Kendrick Brothers Announce New Movie

So we've all been wondering what Stephen and Alex Kendrick will bring next after their latest film "Fireproof". They plan on releasing some information on their next film November 15th. Until then, you have to wait for video clues that will be released weekly.


http://www.thenextsherwoodmovie.com/

X-Men Origins: Wolverine Review

Review
X-Men Origins: Wolverine

X-Men Origins: Wolverine to my surprise was really good. But before I go into what I thought about the movie, let me explain the plot.

Plot: The movie starts out in 1845 Canada with a sickly boy by the name of James Howlett watching the murder of his father. With the trauma of his fathers death, James mutates and bone claws come out of his fists. James then thrusts his new claws into his fathers killer. Only to find out that the man whom James just killed was actually his real father. This leads into James and his older mutated brother Victor fighting in the Civil War, Both World Wars and the Vietnam War. Every war, the men become more and more blood thirsty to the point where Victor kills his superior officer. As they sit in their rat infested cell, Major William Stryker enters and offers them to join his mutant special ops. force. They readily join and James takes the name of his real father Logan. But because of their disregard for any human life Logan eventually leaves and settles down in Canada as a lumberjack. One thing leads to another where Victor kills Logan’s girlfriend which sends Logan on a mission of revenge.

That’s about all I can say without spoiling it. Now let’s break into the worldview of this film.

Worldview: The first thing you will notice by watching the trailer and the first 45 minutes of the film is that there is a lot of revenge. A lot of movies base their whole plot on revenge. I remember a poster for the movie “Oceans 13” which said, “Revenge is a funny thing”. To me, this is very disconcerting. The bible clearly say’s in Psalm 94:1 “O LORD God, to whom vengeance belongs—O God, to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth!”
But X-Men Wolverine brings it with a twist. Yes, most of the movie is about Logan’s revenge for his wife. But, it takes a turn in the end where Logan decides not to take vengeance. He decides not to become the animal he’s treated like.

Conclusion: Wolverine was by far the best X-Men yet. The fighting sequences were awesome. Hugh Jackman pulled off his role as Logan. The Story was well written.

Review: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

Review: Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs

At the first sight of the trailer, my reaction was this. “Oh, they just want you to jump out of your skin by flying giant meatballs at you in 3D. Not interested”. But from the suggestion of another filmmaker I decided to see it. And from my surprise, I loved it. It had a great theme, a great story that was unpredictable, it was funny and heartwarming. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Doorpost Film Project

Doorpost Film Project has one of the most unique ways of promoting independent films. This is how it works. Anybody can submit a short film with one of the following themes. Hope, Forgiveness, Freedom, Humility, Joy and Redemption. Your film will then be viewed by the judges to see if it meets qualifications. They then release all the films on their website to be viewed and voted on. Judges account for 70% of the score and online voters for 30%. All of the films are narrowed down to ten finalists.

The Doorpost Film Project then gives each of those ten finalists 30,000$ to make another short film. Then the judges along with online voters will determine the top three winners. 1st place prize being 100,000$, 2nd place prize 35,000$ and 3rd place prize 25,000$.

So not only are they encouraging filmmakers to rise to the occasion, but they are giving them the resources to do it.

Here is one of my favorite short films in the competition. Enjoy!
http://www.thedoorpost.com/hope/The%20Butterfly%20Circus/

Beverages With Ben: The Drawing

Beverages With Ben: The Drawing from Ben Kayser on Vimeo.

District 9: Trailer

Finally a movie that looks like it's worth seeing. I've heard a lot of good things about this movie.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/district9/

Beverages With Ben: The Music I Listen To

Beverages With Ben: The Music I Listen To from Ben Kayser on Vimeo.

Beverages With Ben: Square One

Faith Like Potatoes

I recently saw a Christian International film made in South Africa called Faith Like Potatoes. I was very impressed at the bar they raised with the quality of the film. It's definitely a film I would recommend.

Promo

David came over and helped me make a promo for Biblical Blueprints. So here it is.

More Posts are Coming

I apologize profusely for not posting anything lately. I've been preparing some posts which would include a promo video that David and I made and possibly a interview with a successful movie producer. I will also be going to a Super Worldview Conference next week where I hope to meet Dr. Ted Baehr of http://www.movieguide.org. Thanks for you patience.

ABC on Christian FIlms

Finally, the Christian film movement has some fair media coverage.

http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=7771155

Up

Pixars newest movie "Up" is the best movie I have seen in a long while. Peter Docter who wrote and directed Up did a masterful job at bringing emotion, adventure and laugh out loud comedy all in one movie. Peter Docter is also a Christian. To get a better perspective of this film read the Christianity Today review.

Up
Review by Carolyn Arends
posted 5/29/2009

Up, the tenth feature film from Pixar Animation Studios, is a swashbuckling, continent-hopping adventure and an under-stated, nuanced psychodrama.

It’s an outlandish, wildly creative fantasy and an almost devastatingly poignant piece of realism.

It’s laugh-out-loud funny and try-to-hide-your-sobs moving.

