Jerry Howell

From a young age, I have been told by those of previous generations that older movies were nicer; that is, they didn't have the content concerns that ninety-five percent of the primetime shows or theatrically released films of the past two decades have had. According to those people, that's why they don't have MPAA ratings; back then, no such system was needed. Weil, I'm not as well-versed in the cinema of yesteryear as some people, but, I was disturbed by this film's content. Between the sexual content--including sexual relations between unmarried people and a scene implying nudity--the smoking and drinking, and even the profanity--yes, I know there were only three such words, but, I wasn't expecting any!--this is proof that cinema has a history of being morally offensive, even in the days before the ratings system.

I know many of you are likely thinking, "If you think this is bad..." and will point me to something in your collection that makes Breakfast at Tiffany's look like an episode of Sesame Street. Yes, I know that there's much worse entertainment out there, and that there has been for a long time...but, as a Christian, I'm commanded to "avoid every hint of evil," and I wasn't raised around such content like most millennials--even many who grew up in Christian homes--were. So, if even this was a shock to my system, I think it's obvious that I should avoid edgier fare like the plague...and that's just what I'll continue to do.

Years ago, I saw the Nancy Drew movie starring Emma Roberts. It was pretty much my first experience with the famed teenage sleuth; not only had I read absolutely zero of her books at the time, I was just as unfamiliar with the Hardy Boys. The main reason I was seeing that flick was because Emma Roberts was the star; as a longtime fan of young Hollywood talent, I was curious about her, especially since she and I share a birthday. Prior to that, about all of my experience with the franchise was Relient K's song about Nancy Drew. I remember very little about that Emma Roberts film, but I did enjoy it.

In recent years, especially after working at a library, I have become much more familiar with Miss Drew. I've read numerous novels about her; mostly from the original series and the Files one from the eighties, the latter of which I have a random garage sale in my area to thank for jumpstarting my collection of those. I've also seen some episodes of a nineties(?) series based on the franchise on the Tubi app. So, you might say that me and that famed teenage sleuth have become much better acquainted, which meant I was watching this celluloid version of her through much different eyes.

So, what did I think? Mostly, I enjoyed it: Nancy was (generally) her typical likable self; her friends were (pretty much) just as reliable; there was a mystery afoot, and Nancy used her sleuthing skills to solve it; and, some action and intensity--a hallmark of the books--were present. However, some unnecessary content found its way into the mix. Between misuses of God's name, the immodest outfits of some of the female characters, a suggestive remark here and there, and Nancy engaging in a revenge prank. this was not entirely what I'm used to from this franchise. Granted, it's still cleaner than the CW version, but, at one point, I felt like I was watching a trashy reality show instead. From what I hear, this film tanked at the box office, and it's not the first attempt at making a film series based on the long-running book series; maybe that's a sign that Nancy Drew should stay a literary character.

Okay, confession time: I watched the entire series of The Librarians before completing this film. Many years ago, I tried watching this and ended up losing interest about halfway through it. Despite the fact that it was out of order, I'm actually glad I watched it that way...because I don't think I would have even bothered with The Librarians if I had seen this mess first.

As a longtime reader, fantasy fan, and current library employee, you'd probably think this is right up my alley...but it isn't, because this telefilm is downright absurd, especially its finale. The nonsensical plot seems like something out of a video game than a book, and some of the scenes were just ridiculous: Bob Newhart beating up bad guys? Seriously? Also, the content issues were disappointing; while I expected violence and occasional profanity, I wasn't prepared for slight bloodshed, a WWE-style catfight, and especially a scene implying sex. The latter two, along with the villainess' outfit, seemed to be merely there to appeal to male viewers.

If you're completely unfamiliar with the Librarian franchise, start with the TV series, not this garbage. Now, I'm unsure whether or not to continue with the next two movies, despite the fact that they're currently sitting on my shelf.

Thanks to Disney's purchase of Lucasfilm, Star Wars: The Clone Wars finally gets the conclusion it deserves. I was glad to see the return of Ahsoka; she was missed in the previous season. All of the episodes were rather epic, but what really moved me was the four-episode conclusion, which ties into Revenge of the Sith and does so quite well. RotS was a big deal to me; not only did I see it on the big screen--which I've only done with three Star Wars movies, and the IMAX version I saw of Attack of the Clones was cut--which made it all the more moving, but, that was also around the time I discovered the Expanded Universe, which also had a big impact on me. So, those episodes brought back very fond memories.

