Finding God in the Movies : 33 Films of Reel Faith

by Barsotti, Catherine M., and Robert K. Johnston

• ISBN13: 9780801064814
• ISBN10: 0801064813
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-08-01
• Publisher: Baker Books

Summary

Recognizing that Christians go to the movies, the authors present a unique resource to help believers engage and enjoy films of faith. Includes information for understanding and discerning the Christian message relevant to 33 recent movies now available in video or DVD formats.

Author Biography

Robert K. Johnston is a professor of theology and culture at Fuller Theological Seminary. He is an ordained minister in the Evangelical Covenant Church and formerly served as dean of North Park Theological Seminary. He is the author of the critically-acclaimed Reel Spirituality. Catherine M. Barsotti teaches courses at Centro Hispano de Estudios Teologicos in the areas of theology, ethics, and spirituality (in Spanish). She also does consulting to Christian non-profit organizations in the area of strategic planning and board development. Together with Rob, she has been writing movie reviews for the last eight years for the Covenant Companion and Faith@Work.

Table of Contents

Preface	10	(2)
Finding God in the Movies: An Introduction	12	(19)
How to Use This Book	31	(11)
Affirming Our Humanity
Life Is Beautiful (d. Benigni, 1997)	42	(8)
Amistad (d. Spielberg, 1997)	50	(8)
No Man's Land (d. Tanovic, 2001)	58	(1)
We Were Soldiers (d. Wallace, 2002)	58	(16)
Beauty, Imagination, and Creativity
Spirited Away (d. Miyazaki, 2002)	74	(8)
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (d. Lee, 2000)	82	(10)
Choosing Life
Big Night (d. Scott and Tucci, 1996)	92	(6)
Fearless (d. Weir, 1993)	98	(10)
Embracing Our Vocation
The Rookie (d. Hancock, 2002)	108	(7)
Billy Elliot (d. Daldry, 2000)	115	(8)
The Apostle (d. Duvall, 1997)	123	(11)
Reconciliation within Families
The Straight Story (d. Lynch, 1999)	134	(8)
Ulee's Gold (d. Nunez, 1997)	142	(8)
Fly Away Home (d. Ballard, 1996)	150	(10)
Racial Reconciliation
Save the Last Dance (d. Carter, 2001)	160	(1)
Remember the Titans (d. Yakin, 2000)	160	(13)
X-Men (d. Singer, 2000)	173	(1)
The Hurricane (d. Jewison, 1999)	173	(15)
Forgiveness
Smoke Signals (d. Eyre, 1998)	188	(8)
Antwone Fisher (d. Washington, 2002)	196	(10)
Community and Friendship
About a Boy (d. Weitz and Weitz, 2002)	206	(7)
Italian for Beginners (d. Scherfig, 2001)	213	(9)
Faith
Simon Birch (d. Johnson, 1998)	222	(7)
Tender Mercies (d. Beresford, 1983)	229	(9)
Faith and Doubt
The Third Miracle (d. Holland, 1999)	238	(7)
Signs (d. Shyamalan, 2002)	245	(1)
K-PAX (d. Softley, 2001)	245	(15)
Living Our Faith
The Year of Living Dangerously (d. Weir, 1982)	260	(6)
Patch Adams (d. Shadyac, 1998)	266	(10)
Images of the Savior
The Spitfire Grill (d. Zlotoff, 1996)	276	(7)
The Iron Giant (d. Bird, 1999)	283	(9)
Renewing the Church
Sister Act (d. Ardolino, 1992)	292	(6)
Chocolat (d. Hallstrom, 2000)	298	(9)
Appendix 1: Movies Listed by Related Biblical Text	307	(3)
Appendix 2: Movies Listed by Topic	310	(9)
Notes	319