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tony-beard84
Reviews
Mercy Rule (2014)
Great family movie!
As a Christian, I'm often a little disappointed by some films that come out labeled as such. Usually the writing is sub-standard and the cast has a handful of people who can act surrounded by folks who have yet to refine the skill.
"Mercy Rule" isn't just a good Christian movie, it's a quality movie in general. Kirk Cameron plays the role of John Miller, a business owner, husband, and father of two. Like any decent American boy, his son, Cody is obsessed with baseball. While the elder Miller sees his business under attack by an environmental lobbyist who is trying to regulate the business into the government control, the younger Miller is fighting to see more playing time on the ball field.
In supporting roles, Tim Hawkins plays Miller's hilarious goof-ball brother, and Bas Rutten is Cody's odd baseball coach. Both bring humor to an otherwise stressful time in the family's life.
While it's entirely plausible that a local government makes a play to take over a recycling center for political reasons, the lobbyist's character is a bit over the top.
If you're looking for a family movie, even one that isn't too preachy, this is a great choice. It's funny, clean, and teaches the importance of family and not giving up. Some of these other reviews here are clearly people angry about Christianity and famous Christians. While they are entitled to their opinion, I doubt they have watched the movie. Right now it's available on Netflix, and it's worth checking out.
God's Not Dead (2014)
Good Movie
I'm a Christian and I've watched a number of "Christian" movies (though, C.S. Lewis would scoff at anything other than a human being labeled Christian). To be honest, they typically aren't great. You'll usually have a few actors that just aren't great and too much cheesiness in the script. "God's Not Dead" mostly avoids these two issues.
The acting was largely very good. Kevin Sorbo was outstanding as were Shane Harper and Marco Kahn. I was also pretty impressed with Hadeel Sittu and Trisha LaFache. Is anyone taking home an Oscar? No, of course not. But some of the reviews claiming horrendous acting are being a bit exaggerated and even downright hateful.
Was there some cheesiness? Yeah, a little. Certainly the Newsboys (as much as I love their music) aren't starting an acting career. The script was mostly solid, with maybe only one conversation between Josh and Martin being a little poorly written. Josh's scientific defenses of his faith were well researched. More could have been included on the historical accuracy, but this was a movie not a documentary.
I thought it was a very good movie and gave it an 8. I'm not going to blindly give it a 10, because people who give the most extreme numbers I don't think are being critical. That goes for folks who give it a 1 or a 10. It's a good movie and worth seeing.