Fans of Star Wars knew from the beginning that this show wouldn't have a happy ending; even if you've only seen the original trilogy, you know that Anakin becomes the evil Darth Vader, and that Obi-Wan and Yoda have to go into hiding. Instead of giving us sweet schmaltz, the makers decided to go with the prequels' vibe...and it worked very well here. It's a shame that the same storytelling talent couldn't have been applied to the films; barring a reboot, the movies have been forever stained by the epic fail that was The Last Jedi. Still, I have to give Disney credit in this case; they did it right. Maybe, someday, they'll realize how badly they flubbed with the flicks and give us the Thrawn trilogy on the big screen. One can only hope...

Despite being a household name, Robin Hood is one figure with whom I'm not all that familiar. Sure, I read the original Howard Pyle book...but that was all the way back when I was in elementary school. The only flicks I've seen before that relate to the legends are Prince of Thieves (rather violent, in my opinion), Men in Tights (hilarious, though I only saw the edited for TV version; I don't want to see the uncensored one), and the Wonderful World of Disney telefilm _Princess of Thieves (starring Keira Knightley as the super-capable daughter of Robin; need I say more?). All those I saw well over a decade ago, so, this was a bit of a reintroduction to the characters and story.

So, how was the movie? It definitely had a lot of old-school charm going for it. Robin and Marian were likable, not to mention a cute couple. The villains were appropriately despicable. Though there was a lot of action--Robin was a thief, after all--the violence was completely free of blood or gore, and the fight sequences were spot-on. True to classic film style, this flick was completely free from profanity, and it also respectfully portrays the Christian elements of the legend.

The only annoyance I had with the movie was that, a few times, they tell you what happened via onscreen text instead of actually showing it. While I understand having words like that at the start--Star Wars, anyone?--to have it happen more than once is a bit annoying; why not just show us the events? Still, that's a minor complaint. Maybe I should check out more old-school flicks like this.

The good news about this eighth season is the animation is vastly improved. In the earlier episodes, it was obvious that different studios did each one, because character designs would vary from scene to scene; not so here. Also, the action and heroism that was a hallmark of the heroes in a half-shell's television serial from the beginning is definitely present here.

The bad news is that the mood is much, much darker. Gone are the wisecracks, the breaking of the fourth wall, and the overall lighthearted feel; most of these episodes take place entirely at night. Based on the opening sequence, I would guess they were trying to evoke the feel of the first live-action TMNT film; that was a bad choice, in my opinion, because that version of the Turtles is the worst I've ever seen, especially from a content perspective. (Then again, I've never read the original comics, which were reportedly very, very dark.) While the Turtles don't use the profanity here that said flick contained, I still liked this show better when it was lighter and funnier; this season almost felt like a cartoon version of the Christopher Nolan Batman movies at times. I've seen about three and a half seasons of the 2003 cartoon, and, while they're overall edgier than the earlier episodes of this one, they still contain moments that will make you laugh or at least chuckle; not so much here. Plus, for most of the episodes, Shredder and Krang don't appear; the Turtles fight other mutants that are rather unconvincing villains. Even the theme song wasn't as good. I think this season is when this series "jumped the shark"; unfortunately, it happens to pretty much all long-running shows, so, it had to happen sometime.

Still, there are two more seasons left, albeit with only eight episodes each; we'll see if the makers were able to recapture the magic that made the first seven seasons such a blast.

Years ago, on Christmas Day 2013, my entire immediate family and I headed to the theater to see Frozen, the movie about which everyone was talking. It had been out for a while; a friend from work told me she and her kids saw it on Thanksgiving. While I had heard the song "Let It Go," and even had the Demi Lovato cover of it on my iPod, I was unfamiliar with the fairy tale The Snow Queen. (I know; what kind of avid reader am I?) The story was engaging, and the animation breathtaking, especially seeing it on the big screen. Since then, my mom and I have often referenced that movie, particularly Elsa's infamous show-stopping number; I would even think to myself about how various people I knew needed to "do an Elsa and let it go."

As big of a success as the first film was, it's no surprise that the House of Mouse churned out a sequel; thankfully, it wasn't another direct-to-video one. How does this one stack up to the original? Well, everything here looks incredible; at times, I felt like I was watching a Pixar flick instead. The story was exciting, and had plenty of twists and turns. Olaf was his usual hilarious self, and Anna and Elsa were likable and attractive heroines.