Like the balloons that propel its plot, Up floats seemingly effortlessly into whatever cinematic territory it pleases, gently tugging its audience along for a delightful, perspective-changing ride.

The film centers on the oddest of couples.

Carl Fredricksen (voiced with gruff perfection by Ed Asner) is a 78-year-old retired balloon salesman mourning the recent loss of his wife, Ellie.

Grief, age, and unfulfilled dreams have made him more than a little grumpy, and the fact that urban developers are tearing down his neighborhood (and itching to raze his beloved home) is not helping matters.
Russell (Jordan Nagai) is a portly, bespectacled 8-year-old who lives to acquire Wilderness Explorer badges but has never actually been in the wild.

If he can only earn his “assist the elderly” badge, he will progress from Junior to Senior Explorer.

He knocks on Carl’s front door in hopes of helping him cross the street (or yard, or … anything), but Carl is in no mood to be assisted and sends the boy away badge-less.

When court officials rule Carl must move to a retirement home, he makes a bold decision.

In honor of a lifelong dream he and Ellie shared to travel to a South American landmark, he ties thousands of helium balloons to his house and lifts off on a journey to “Paradise Falls.”

It’s not until he is irrevocably on his way that he discovers young Russell on his front porch and realizes he has an unwanted travel partner.
Carl and Russell land near Paradise Falls and make a series of exciting discoveries.

They are greeted by dogs who wear high tech collars that translate their thoughts into language, and the audience is treated throughout the movie to the hysterical interior life of canines.

(“I have just met you, but I love you.”)

They also discover a huge, multi-colored, extremely rare bird.

She is awkward and delightfully expressive; Russell names her “Kevin.”

Eventually, Carl and Russell encounter Carl’s boyhood hero, Charles Muntz (voiced with sinister aplomb by Christopher Plummer), a now disgraced explorer (even older than Carl) who is living in the region and villainously obsessed with capturing the bird.

Various forms of conflict ensue, including one terrific sequence in which Carl and Charles do battle senior-style, using canes and dentures as weapons.

Along the way, Carl and Russell also make some interior (but no less monumental) discoveries.
Despite their seventy-year age difference, they have much more in common than they first realize.
Both of them have unfulfilled dreams of adventure, both of them are lonely, and both of them need each other.

Director Pete Docter (Monsters, Inc.) and screenplay writer and co-director Bob Peterson (Finding Nemo) manage to mine great depths of emotion from the lives and needs of their two heroes without falling into maudlin or saccharine territory.

A five-minute, wordless montage near the beginning of the film (reminiscent of the head-turning extended dialogue-free portion of Pixar’s previous film, Wall-E) tells the story of Carl and Ellie’s life together simply and exquisitely.

It’s a jaw-dropping piece of filmmaking, and Up only gets deeper, funnier, more exciting and more moving from there.

The pathos in the movie is rooted not only in the loss of a loved one, but also in the death of dreams.

Carl and Ellie’s deferred hopes included children and the desire to travel, both of which are finally, bittersweetly fulfilled for Carl in Ellie’s absence.

But his adventure with Russell and a gift Ellie left behind help him do much more than check items off his “bucket list.”

Carl begins to realize that all the little interruptions that kept a husband and wife grounded at home were the stuff of dreams, because they added up to a life of love.

While most movies aimed at kids and families beat the “Go for your dreams!” mantra to death, Up dares to suggest that the dreams we defer—and the reasons we defer them—might matter more in the end.

Halfway through the movie, Russell speaks wistfully of the times he used to spend with his now-distant father.

“The funny thing is, it’s the boring stuff I miss the most,” he confesses.

This idea—that it’s the details we often overlook that actually count most of all—animates every frame of Up.

Even with their first foray into 3-D, Docter and his team handle Up‘s animation with graceful restraint.

The film bursts with vivid color and fluid action, but it’s the subtle things—the way Carl’s stubble grows in or what we learn about his character through the creases around his eyes—that help make Up arguably the most elegant of all the Pixar films.

The filmmakers use 3-D technology to render the movie visually richer and deeper, but they avoid the “make-‘em-duck” gimmickry that has made other 3D offerings wearisome.

As a result, the 3-D option is enjoyable but not essential, and some film aficionados are arguing that the brighter bulbs used in 2-D projection are more important to appreciating Up’s beauty.

Completely satisfying animation, gorgeous set-design—everything works in Up.

At a snappy 89 minutes, the pace moves along quickly enough to keep kids engaged without resorting to the sort of frenetic, rapid-fire hodgepodge of jokes and pop culture references that less accomplished filmmakers use to hide their insecurity.

Michael Giacchino’s understated score hits all the right highs and lows, and is especially effective in conveying Carl’s elderly urgency in chase scenes when his body forces him to plod rather than race.

Ultimately, though, it’s the story, as in all of Pixar’s offerings, that makes Up a masterpiece.

The characters are indelible, the humor organic, the adventure original, and the theme profound.
Funny thing is, it’s the details you’ll remember the most.

