Movie Review: Read & Share Bible (Life & Miracles) DVD

As I watched the Read and Share Bible: Life and Miracles DVD with my family, one thing stood out to me. As a parent and a youth minister, I really liked the fact that each story flowed with the others. Watching this DVD helps kids get a better understanding of how each story in the Bible goes with the one before and the one after. The continuous action reinforces to those watching the movie that the Bible is not just a collection of stories, but one big continual story broken up into smaller stories.

But this strength also leads to the one negative I have about the movie. There are a few times that the movie takes a creative look at aspects of the stories not specifically mentioned in the Bible. There are moments when we see Judas being shown in a part of the story not talked about in Scripture. In other stories, there is added dialogue that is not written down in the Gospels. Is it something that Jesus or the disciples might have said, definitely. But I'd be careful to just let kids watch this movie without explaining that to them. There is no need for kids to grow up thinking this is all written in the Bible, when some of it is merely human imagination.


**I reviewed this DVD as part of the BookSneeze review program**

Trivia Wednesday #130: Proper firework-making clothing

answer #129 - 9 (E.T. - 44, Beverly Hills Cop - 28, Tootsie - 27, Top Gun - 27, Titanic - 26, Forrest Gump - 26, Crocodile Dundee - 26, Home Alone - 25, Dances with Wolves - 25) (How many movies have been in the top 10 for 25 or more weekends?)

question #130 - True or False: Fireworks makers wear only cotton clothing?

Trivia Wednesday #129: movies with 25 or more top 10 weekends

answer #128 - E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial - 16 weeks (What movie has the most weekends at #1?)

question #129 - How many movies have been in the top 10 for 25 or more weekends?

Trivia Wednesday #128: Movie at #1 for the most weekends

answer #127 - The Passion of the Christ (#12 - $370,782,930) (Finding Nemo, #15 - $339,714,978) (Which movie has grossed more domestically, The Passion of the Christ or Finding Nemo?)

question #128 - What movie has the most weekends at #1?

Trivia Wednesday #127: The Passion of the Christ & Finding Nemo

answer #126 - #2 (What number is "The Dark Knight" on the all-time domestic gross list?)

question #127 - Which movie has grossed more domestically, The Passion of the Christ or Finding Nemo?

Trivia Wednesday #126: The Dark Knight

answer #125 - Jaws, 1975 (What movie is considered the first summer blockbuster?)

question #126 - What number is "The Dark Knight" on the all-time domestic gross list?

June Trivia: Summer movie blockbusters

During the month of June, all of the trivia questions will be about summer movie blockbusters. Random facts about some of the biggest summer movies of all time. The first question is already up - do you know the answer?

As always, I hope you can use this information to help you in your ministry. Use it during classes, lunch, ball games, newsletters or whatever.

Trivia Wednesday #125: First Summer Movie Blockbuster

answer #124 - Neck ties, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, are the number one gift for Father’s Day. (What is the most popular gift to give on Father's Day?)

question #125 - What movie is considered the first summer blockbuster?

5 Things that would have been great April Fool's Day jokes

While thinking about April Fool's Day jokes, I starting pondering a few things that would have made a great joke. Unfortunately these things are not jokes, they are real.

5 things that would have made a great April Fool's Day joke... if they were not real:

1. Hulk: the movie (2003)
2. Sanjaya on American Idol
3. Crystal Pepsi (check out these commercials)
   
4. the Seinfeld finale
5. the day I learned that WWF wasn't real wrestling

Honorable Mention:

1. The Cubs not being champions for 100 years
2. Furby

What would you add to this list?

Movie Review: Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure

Since I know some of the youth workers who read this blog have young children, I thought I would share my thoughts on the new Hermie & Friends DVD. Here is my review of Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure.



I was excited to watch the new Hermie video with the kids for our movie night. Having seen a couple of the other Hermie & Friends, I knew Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure was going to be good. And I was not disappointed. Beyond the lesson it teaches, about being unique, it was plain fun to watch.

Like all good animated movies it has entertainment for both the kid and the adult. One of my favorite parts was when Sinclair presents his presentation to the garden friends. His pictures are being projected onto a sheet of paper which reads, "From the desk of Max Lucado." Beyond the little bits of humor, parents will also love the message on how God designs each of us unique, and our differences do not make us less worthy than someone else.

The DVD also includes a fun, little cartoon short, "Hermie Had a Little Lamb," along with other extras. There are coloring pages, a sing-along, a trivia game and a recipe for a fun dessert to make with your kids. I highly recommend Skeeter and the Mystery of the Lost Mosquito Treasure to anyone with toddlers in their house. You might even want to use your kids as an excuse to watch it yourself.

