Christian Media

This forum is for discussing Christian books, movies, music, audio books/dramas… and anything else like that. What are your favorites?

Oh, yeah! Good topic! I think this might end up being my favorite forum, right here!

mine too!! :)

Okay, I'll keep it tame for now.

Let's talk about the "Runner from Ravenshead" movie.

I want to argue that the production value and finished product of this movie rivals anything that Hollywood can put out. In fact, I will contend that getting even 2-3 kids of similar ages to those in "Runner" is IMPOSSIBLE for Hollywood to pull off, let alone the foursome that "Runner's" creators (who happen to be their homeschooling parents) were able to manage so successfully.

Hollywood would be hard-pressed to find kids of similar ages, no matter how many thousands of tryouts they would have to hold, and get them to cooperate and successfully pull off the acting that "Runner" accomplished, without the use of CGI or major editing magic.

Because of this feat, and I am a HUGE movie buff in stating this, I will stake my claim that not only should the "Runner from Ravenshead" have won the top prize at Vision Forum's SAICFF that year, instead of just the Audience Choice Award, but for what it was able to accomplish with:

its overall film quality and appearance;
its low-level, but effective, special effects;
the ingenuity of the allegorical story, filled with comedy, drama, and action;
the poignant placement and relevance of the sweeping musical score (though it does take pieces and parts from movies like "Raiders of the Lost Ark" and "Pirates of the Caribbean);
the beauty of the set designs, costumes, and cinematography; and
the convincing acting by all four children in their assorted roles…

—- I will argue that this is one of the greatest movies ever made on any level!

I know this sounds crazy, but look again at all they got right with this movie! These were FIRST-TIME filmmakers, and yet they produced their "Citizen Kane"!!

I appreciate this motion picture each time I view it. It is nearly flawless, and sets a standard that will be hard for this family to duplicate ever again.

While I enjoy all of Sherwood Studios' movies (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, etc.), they have yet to get all of these elements so finely together all in one film as the makers of "Runner" did. Yet they are collectively the greatest Christian movies ever made! Hands down!

But none of Sherwood's movies are as flawless in one film, though some have come close, as the "Runner from Ravenshead" is all on its own; this makes it all the more special. It's the "Sixth Sense" of first-time-filmmaker movies, and leaves little room for any other product they do to come close to such near-perfect accomplishment!

This movie will stand the test of time, even amongst unsaved audiences; and don't be surpised if it picks up an almost-cult like following over the years to come in church circles.

It set the gold standard right from the start, hitting a grand slam home run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs and down by 3 runs!

YES, IT'S THAT WELL-DONE!

I just watched the "Widow's Might" for the first time. I think it was AWESOME! Possibly, the best movie I've ever seen. I do not know much about movies, but I think it was amazing quality. Amazing storyline. Hilarious. Beautiful soundtrack. GORGEOUS singing. At first, I thought it couldn't be their own voices…well, the credits say it was. :) SO beautiful.
They won the SAICFF in '09. Runner up…….Fireproof. Awesome. They were competing against….Expelled….The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry….Fireproof….and other amazing films, and they WON!!!
It was awesome.

It is by the same people who made "Bubble Trouble", "Heartstrings" and others (which I haven't seen). By far their best production I have watched.

EDIT: Okay, okay, as you can probably all tell, I get kinda overly excited about stuff like this. :)

Does anyone know if they did/are make(ing) anymore videos?

While I did/do appreciate the "Widow's Might," and I do believe it WON the top prize at SAICFF (because I remember the Moores holding up the $101,000 grand prize check), I have watched it a few times now and still find acting, storyline, and other small, subtle flaws in its finished product. Plus, it was their third production, and they had worked out a lot of their earlier acting, script, and film mistakes. It's good, don't get me wrong.

But what makes "Runner from Ravenshead" all the more fantastic and transcendent (sp?) is that it was a FIRST-TIME production by a family who had ZERO filmmaking experience! Their finished product is mind-bogglingly amazing, not just story-wise, but on all the levels I listed before.

"Widow's Might" is definitely a treasure among Christian film circles, and will be for years to come. I would have to believe that the Moores are currently in production with another feature-length film, especially after having been awarded that much money. They've been able to do so much with so little money, I can only imagine that they'll do something even more amazing for their fourth go-around.

But, I will unabashedly and unapologetically say it again: "Runner from Ravenshead" is one of the best films ever made, and could become unbelievably popular in the secular world once word-of-mouth propels it to such venues! You have not heard the last of this mustard seed of a movie! Watch how it will grow in popularity over the next decade. I kid you not!

I know they won because 1: I watched the extras on the DVD, 2: I read the Vision Forum catalog and 3: I read the Vision Forum webpage. :) EDIT: 4: It says so on the back of the case… (can't believe I forgot that…)

I don't think it was a "perfect" production. I still LOVE it. I greatly enjoyed "Bubble Trouble" and "Heart-Strings" as well, and am amazed at the huge jump in quality they made.