MPAA rating: PG
(for some peril and action)

Genre: Adventure, Animated, Family

Theater release:
May 29, 2009
by Walt Disney Studio

Directed by: Pete Docter, co-directed by Bob Peterson

Runtime: 1 hour 29 minutes

Cast: Ed Asner (Carl Fredricksen), Christopher Plummer (Charles Muntz), Jordan Nagai (Russell), Bob Peterson (Dug, Alpha)

Calix Lewis Reneau

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Posts: 6198

Joined Aug 21, 2007

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Transgressor

My most recent short film "Transgressor" has been released. Enjoy!

The Boy In The Striped Pajama's

The Boy In The Striped Pajama’s literally shocks anyone who watches it. I highly suggest that you go rent this movie and watch it yourself.

Movie Review: Between The Walls

Between The Walls
Movie Review
By Ben Kayser

Plot: Peter had a tough childhood. He grew up under the strict discipline of his Father who treated Peter more like a seminary student than a son. Peter rejected Christianity when he was young because of his Fathers inconsistent faith. Twelve years later his father is dead and Peter has five days to clean out his childhood home before the bank takes it. While cleaning the house out he discovers a locked room that is full of recording equipment and thousands of tapes. What was on these tapes? Everything he ever did in that house. Every lie that was spoken and every bad word he said about his dad was recorded. This rollercoaster ride brings Peter through the swirling emotions of hate and anger toward his father. Will he forgive his father? Or will he let his anger destroy him?

Morals: There were several great messages in this film. The main one being that we need to forgive one another just as Christ forgave us. The second message is that God uses bad situations for our spiritual growth. As far as I could see they were theologically dead on.

Technical Aspects
Acting: The acting started off slow, but progressed as the movie went on. I don’t necessarily blame that on the actors because the problems were more with the dialogue. Some of it seemed awkward and unnatural. But that was mainly just in the beginning. The actor that played their part impressively was Peters father who was played by Scott Davis. You cared for him at some parts and he creped you out in others.

Conclusion: I really enjoyed this movie. The story was intriguing and suspenseful at parts. One thing I appreciated was that they were not ashamed of talking about hell. Many people like to wash right over that and forget the Bible ever mentions it. But they made sure they covered Grace also in the movie. I will be looking forward to Chris and Nick Starons next movie, which is a comedy called “Brining Up Bobby”.

http://www.bringingupbobby.com/

"Christian" Celebrities Versus Jesus

I read this great article from a website that I follow. Make sure you click on the link below to finish the article.

by Randy Thomasson - Christian Post Contributor

Most Americans were angered by the Miss USA pageant unfairly discriminating against the moral values of Miss California Carrie Prejean. But equally disturbing is the reaction of young, self-proclaimed Christian celebrities who are taking the side of homosexual activist Perez Hilton, who led the attack against Carrie.

The sad fact is, nowadays most of America's youth receives either no Biblical truth or cotton-candy truth disguised as "Christian." Anti-religious government schools and the music that most parents let their kids consume have produced a pagan, go-with-your-feelings youth culture.

Today, the majority of America's daughters - even those in the Church - are being heavily influenced by Hollywood singers such as Miley Cyrus and Heidi Montag, both who say they are Christians, yet hold non-Christian views on marriage. Right now, their pro-homosexual "marriage" values are reaching millions of young people through MTV and other media outlets.

This is something to understand and speak out on. Otherwise, more and more young people in the Church, even those who claim to be strong Christians, will misdefine "love" and "truth" and exchange Biblical truth for their own feelings. Their heart's desire to please themselves and please others will trump any desire to please the God of the Bible.

What follows is not a sordid interest in Hollywood lifestyles; it's a much-needed condemnation of the false gospel and false Biblical standards that are influencing young people. If you're a Christian - and even if your not - please join me in exposing this.

Sixteen-year-old pop star Miley Cyrus, who says she's a Christian and says she loves Jesus, attends the seeker-friendly Montrose Church (part of the Church of the Nazarene), where the pastor believes in easy Christianity, writing "God's truth never changes. He just loves you. It's that simple."

On April 21, Miley wrote this Twitter message expressing her support for homosexual "marriage" to homosexual activist Perez Hilton, who had publicly punished Carrie Prejean for supporting Biblical marriage between a man and a woman:

God's greatest commandment is to love, and judging is not loving. That's why Christians have such a bad rep. Jesus loves you and your partner and wants you to know how much he cares! That's like a daddy not loving his lil boy cuz he's gay and that is wrong and very sad! Like I said everyone deserves to be happy. I am a Christian and I love you - gay or not. Because you are no different that anyone else! We are all God's children! I am not saying this so would be nice on your site though that would be nice jk;) but because the LORD has spoken 'luv cuz god loves.'

Meanwhile, another self-proclaimed Christian in Hollywood, MTV's Heidi Montag, age 22, wrote this Twitter message to Perez Hilton:

God says in the bible that we should love our neighbor and he created us all as equals. I know in my heart that gays and lesbians should have the same government rights that Spencer and I will when we get married. So, yes, this blonde Christian believes in gay marriage and I hope to one day go to your wedding, Perez!!!