Sunday School Musical??

I saw this post over at Ryan's site the other day. You have to go check it out.

Sunday School Musical


2 Comments:
1. I can't say I'm too surprised at this.
2. Really?

What do you think?

(gracias a Ryan)

Trivia Wednesday #84: Back to the Future

answer #83 - three

question #84 - Which Family Ties cast member starred in the Back to the Future films?

Trivia Wednesday #80: National Lampoon's Vacation

answer #79 - Mary Magdalene

question #80 - Name the family in the film National Lampoon's Vacation.

My top 10 favorite films

I was tagged by Dennis to list my top 10 favorite movies. Here they are:

1. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (a Wookie & Ewoks, do I have to say more?)
2. The Truman Show (reality TV, before there was reality TV)
3. LOTR: Return of the King (great battle scenes)
4. March of the Penguins (I love penguins)
5. Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (some great, thoughtful moments)
6. Groundhog Day (or did I already say that?)
7. X-Men (all 3, plus hopefully Wolverine when it comes out)
8. UHF (classic stuff)
9. Jesus Camp (see my thoughts here)
10. The Princess Bride (inconceivable if anyone hasn't seen this one)

The rules:

1. List your top ten favorite films (in no particular order).
2. If you’re tagged, you’ve got to post and tag 3-5 other people.
3. Give a tag back (some link love) to the one who tagged you in your post
4. Give a hat tip (HT) to Dan

I'll tag:
1. Jeremy
2. Brad
3. Jason
4. Tim
5. Chris

Trivia Wednesday #71: Splash

answer #70 - The Tomorrow Show

question #71 - Who played the mermaid in the film Splash?

Prince Caspian: My thoughts

Disclaimer: I need to state right from the start that I've never read any of the books. I tried to start reading "The Magician's Nephew", but only got a few chapters in. So, I don't know how the movie compared to the book.

Prince Caspian is an edge-of-your-seat movie. If you liked The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you need to see Prince Caspian. If you didn't like The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, you still need to see Prince Caspian.

Prince Caspian starts off quickly and puts you right into the thick of the plot within the first few minutes. From that first scene until the last, the movie is full of action and suspense. And along the way, there is woven in moments of humor and lightheartedness. In fact, this Chronicle of Narnia seems to be filled with more sarcasm and humor than the first. (a nice change of pace)

There are a few great battle scenes, though they did remind me a lot of the Lord of the Rings. And if you are looking for some great Aslan moments, they are here, too. The characters are rich with depth and insight. Prince Caspian himself is a lesson on vengeance. Peter is full of pride. Lucy learns to believe in herself and not worry what others think.

I highly recommend seeing Prince Caspian. Then after you have seen it once, take someone else with you to see it a second time. You cannot go wrong with this movie. You will walk away pondering the depth of the story.

One last thought: near the end of the movie there is a moment between Aslan and Lucy that in itself is worth the price of admission. Lucy is sent to find Aslan to help fight in the final battle. After some trouble, she finally arrives at the place where Aslan is. At one point in the conversation, Lucy tells Aslan that the others didn't believe her and that is why she didn't come to him sooner. She knew he was there, but did not want to search for him by herself. Aslan's response to her statement is, "Why did that stop you from coming?" What a great moment. What a great lesson. If you get nothing else from this movie (which I believe you will) then you need to walk away with that understanding in your head - why would you let others determine how you interact with God.

my advice (rating) - go see it in the theater(5 out of 5)

YM Resource: hulu: watch shows and movies

Apparently hulu.com has gone public. I've been using it in the beta version for some time (a few months) and have really enjoyed the variety of material. And they have added more movies to the site, now that it is public.

My biggest complaint would have to be the lack of full episodes for some of the newer shows. Some have many clips, but no episodes. Besides that, there is a bunch to find on the site. I would recommend taking a look at it. The biggest plus is the ability to watch a show when I want to, not necessarily when it is on TV.

I've even found a few clips from older shows that I am planning on using in ministry (whether it be a promo for an event or part of a lesson)

Happy Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day. So, celebrate the groundhog's ability to see or not see his shadow.

Here are a few links to help you:

Official site of Punxsutawney, PA, Groundhog club

the "official" movie IMDB site

the wikipedia site

Kids' crafts and more

Happy Groundhog Day!

Free Prince Caspian Resources from Interlinc

Youth Ministry Ideas posted about some free resources being provided by Interlinc for the upcoming Prince Caspian movie. Check out the info here, and click on the bottom of the page to sign up.

Prince Caspian: New Trailer

Here is the first trailer for the next installment in the Chronicles of Narnia series: Prince Caspian. It will be in theaters May 16, 2008.