I really like "Runner from Raveshead". I think it's a great movie, don't get me wrong.

What I really appreciate about the "Widow's Might" is, even though it was their fourth of fifth production, think of how many HUGE leaps they made. I believe they said this movie was twice as long as "Heart-Strings". And I'd contend that it's twice as good as well (not story wise, "Heart-Strings" was a great story, but quality wise). :) They had, what? SEVEN original songs? It is a very entreating storyline. Interesting. Full of twists and turns.

I think it's amazing how well the "Runner from Ravenshead" kids did on their FIRST film. However, I'm not going to judge the "Widow's Might" differently because their first try might not have been so close to perfection as "Runner from Ravenshead". It is neat to see their films getting better and better each time (same with the Sherwood Movies!!!). Their film is an inspiration to aspiring film-makers. They have manages to incorporate so many things into their film. And to think that most of the actors in it can't be too much older than me is just cool.

I totally agree, "Runner from Ravenshead" IS one of the best films ever made. But I think "Widow's Might" is up there too, and maybe, just maybe a little higher. :)

Okay, @EmilyHamilton (no, the other one!): I will agree that the Moores have made excellent progress with each new production, and I will also agree that having 6-7 original songs alone makes it one of the best Christian films ever; however, when I say that "Runner from Ravenshead" is one of the greatest film accomplishments ever achieved, I mean to say even over secular films.

Hollywood pumps out movies every week, and their budgets range from $1 million to over $250 million, and that's just to make the film. "Runner," according to its makers, cost between $20,000 to $30,000, which is around what Sherwood Pictures spent to make their first movie "Flywheel" (still my personal favorite of their four, mostly because of the storyline).

What the makers of "Runner" did with their small budget blows Hollywood & other Christian movies away by miles! AND ON THEIR FIRST EFFORT!! It's an unbelievable feat.

I can understand why many would put "Widow's Might" above "Runner," as SAICFF did in giving one the grand prize and the not the other the next year. But SAICFF will rue the day they did that; and I will say it again, look for "Runner" to make a huge splash in the secular DVD market once word-of-mouth reaches other families with small kids outside of the church! "Widow's Might" has NO CHANCE of being able to reach the same audiences.

I think you've alluded to the fact that you haven't seen too many secular movies (if any at all), but take my word that Hollywood, even with all of its big budgets and far reach in obtaining top talent, would NEVER have been able to duplicate what "Runner" has done. THAT is what makes it SO special. Hollywood could duplicate "Widow's Might," but it could not get that many top-talented kids to pull off what "Runner" did over the course of an entire feature film. "Widow's Might" and the films before it all had 1 "Gator," which would be NO problem for Hollywood to find. But Hollywood could never find 5 "Gators" like "Runner" did.

You see how that quality, in addtion to the other things I listed before, make "Runner" a very, very rare and special film?

One more thing: the secular world heralds the movie "Citizen Kane" as the greatest movie of all time. It won NO major Academy Awards and did pretty poorly at the Box Office, but is considered the greatest film ever because of all that it achieved for first time fimmaker Orson Welles. I can think of several movies that I've enjoyed MUCH MORE than either "Citizen Kane" or "Runner;" but the distinction of one of the greatest films of all time is based on its overall achievements alone, and not the immediate mass appeal. I believe "Runner from Ravenshead" will be viewed increasingly well in the far future; it needs time to be savored and grow on the general public.

I dare call it a masterpiece in its own right and genre, yet it's not even in my personal Top 10 favorites of all time.

Have any of you read the Elsie Dinsmore series?

Books? What are books? Have they made any movies out of those books? Maybe I've seen those. :)

Okay, seriously, no, I haven't read them, but I have heard many people say that they love them!

I've read a few of them. They have the updated versions at our public library, but in spite of the older English, I'd have to say I like what I've read of the older versions a little better.

The Widow's Might is one of my all-time favorite movies!! Especially because I'm really interested in film-making. I've seen Bubble Trouble and Heartstrings, too, and they were both really good. The new movie the Moore's are coming out with is a re-make of Heartstrings called Ace Wonder. I don't know much about it, though. BTW, I got to talk to Colin Gunn, the actor who played Wally the Mailman! I really liked the part on the Widow's Might where he said he didn't like documentaries, because in real life he actually produces documentaries!! He came to our homeschool convention in March to show one of his most recent documentaries, IndoctriNation.

Oh, I would love to personally meet Colin Gunn. He seems like he has a terrific sense of humor! That line in Widow's Might cracked me up!