This non-Biblical "love fest" kept going. After discovering they both supported homosexual "marriage," Montag twittered Miley, "Let's [meet] up!!!! we should have a bible study!! I love Miley!!!! Jesus loves Miley!" Miley responded, "We should deff. meet up sometime! i think we have alot in common!!!!! JESUS ROCKS! WHOO HOO!"

Do Miley Cyrus and Heidi Montag want to be Biblically-correct like Miss California Carrie Prejean says she wants to be? No, far from it. Despite their claims, Miley Cyrus and Heidi Montag are in stark conflict with Jesus Christ and the Bible.

Read More from this article

Dangerous Calling Trailer

For those who like thriller movies, you'll be happy to know that two brothers (Josh and Jeremiah Daws) down in Georgia have made a Christian thriller. I hope to be reviewing it soon.

Here's the Trailer
http://www.christianfilmtrailers.com/trailers/index.php

Here's the website for the movie.
http://www.dangerouscalling.com/
Comment on what you think about it.

Movie Review: Swing Vote

Movie Review: Swing Vote

Reviewed by Ben Kayser

Plot: Swing Vote takes place during the 2008 elections with two presidential candidates. Incumbent Republican Andrew Boone is in a heated race with Democrat Donald Greenleaf. At the same time, in the small town of Texico, New Mexico 12 year old Molly tries to convince her drunkard irresponsible Dad (Bud Johnson) to vote. Through a series of mishaps her dad couldn’t make it because he lost his job that day and decided to get drunk. Frustrated, Molly sneaks into the polling center and somehow manages to vote undetected. But while she was voting someone accidentally unplugged the voting machine and her vote did not go through. As the evening progresses the candidates are at a dead heat. All the votes are counted and the two candidates are completely tied. Except one vote didn’t go through all of the way, and that would be Bud Johnson’s vote. The officials give him ten days to vote for a candidate. The media finds out and they bombard his home in New Mexico trying to find out his political views. Not having a political bone in his body, he says he has an open mind for either candidate. This leads the two candidates on race to win Bud over. Bud falls for the bribes the two candidates give, going to fancy parties and meeting famous celebrities. But Molly sees through it all and tries to convince her Dad otherwise.

Morals: The first moral to the story was this. Dads need to live up to their responsibility. I felt that the presidential elections were a sub plot, and Buds relationship (or lack thereof) with Molly was the main plot. Bud quickly realized that his self-centered life needed to change to a selfless life.
The second moral to the story was that politicians should not flip-flop on the issues. They really showed the lack of principle many politicians have these days. It was sad (yet funny) to see the Republican moving over to a gay rights position and the Democrat moving over to a pro-life stance JUST to please Bud Johnson.
The third moral to the story was that being apathetic is pathetic. Get involved with politics!



Technical Aspects
Acting: Although Kevin Costner (Bud) and Kelsey Grammer (Andrew Boone) did a fine job. The movie fell towards Madeline Carroll who stole the audiences with her character Molly. Madeline did a fantastic job at convincing the viewers she was real. I have to give a hand to the director Joshua Stern for handling all of the difficult and diverse moods very skillfully.
Screenplay: I felt at some points during the film the flow of the story was choppy and a little slow. But they did a good job at mixing drama with comedy without confusing people. I also liked that they focused more on Bud and Molly rather than the elections. Many screenplay writers get sidetracked into the story and forget about character development.
Soundtrack: John Debney did a great job at mixing his music with the moods of the story. I could even find myself a little teary at a few parts due to the music. For those who don’t know John Debney did the music for the Passion of the Christ. Which is one of the greatest soundtrack albums ever.

The Bad: One of the main problems that I had with the movie was its foul language. Now, I can handle a little swearing. But it’s when they start taking God’s name in vain when I get upset. Even though Molly gets on her dads case for using God’s name irreverently. It doesn’t make up for the usage. (Although it does say something that the writer would put something like that in.)

Conclusion: I was pleased that they ended the movie without endorsing either candidate. We all know that Bud won in the end because he saw his own sin in his life. Because of the language, I can’t recommend this movie without some sort of language blocker (which I have.) It’s sad that you can’t watch a movie these days without dishonoring God’s holy name. Overall, I give this movie a –3 for content and a +1 for worldview.

Christian Filmmakers Contest

The winner of the 36 hour Christian Filmmaker Contest was announced yesterday. Some of the movies were great, some were awful. Click on the link below to see the movies that were submitted including the winner.

If you do end up watching some of the movies. Comment on this post on which movies you liked.

http://www.christianfilmmakers.org/contest/2009-04/

Expelled Clip

Hey everybody. I thought I'd pull up this clip from the movie Expelled. Although the movie wasn't hardcore enough for me. I still enjoyed it and found it helpful.

New Blog

Hey readers. I started another blog more about my personal life.

http://thoughtsfromben16.blogspot.com/

Behind the Scenes

Here is a speech I gave at toastmasters this morning. Enjoy!


