As We Forgive

Documentary
2010 / 54 min.
RATING: 8/10

In Rwanda, in 1994, the unimaginable happened: approximately one million Tutsi Rwandans were killed by their friends, neighbors and fellow church members. As much as fifteen per cent of the population was murdered in just three months. The enormous scale of the evil left the government unable to offer any sort of justice. The jails couldn’t hold the tens of thousands of perpetrators, so the government eventually ended up pardoning most of them, sending them back to their villages, and homes, where they would live right beside the surviving victims.

Justice was impossible. But what about forgiveness? Is forgiveness possible when sins are this monstrous? How does a man who has killed a girl’s father dare go to her to ask forgiveness? And how could she ever find the strength to offer him that forgiveness?

As We Forgive has received all sorts of secular awards, but the story here is an explicitly Christian one. It is a film well worth watching twice, first putting ourselves in the place of the victims, and understanding how it is that God equipped them to forgive. If they can forgive, how much the more so us? And it is also worth watching from the perspective of the murderers. The two men we meet show what true repentance looks like. As one explains, he can never make up for what he has done, but he can try to show his repentance by doing all the good he can for his victims – he is building houses for the genocide survivors.

As you might expect of a documentary on such a grim chapter of history, there are some scenes – of the aftermath of the genocide – that are not suitable for children. But it really is a must-see. If you’ve ever said “I can’t forgive” then here is an example of what God can make us capable of, if we ask Him. Here, too, we see what real repentance involves. It is so much more than words. These men’s actions give evidence of the change that God has wrought in them.

Incredible Creatures that defy Evolution I

Documentary
47 min / 2006
Rating: 8/10

As narrator Dr. Jobe Martin explains to us, he was once an evolutionist. He became a creationist when, as a professor at a dental college, he gave a lecture on the evolution of the tooth – teaching that fish scales eventually migrated into the mouth and became teeth – and was challenged by a couple of his students to investigate creation science. He'd never heard of it, but was willing to take a look. And the closer he looked the more he realized that much of the evolution he believed in was based on assumptions.

His study led him to investigate animals and other creatures, and in this short documentary he shares with us some of the most incredible features of some pretty incredible creatures that forced him to acknowledge that there was a Master Designer behind all this. For example, did you know:

• ...the bombardier beetle repels attackers by shooting a fiery liquid out of its rear end?
• ...the giraffe's heart is strong enough to pump blood all the way up to its head? But what happens when it lowers that head to take a drink? The same strong stream of oxygenated blood will now be traveling with enough pressure to blow out its brain...except for the shut off valves in its neck that kick in when it dips its head. 
• ...the woodpecker has a barbed gluey tongue that sticks to bugs but doesn't stick to its own beak? And it has a skull that is designed to do the work of a jackhammer without giving the poor fellow a headache.

Dr. Martin shows us why we should be amazed by many other creatures including: the beaver, the Australian incubator bird, the platypus, the chicken egg, the chuckwalla lizard, the gecko, and us humans.

My preschool daughters were amazed, and while this is a video primarily intended for children, my wife and I were also engaged. We were floored by just how creative God is. It is good family viewing, with enough pictures and film footage to keep the attention of the very young, and for parents, a narrative that highlights just God's sense of fun and genius.

This might not be a good one to hand to any hardened evolution-believing folk you might know. It is just a children's video - it isn't meant to offer an overly detailed or complete argument against evolution, and hardened critics will seize on that lack of depth to dismiss it entirely.

So get it for your own family, or your Christian school. And if you know someone dead-set on evolution, then consider Evolution's Achilles' Heels and its more adult anti-evolutionary argument. I review it here.

I should add that there are two more films in this series, all of them quite good, and this one the very best of the bunch. You can buy it by clicking here or rent it online by clicking here. And for a four minute peek, check out the trailer below.

Illusionism: prepare to amaze

Illusionism: prepare to amaze

45 minutes / 2011

Rating: 7/10

Harris III is a Christian illusionist who thinks half the fun in doing magic is being up front that he’s tricking us – he’s an honest trickster. And he’s also a generous one: in this DVD he gives away the secret behind five of his illusions.

• Two card tricks
• A gravity-defying bit that has a ring travel up an elastic band
• A mind reading display
• And one where dollar bills mysteriously flip themselves over

Each one is simple enough for a ten-year-old to perform but mystifying enough to trick a close-watching 40-something year old (who isn’t above making use of the rewind and slow motion features on his DVD player).

