For the first week of October there is a wide range of redemptive movies available for all ages in theaters. Mojo Box Office reports for the first of October that ‘Deepwater Horizon’ is number two at the box office. This is a worthwhile movie for adults. It is a PG-13 movie due to the violent explosions and some rough language like other recent redemptive, real-life, hero movies such as ’33,’ ‘The Finest Hours,’ and ‘Sully’ that is also still in theaters. ‘Deepwater Horizon’ is about the offshore drilling rig, Deepwater Horizon, which exploded during April 2010 and created the worst oil spill in U.S. history. This redemptive film focuses on the real-life heroes and heroines in this disaster and includes prayer, much as do the movies ’33,’ ‘The Finest Hours,’ and ‘Sully.’ These movies are not as appropriate for families as they are for couples or men. They present real-life heroes and role models.
According to the Box Office Mojo for the first of October, there are other movies in theaters that may look like innocent family movie choices, but actually are not. For example, ‘The Magnificent Seven’ and ‘Mr. Church,’ both rated PG-13, have a great deal of foul language. ‘Storks,’ rated PG, has alternative lifestyle and politically correct content. In selecting movies for family viewing, many factors especially that are not appropriate for youth and children need to be considered: language, violence, physical intimacy, worldview, truth and more. Good redemptive movie review sources are invaluable to assess these factors.
Fortunately, there are other family movies in theaters as good box office choices that are more appropriate, which include the following: ‘Queen of Katwe,’ ‘Ben-Hur,’ ‘Sully,’ ‘The Great Gilly Hopkins,’ ‘Pete’s Dragon,’ ‘The Secret Life of Pets,’ and ‘Finding Dory.’ There are also, faith-based, redemptive movies in theaters the first week of October that include the following: ‘Hillsong-Let Hope Rise,’ ‘Greater,’ ‘Laughing at the Moon,’ ‘Torchbearer,’ ‘Voiceless,’ and ‘To Joey With Love.’
Disney’s ‘Queen of Katwe,’ rated PG, has received many good reviews. It follows a Ugandan slum girl’s rise to success as an international chess player. David Oyelowo (‘Selma’) plays Robert Katende, a missionary and refugee of Uganda’s civil war. In the movie, he is a chess teacher who facilitates 9-year-old Phiona Mutesi’s potential. Sonoma Christian Home presents a wonderful story about Robert Katende.
Sonoma Christian Home further provides an exclusive interview for ‘Hillsong-Let Hope Rise.’ This movie is rated PG but is appropriate for all ages. This is a visually stunning movie with a close and personal look inside the band’s life on the road, at home, and in its spiritual journey. The band talks openly about the ways that God has directed their lives, enabling them to help others through their mission projects.
‘Greater’ is based on a true underdog football story. ‘Greater’ is about Brandon Burlsworth who is considered one the greatest walk-on, non-scholarship players in college football history. In his small hometown, Burlsworth is mostly known for his horn-rimmed glasses and genuine character. With the support of his older brother, Marty, and their struggling single mom, Barbara, Brandon walks on to the Arkansas Razorback team in 1994. He is successful against seemingly impossible odds. This movie is rated PG. It has some college-age and locker room language behavior but is redemptive and appropriate for teens through adults.
Sonoma Christian Home also featured an exclusive interview with Erin Bethea for ‘Laughing at the Moon.’ This movie, which is rated PG, is a redemptive comedic drama appropriate for teens and adults. In this film, three unsuspecting people encounter something very strange, but they find the meaning of life. This movie is a character-driven dramedy about an eccentric, altruistic woman, Iris, who comes to live with a self-absorbed, compulsive, snobby roommate, Natalie, who is her complete opposite. Iris’s hilarious antics and Christ-like sacrificial love, totally transform everyone she meets.
‘Ben-Hur’ is an updated version of the classic novel Ben-Hur: The Tale of the Christ. It takes place during the last days of Christ in which Jesus Christ interacts with a young Jewish nobleman, Ben-Hur, before and after his betrayal by his adopted brother, Messala. Ben-Hur spends five years as a Roman ship galley slave but escapes after a ship battle. Trained by Ilderim (Morgan Freeman), Ben-Hur prepares for a chariot race to defeat his brother Messala, now a Roman leader. Following the harrowing chariot race, Ben-Hur and his family are redeemed and restored after Ben-Hur encounters the Christ once more as he forgives all, as he dies on the cross. This movie is PG-13 due to violence but has no perverse elements. It is appropriate for teens through adults. Sonoma Christian Home has published wonderful articles on this movie.
‘Torchbearer’ is a documentary. Phil Robertson, patriarch of ‘Duck Dynasty’ makes a compelling argument on the absurdity of life without God. The film features real-life footage from events throughout history, leading up to the modern-day crisis of radical Islamic terrorism. Phil personally guides viewers through a journey that includes: Athens, Greece; Rome, Italy; Paris, France; and even the notorious Nazi death camp of World War II, Auschwitz. With a biblical perspective, Phil covers events from the creation of the atomic bomb, to the impact of the Holocaust, and the development of the Civil Rights Movement. He illustrates that God is the only meaningful anchor to a civilized society. He calls viewers to consider our faith.
‘Torchbearer’ movie stars Duck Dynasty patriarch Phil Robertson. Photo Courtesy of YouTube trailer.
‘Voiceless,’ is a PG-13 rated movie about a recently discharged soldier, Jesse Dean. Jesse had a rough upbringing; but because of his wife he found God and is totally devoted to his faith. He and wife move to Philadelphia for a job as an outreach leader at an old church whose membership has been declining. As everything goes well and he starts to connect to the community, he discovers an abortion clinic directly across the street from the church. He goes to his church’s pastor and others in the church to get their help, to no avail. After a tragic and personal event, he comes to a decisive point. He gets involved with the abortion problem; but the more involved he gets, the more resistance he gets from those in church and community. His wife thinks his actions will get him fired or jailed and is also against him. Finally, he makes a choice. This film encourages viewers to stand up for what they know is right, particularly as it pertains to taking God’s truths into society to address social issues. It addresses the spirit of retreat in relationship to the culture that has developed within the Church.
‘To Joey With Love’ is an unrated documentary that is most appropriate for adults. It is a redemptive movie. This movie tells the story of the incredible story of Joey Feek. It has been filmed as Joey battles cancer. Joey, her family, and friends laugh, smile, and cry with this amazing woman’s journey, as she says her goodbyes to her loving family.
‘The Great Gilly Hopkins’ is a PG-rated, comedic, drama featuring Kathy Bates, Glenn Close, and Octavia Spencer. This movie is about a feisty foster kid’s scheme to be reunited with her birth mother. Gilly Hopkins has lived in many foster homes and has outwitted every family she has lived with. To escape her new foster mother Maime Trotter’s (Kathy Bates) endless loving care, Gilly devises a plan that she believes will bring her mother to her rescue. However, when the plan blows up in Gilly’s face, it threatens to ruin her plan to be part of a real family.
The top picks for redemptive, family movies for the first week of October are the following: ‘Queen of Katwe,’ ‘Ben-Hur,’ ‘Hillsong-Let Hope Rise,’ ‘Greater,’ ‘Laughing at the Moon,’ ‘Pete’s Dragon,’ ‘The Secret Life of Pets,’ and ‘Finding Dory.’ Redemptive movies for adults during the first week of October include: ‘Torchbearer,’ ‘Deepwater Horizon,’ ‘Sully,’ ‘To Joey With Love,’ and ‘Voiceless.’ See more on these movies on Sonoma Christian Home.
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