and catch him, they are like, "OH NO MAN, YOU SIGNED THAT PAPER!!!! HOW COULD YOU!!!???" I mean their little pledge thing was nice but I would be more concerned with the law and not thinking about a paper they signed at church at that moment. The implications were obvious enough, the viewer could figure out that the guy wasn't following his vow thing without the other cops immediately reacting about it in the exact moment they find out he is committing a terrible crime and has ruined his life.

Fireproof is probably my favorite still. It wasn't perfect but was the best done overall.

[jelly]

There were a few moments in Courageous that really stand out as excellent, and I commend Sherwood for those moments!

Otherwise... overall, it was mostly a bad film. Not bad as in "lulz the acting sucked blah blah", but bad as in overly forced. There's a very, very fine art of subtlety that needs to be grasped if you want to communicate a message effectively. The scene at the end where the guy's literally standing at a podium and preaching made me blurt out an exasperated sigh. You don't do that kind of thing if you're trying to effectively communicate a point! There are so many moments when the film simply insults the intelligence of the viewer. Sherwood needs to understand the potential of film as an art form capable of touching lives of people everywhere, and not merely a sermon illustration that only appeals to anyone with a strictly Pentecostal upbringing.

They're definitely getting "better" at making films in terms of technical standards, but the films themselves won't improve until they adjust their tried-and-tired formula for storytelling.

[American Eagle]

There were a few moments in Courageous that really stand out as excellent, and I commend Sherwood for those moments!

Kudos to you for finally saying something kind about Sherwood.

There's a very, very fine art of subtlety that needs to be grasped if you want to communicate a message effectively. The scene at the end where the guy's literally standing at a podium and preaching made me blurt out an exasperated sigh. You don't do that kind of thing if you're trying to effectively communicate a point! There are so many moments when the film simply insults the intelligence of the viewer. Sherwood needs to understand the potential of film as an art form capable of touching lives of people everywhere, and not merely a sermon illustration that only appeals to anyone with a strictly Pentecostal upbringing.

Courageous was aimed at church-going Christians. Why is a scene in a church service inappropriate? I think the scene worked on a lot of levels; he was speaking in front of a lot of men, therefore "spreading The Revolution" to the masses; a church scene gives a familiar feel to the viewer, because most of the fathers watching the movie have been in church for most of their lifetime; most specifically, the scene allowed Alex Kendrick to yell the final lines of the movie. I can still remember them. "Where are you men of courage? I'm looking for men to answer the call! To stand up and say, 'I will! I will!'" (That's from memory; it might not be exact.) That scene sent shivers down my spine and his words stick in my head today. Movies don't have to include dark, twisted fantasy to get the message across.

Also, Pentecostal what? I don't remember anything being Pentecostal and the movie is made by Baptists...

[jelly]

There were a few moments in Courageous that really stand out as excellent, and I commend Sherwood for those moments!

Kudos to you for finally saying something kind about Sherwood.

Of course. I actually don't even remember ever saying anything unreasonably negative about them in the past. I've always admired what they do. And the kind of powerful moment I'm talking about includes that moment when Alex Kendrick's character gets out of his car and starts dancing with his deceased daughter in his mind. That scene was masterfully created!

Courageous was aimed at church-going Christians. Why is a scene in a church service inappropriate?

I understand that, which is why it makes me sad that 'church-going Christians' apparently need to be as unintelligibly force-fed as this movie suggests that they do. Take, for example, some of the jokes found in Sherwood movies; it doesn't take a non-Christian to notice when the punch-line of a joke is being dragged on for too long. Often, the funniest moments are the ones that show you something unexpected and then instantly cut away. The more you start explaining the joke, the less funny it is anymore. I think everyone knows what I'm talking about here. In the same way, you literally deaden the impact of an illustration when you take the time to explain the whole concept of it to the audience, as if they somehow weren't intelligent enough to figure it out by themselves. Like at the very beginning of the film, the powerful opening sequence was quickly undermined in its significance when we suddenly find ourselves watching two other police officers verbally evaluate the ins and outs of the situation and it's potential consequences. I'm sorry, it doesn't matter who you are, you simply don't do that in when telling an effective story. Anyone with any intelligence already realizes the weight of the situation they just witnessed, and having it explained to them only makes it seem fake all the sudden, because in real life, not everything is turned into a sermon illustration.

You can defend these aspects all you like if you really wish to, but don't bother defending Courageous simply because you think I'm a snobbish liberal Christian who considers himself too good for 'Christian-made movies'. I'm simply a guy with a passion for good film, and I know when I see weaknesses that could be improved. As I already mentioned, the Kendricks did very well by several of those sequences. Their weakness was when they felt the unnecessary need to over-explain.

Here's a very informative article that gathers a list of reviews written by Christian film reviewers (it's unbiased, trust me)... http://theotherjournal.com/filmwell/201 ... ourageous/

Movies don't have to include dark, twisted fantasy to get the message across.