Unfortunately, the music here fell flat. As a kid, I was always a bigger fan of Disney's live-action productions--Flubber, George of the Jungle, Rocketman, etc.--than their animated fare; part of the reason why was because the cartoon characters tended to randomly break out into song, which I found annoying. I still feel that way to a degree, though I have learned to like some of the tunes from old-school Mouse movies. However, despite many people's annoyance with it, I found "Let It Go" to be rather iconic; I can see why plenty of other artists have covered it. This sequel's music is nowhere near as good. While the singing is beautiful, the tracks here lack the punch of the first film's. Of lesser note is occasional bathroom humor; was that really necessary?

In spite of its flaws, this is still a great movie; it's just not what it could have been. If they make a Frozen III, they need to bring back the style of music that the first film had. I enjoyed watching this over the past week; however, I could have enjoyed it more. Then again, that's a non-musical-fan talking; if you like your characters to break out in song, you might feel differently.

Many years ago, VeggieTales made its theatrical debut with Jonah, where the various fruits and vegetables retold the story of the prophet who went the other way when God told him what to do, only to be swallowed by a whale (or big fish, depending on who you ask). In the special features on the DVD release of Jonah, one of the producers or directors mentioned that they had considered doing a Noah's Ark movie, but decided not to, saying that "the fur would kill us." I have no experience with doing computer animation, but, from what I've heard, that's one of the hardest things to animate realistically. Even secular studios have trouble with that; remember how fake Scooby-Doo looked in his first two live-action flicks?

Since then, there have been plenty more Veggie episodes...but, this one takes a different tack. Not only is the animation style upgraded--for good or for ill--but mainstream stars Wayne Brady (Whose Line Is It Anyway?) and Tress MacNeille lend their voices to this project, alongside CCM singer Jaci Velasquez and the usual cast. As usual, Big Idea makes the Bible story kid-friendly, and there were plenty of cute moments alongside an inspiring story of faith.

Unfortunately, what ruins this episode is the new animation. While technically superior, it loses the charm of the original episodes. The first time I saw the cover for this DVD in a LifeWay catalog, Larry's appearance reminded me of that dumb purple dinosaur. Your kids may not care that much about the graphics, but, for longtime fans like me who grew up on the old-school releases, that's a deal-breaker. Online research shows that Big Idea eventually went back to the original character designs; while that's good, it may be hard for the franchise to recover from such a big shark-jumping moment.

I used to like Christian cinema.

When I was younger, I had a blast with VeggieTales, especially the Jonah movie. Though I never saw The Passion of the Christ due to the graphic violence, I enjoyed other Christian flicks such as Hangman's Curse (which, oddly enough, aired on ABC Family during their "13 Nights of Halloween" in 2004) to even Thr3e.

However, I've matured since then, and what used to enthrall me no longer does.

Case in point: I was an avid reader in elementary school, but fell out of love with literature in middle school thanks to being introduced to Pokémon/Nintendo, contemporary Christian music, and classic television. That trend continued when I became the Disney Channel guy in high school...until my junior year was nearly over, and I found a couple of Star Wars books at a local garage sale. Lucas' space opera was a big deal at the time; Revenge of the Sith had recently been released in theaters. I bought those novels on a whim, and ended up being enthralled by one of them, called I, Jedi. For years after that, I sang that book's praises...until earlier this year, when I read it and thought: What is this garbage? It was nowhere nearly as good as I remembered; that just goes to show how one's tastes can change over the years.

The same applies to other forms of media, including Christian cinema: What used to keep me glued to the screen no longer does; sometimes, finishing a movie over the course of a week--regardless of its genre--can be a chore...and that was the case here.

First off, the movie is rather edgy for a Christian flick, especially one rated "G". I was disappointed to hear a usage of the h-word; it was only one, but it was still unnecessary. Other unfortunate exclamations included two crude uses of the term "suck," one of which was by Joshua. Another letdown was the character of Maggie; most of her outfits were either low-cut or too tight.

The biggest problem, however, is with the plot: It's just inane. While Jesus is going to return to Earth, He isn't going to return the way this movie portrays; one reading of the Biblical book of Revelation shows that Christ will return as King, not a humble carpenter. While this film could be taken as a parable, there doesn't seem to be much of a lesson here; this is no Prodigal Son story or anything in that vein.