So first we get to see the trick, and then he goes through how to do it step by step, including tips on getting your patter right – the way a magician talks is as important as what he does with his hands. To perform them, all that’s needed are a few common enough items: a deck of cards, a few dollar bills, a box of crayons, and an elastic band. Oh, and a bottle of rubber glue. Then it’s all about practice – lots of practice!

This could make a fun gift for any outgoing child who likes to perform, or maybe a kid who likes to think through and figure out puzzles. You can find it at Harrisiii.com.

Blue

Documentary
2014 / 58 minutes
Rating: 7/10

Blue is about an alternative – a Christian alternative – to the Green movement. Whereas the secular environmental movement too often sees man as a problem for the Earth, the Blue movement would start with the biblical understanding that Man is the pinnacle of God’s creation, and has been entrusted with the stewardship of the Earth. While the Green movement wants us to just leave things alone, the Blue movement knows that God has told us to take an active role in protecting and developing the Earth.

The strength of the film is King’s unabashedly one-sided, presentation: 100% of the film is spent talking to like-minded Christians, politicians and scientists, including some pretty big names like E. Calvin Beisner, Lord Christopher Monckton and Vishal Mangal Wadi (if you aren’t familiar with these names, please google them – they all have a lot of worthwhile things to say about the environment and the Green movement). And because this is the side we hear so little about from the mainstream media, this film can serve as a good counter-balance.

But the weakness of the film is this same one-sided presentation. I doubt that someone watching this who was already sympathetic to the Green movement would watch this any change their mind. I think it would be more likely that they would think King’s uninterrupted bashing of the Green movement must be unfair, and couldn’t possibly be a fair representation of them. Now the environmental movement is actually as bad as King portrays but because he never lets the Greens speak for themselves, it is understandable that a skeptical listener wouldn’t just take King’s word for it.

The presentation is good, and as documentaries go, it is quite entertaining. That’s another way of saying, if you like documentaries, you’ll like this one, but if you don’t like documentaries, this one isn’t likely to make you change your mind. Overall I’d say it is a great one for Christians, to help us better understand the difference between biblical stewardship and the environmentalist approach, but it probably isn’t a good one to give to your environmentalist friends.

You can buy it at Amazon.com by clicking here. Or you can, at least for now, watch the whole movie for free online. Check it out below.

BLUE (Blue Beats Green) Full Movie HD from JD King on Vimeo.

Wait Till It’s Free

Documentary

2014 / 82 minutes

Rating: 9/10

Why would Canadians be interested in watching a Scotsman take a look at the American healthcare system? Because this examination, of how capitalism and socialism impact healthcare costs, is very relevant for us too.

The film’s director and producer, Colin Gunn, is Presbyterian and consequently a capitalist. We Reformed folks know that the heart of man is wicked, so we are well aware that if an economic system needs men to be angels – as socialism does, requiring us to labor for no personal benefit – then that is a unworkable economic system. We know better than to be socialists.

But for some reason we don’t seem to think that holds true for healthcare. This comes out most strongly when Canadians, even the Reformed ones, start talking about healthcare with their American cousins. Then we seem to be quite proud of the socialistic nature of our healthcare system, which “costs us nothing, and is free for everyone.” But, of course, that isn’t really so. It certainly isn’t free – the costs are simply not seen, paid out in taxes, so that Canadians have very little idea of how much their healthcare really does cost. And that everyone is covered doesn’t distinguish it all that much from American healthcare, where everyone can get emergency care, and where more and more of the population is covered by the government-run Medicare. As Gunn points out, the American system is almost as socialistic as the Canadian.

Gunn’s main argument is that a good dose of capitalism would be good for what ails the American system. His most telling observation was that in the American system no one knows what the costs will be beforehand. There is no public pricing chart, and so no way of comparing what one hospital might charge versus another. And without an awareness of how much things might costs, there is no genuine competition. You can’t have capitalism without competition. So if we want to reform healthcare, this might be the first place we need to start: public pricing!

I'd highly recommend this documentary – it is a brilliant argument by a Christian filmmaker who has perfected his craft. The content is superb: Gunn has assembled an impressive cast of experts from around the world to make his case. And the presentation is even better: there are fun little animated bits, and great narration, and a wonderful story arc – this is packaged up nicely, and tied up at the end with a bow.

