All Saints

About the Movie

A great story with a biblical message, All Saints is an encouragement and challenge to believe boldly, love unconditionally and give selflessly. The film is based on the inspiring true story of salesman–turned–pastor Michael Spurlock (John Corbett), the tiny church he was ordered to shut down, and a group of refugees from Southeast Asia. Together, they risked everything to plant seeds for a future that might just save them all. Also starring Cara Buono and Barry Corbin. Look for it in theaters this fall!

Our Thoughts

We recently had the privilege to preview the upcoming movie All Saints via an online connection.   One evening we sat down with our children in order to watch the movie.   We enjoy watching movies based on true story and if you are like us I think you will like All Saints.

The story is about a man who has left the world of sales to become a pastor.   He and his family move in a tiny church – All Saints – but the goal of his superiors is to sell the land before moving him to another church.   However, through certain encounters, he decides to turn the land of the church into a farm in order to save it.   However, circumstances will put road blocks on his way and challenges will make things hard for him to do so.   I will not go into details on what happens in the movie but I thought it was interesting to see how the church came together in order to create this farm.

Though John Corbett (My Big Fat Greek Wedding) is amazing in his role of Rev. Michael Spurlock, I think my favorite character was  Forrest played by Barry Corbin.  Not only his comments brought laughter but his whole personality is present throughout the movie.  

One thing we had found while watching this movie is that there are times when the flow of the movie slows down quite a bit and it seems as though it drags.  But then something happen and the flow goes back to normal.   I find that a lot of faith based movie are like this and it is a bit disappointing.   It would be great if all faith based movies would have a consistency on the story line and that down part could be sped up a bit.

Nevertheless this is a great family movie to watch.   It presents how a church can be welcoming to refugees and how you can find solutions to ordeals where you least expect them to be.  

What does the Bible says about refugees?   http://origin-flash.sonypictures.com/ist/allsaints_resources/AllSaints_Infographic1_RefugessInBible.pdf

Read the article of the real Rev. Michael Spurlock on how welcoming refugees saved his dying church.

Are you curious about All Saints?  You can watch the trailer here.

Numerous resources are available for All Saints on the website including a discussion guide.

All Saints Opening Theatres (August 25th & advance showings August 24th).   It would make a great date night movie for adults, a great time at the movie for families, as well as a great church event if you want to organize a movie night for your congregation.  Below you will find where in Canada the movie will be showed.  This list was updated on August 15th.   I have highlighted in red where the movie will be shown in my area.

Ontario
Galaxy 12 Barrie
Silvercity 12 Burlington
Silvercity Stony Creek Hamilton
Galaxy 10 Waterloo
Cineplex Odeon Westmount 11 London + VIP
Silvercity Gloucester + IMAX
Cineplex Cinemas Vaughan IMAX + AVX
Silvercity 16 Brampton
Queensway 20 AVX + VIP Etobicoke
Cineplex Odeon Winston Churchill Cinemas Oakville
Landmark 10 Pen Centre St. Catharines
Landmark 24 Whitby
Devonshire Mall 12 Windsor
Eglinton Towne Centre Scarborough

Manitoba
Silvercity 14 Polo Park + IMAX Winnipeg

Saskatchewan
Scotiabank Saskatoon

Alberta
Scotiabank Theatre Chinook 16 + IMAX Calgary
Landmark 16 Country Hills Calgary
South Edmonton Commons 16
North Edmonton 14 Cinemas
Galaxy 11 Red Deer

British Columbia
Cineplex Cinemas Abbotsford & VIP
Cineplex Cinemas Langley + IMAX
Silvercity Coquitlam

Nova Scotia
Scotiabank Theatre Halifax + IMAX

PEI
Cineplex Cinemas Charlottetown

Disclaimer: The link to the movie has been provided courtesy of Sony Canada and Graf-Martin Communications, Inc. for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Soul Surfer the movie

A new movie is coming out on the big screen.   Soul Surfer is based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton who lost her arm and continues to do what she loves the most – surfing.  

Soul Surfer - The Inspiring True Story of Bethany Hamilton

Soul Surfer is in Theaters on April 8, 2011.

About the Film
SOUL SURFER is the inspiring true story of teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, who lost her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcame all odds to become a champion again, through her sheer determination and unwavering faith.  The film features an all-star cast, including AnnaSophia Robb and Helen Hunt, with Carrie Underwood in her film debut, and Dennis Quaid.  In the wake of this life-changing event that took her arm and nearly her life, Bethany?s feisty determination and steadfast faith spur her toward an adventurous comeback that gives her the grit to turn her loss into a gift for others.

Bethany (Robb) was born to surf.  A natural talent who took to the waves at a young age, she was leading an idyllic, sun-drenched, surfer girl's life on the Kauai Coast, competing in national competitions with her best friend Alana (Lorraine Nicholson), when everything changed in a heartbeat.  On Halloween morning, Bethany was on a typical ocean outing when a 14-foot tiger shark came out of nowhere and seemed to shatter all her dreams.

SOUL SURFER reveals the moving aftermath of this headline-making story, as Bethany fights to recover and grapples with the future. Strengthened by the love of her parents, Tom (Quaid) and Cheri (Hunt), she refuses to give in or give up, and begins a bold return to the water.  Still, the questions keep hammering her:  Why did this happen?  Why did she have to lose everything? Will she ever feel the joy and power of riding the waves again?  And if she can’t be a surfer, then who is she?

The devastating 2004 tsunami in the Pacific Ocean unexpectedly gives Bethany a new perspective.  Traveling to Phuket, Thailand with her youth-group leader Sara Hill (Underwood), she witnesses life beyond her own shoreline and discovers her greater purpose she can make a difference in the lives of others.  Filled with a new sense of hope and direction, she returns home with a renewed resolve to conquer her own limitations and set an encouraging example for people facing adversity.

At the National Championships, Bethany bravely faces off with her fiercest rival, Malia Birch (Sonya Balmores), and takes her astonishing one-armed surfing technique to the limit.  But as the horn blows, and the suspenseful competition kicks off, Bethany is no longer thinking about the challenges of her body.  Now, her surfing, her biggest dreams and her life have become about pushing her own physical limits to touch the souls of others.

Directed by Sean McNamara, the screenplay was by McNamara, Deborah Schwartz. Douglas Schwartz and Michael Berk. SOUL SURFER is based on the book by Bethany Hamilton, Sheryl Berk and Rick Bundschuh.  The screen story by Sean McNamara, Deborah Schwartz, Douglas Schwartz, Michael Berk, Matt R. Allen, Caleb Wilson and Brad Gann.

WATCH A TRAILER OF SOUL SURFER NOW!

 

Visit http://www.soulsurferwave.com for more details!