It's a shame; with A-list talent, including Oscar nominees/winners, a movie like this could have had serious benefit for the Christian faith. Instead, all it does is make people of the Way look bad.

The Good: Will Smith was amazing as the Genie; while he may be no Robin Williams, he brings his own flair to the role and does it very well. Naomi Scott also did very well as Princess Jasmine. The songs were fun, and I was glad to see a new tune included instead of all the same ones I practically know by heart. I enjoyed the special effects, and had a blast with the slightly modified version of the original story.

The Bad: Though not quite as egregious as in the original, some of the wardrobe choices of the female characters bothered me. Jafar was nowhere near as convincing this time around; he seemed like a "bad guy" from Sesame Street. Also, though the longtime entertainment fan in me enjoyed watching this, I have to question why this is necessary. Disney has become to movies what Nintendo used to be to video games: constantly re-releasing "new" versions of the same films we've seen time and time again. As classic and timeless as the original Aladdin was, why even remake it? It's been available on DVD for ages! It seems that the House of Mouse would do anything to make some moolah; the executives there must not know the words of 1 Timothy 6:10: "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." (NIV)

I've always been a fan of strong female characters. My first celebrity crush was the original Pink Power Ranger, and most of the ones I've had since were best known for playing characters who were both powerful and feminine: Lizzie McGuire, Mindy McConnell, Mia Thermopolis, Maddie Fitzpatrick, etc. When I was a senior in high school, I wrote a novel (of sorts) about a super-heroine who, alongside her best friend/significant other, saved her entire town from the threat of a dastardly villain. Part of it was inspired by the first two Tobey Maguire Spider-Man flicks; however, I would never have even come up with such an idea if I hadn't seen my high school's production of Seven Brides for Seven Brothers...which featured a longtime female friend of mine as its lead. Looking back, I think the Disney sitcoms were a big influence, too.

So, to see a film center around a superhero of the fairer sex is a dream come true. True, we already got that when Gal Gadot wowed the world as Wonder Woman; still, Captain Marvel features a former Disney actress as its lead, so, in a way, I was more eager to see her flick than Diana Prince's. The fact that it takes place in the 1990s--complete with grunge music on the soundtrack and a scene in a Blockbuster Video location--had my curiosity piqued even more.

While good for what it was, it wasn't quite what I've come to expect from Marvel. Superhero movies usually have epic battles and lots of excitement; though there was some action towards the end, parts of this film were a bit dull. Brie Larson is attractive, but, her acting leaving something to be desired here. If this wasn't a Marvel flick and didn't feature a female superhero, I wonder if it would have gotten nearly as much acclaim as it has.

This is a review of both parts of "Broken Bow".

I was very late to the party with Star Trek; I hadn't even watched one of the films in its entirety until I borrowed Nemesis from the library, which was like starting a TV show by watching the series finale. It took me a while, but, I eventually got into the franchise, in both The Original Series and Next Generation form, not to mention the J. J. Abrams films. Still, like usual for me, I liked the television episodes better than the flicks. Since I'm already well into the second season of two other Star Trek series, I thought: Why not give another one a try? After all, my local library has the entire series of Enterprise on DVD.

So...what did I think? I would say that, just like TNG, this series started off a bit roughly. While I liked the plot and the action, the episode ran a bit too long, the theme music was terrible, and some of the computer animation was cheesy, especially for something made in the 2000s. There were some content concerns as well: While I expected occasional profanity, the language quotient was higher than I would have liked, and I definitely could have done without seeing T'Pol in a tight, midriff-baring outfit alongside a shirtless guy.

Still, a premiere episode doesn't define a series; if I'd stopped watching The Next Generation after the mess that was "Encounter at Farpoint," I'd be missing out on a lot! So, I'll keep watching; I won't say the only way to go from here is up, because it isn't...but, there's still plenty of room for improvement.

I've been a fan of Scooby-Doo for over two decades. Ever since a family member introduced me to it just as I was finishing fourth grade, I've enjoyed "those meddling kids" in various forms: television shows, movies (both animated and live-action), books, comics, and even a soundtrack on audio cassette. For the first two years or so after getting into it, I was known--for good or for ill--for being a big fan of the franchise.