Behind the Scenes of a Movie
By Ben Kayser

Movies. Everybody likes to watch movies. Whether you are young or old there is a movie out there that you can relate to. I am going to show you how much work is put into your 2 hours of entertainment. So where does it start?
It starts with the producer. Lets say he’s driving somewhere and then he suddenly slams on his breaks and yells, “I’ve got a great movie idea.” He then writes a short synopsis about the story. A synopsis would be a short description of the general plot of the story. One would sound like this, “Arnold Shwarzenager finds out he is slowly turning into a butterfly, the evil praying mantis man sends out his hoard of butterfly nets to catch Arnold.”
After the general story is laid out, the producer sends it to a screenplay writer of his choice. Several months pass by before the screenplay is finished and is then presented to some financial sponsors.

It then moves into Pre-Production where the producer will cast his crew. The crew can range anywhere between 5 and 500 people depending on the budget.
We all have our favorite directors, producers and cinematographers. But for those who get lost in the titles I will set off to explain the duties of the crew.
As I explained earlier, the producer is in charge of what goes on behind the scenes. But the director is in charge of everything that goes on in front of the camera. The main thing that the director is in charge of is the creative elements during the filming process. The director is always heavily involved with the actors. In a way, the director is the visionary of the film. A director almost has to know every thing about filmmaking. Whether it’s cinematography, lighting, script writing or audio recording the director needs to know how to do it. Trust me, being a director is a lot more than just bossing people around.
Many people may think that cinematographers have a really easy job. Push the record button and point the camera at the actors. Actually, cinematographers have the most technical job on the set. They need to know cameras like the HVX200, Cannon XG A1S, or the Panasonic AG-HPX300. They need to know about the film stock, color filters, how focal length affects the depth of field, aspect ratio and framing. This is just a little bit of what a cinematographer must master.

A day of filming can be very chaotic if the producer doesn’t have a detailed schedule. The crew usually arrives on location a few hours before the actors to get everything set up. The cameras are adjusted, the props are being set and the lights are being rigged. All the while the actors are in the wardrobe and makeup department getting ready. On films like The Lord of the Rings, the wardrobe and makeup department can have hundreds of workers. This can literally take hours. Once the actors are prepped and the crew is assembled they start filming. Filming can be a very long process because of retakes. If the director isn’t happy with the shot then they re-shoot it. Once they get the shot he likes, they move on. A day of filming sometimes takes 14-16 hours of work. That’s a long day.
After filming is done it goes to the film editor. The editor goes through all of the video and sticks it together with editing software. Not only that, but they have to put in proper transitions and fix the color correction. Editing is it’s own art. If the movie is poorly edited the movie can be choppy and very confusing. When you’re listening to a classical piece, you will notice that it flows very smoothly. That is how a film must be edited. If you move from one shot to anther too quickly people will not be able to keep up.
Once the movie is edited in a way where the director approves it moves on to the sound editor. The sound editor must create fake sound effects for things that were not recorded on the set. Things like a punch to the face, a gun being shot off or a person stomping on the floor must be separately recorded. A lot of times they have to record sounds that sound similar instead of actually recording that specific object. Once that is done, it goes to the composer to create a soundtrack.

Once the soundtrack is created the movie then goes back to the production company that sponsored the film. They make deals with the cinemas and then it gets released into theaters. That’s where you come in and spend your $8 to watch the movie.
Now, I don’t have a lot of experience with filmmaking. But for the past 5 years it has been my hobby to study filmmaking. I hope you’ve learned a little and I hope this gives you a little more appreciation for your favorite movie.

Christian Cinema Interviews the Executive Producer of "Expelled"

Christian Cinema Interviews the Executive Producer of "Expelled"

You can visit the link at http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=969

Walt J. Ruloff is the CEO of Premise Media Corporation and Executive Producer of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. Described as a “serial entrepreneur,” Walt started, built and eventually sold multiple companies in his career. His ventures ranged from snowboard manufacturing to Ecash Technologies to a Multi-Family Real Estate trust. In 2005 Walt turned his full attention to the media and co-founded Premise Media Corporation. We talked with him about his experiences as a first-time filmmaker facing down the scientific community.

This film originated because of your personal interest, correct?

Walt: Yes. My background is in software and technology, and after selling my last software company, I was interested in getting into biotech. What really intrigued and troubled me was the approach in biotech that was very different from that of our technology companies.

In technology, in our approach, we were able to think completely outside the box and challenge the current paradigm. We were constantly challenging the current way in which we looked at the process. The presiding orthodoxy was always up for challenge.

What I found that deeply disturbed me in biotech was a deep-seated orthodoxy within biology that just couldn’t be questioned. That’s what originally got us energized to do something.

What we found was that you had to look and interpret the basic tenets of biology through the lens of Darwinian evolution. If there was some contrary evidence or data, you had to figure out a way to re-package it that so it fit back into the reigning orthodoxy. Darwinian evolution is based on random mutation together with natural selection.

So what really intrigued me was the whole aspect of random mutation and something called “adaptation processes,” which meant that within the cell and biology that allowed the biological mechanism to adapt to situations that were definitely not random. As I probed around in that area I realized it was very problematic not because of science but because of politics.

It’s interesting that the problematic nature comes not from science but from politics. The average person doesn’t always consider the political implications of science. How do you hope to challenge the average person to that deeper level of thinking that goes beyond considering it a challenge between the Bible and science?