(On a related note: If you ever get a chance to see Flywheel, look for the line that Alex Kendrick says while lying on his back on his bedroom floor. It's similar to what Mr. Gunn says in Widow's Might, and it's hilarious!)

IndoctriNation is phenomenal! Every Christian parent should watch it, especially those who have their kid(s) in Caesar's schools. I don't see how any Christian can watch it and keep their child in a public school any longer. It's inexcusable!

I have read the first two books. I like them, but to be honest, I think Elsie is a little too strict with what she is and isn't allowed to do. For example, remember when she refused to play a specific song because it was the Lord's Day and she believed that only hymns ought to be played on it? I respect her preference, but I don't believe that it is wrong to play any other kind of song. I even sometimes play songs that aren't hymns on Sunday. But I still enjoyed the books.

Guess what!?
You'll never guess. I'll have to tell you. ;)
Colin Gunn came over to our house and I got to talk with him!!!!
( I told you you'd never guess. )
He IS very interesting. It was extremely fun to have him come and speak at our church.

@Rosie - I agree. She is a bit too strict, but the lessons and the story are still good.

@Rebekah Eddy - Wow, he came to your house?!? That's so cool! No, I wouldn't have guessed. :) I wish he would come to our house, or even our town so we could go see him again… :)

@ CBH Bethany M, That's neat you got to talk to him! Yeah, that documentary part almost made me laugh too. If he really wasn't much of a documentary guy, then why does he make them. :) I've seen IndoctriNation too. It took us a while to figure out who he was though. lol!

@ WM, the main reason I like "Widow's Might" better than "Runner from Ravenshead" is because I can relate to the "Widow's Might" characters….A LOT, and not so much the kids from "Runner from Ravenshead".
Thanks for the further explanation of "Citizen Kane". I had NO idea what you were talking about. :)
Yeah, our video selection rarely goes beyond old Disney movies, Daniel Boone (hehe) and film festival favorites.
When you say "no, the other one" you mean me, right? And when you said "it's not even in my top 10 favorites", you meant "Widow's Might"…or what?

@ Elsie Conversation, I have read a few of the Elsie books. I didn't really like them because Elsie was so perfect. It almost drove me nuts. :) Being able to relate to the characters means a lot to me.

Has anyone seen any of the movies by Shatterpoint Entertainment? They make brickfilms( stop-motion animation with Lego) of Bible stories. Their first film, Wars of Humanity 1, was based on Exodus 4-14, where the children of Israel left the land of Egypt. As it was a school project for them, the quality wasn't as good as in their later films, Wars of Humanity 2, and Jericho: The Promise Fulfilled. Wars of Humanity 2 was featured at the San Antonio Christian Film Festival in 2006, and as a finalist, made its way to the DVD. I think Jericho was at the 2011 San Antonio Christian Film Festival as well.

If they are from the SAICFF, then yes, all but the Jerico one. I really liked them. :)

@EmilyHamilton (no, the other one!): Yes, Emily, I mean you.

What I meant about my favorite Top 10 movies of all time, I meant that "Runner from Ravenshead" is not even in my own personal Top 10 favorite movies; in fact, I, like you, enjoyed "Widow's Might" more than "Runner."

But that's the point I'm trying to make: I'm NOT a fan of Citizen Kane, but it is still an amazing motion picture accomplishment for its era and its director. I liked "Runner from Ravenshead," and it grows on me the more I watch it with my kids; but it isn't even in my Top 25 all-time favorites. However, it is still a masterpiece in its own right, and is arguably one of the greatest films ever made. It doesn't have to be our own personal favorite to be a great film.

Mark my words: "Runner from Ravenshead" will still be around and much more heralded in the next 10 years, even in the secular world.

@RebekahEddy: That's very cool! I envy that you got to have him over to your home. If we ever get the opportunity to meet him, I'll invite him and his family over for dinner. I'd love to talk "shop" with him.

@DepravedTeen: How did you find this forum? Who told you about it? (Everyone! Run for your lives!!)

What do you mean "talk 'shop' with him" ?

ooooh… I see what you're saying now. Sorry about that. I agree with you. Sorry, I was trying to say why I liked "Widow's Might" better, but yes, I agree that "Runner from Ravenshead" is quite a masterpiece, and even if it isn't exactly my favorite, they did an awesome job on it. Yes, it probably is one of the best films ever made (being a Christian film makes it better too :) ), especially sense it was the FIRST film they ever made!!!

@RebekahEddy: "Talk shop" is to discuss a common interest between two parties. In this case, I would love to talk films and filmmaking with Mr. Gunn, find out his early influences with films, and any more ideas he has for other features he'd like to do.

@EmilyHamilton: Yes, I think we're on the same page now. I had a similar discussion with @COS & @SBG last night, as we debated between the quality of "Widow's Might" vs. "Runner from Ravenshead." As you can imagine, based on the personalities we exhibit on the MemVerse blog, it got fun & spirited (as we all love to debate and argue).