When I heard that they were making a movie that told the origin story of Daphne and Velma, it sounded like something worth checking out; while Scooby may have been the most popular character, I liked the whole gang (well, except shark-jumper Scrappy.) The fact that the two leads were played by Sarah Gilman (I Didn't Do It) and Sarah Hyland (Geek Charming) only sweetened the deal.

However, I barely started it when I considered giving up on it; even though I didn't, it didn't get any better. If this was supposed to be the early days of two teenaged characters who first appeared in 1969, then, why do they have modern conveniences, not to mention technology that seems like something out of Spider-Man 2099? As much as I like Brian Stepanek (The Suite Life of Zack and Cody), he was just plain stupid here; I wonder how he felt playing such an inane role. Also, this movie betrays its "G" rating; while there's no profanity or sexual content, the scariness--which is more intense than anything in the old-school Where Are You! cartoons, partly due to the live-action setting--should have earned a "PG," and is likely to frighten youngsters, even ones who have seen the original show.

I do have to give the makers credit; they didn't decide to add drug references ("What's your name?" "Mary Jane." "Like, that is my favorite name!"), occultic plot devices, or profanity like they did in the first live-action flick featuring "those meddling kids". Still, just like in the case of the Mystery Incorporated cartoon, I think this is an insult to the legacy of Hanna and Barbera; they were likely turning in their graves at the release of this butchering of their most popular creation.

All the way back in 1996, I saw a Family Channel telefilm called Christmas Every Day, about a kid who has to relive December 25 until he learns the error of his ways. That was my first experience with a time warp film; the following February, Groundhog Day came on TV, and, when my mom and I watched it, she said, "This is like that Christmas Every Day movie!" Since then, the same plot device has been used in everything from the Nintendo 64 game The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask to Pure Flix's In the Blink of an Eye, the latter of which also used the Rapture as part of its storyline.

If you find movies like Groundhog Day annoying--and I've known some people who do--you won't enjoy this, but, I did. It feels like a Disney Channel production at times: teen romance, no profanity, and former Mouse network star Christy Carlson Romano (Even Stevens, Kim Possible, Cadet Kelly) both in a starring role and behind the camera as well, not to mention an appearance by one of the Lawrence brothers. Unless you absolutely adore Yuletide films, you probably won't want to buy this; I'm hopefully trading my copy in soon. Still, it was fun for what it was.

Me and this movie have an interesting history. When it came out in theaters, I had friends who were chomping at the bit to see it, but I didn't want to because I thought it was graphically violent due to some Star Wars video games having a "T" rating. (Ironically, when I became a big fan of the franchise, those guys didn't care for it anymore; they said they "grew out" of it.) I did actually see it around Easter of 2000 at a family members house, and I had fun with it. My mom bought me a shirt that had to do with the movie, but didn't want me to have one with Darth Maul on it, because she felt he looked too much like the devil. (Looking back, I can see how such an image would have been perceived by some of my friends and family, especially those who were elderly.) This film was my introduction to the Star Wars franchise; though I had played games and read books about it prior to seeing this, I didn't really understand them.

So, maybe I'm biased, but I enjoyed this movie. Even though the acting wasn't the best, the scope is appropriately epic, and it sets the stage for later events that are even more tumultuous, such as Anakin's turn to the Dark Side. Like a lot of media, I can see why some people don't care for this or the prequels in general...but I still liked it, even this time around. It may not be perfect, but it's light years ahead of the shark jump that was The Last Jedi.

As usual, I'll start with my history with this franchise: In 2000, when I was in sixth grade, our teacher had us all read The Hobbit as it was adapted into a play in our literature textbook. Another teacher that year had copies of the entire Lord of the Rings trilogy in her personal collection, so, I tried it...and just couldn't get into it. The next school year, a teacher recommended that I read the actual Hobbit novel, so, I attempted to...and had the same problem. When the movie came out in 2001, me and some family members went to see it on Christmas Day...and I was quickly bored. Not only was the flick overly long--probably the longest one I'd ever seen, and definitely the longest I'd watched in a theater--but, we arrived at the theater quite early, so having to sit still that long just drove me crazy. I was used to sitcoms and quick Super Smash Bros. Melee matches; a three hour movie couldn't hold my interest.