Walt: We really struggled with this because we tried to approach this in a more academic way. Connecting it to the every day average person was a challenge. How do you get people to wake up and think about this problem within biology? It’s really a much larger issue and extremely important that we take it seriously.

A simplistic answer would be that the prevailing dominance of the scientific method that, without people even knowing it, has entered into our society in a very big way. It’s a process that everything has to be reduced to a mechanism or material, observable process. Most importantly, it cannot have any metaphysical implications. If it has any metaphysical implications, that means something outside, something from the Divine.

That has to be eliminated from the landscape; from the political landscape, and very importantly, from law and science. So the elimination of that metaphysical problem, and what we’re observing has very strong indications of that metaphysical, is something very important for people to realize. That’s happening in our daily lives, and it’s why we’re having this disconnect. People that have a faith position have been pushed to the sidelines and regarded as irrational and subjective. That has created a huge void, and it’s caused many problems.

We need to figure out how to integrate both of those spheres again, because like it or not, it’s intrinsic and a huge part of who we are a people. By separating those things, we’ve done a major disservice.

Some of the information you provided on your website was very effective at taking the argument out of the laboratory and making it more understandable to the common person. When you were working on this project, did you encounter scientists who are exploring the area of Intelligent Design, but aren’t necessarily believers?

Walt: Most of them, I would say, fall into the category of “agnostic.” They didn’t know, but they were intellectually honest and said, “There’s evidence here of something other, and I’m going to follow it, even if I’m not a Christian.”

That was great, but the sad thing is that those very scientists, when they went beyond the protocols, were denied tenure or ridiculed and mocked.

So people who want to turn this into a faith vs. science issue are actually portraying the dispute inaccurately.

Walt: They’re doing that for strategic reasons. Most of the people doing that are using it as a way of fending off and saying, “See, this is what it’s all about. It’s about religion, and we can’t allow religion to enter into science.” But that’s not what it’s about.

If you really go to an intellectually honest observer of science, who’s actually walking through the scientific method and accepts the metaphysical implications of what he or she is unraveling, those are the ones that are very true. And that’s what it’s all about.

You seem like a man of science yourself. Was your interest and work in software something that came from work you were doing in software engineering, or an investment perspective?

Walt: I started hacking around with computers when I was very young. I started playing around in software and developing systems with other engineers. I started a software company when I was 25, and so initially I was coming from a curiosity point of view, and that became an investment point of view.

The little company I started grew to a company well over 350 or 400 people. We became the worldwide de facto standard in something called Optimizational Logistics Algorithms for large corporations. We came up with mathematical optimizational algorithms and formulas and designed practical applications for large corporations who had worldwide movement of goods across their web. UPS was one of our clients.

You can read the rest of the article at http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/newsdesk_info.php?newsdesk_id=969

Less Money, More Movies?

Less Money, More Movies?

With the failing economy, people are starting to cut down on spending. Some are starting to do more cooking at home, while others are shopping at second hand stores. But whether you’re rich or poor, there’s one thing that a lot of people are still doing: going to the movies. That’s right. We already have a record high for the first two months of the year. Compared to 2007, these two months have increased 35.3%. That’s a 400 million dollar difference. So let me pose a question. Even though huge sequels like X-men, Terminator and Transformers will be coming out this year, will the failing economy decrease box office sales? I would say no. Why? Well, the first reason is that when people fall under tough financial and emotional situations, they like to forget their problems and be entertained. This happened in the great depression.
When “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” came out during the great depression in 1937 it grossed 180 million dollars. Two years later, “Gone with the Wind” broke all records with nearly 200 million dollars. The bottom line is that the lack of money in the home does not alter the entertainment industry. Another interesting factor is that three of the top 5 grossing movies of 2009 so far are comedies. It doesn’t surprise me that people would rather laugh than cry when in a difficult situation. Eight dollars for two hours of pleasure is pretty cheap. The sad thing in all of this is that when people rely on entertainment to get through hard times, they rob themselves of joy in the Lord. Romans 14:17 says, “for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” I’m not at all saying that watching movies robs you of joy. I am saying that when you rely on movies to get you through tough times, you will be worse off than you were before.

The Marxist Influences on America

I gave this speech at toastmasters a few weeks ago. Enjoy.

The Marxist Influences of America

Karl Marx had 10 platforms for the success of atheistic communism: 1,The abolition of Private Property. 2, A heavy progressive income tax. 3. Confiscation of all the Property of those who disagree with the Government and 4. Abolition of Inheritance. These are just a few of the clearly communistic principles that Karl Marx held. I want to show you his hatred for Christianity and then focus on two institutions that have clearly been hijacked by the Marxists.

Over 150 years ago Karl Marx said “The first requisite for the happiness of the people is the abolition of religion.”
This quote has been the centerpiece for the Marxist movement. Their hatred for Christianity and Biblical values has driven them to desperate measures. But before I go any further let me explain who Karl Marx was. Karl Marx was born on May 5, 1818 in the huge country of Prussia. As a child he pestered his father with questions about his Jewish faith. Being very busy his father ignored the questions. Later on, Karl’s father converted to Catholicism because he believed it would be better for his business. Because of his inconsistent beliefs this gave Karl a hatred for religion. Karl was thought to be a Christian until about age 19 when he turned away from the faith. After rejecting the faith Karl started writing violent poetry about destroying the world. He later enrolled at Humboldt University where earned his doctorate. Marx sought to develop a worldview that would replace Christianity. The result was Marxism.