Who should see this? Anyone who thinks socialism is the answer to our healthcare needs. You can buy a copy at Amazon.com by clicking here. 

Wait Till It's Free (Trailer) from Wait Till It's Free on Vimeo.

Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels

Documentary

Rating: 10/10

I’ve watched this at least 5 times now, and many sections many more times than that. This is the best, most succinct, most content-dense, anti-evolution presentation I’ve ever seen.

That said, my first go-through didn’t leave me all that impressed. I was watching it while doing some paperwork, not giving it my full attention, and what I saw just seemed to be a bunch of interviews, lots of talking heads. It didn’t seem all that interesting.

But when I gave it another go and actually paid attention…. Whoah!

What the folks at Creation Ministries International have done here is, in one hour and a half presentation, boiled down all their very best arguments into the shortest possible form. That’s why I’ve watched it so many times already – I had to keep stopping, rewinding, and then listening to sections again, because so much of what these interviewees say in just a sentence or two is something that others have written articles and even whole books on.

For example, here’s a line from Dr. Donald Batten: “The survival of the fittest does not explain the arrival of the fittest.”

At first listen, this struck me as a great turn of a phrase, and it certainly is. But let’s hit the pause button and just think about all that’s being said here in just this one line. Survival of the fittest (AKA natural selection) is supposed to explain how species adapt and change: those with advantageous mutations will prosper, while those without will eventually die off. But survival of the fittest is a selective process – it picks the best out of the group. How then, does it work before there is a group to pick the best and brightest from? Natural selection is a key mechanism for evolution, but it doesn’t offer any explanation for how animals come to be in the first place! This one, short, ever so quotable line, points out a gigantic problem with evolutionary theory!

In addition to Dr. Batten,  the documentary features 14 other PhD scientists, and together they highlight, as the title puts it, Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels. They cover a wide range of problems, grouped under categories like the Fossil Record, Genetics, Natural Selection, Cosmology and Radiometric Dating. I really can’t say enough nice things about it: from beginning to end this is brilliant, and as good an introduction to the problems with Evolutionary theory as you will ever find. The Dove foundation said, “If we could award Evolution’s Achilles’ Heels more than five Doves, our best rating, we would!” and I echo the sentiment. You can buy it Amazon.com by clicking here.

Ace Wonder

Family
92 min, 2014
Rating: 6/10

Gator Moore is an imaginative ten-year-old and an aspiring graphic novelist. Ace Wonder is his creation, a boy detective who can solve any mystery... but first his creator has to come up with a good one. That's why the always enthusiastic Gator becomes even more excited when he meets Derek Morton, an older teen boy whose recently deceased grandfather has left him a mysterious note. Boy seeking mystery meets boy with mystery!

With a little help from Gator's two brothers the boys discover that Derek's grandfather was a much more complex man than his grandson realized. His mysterious note leads them to a whole trail of clues, and a very strange librarian, and evidence of international espionage!

Ace Wonder was created by a community of Christian homeschooling families, and this is actually their second go at this story. In the seven years since their first effort, 2007's Heartstrings, the cast and crew has improved their acting and improved the film's pacing - though the new version is 50% longer, it actually seems shorter. The acting in some Christian films is quite bad, but because this is largely a comedy, rather than a drama, not too much is demanded of the cast – their adequate if unimpressive acting gets the job done, and Gator is really quite charming. One of the big upgrades from the 2007 version are inventive, short transitional scenes done in the style of a graphic novel. In these bits we see Gator in his Ace Wonder persona, sharing thoughts about the case: funny dialogue is combined with some pretty slick graphics.

Cautions

There are no sex, language, or worldview concerns, but there is one notable bit of violence. When a large man steals Gator's voice recorder, Derek intervenes, but the teen takes the ill-advised approach of attacking the large thief. Derek largely escapes injury (just a bloody lip) but only because Gator's dad arrives on the scene. In a half dozen blows dad knocks the man out. This fight, intended to be somewhat comical, is too realistic for what is otherwise a family-friendly film and is likely why Ace Wonder garnered a PG rating.