Despite that history, thanks to DVD technology, I discovered that watching long films in more than one sitting helped me appreciate them better. For example, I had trouble sitting through Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban at the cinema, but watching it and the other flicks in the series on DVD over the course of two or more days was much more fun. So, since I had the Lord of the Rings flicks on my DVD rack, I figured: Why not give them a whirl? For the past couple weeks or so, I've been watching Fellowship in fifteen-minute increments; this time, my reaction has been completely the opposite. The flick that once nearly bored me to death has proved amazing, inspiring, and beautiful.

I would say that I can't wait to watch the sequels...but, before I do that, I'm going to try out the extended edition, so I can see the entire story. Plus, I'm going to give the original novels a try as well; I had them years ago, and enjoyed the first two...but never finished the trilogy, even though I meant to do so for quite a while.

If you're a fantasy fan, and haven't seen this...you need to!

Synopsis: It's Hannah Montana...live and in person! This concert film features her performing some of her smash hits, such as "Girls' Night Out" and "Best of Both Worlds". Alongside the concert footage is a behind-the-scenes look at Miley's rehearsals and family life, including appearances by her parents, Tish Cyrus and country star Billy Ray Cyrus (Doc). Also featuring an appearance by the Jonas Brothers, this is a Hannah fan's dream come true!

The Good: Say what you will about Miley; she definitely knows how to put on a show. The choreography and showmanship here is impressive. My favorite part of this was the appearance by the Jo Bros.; they even did a rendition of "Year 3000," which is my favorite Jonas track.

The Bad: Unfortunately, parts of this concert film fall flat. While the behind-the-scenes footage is mostly fun, it was disheartening to hear Miley call her mother "woman". (Mark Lowry once said that, if you did that to your mom where he grew up, you'd be wearing your teeth around your neck.) I felt really bad for those dads who raced in high heels to get tickets to the concert; not only does that ensure that I'll never have kids, but...what guy would want that captured on film for all eternity?

Conclusion: If you know me, you know the Disney Channel and I have a long history that goes back way before anybody had ever heard of Miley Cyrus. After discovering Lizzie McGuire just after starting high school, I was known for my love of the Mouse network, whether for good or for ill. It wasn't just Lizzie, though; I was also a fan of Raven, Suite Life, etc. I still watch those old favorites sometimes, thanks to them being available on iTunes. However, I didn't do much with Hannah Montana until after the show's run was over; it just didn't appeal to me, and Miley was no Hilary Duff or Ashley Tisdale. Eventually, I started watching it, and I had fun with it, even if the title character wasn't my favorite Disney star. That's still true; I found Miley's backup dancers and singers to be more attractive than her, even if she was the main attraction. Still, as a Mouse network fan, I enjoyed it, even if it is a bit bittersweet when you realize that neither Miley nor the Jonases are the clean-cut stars they used to be.

Synopsis: High school student Aaron Carlson aspires to be a lawyer...but, his parents and his high school principal think it's just a pipe dream. While pursuing his goal, Aaron finds his way into a local chess club...and finds out that becoming the regional champion could lead him to being accepted into his college of choice. He studies the game extensively...only to lose badly. Will he be able to emerge victorious and fulfill his goal?

The Good: As someone who grew up playing board games, both old and new, it's nice to see a movie that focuses on one, especially a timeless one such as chess. Also, a story a character shares serves as a good analogy for what an obsession or addiction to something--regardless of what it is--can do to you...something that definitely hits home in a world where people everywhere are glued to their phones or social media.

The Bad: Unfortunately, the rest of this film falls flat; it's just utterly boring. Add to that dislikable characters, a sparse and poorly done soundtrack, and a scene where the protagonist answers the door in his underwear--no joke!--and this was definitely a dud.

Conclusion: Back in the day, my neighborhood friends used to call me "the king of board games," because I had so many; most of them came from garage sales throughout my area. I eventually had to get rid of all of mine, because I had nobody to play them with anymore; still, I do have fun when I play them from time to time, because you never know what will happen! Despite my history with checkers, Monopoly, and such, I don't really want to watch a movie about a board game...especially a thinking game like chess. It may be fun to play, but, simply watching it is dull, especially how this movie presented it. After my bad experiences this month with this and other films in the genre, I'm beginning to see why Christian cinema has such a bad reputation.

