For about a half hour, Mike and I attempted to purchase  Jesus Revolution, a new Christian movie. In frustration, we gave up and spent another half hour scrolling to find something entertaining. Why I decided to choose The Whale will forever remain a mystery.

The Whale

To critique this movie would be to say that the storyline is about dysfunctional characters who are filled with either sadness or anger brought on by the main character’s sinful lifestyle.  Charlie, who is played by Brendan Fraser, is a pitiful, selfish man caught in a state of limbo over the loss of his male partner. In his learned depression, he continues to gorge on food to satisfy his emotional pain. The message of this movie is to portray that it’s acceptable to leave your wife and eight-year-old child to pursue an alternate lifestyle. In the end no one wins. There is no room for God, because God is portrayed as an unnecessary means of salvation.

We all knew that the main character was going to die; but to show him being lifted off his feet, as if he were ascending into heaven, was yet another disturbing message. News Flash! If it were a real-life scenario, along with many unrepentant souls, Charlie most likely would have gone to hell.

We decided to watch this movie because of Brendan Fraser’s recent Oscar-winning performance. Do not bother with this dismal movie. Both Mike and I were highly disappointed. The message is anti-Christian because it portrays  Christianity as a weakness.

The Banshees of Inisherin

This movie was also a disappointment. It’s about a dull young man being rejected by his older friend. The older man threatens to cut off his fingers if the dull man does not leave him alone. The young man can’t understand what he did wrong, so he continues to pursue the friendship until the old man starts cutting off his fingers and throwing them at his front door. Self-mutilation has never been an of interest to me. This movie was as dull as the main character. The only good part was when it was finally over.

Top Gun: Maverick

I loved this movie  because it was clean and fully entertaining. And for these same reasons, it did not get any top awards. This movie captivated all your senses and was made without any hint of Wokeness. I could watch this movie over and over again, and glean something new each time.

Elvis

Another great movie with great acting! Austin Butler’s convincing portrayal of Elvis was grandiose and the storyline was entertaining throughout the entire movie. Like the audience, I was fully engaged in the singing as well as the sad turns in Elvis’ life. It left me with a better understanding on how Elvis was manipulated by his manager’s greed. Elvis was stripped of his soul, but his talent will live in our hearts forever. He remains “The King.”

These are the worldwide box office figures:

Top Gun: Maverick             $1,481,741,935

Elvis                                             $279,991,514

The Banshees of Inisherin  $46,539,980

The Whale                                  $34,799.696

Hollywood

Hollywood moguls have remained true to themselves by awarding coveted titles to horrible movies. When will they get the message from the real people who support their movies with real life substance. We exist, we have jobs, we raise decent law-abiding children and we attend church services on a regular basis. We want to be entertained, not to be deceived by your attempts to indoctrinate us into believing that sin is acceptable. It’s not, nor will it ever be!

Thank God some movie producers received the memo that we are tired of being fed agendas depicted as the norm. We, who understand the meaning of entertainment, have grown tired of the same malnourished garbage being thrown our way.

Jesus Revolution

This movie is about Chuck Smith, one of the founders of Calvary Chapel, and Greg Laurie. In the mergers of two conflicting cultures, the conservative church is transformed by allowing hippies to join Calvary Chapel. This is Greg Laurie’s story. He is the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, CA.

These are domestic box office figures:

Jesus Revolution        $45,500,000  (movie released February 24, 2023)

When I left the Catholic Church for a season, I was part of this revival. Mike and I were borderline hippies, who were looking for a church base. My mother had made Harvest Christian Fellowship her home church, so when we visited her we attended Greg Laurie’s church.

Greg Laurie is a dynamic speaker and his messages were always powerful. This church had a rock band to start the service. The music was enticing and the preaching was to get us ready for the Kingdom of God. There was always a dramatic altar call at the end of every service. People would rush up to the altar to receive Jesus in their hearts.

It was a beautiful time of growth for me, but I needed more. I was missing the Eucharist, but the Body of Christ that sustained me could only be found in the Catholic Church. My previous Blog have described this experience. I had to make a choice between the holy contemporary music of the Protestant services or the solemn music played at Mass as I received the Body of Christ. This struggle lasted for several months, so I continued to have one foot in the Protestant services, while the rest of my body grew accustomed to the solemnity of the Catholic Mass.

It’s impossible to fully express my great gratitude for all the Christian churches I attended. Because of these experiences I grew to love the Word of God. I give glory to God for allowing me to wander in the desert for a season. God had a plan for me all along.

This Blog was written with the assistance of the Holy Spirit to win fallen-away Catholics back to their roots, and to reach out to Protestants to help them understand and respect the Catholic Church.

My Prayer

Dear Lord, I thank You for all the wonderful unity I feel with other Christians. I pray that Hollywood would get the wake-up call and stop all the contrary division it is causing. Lord, touch the hearts of all who are involved in the production of movies; urge them to clean up the mess they have created. Amen.