In the early 1900’s, Marxists were strategizing on how to bring down western civilization. One of Marx’s followers known as Antonio Gramsci, hatched a plan to tear down the Christian church in America. Gramsci discovered that if they had a stronghold in two certain industries in America, the Church would weaken without people even noticing.

The first industry that they hijacked was Hollywood. In the 1930’s socialism reigned in Europe and movies had skyrocketed in America. This presented a huge opportunity for the Marxists to present their propaganda on film. They knew that if they could normalize immorality on the TV screen, they could slowly take control of the people. Hundreds of filmmakers moved from Europe to America to take on this opportunity. Within 40 years Hollywood moved from being morally upright to immoral. The main thing that helps the pagans promote their agenda is when people say, “it’s only a movie.” People need to realize that every movie is promoting a worldview. Whether that worldview is Christian or pagan is for you to discover. We need to know who is framing our worldview behind that TV screen. Professional filmmaker and ex-Marxist Geoff Botkin teaches that Marxism largely forms the worldview in Hollywood.

The second institution the Marxists sought to hijack was the school. One position Karl Marx held was that education must be free. This may seem like a profitable thing at first look. But hidden underneath are anti-Christian beliefs. Marxism has its beliefs written all over the schools.

It is no longer believed or taught that Government has its constitutional boundaries. Kids are told that the Government will be at our service for every need. Constitutional law has been forgotten and this is exactly what the Marxists want. All 10 Marxist principles legislate large Government.


Now before I get the award for the most depressing speech of the year I do have some encouragement.

The first piece of encouragement relates to Hollywood. There are more and more Christian films that are coming out Independently. I am praying that Christian films will be the majority of films within 10 years.

The second piece of encouragement relates to the homeschoolers. We, as homeschoolers, have been butting against the Marxist view of education for 25 years. We need to make sure we don’t stop. We need to be studying God’s view of math, history, science, law and economics.

To make sure that we stay away from Marxist principles we need to follow these three steps.

1. We need to educate ourselves of the threat of Marxism in our nation. We need to know them and be able to refute any attack against Christianity. 1 Peter 3:15 says, “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;”
2. We need to elect godly congressmen and senators who understand and will uphold the constitution.
3. Third and most importantly, we need to pray that God would preserve our Nation. Because if we are without God the battle is already lost.

Speechless: Silencing the Christians

AFA (American Family Institute) has been trying to air this 14 episode TV series. I have watched several episodes of this informative show. It is really good. Here's a link. http://www.silencingchristians.com/


This is what OneNewNow has to say about it.

The American Family Association (AFA), a pro-family group based in Mississippi, has encountered resistance in its attempts to air a television special called Speechless: Silencing the Christians.

According to the website SilencingChristians.com, the majority of Americans get their information about the homosexual movement from Hollywood and the secular news media -- outlets that deliver what AFA says is a message "tainted by pro-homosexual propaganda." That is why the pro-family group produced the 14-episode Speechless series that initially aired on the INSP Network, and then put together a one-hour special based on the series.

AFA is now buying prime-time slots on the nation's television stations to present that special to provide factual, Christian-based information on the topic. But the pro-family group reports it has run up against blatant "silencing" of that message. "There's a real threat to our First Amendment and free-speech rights because Christians are being shut down and shut out and shut up by the very people who say they champion freedom of speech," asserts AFA president Tim Wildmon.

For example, WSXY in Columbus, Ohio, has refused the air the program. WSPA in Greenville, South Carolina, aired it, but then ran an apology from the station manager. And in Grand Rapids, Michigan, WOOD-TV agreed initially to air the show Monday evening, then bumped it to Wednesday, then proposed to run it on Saturday afternoon -- and now has cancelled it entirely.

Sorry

I'm sorry I have not posted in a while. I've been going crazy with school. I will try to make a post soon.

Thanks

"The Widow's Might" Review and a Interview with John Moore

Kyle Prohaska, CEO of Praise Pictures has done a great job at promoting good Christian films. He is currently making a film called "Standing Firm" that I am excited to see. I did get a chance to meet Kyle at the film festival in San Antonio.

Here is a review of the $101,000 jubilee award winner "The Widows Might".

http://www.praisepictures.com/twm_review.php

Here is a interview with the Director of "The Widows Might"

http://www.praisepictures.com/johnmoore.php

Box Office Prediction Results for January 23-25

I didn't do that bad this week.

My Prediction:
1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
2. Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans
3. Gran Torino
4. Inkheart
5. Notorious


The Results:
1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
2. Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans
3. Gran Torino
4. Hotel for Dogs
5. Slumdog Millionaire

Box Office Prediction for January 23-25

There are three movies coming out this weekend.

Inkheart: Brendan Fraser is a father with the ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud.

Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans: A 3rd installment of a movie that glorifies vampires and gore. (Why don't they stop grossing us out with these pagan movies.)

Revolutionary Road: It's another one of those Leonardo DiCaprio movies. That's all I need to say.



My Prediction:
1. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
2. Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans
3. Gran Torino
4. Inkheart
5. Notorious




The trailer of the week is of a movie called "Up". There are two reasons why I am excited to see this movie. 1. It's a Pixar movie. 2. It has Christopher Plummer in it.

http://flickout.com/up/

2009 SAICFF Review

2009 San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival
By Benjamin Kayser

When I hear the words “Christian” and “Film” together I usually roll my eyes. Or when I think of “Christian Film Festival,” I usually think of 30 people meeting down in someone’s basement with a 50$ cash prize for a cheesy movie. But after going to the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival I can say that my stereotypes are false. Not only did the filmmakers bring movies with great stories, but they also brought movies with impressive quality.
Three days before the film festival (January 5-7), Vision Forum hosted a Filmmakers Academy. Over 500 aspiring filmmakers attended the Academy.
Stephen Kendrick, writer and producer of the movies Facing the Giants and Fireproof gave a lecture on the making of Fireproof.
Isaac Botkin has done work on The Discovery Channel, CNN, NET, CBS World News Tonight, National Television of New Zealand, and on broadcasting outlets in Europe and Asia. He presented a workshop on cinematography.
Logan Craft, producer of Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed gave a lecture on the production of Expelled.
Jon Erwin has been doing camera work since he was 15. He is now a camera operator for ESPN, ABC, NBC and many more. He did a workshop presenting RED, which is a 4K digital cinema camera system.
Jimmy Broyden did two-hour hands on presentation on how to do stunts. He has worked with Jackie Chan, Harrison Ford, Will Smith, Will Ferrell, Jack Black and many more. Some of Jimmy’s films include Firewall, Elf, I Robot, X-Files, Star Gate, and many more.
These were just a few of the workshops that were given at the Academy. And the main thing that all these men have in common is that they are making films for the Glory of God alone.

The Film Festival started January 8 at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center. The first thing that I noticed when I walked in was that I was accompanied with 2500 other people. The second thing that I noticed was that there were people from all over the United States.
Out of 250 films submitted only 50 films were selected. With four films and a lecture almost constantly playing at the same time. You had to strategically choose which film you wanted to see. Finally, Saturday evening came and it was time for the award ceremony. Everyone was anxiously waiting to get to the Jubilee award. Why? Because the San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival is offering the largest cash prize for a film in the United States: a whopping $101,000 dollars. There were about ten other awards they gave away before the Jubilee award. By the time the Jubilee winner was going to be announced you could smell the adrenaline in the air. The speaker opened the envelope and looked at the crowd. You could here the drum roll in the back of your head as he said, “The winner…. of the San Antonio….. Independent Christian Film Festival…… $101,000…. Jubilee Award goes to.” He looked at the audience and paused for what seemed to be eternity. It’s amazing how those three words “The Widows Might” could stir up so much excitement. Within seconds people were up on their feet cheering with excitement. The roar was deafening. Several minutes passed before the clapping stopped and the makers of the film walked up on the stage. There were 3 main differences between the SAICFF and the Oscars.

1. All of these filmmakers gave all glory to Jesus Christ.
2. The Content of the Films in San Antonio are so much better.
3. The Filmmakers themselves are so much younger.

Box Office Prediction for January 16-18

It's been a few weeks since I have done a prediction. So we will see how I do. There are five movies coming out in wide release this weekend.

"Hotel for Dogs"
"My Bloody Valentine 3D"
"Notorious"
"Paul Blart: Mall Cop"
"Defiance"

The one movie here that I am most excited to see is Defiance. It's a true story about some Jewish brothers during World War II who escape into a forest and start a resistance against the Nazis.


My Prediction
1. Gran Torino
2. My Bloody Valentine 3D
3. Paul Blart: Mall Cop
4. Notorious
5. Hotel for Dogs


My trailer of the week is for the movie Valkyrie. I have still yet to see it but I here it is really good.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/mgm/valkyrie/


Have a great week.

San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival

Well, I just got back from SAICFF (San Antonio Independent Christian Film Festival ). If I could sum the whole festival in one word it would be "Inspiring".
It Inspired me to see men and women of all ages making films.
It Inspired me when I saw the vision of these filmmakers to glorify God through film.
It Inspired me when a 19 year old guy won the largest cash prize award for a film.
It Inspired me to see over 2500 people with the same hunger for God Glorifying Films.

Here are where the awards went.

Best Trailer Award: Changing Lives

Young Filmmakers Award: A Journey of Hope

Best Treatment: Sand Town

Best Creation Film Award: Noah’s Ark

Best Biblical Family Film Award: Binding Faith

Best Film Short Award: Prodigal Trilogy

Best Original Film Score Award: The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry

Audience Choice Award: The Widow’s Might

Best Documentary Award: The Terry Schiavo Story

Best Feature Film Award: Fireproof

$101,000 Jubilee Award: The Widow's Might