Easter vacation is just days away and if your teen is like mine, he or she gets bored about day three of any school vacation. With today’s Friday Five, I’m sharing five great movies with faith-based themes that you might not know about. I’ve seen them all and own three of them. These are not only good movies because their message is Christian, they are some of my favorite “four-star” family movies of all time.
I decided to go ahead and post these today so that you can have a week or so to locate and rent them. Although two of these are over thirty years old, the movies are still in print and can all be rented from Netflix or Blockbuster. If you find that you’d like to own them, most of them can be purchased at Amazon.
To be eligible for the movie giveaway, all you have to do is leave a comment at www.lbtk.wordpress.com after this post. I will collect comments today, Saturday (March 31), and Sunday (April 1). Everyone who leaves a comment will be assigned a number and then I’ll let www.random.org choose the winner. I will let the winner choose which of the movies he/she would like to receive. So make sure you get your comments in by Sunday at 11:59pm!
HERE ARE FIVE OF MY FAVORITE FAITH-BASED MOVIES OF ALL TIME:
1. THE FIFTH QUARTER (2010 -starring Ryan Merriman, Aidan Quinn, & Andie MacDowell)
Synopsis: After a car crash takes the life of his fifteen-year-old brother, Luke returns to Wake Forest University with a renewed purpose in his life. He then leads the university’s struggling football team to its most successful season ever.
Rating: PG
My recommendation: Older children, teens, and adults will enjoy this movie. It is based on a true story and I love it because it takes place in my home state — North Carolina. I do not own this movie…yet.
2. AGAINST A CROOKED SKY (1975 – starring Richard Boone, Stewart Peterson, Jewel Blanch, & Clint Ritchie)
Synopsis: Sam Sutter is young man who still acts like a small boy. When a group of Indians attack his homestead and kidnap his sister, he is determined to prove that he is a man. With the help of an old trapper, he finds his sister in a faraway land. To his horror, she is married to an Indian brave and has been framed for the killing of the tribe’s chief. Sam must run an ancient tribal race in order to save her. In doing so, he learns the true meaning of love and sacrifice.
Rating: Not Rated
My recommendation: Although this movie is not rated, I would rate it PG because there is a small bit of violence with the death of the chief. It is appropriate for older children, teens, and adults. It’s loosely based on another western entitled, “The Searchers.” I own this movie in VHS and hope to find it in DVD soon.
3. WHERE THE RED FERN GROWS (1974 – starring James Whitmore, Stewart Peterson, & Beverly Garland)
Synopsis: Billy, a young boy who lives in the Ozark mountains, saves his money to buy two hound dogs and trains them to hunt raccoons. (Or as we say in the South, “coons.”) Along the way, he learns the true meaning of love, loyalty, and friendship.
Rating: G
My Recommendation: This movie will be enjoyed by older children, teens, and adults – especially dog-lovers. I do want to warn parents that this movie depicts the death of a teenage boy. During a scene in the last third of the movie, one of the characters who has been a thorn in Billy’s side throughout the story falls on an ax while hunting and dies. The newer version is rated PG for this very reason. The 2003 version is good, but the original just has a special place in my heart. It is based on the award-winning children’s book by Wilson Rawls. When I taught school, we would read the book and watch the movie to compare/contrast the stories. The book is spectacular and the 1974 movie keeps very close to the book’s storyline. I own this movie in VHS and hope to purchase it in DVD soon.
4. THE SECOND CHANCE (2006 – starring Christian contemporary artist Michael W. Smith, Jeff Obafemi Carr, & J. Don Ferguson)
Synopsis: Two young pastors from different walks of life are forced to work together in a small inner-city church. The Rock, a colossal church who owns the building where the small church meets, wants to tear it down so that a parking lot can be built. The two young pastors realize that despite the fact that they have virtually nothing in common, they share a strong faith in God and His awesome power.
Rating: PG-13
My recommendation: This will be enjoyed by teens and adults. It is an original screenplay and features the music of Michael W. Smith. I don’t own it, but I have it permanently saved to my DVR.
5. THE ULTIMATE GIFT (2006 – starring James Garner, Drew Fuller, Abigail Breslin, & Lee Meriweather)
Synopsis: When Jake’s wealthy grandfather dies, he assumes that he will inherit it all. Instead of getting the mega-bucks up front, there are strings attached. Jake will inherit the money when he completes a series of tasks. Along the way, Jake learns that the journey he’s on is the true wealth he’ll receive — his ultimate gift.
Rating: PG
My Recommendation: This will be enjoyed by older children, teens, and adults. I first watched it with the kids at church right around Christmastime. I have to tell you, I cried. I loved it so much, I bought it for our family DVD library.
shr
Movie photo credits: www.netflix.com
Loved by the King 