MovieChat Forums > Saving Christmas (2014) Discussion > When can we get a good Christian Film?

When can we get a good Christian Film?

posted 9 years ago by comrade-newski
154 replies | jump to latest

Between this, Left Behind, God's Not Dead, Heaven is for Real, Son of God, and the Christian Mingle film, I think it's time to demand a higher calibre of Religious films.

Enough circle jerk films for people who will see anything and praise any movie they believe supports their world view, regardless of quality. Time to start making GOOD films for a Christian Audience. Films that actually have something to say.

I mean, that's how these films remain profitable. They convince the audience that these films are "Oh so special" to them and that they need to support Christian films, not realizing that they are being pretty much sold low budget, low quality trash and profiting off of the fact that the built in market is happy just to see their ideology on screen. No concern for quality or content.

Son of God is probably the worst offender, being little more than a recut of a TV show marketed to people who the producers figured simply wouldn't notice. Producers who probably don't give two craps about Christianity outside of the fact that Christian Films make bank.

Come on, people, demand better than this nonsense.

[–] RaisingRlyeh 9 years ago

The problem as you said is that most christian films are just circle jerks aimed at specific audience. The films are always awful and always have the same bad cliches. There are certainly good films with what can be considered a christian message, whether the message is exclusively christian is another debate, but those films do not talk down to their audience. I think it will be a long time coming until you see an explicitly christian film that is any good. These films are supported by churches that buy massive numbers of tickets and support them because it reinforces what they are taught. They can ignore all the *beep* acting, cinematography, and all the other things that make a film good because they simply want the message.

[–] culwin 9 years ago

How would you make a "Christian film" that isn't propaganda?
And what's the difference between a "Christian film" and a film that happens to have Christians in it?
I think the only good Christian film you're going to see would be a documentary.

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[–] comrade-newski 9 years ago

See, I don't think telling the cultural story of a people, or a story important to a culture is necessarily "Propaganda".

A good Christian movie would have relevance to Christians, but also be an entertaining film to outsiders who may or may not agree with the Religious viewpoints, but can still understand the value the actual faith has in the story.

I keep my faith in mind when I write, and I've been working on a treatment for a Religious film. Less about preaching religion and more about exploring my faith thematically, in the context of a dark comedy that is both pro-Religion but also isn't afraid to point out everything that is wrong with it.

[–] talkinhorse 9 years ago

A dramatically interesting plot involves a believable character struggling with a believable choice. I think a successful "religious" drama can only focus indirectly on God, because a specific sense of what God wants of the characters makes for a very simplistic choice.

"Ben-Hur" works because the titular Ben-Hur is struggling with his justifiable rage, and his path to enlightenment is uncertain and tortured. I actually liked "God's Not Dead" for the way it dumped a college kid into a real-world dilemma; I'm not saying that was great, but it worked. The Coen brother's "A Serious Man" was intense and thought-provoking, although it may be too subtle for some (and of course its orientation is Jewish). I found "The Rapture" (1991, with Mimi Rogers) fascinating, although it strays from religious dogma.

I guess "The Passion of the Christ" should be mentioned. Mel Gibson gave us the real deal, with all its terrible power. Yeah, a lot of cheesy stuff has followed, hoping to cash in. That's the way these things go. But that's Hollywood. A lot of junk, with occasional flashes of wonderful brilliance that (hopefully) justifies the endless sewage.

[–] SuperDevilDoctor 9 years ago

I guess "The Passion of the Christ" should be mentioned. Mel Gibson gave us the real deal, with all its terrible power.

Ummm... Not the "real deal", if you talked to many devout Southern Baptists (such as those in my family) after seeing it.

To them, Gibson's film is "not scriptural" -- because it is "too Catholic". When I asked them about this they pointed out a bunch of Catholic stuff Gibson threw in there that is not in the New Testament.

For all the talk about liberals being hostile to Christianity, just take a stroll through any Baptist book store in the American "red state" south... You'll find all sorts of books there about how Catholics are not real Christians, because the Catholic Church is a false, even dangerous "cult" (as are Mormons, of course). Baptists I know disparagingly refer to Catholics as "baby sprinklers" and "Mary worshippers".

So much for brotherhood and fellowship, eh?

(Me, I'm agnostic, and couldn't care less.)

Send her to the snakes!

[–] masterofallgoons 9 years ago

Les Miserables. Though the movie sucks. Watch the concerts.

[–] nageltr 9 years ago

8: The Mormon Proposition is a good film about how xtians really behave.

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1484522/

Great, now we gotta do the rest of this thing with Danny Elfman!

[–] !!!deleted!!! (19664510) 9 years ago

There's no such thing. But even if there were, you certainly wouldn't get one from a bigoted, untalented nutbag like Kirk Cameron.

I delete all private messages without reading them, so don't waste your time.

[–] cheezmunky 9 years ago

I think "Saved" was a pretty good Christian film. Because everyone makes mistakes. Nobody is perfect. There's always going to be somebody that is too judgmental and somebody that is doing something that others perceive as wrong. Its not so much a Christian film as it is a human film. And that's what's great about it. We can believe in God.... but God has to realize that we're a bunch of *beep* up creatures. Going by the written standards, we're all wrong... we're sorry. But please... let us be happy. However we are!

Facts are meaningless. You could use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!

[–] nuhc 9 years ago

One of the main problems with Christian films is that they are made by people who eschew anything "Hollywood," so you get movies made by people who aren't professional movie makers. Very few professional actors of any quality, poor script writing, bad direction and editing, poor camera work, the list goes on. When they go to a church looking for actors for a Christian film, you end up with a movie that looks like a high school play.

The other problem with independent Christian films is that they are written by people with absolutely no concept of subtlety. They have to constantly hit you over the head with the message. And come on, a Christian character with the name "Christian?" Just like in "Last Ounce of Courage?" See what I mean? Just in case you don't understand that guy's religious beliefs.

So they continue to make crappy movies like this one and bus people from churches to go see them. People who won't admit they didn't like the movie because to do so would somehow be putting down the Christian message. So they go to IMDB and Rotten Tomatoes to upvote the movie just so it will get a better rep.