Take Me to the Movies
When I was a kid, I remember bossing my cousins and brother around to reenact movies or stories. Sometimes if I had seen a movie, I would go into long-drawn out storytelling if someone else had not seen it. The bad part was that the religion I was raised in and spent five school years being indoctrinated into, frowned on movie-going and even on watching TV. Believe me, this was not an easy thing for me. I loved something that made me feel guilty. And I certainly couldn't share it at church or in school! But now that I have grace, I no longer have this as a "shame" (a shame that I felt because I loved movies so much)and I've seen quite a few movies now--and talk about them freely.
The movie, The Nativity, is out and I would love to go see it. I don't get out to see movies very often, but I do have Pay Per View satellite and watch a lot of movies at home. But this movie is special and I do want to go see it in the theater. One of my favorite authors, Angela Hunt, wrote the novel that goes along with the movie. Nothing is better than a movie, based on a true story, with a book! (See Crosswalk's review of The Nativity here.)
Recently, an AOL news feed listed the Top Ten Faith-Based Movies put out since 1980. I hope that Hollywood is paying attention because they also listed what each of the films grossed. It is no small thing that people love a good story that gives them a hope and a future. They should be paying attention to what we want to go see.
Here are the Top Ten grossing Faith-based movies since 1980. Have you seen any of them? Maybe you want to put one or two on your Christmas Wish List:
10. China Cry
9. Left Behind
8. The Other Side of Heaven
7. Luther
6. Megiddo: The Omega Code II
5. End of the Spear
4. The Omega Code
3. Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie
2. The Witch, The Lion, and The Wardrobe (grossed $291,710,957.00)
and number one, grossing in at $370,782,930.00 (whoa!) is one of my favorite movies that I went with friends and family to see:
1. The Passion of the Christ
I will admit to you that because The Passion of the Christ is such an intense and physical movie, not everyone will want to see it. I know the images haunted me for a long time, but see, I also have an intense personal commitment to the subject of that film, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. It is not a film that you need to see over and over again, either. Once will stay with you for a long time.
(This is not an endorsement of all of the movies on this list. This is NOT MY TOP TEN, but the TOP TEN HIGHEST GROSSING FAITH-BASED FILMS since 1980.)
The thing is, when I go to see a movie, I want the good guys to win, a story to be told, and something I can take away--either a smile (laughter,) a warm feeling, or something that wants me to tell a story, too. Watching a movie is not a passive event for me. I want to be engaged and I want to come away with something for my own storytelling or for my life.
Tell me a story (and share with me some of your favorite movies to see.)
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1000 Gifts Continued....
151. a warm sweatshirt with a hood
152. hot brewed coffee
153. family who cares
154. My friend, Marti, who cares about others before herself
155. the ability to read and discern
156. coconut yogurt with raisins
157. friends who comment on my blog
158. fascinating topics on other blogs
159. time that friends and family invest in me
160. my Indiana ACFW writer friends!
161. a weather report that didn't come true (no snow!)
162. winds that died down and no damage on our home (others had damage)
163. Christmas traditions
164. the reason for Christmas--Jesus
165. sunshine today when it was soooo dark yesterday (I feel better already)
166. hot green tea with lemon and honey (my throat is a little raspy and I have to SING tonight. Eeek! Please pray.)
167. praying friends even if they don't know what I'm talking about
168. family and friends I feel privileged to bring to the Lord in prayer
169. Max and Bryce respecting my wishes, even when they want to go
170. stores!
171. plenty of food (oooh, maybe too much...)
172. plenty of clean water
173. frost patterns on the window and on leaves (artwork without the price!)
174. the smooth feel of the needles on our white pine trees outside
175. the soothing sound of rippling water down in our creek
176. sparkly things that delight me
177. Tammy Alexander and her books
178. my mother--for sharing so many stories with me and leaving the notes and records, and photos for me
179. My Aunt Mayme who still calls me and gathered much of our family stories
180. My Aunt Linda who gathered stories for my other side of the family
181. Good memories that get better with time
2 comments:
Crystal,
One of my favorite movies is "You've Got Mail." What could be better than a movie which has books & bookstores as a prominent part of the story :-) I love the soundtrack as well ... it makes me happy when I listen to it.
I remember acting out stories when I was younger too. Not so much from movies, but from TV shows. I loved Bonanza and Wild, Wild West. I'd pretend to be Jim West and my friend was Artemis Gordon LOL. Even now, when I see a movie that really grabs me, like Lord of the Rings (another fave!), it doesn't take too much for me to start daydreaming about writing myself into the story :-)
You've Got Mail is one of my favorite movies, too, for some of the same reasons you've listed!
I loved Bonanza (who couldn't fall in love with Little Joe, who later went on to be Pa on Little House on the Prairie) and also Wild, Wild West. I loved The Big Valley, too.
Knowing what stories you love helps in creating your own stories. So glad to see you, Sheryl.
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