Conclusion

While the mystery is sometimes a bit hard to follow, the star of the film, Gator Moore, is charming enough and funny enough, to make that a small concern. The message at the heart of Ace Wonder is one that parents will appreciate – that we must give our hearts to our children, and also grab hold of their hearts. The short, violent fight at the beginning means this isn't an all-ages film, but it would likely be appropriate for 12 and up, and maybe 10 and up. I give this a 6 out of 10, for a family film that is quite good, quite safe, and quite funny, but which isn't "very" in any of those categories.

You can click here to buy it on DVD or, to rent it and watch it online now, click here.

The Ultimate LIfe

Drama

2013 / 110 minutes
Rating: 6/10

In this sequel to 2006's The Ultimate Gift, Jason Stevens is now in charge of his late grandfather's $2 billion charitable trust, but  But as noble as his line of work might be - distributing charitable dollars - it seems Jason is letting his work get in the way of love. He wants to ask Alexia to marry him, but he's too ready to let work intrude on even his elaborate proposal plans.

So off goes Alexia, to do medical relief work in Haiti. Jason, almost as confused and bewildered as he was in the first film, turns to his grandfather's journal for direction. From then on the film is about the hard lessons learned by his grandfather, Red Stevens, over the space of 3 decades, as he gives up nearly everything - including his family - in his obsession to become a billionaire.

Cautions

Though this is sold in Christian bookstores, there is next to no Christian content. The god of this film is family; that's what is trumpeted at the "ultimate life" as Jason and Red both learn that their family is more important than money. So, on the one hand, that's a lot better than films that propose sex, or money, or power, or fame as the ultimate – the god to be pursued – but it still falls far short of what a Christian movie should offer.

Conclusion

The film will have appeal for anyone who has seen the first and wants to meet up with Red and Jason again. However, it doesn't have quite the same charm, and though the cast is talented (including a brief appearance by Peter Fonda!) the storyline isn't all that compelling. My wife and I both enjoyed it well enough but this isn't one we will ever re-watch.

Mount St. Helens: Modern Day Evidence for the World Wide Flood

Documentary
2012 / 36 minutes
Rating: 7/10

Thirty-four years ago Washington State’s Mount St. Helens blew its top. The eruption on the morning of May 18, 1980, knocked 1,300 feet off the top of the mountain, sending a massive landslide down its slope, clearing out a forest of trees, and washing out the lake at its base. For nine straight hours it put out the energy equivalent of about one Hiroshima-type atomic bomb every second.

The sheer power of this eruption makes it interesting, but this event is of particular interest to creation scientists like Dr. Steve Austin. The eruption scoured the area clean, but also lay down layers and layers of rock strata from the volcanic ash. The eruption also caused the creation of deep, new, instantaneous canyons, that – if we didn’t know better – looked to be many thousands of years old.
In other words, the Mount St. Helens eruptions showed that catastrophic events can rapidly create huge geological features. Dr. Austin shows how this has implications for the Flood, showing how it too could have rapidly laid down many layers of rock strata, and carved out even huge features, like the Grand Canyon. Just because its massive does not mean it took long to form!

I gave this a 7/10 rating, because it is well done, but I do want to note that if you aren't already interested in this subject matter, this isn't the sort of documentary that will just grab you. There is clearly a professional behind the camera, but overall the visuals are pretty tame (no computer graphics and no visualization of the actual eruption). So this is one you get for the fascinating information.

The DVD can be ordered at AnswersInGenesis.org and Creation.com or at FloodGeologySeries.com.

Foreign Correspondent

Drama

120 min / 1940
Rating: 7/10

In 1939 rumors of war were constant but real news, the real facts, were hard to uncover. When American journalist Johnny Jones is sent to report on Europe’s increasingly desperate peace efforts he discovers instead a spy ring using peace conferences as a cover for their activities. This is Alfred Hitchcock’s take on the months before World War II, with much of the action taking place in the Netherlands, including in and around windmills.

There are no real cautions to offer: The film has no nudity, one kiss, and while an assassination is shown, it is over in less than a second. It does have some "love at first sight" nonsense, but even this is pulls off with charm:

Johnny Jones: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.
Carol Fisher: I'm in love with you, and I want to marry you.
Johnny Jones: Hmm... that cuts down our love scene quite a bit, doesn't it?

Nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Picture, this is a good yarn that I would recommend it to any classic film lover. But you've not seen a black and white film before, the pacing on this one might be too slow for you.

You can buy it on Blu-ray here and DVD here.