Ditto on everything you said, Widow's Might was a really good movie! I also liked Runner but…..wait a minute..reads Wretched Man's earlier post………..Aw cummon, am I really that bad?………..as I was saying, Runner was really good, but after seeing for like, 5 times in a row( it's my sister's FAVORITE movie) it was a bit tiresome. But the quality of the acting was AWESOME! And I loved all the Indiana Jones references, like "He's going back for his hat", or even the fact that our hero's name is Henry! But the storyline was the best part, the allegory of a person running from an addiction that has claimed their life to Christ. It was really amazing!

Seriously! Who let you in here? I thought we had finally found a secret place of solace! (Run, everyone! Run!)

@BAL: I haven't really watched Indianan Jones that much, so I don't know the significance of either of those things you mentioned. :)

@WM: That must have been a fun discussion!!! =D Btw, now that I understand what you're saying, I agree. Sorry about the confusion. :)

@Rachel - I love A Life of Faith series! I have the first 4 Elsie (updated) books - I don't really like the older books - it's somewhat hard to follow. I have read the Kathleen books, I'm reading the violet books right now, and I had started the Millie Keith Series a few years before and am taking it back up now. :) Have you read Sisters In Time? Those are really cool too.

I agree, Bethany and Rosie - I think they are a little too serious, I mean it's great that they love God and stuff but some of it goes a little overboard.

@EVERYONE - Has anyone read the Knights of Arrethtrae or Kingdom Series by Chuck Black? THOSE ARE FABULOUS - YOU MUST READ THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The Kingdom Series parallels the bible and the KOA teaches different lessons (sort of). They are set in the medieval times. (WHICH I LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!) www.arrethtrae.com

@BrickArmsLover: We watched a couple Shatterpoint films. The Jericho one was really funny and amazingly well done! (Especially considering it was a Lego movie - the computer special effects were AWESOME!) We actually went to the SAICFF this year and saw their most recent movie, The Button. Not as funny with a slightly odd allegorical plotline, but MAN, was it WELL DONE!

We like Sherwood films a lot. Also, I watched the Widow's Might and thought it was great, but there were a few plotline elements to tweak and some weak actors…still, I was impressed by a lot of things, particularly Gator's charming acting. It was quite good overall - funny, meaningful, etc. It was a huge improvement over their previous films, too. (Though, I thought Bubble Trouble was pretty cute, if not a bit goofy!)

I haven't watched Runner from Ravenshead. I'll probably have to check it out :)

I watched Collin Gunn's film IndoctriNation. It was awesome! It made the case against public schools superbly. (The only problem is, I wonder if very may public schooling parents will actually watch it?) It's super great you got to meet him, Horse Lover!

Another documentary I enjoyed was Agenda: Grinding America Down.

If there were 3 things that I would recommend Christian filmmakers work on, they would probably be:

• Avoid cheap plot devices (I've seen them in Christian films multiple times…convenient conversions, "it was all just a dream", etc.)
• Work on having more solid actors (as Christian filmmaking becomes more of a "big thing", this will attract attention to them and help to solve this problem)
• Master the art of subtlety (I'm not the kind of person who freaks out about movies like Sherwood's; I quite like Sherwood films, in fact. And I don't think Christians should be afraid to present distinctly and expressly Christian messages. But at the same time, it's not good to make your point with a sledgehammer or be soooo concerned about "driving the message home" that you spell it out so obviously and often that you aren't really given the audience any benefit of the doubt at all. These are movies, not sermons. But again, I'm not someone who freaks out and runs away at the slightest hint of preachiness.)

Even so, I do think Christian filmmaking is taking big strides and getting bigger and better every year. Just keep pressing on, filmmakers for Christ, and listen to God first and foremost.

The Widow's Might is one of my all-time favorite movies!! Especially because I'm really interested in film-making. I've seen Bubble Trouble and Heartstrings, too, and they were both really good. The new movie the Moore's are coming out with is a re-make of Heartstrings called Ace Wonder. I don't know much about it, though.

Today, we went on their blog and watched the trailer for Ace Wonder, and it looks really, really, REALLY good!!!!! Thanks for telling me about it, Bethany!

I really enjoyed both the Runner from Ravenshead and the Widow's Might. I like the Runner From Ravenshead better because of the tremendous message, however, being involved in politics I like the Widow's Might multiple messages too - esp. the way the media twists things.

I am a fan of the Moore's videos - having watched all of them (I think) all the way from What a Blast - but Ravenshead really has an absolutely tremendous message. I was in amazement that a movie could really say so much.

Another example of the power of filmmaking and why we need to continue to win this area back for the Gospel!

I once heard Doug Philipps speak on Christian Media! It was interesting.