I love a good movie. 

But let’s be honest about it; seldom do we agree on the definition of “good.”  For some people, a good movie is set in the old west.  (Especially if it stars John Wayne!)  For my daughters, the best movies are musicals with love stories.  One of my daughters is even more specific.  She wants a good love story with some good looking cowboys and and some good looking horses and some good music.  And if the cowboy has an Australian accent, she is hooked!  My sons, on the other hand, love sports and action movies.  And my wife loves movies that the whole family loves.  

But let’s also be honest about this.  Enjoyable movies are not always good movies, at least in the moral sense of the word.  Movies (not to mention TV, internet videos, video games, or music) directly impact the way we think, sometimes positively and sometimes negatively.  For example, the acceptance of various ethnic groups in the media (think of TV’s The Cosby Show or the movie Remember The Titans) has helped in the fight against racism in America—a very positive thing.  The acceptance of promiscuity, pornography, and homosexuality in the media has dramatically impacted our sexual morality—a very negative thing.

So as believers, we want to find good movies (they are enjoyable) that are also good movies (they promote positive values.)  And ratings don’t always tell the story.  We should ask deeper questions than, “What is it rated?”  What themes are promoted?  What lifestyles are normalized?  What behavior is encouraged?  What ideas are presented?  What is the “worldview” behind the movie?

If you’ve heard my preaching, you know that I encourage Christians to show discretion in the use of media.  At the same time, I also encourage the promotion of positive movies with great themes.  Here are two movies I look forward to seeing this fall:

Courageous.  As a pastor, I was able to attend a preview of this movie in June.  It was very good in both meanings of the word.  It is funny, dramatic, emotional (my daughter Angela said I cried 7 times during the movie) and action-packed.  And it has a theme that will make people–especially men–think deeply about what is most important to them.  It looks like it will end up with a PG-13 rating due to some serious themes, some emotional intensity, and some violence.  However, these issues are treated realistically, and the overall message is distinctly Christian.  I like it so much that our FSBCA congregation will rent a theater on Sunday evening October 2, and I will encourage our members to invite their friends to enjoy it with us together.  You can view the trailer at www.courageousthemovie.com, and we will start selling tickets in September.

I’m also looking forward to seeing The Mighty Macs.  This movie tells the story of the girl’s basketball team of a small Catholic (Immaculata) college.  It has won the attention of many family friendly and Christian groups, even though it is not a Christian movie per se. It does feature excellent actresses and it supports positive values.  You can view the trailer at www.themightymacs.com. 

It is still possible to produce great movies with positive themes.  “Good” movies that are also “good” movies make a difference in today’s world!