Score: 1/5

Synopsis: Bobbie Thompson (country star Katrina Elam) has an amazing gift: a huge, exceptional singing voice. Raised by her "aunt" after the death of her mother, Bobbie escapes small-town life and heads to Nashville, hoping to become country music's next "it" girl. She soon gets a recording contract and is about to perform before a sold-out crowd...when she suddenly finds she can't sing anymore. Where did her voice go? Will she ever get it back? If she can't...she could be in serious trouble!
Also features appearances by Dean Cain (God's Not Dead), Bronson Pinchot (Perfect Strangers), and George Strait (the original Pure Country).

The Good: Can a sequel be better than the original? In this case, yes; however, the first outing in this series wasn't very good anyway. This second installment has a great moral compass, wonderful performances, a likable and attractive heroine, and portrays clergy in a positive light. It's not groundbreaking cinema or anything, but it's still great fun for what it is.

The Bad: Though not as badly as its prequel, this flick does have some content issues. Profanity pops up: about five d-words, two or three a-words, and a misuse of God's name here and there. It's implied that a character was born of an illicit affair, and Bobbie is seen wearing some low-cut outfits. Drinking is present, though it is vilified. The biggest issue, however, was in the first scene: "angels" in what appears to be heaven are seen to be swearing, and are portrayed irreverently. Some viewers, especially Christians, may take issue with such a display.

Conclusion: My mom is a fan of country music...but only the male singers. I've heard the musical stylings of Brad Paisley, The Oak Ridge Boys, and Lonestar for years. While country isn't exactly my favorite genre, I do enjoy some of it...by artists of both genders. I'd never heard of Katrina Elam before buying this DVD, but, I have to say that I love her voice. Unless you absolutely hate country tunes, this may make for a fun rental.

Score: 3/5

Synopsis: Jordan, aka Jordy, seems to find trouble everywhere he goes. Upon starting at a new high school after getting kicked out of his old one, he makes friends with Wally, a handicapped kid who is also a Christian. When the competition between Morris High and the rival school gets out of hand, Jordy decides to fight fire with fire, which only makes things worse. After his actions lead to Wally getting attacked, Jordy is going to be in big trouble again; will he learn the error of his ways?
From Billy Graham's World Wide Pictures.

The Good: At least this movie is only sixty-three minutes long; that's about the only good thing I can say about it.

The Bad: Where to begin? Most of the scenes feature high schoolers fighting with or bullying each other, which isn't pretty to watch. The scenes with the Billy Graham crusade and Jordy's eventual conversion feel tacked on, as if someone flipped the channel from Bravo to INSP. Most of the characters were rather dislikable. This is the biggest mess of a Christian movie I've seen in a while.

Conclusion: As a fan of Christian cinema, I usually enjoy the productions from World Wide Pictures, which was sponsored by the late evangelist Billy Graham. The first one I watched, The Climb, had a great plot and an inspirational story, even if the subject matter--rock climbing--didn't interest me that much. All of the ones I've seen since have been at least decent...until I sat through this dreck. I had high hopes for this one; it comes from the '90's, when many of my old favorites were made, and the jackets the kids wore look like the ones from my high school. Unfortunately, it ended up being garbage...which is just sad.

Score: 1/5

Synopsis: Emmet is just an average guy. He lives his life by the same routine every day, and always follows the instructions. One day, a weird mishap leads to him being declared The Special: the one person who can stop the evil President Business' dastardly plan of unleashing the Kragle on the entire world. The only problem is: There doesn't appear to be anything special about Emmet. Will he be able to save all his fellow citizens regardless?

The Good: This movie is a wonder to behold. The animation really brings inanimate Lego bricks to life, and the humor and pop culture references are spot-on. It also brings home an excellent moral: that everyone is special and valuable, no matter who they are. All in all, a wonderful flick.

The Bad: Nothing, really.

Conclusion: Me and Lego blocks have an interesting history. My mom got me some Lego sets as a kid, but, I had trouble manipulating the small pieces due to coordination issues. I had a good friend at church who loved those building blocks so much, he dressed up as a Lego for Halloween. Toward the end of my high school days, I had fun playing Lego Star Wars on my Nintendo GameCube; since then, I've had a blast with Lego's TV series, ranging from their comedic take on Lucas' space opera to Ninjago. I've been meaning to watch this flick for a while, but just recently got around to it; it was just as good as I expected and then some. If you haven't seen this yet...what are you waiting for? Go rent or stream it, now!

