thoughtful movie reviews

How do you decide what movies to see?

Maybe, like me, you used to see a lot of movies (pre-kids) and now it's a rare opportunity that you want to make the most of. You don't want to waste a couple of hours and the money it takes to go to a movie or to see one.

One of the best resources I've found for movie reviews is Andrew Tallman's Movie Reviews. Though not exhaustive, Tallman is constantly adding new movies and providing thoughtful critique. What I appreciate about his reviews is that he makes a distinction between Superficial content (Language, violence, sexuality, things the MPAA usually gives rankings for) and Significant content (Lessons, worldview, paradigms, things movies really should be rated for). I find typical Christian movie reviews to be helpful, but often far too simplistic (if there's cussing or violence, you shouldn't see it). Instead, I want to learn not just what bad things are in a movie, but what thought-provoking or worldview-engaging things are in a movie. I want to take things like film and learn more about the culture I live in and how to interact with the people in it, while also trying to be above reproach and live in holiness.

For another interesting place to think about how Christianity engages with film, go to http://media.marshillchurch.org/. Click on "Classes" and then "Film & Theology."