I never said they did. See, you're making assumptions about my movie tastes in defense of an overly-done Christian film.

edit: Here's a very relevant quote:

As usual, evangelical society has produced just another film that preaches to the choir and will be thrown into the church library as “acceptable” family entertainment for years to come. Heaven forbid we learn how to craft an actual artistic film that can present a moral message in the subtle, complex style of C..S. Lewis or J.R.R. Tolkien. But wait, C.S. Lewis was Anglican and Tolkien was a Catholic. Maybe it’s just not in the evangelical DNA to understand that there is more to making a good film than a sermon.

[Taps]

Man it was very good! In my book the best by them, making me: cry, laugh, and gasp from the funny, intense, and funny parts of this movie! Very inspiring.

9.5/10

^Pretty much this! Because I don't have to the time to post all the awesomeness right now.
(ecxept the part where he says funny twice...Taps?)

Err... oops. Well it was funny ok?

I never say any word twice in the same sentence, NEVER.

[Lee]

Did anyone see my above post? Or is everyone to lazy to write me a summary?

[jelly]

Did anyone see my above post? Or is everyone to lazy to write me a summary?

Let me Google that for you.

[American Eagle]

As I already mentioned, the Kendricks did very well by several of those sequences. Their weakness was when they felt the unnecessary need to over-explain.

I commend you for getting me to understand your view, and I do agree. I thought you were displeased solely by the fact that the final scene took place in a "religious" setting, and I never thought about over-explaining the message. Touché.

Movies don't have to include dark, twisted fantasy to get the message across.

I never said they did. See, you're making assumptions about my movie tastes in defense of an overly-done Christian film.

Your "Encounters in the Dark" blog give the impression that you only like Tim Burton and Alfred Hitchcock and David Fincher.

[The Top Crusader]

Jelly summed up my feelings better. I'm not a movie snob dude like Jelly but they tried to hard to hammer points across. And like the joke with the police captain was funny but they tried to show how annoyed everyone was by it too much. And again, lol at them catching the bad cop and being "NO THE PAPER WE SIGNED! AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!"

[Joy]

We have it on Blu-Ray! I'm not criticizing it, because a 10 year old doesn't have that critical of a view on stuff.

[Marvin D.]

^best. post. ever.

Thatisall.

[Joy]

Why exactly is it the best. post. ever. Even though I do have awesome posts.

[jelly]

Movies don't have to include dark, twisted fantasy to get the message across.

I never said they did. See, you're making assumptions about my movie tastes in defense of an overly-done Christian film.

Your "Encounters in the Dark" blog give the impression that you only like Tim Burton and Alfred Hitchcock and David Fincher.

Hey, my blog is ongoing process. Well I am a huge fan of David Fincher's films because of their spiritual depths, I don't care all that much for Tim Burton, and I'll take Terrence Malick over Alfred Hitchcock any day.

I mean... have you seen Tree of Life??

[American Eagle]

I mean... have you seen Tree of Life??

I haven't yet. That looks like the type of film I'll either love or hate. I've heard it's rather boring. Is it awful and boring, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or amazing and boring, like 12 Angry Men?

[Whitty Whit]

lol Courageous was Meh. I probably wouldn't take the initiative to watch it unless I'm bored kind of a movie. It wasn't epic like some movies I've watched which the titles escape me (but I do know they are epic! xD) Fireproof was better. Overall: 5/10
It may have had some good action scenes, but as Jelly pointed out, they tried to hard to promote their view. For some reason, when people like that do that type of stuff, it just makes watching it really awkward.

[jelly]

I mean... have you seen Tree of Life??

I haven't yet. That looks like the type of film I'll either love or hate. I've heard it's rather boring. Is it awful and boring, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or amazing and boring, like 12 Angry Men?

'Boring' is such a subjective term. If you're bored during a movie, it's hardly the movie's fault. Perhaps you should check the capacity of your attention span.

It has been compared to Space Odyssey because of some of its more artistic elements, but trust me when I say that it's far, far better. It opens with Job 38:4-7, and then proceeds to take you through a journey that depicts the creation of the universe and the childhood of a boy named Jack while subtly addressing the problem of sin and a fall from grace. At times it can seem very abstract and somewhat pretentious, but if you choose to experience it rather then simply view it, it has the potential to be a richly rewarding spiritual encounter. Tree of Life has real depth, and it's masterfully portrayed.

...and after you view it, you can read my blog post on it.

[American Eagle]

I mean... have you seen Tree of Life??

I haven't yet. That looks like the type of film I'll either love or hate. I've heard it's rather boring. Is it awful and boring, like 2001: A Space Odyssey, or amazing and boring, like 12 Angry Men?

'Boring' is such a subjective term. If you're bored during a movie, it's hardly the movie's fault. Perhaps you should check the capacity of your attention span.

Dude, watch this video and then say that.

...and after you view it, you can read my blog post on it.

It's in my watchlist. I'll let you know when I get around to watching it.