Score: 5/5

Synopsis: Dusty (George Strait) is the biggest country music sensation on the planet! Despite his massive fame, he is tired of playing one sold-out show after another...so, he abruptly leaves town after a concert, leaving his band flummoxed. While they hunt for Dusty, they get an aspiring country singer (Kyle Chandler, Early Edition) to fill in, making everyone think he is the real Dusty. Will his band ever get Dusty to perform again, or are his days of stardom over for good?

The Good: Like many movies about concert performers, this is a great look at what goes into live music. It also shows how easily people can be duped into thinking that "stars" have talent, when they really don't; in a world full of Auto-Tuned singers, airbrushed photos, and sub-par Hollywood actors and actresses, that point hits home even more now than it likely did in 1992.

The Bad: Unfortunately, this movie betrays its "PG" rating. While I expected some language--how often does a movie rated higher than "G" not have any?--I wasn't expecting seven or eight uses of the d-word, almost as many of the h-word, three or four of the a-word, and even two uses of the s-word, the latter of which was unspeakable on network television at the time. Misuses of God's name, euphemisms such as "gosh" and "crap," and unkind phrases such as "shut up" pop up here and there as well. Sexual content is also present; one man talks about a one-night stand, whereas another scene has a woman walking into a men's restroom and making a reference to a guy's private anatomy. There were some brutal fights; they weren't very bloody, but, one guy gets seriously injured. Alcoholism is seen throughout. This feels more like one of the "PG" flicks from the eighties, when the "PG-13" rating didn't exist yet.

Conclusion: As a result of my celebrity crush days, I'm better known for admiring celebrities of the female gender than ones with "Y" chromosomes. Even some of my friends may be surprised to find out that I've admired famous guys, including actors, for years. One of them is Kyle Chandler, who played the lead in Early Edition, a show my mom and I watched together back in the day not only when it was originally on, but also in reruns. Some years ago, I revisited the first season on DVD; recent news that the studio is releasing the entire series sometime this year is music to my ears. So, when I read that Mr. Chandler was in this movie, I gave it a chance. I have to hand it to him; he did his part well...but, that didn't save this movie from being a mess. Hopefully, the sequel (of sorts) is better.

Score: 2/5

Synopsis: Robin Good (Larry the Cucumber) lives in the medieval town of Bethlingham, where he and his "merry men" try to raise money for the poor of the city. When Robin witnesses a ham being stolen by the sheriff of the town by the prince's orders, he decides to do something about it...only for his friends to abandon him. Will Robin be able to save Bethlingham from the clutches of the evil prince? Also, in a bonus story, Lenny (Junior Asparagus) is excited because it's his birthday...but, nobody seems to realize it's his special day. How could they forget something that important?

The Good: What Big Idea has done well in the past, they continue to excel at here. Amazing animation; fabulous values; fun humor...this is exactly what I've come to love about this franchise. Though kids are the target audience, the moral here is one that adults should take to heart as well.

The Bad: Nothing, really.

Conclusion: I've been watching VeggieTales episodes since I was in middle school; I've had a blast with many of them, especially Jonah. This is another hit for Big Idea; I've sat through some sorry movies lately, but, this isn't one of them. Fans of Bob, Larry, and friends should check this out if they haven't already.

Score: 4.5/5

Synopsis: Jake Kincaid, a convicted criminal who recently finished his prison sentence, is searching for a treasure trove of gold he believes to be his. His search leads him to a town called Fairplay, where he soon falls in love and finds work, though the people there don't know his true intentions. When notorious outlaws visit the town, it's up to Jake and his new friends to stop them.

The Good: Some of the characters here were likable. It's also good to see Pure Flix to do something that isn't an end times saga, a Biblical interpretation, or a modern-day drama of faith.

The Bad: Unfortunately, this film falls flat in every area. The acting wasn't very good; the plot is boring; all of the shootouts don't feel like a Christian movie; the sets are unconvincing and obviously low budget; and, overall, this is definitely not one of this studio's best.

Conclusion: I've said again and again that I'm a fan of Christian cinema. Sure, sometimes, filmmakers of the faith get it wrong...but, so do mainstream ones at times. However, when it goes wrong, it can be painful to watch, and makes people of the Way look bad...and this is a prime example of that. I sure hope the other Christian movies I watch later this month are better than this mess.