Answering Your Questions About "American Sniper" [UPDATED]

Last updated on: July 28, 2018 at 11:24 pm By Esther O’Reilly

[UPDATE: 1/25/15 Since first writing this post, I’ve found more information on one of the slanderous claims that’s going around about Kyle, and I’ve updated it accordingly.] Whether or not you’re the movie-going type, you’ve been hearing an awful lot about this one movie lately. It’s breaking box office records, FOX news is promoting it like crazy, and wild-eyed leftists are feverishly tweet-blogging their hatred for it and its subject. I’m talking about Clint Eastwood’s American Sniper, based on the best-selling book by Navy SEAL... Read more

A Statler Brother's Thoughts On the Performer's Vocation

Last updated on: July 28, 2018 at 11:29 pm By Esther O’Reilly

I’m preparing an article on the Statler Brothers, the most popular country music group of all time, for my sorely neglected series on Christians in Entertainment. I was inspired to write about them by their thoroughly enjoyable book Random Memories, which is indeed a walk down random memory lane. It’s full of great anecdotes and wisdom, and for a variety of reasons, I’d say it’s pretty clear they did it without a ghost writer. I was struck by the great balance of humor... Read more

"It's Our Baby. I Gotta Kiss Our Baby."

Last updated on: January 18, 2015 at 12:10 pm By Esther O’Reilly

Happy Sanctity of Human Life Day! Today I’m choosing to post an appropriate scene from a movie, on the principle that storytellers and story actors often speak more truly than they themselves may recognize. This is not a recommendation of the movie as a whole, but I believe this particular scene is very apt today. To explain the context, a young couple is winding down for bedtime when the husband, a would-be novelist, starts ranting frustratedly about his lack of popularity. His wife then... Read more

My Definitive Andrae Crouch Mix

Last updated on: January 14, 2015 at 1:22 am By Esther O’Reilly

Here’s the post I was going to publish this Monday, before the death of Lari Goss shoved it down in urgency. Last week, the great gospel music legend Andrae Crouch went on to his reward. Overcoming the handicap of severe dyslexia, Crouch wrote many classic songs and also became a sought-after arranger/producer across genres. Perhaps his best-loved song is “The Blood Will Never Lose Its Power,” which he wrote in a white heat of inspiration at the age of 14. Few... Read more

"Yesterday, things were different…"

Last updated on: January 9, 2015 at 8:56 am By Esther O’Reilly

[Note: I published this post before reading of Andrae Crouch’s death, but now that I’ve read that he literally died yesterday, it seems especially timely.] Last night, my mother and I sat down to watch the old Cathedrals Reunion concert (which Stowtown Records has now made available on DVD). We thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the old tenors and baritones lined up and getting their moments to shine under the proud gaze of Glen Payne and George Younce, the grand old men... Read more

Marriage in the Movies: Boyhood (Patheos cross-post)

Last updated on: July 28, 2018 at 11:24 pm By Esther O’Reilly

Earlier this week, I contributed a guest piece to a blog at Patheos called “Watching God.” It’s maintained by Paul Asay, who is the editor of Focus on the Family’s Plugged In outlet. As some of you know, Plugged In keeps parents informed about objectionable content in popular film, games and music of the day. “Watching God” is a spot where Asay gets a little deeper into the craft of certain films that have interested him. I’ve always liked Paul’s writing, so I got... Read more

Great Movies: Sarah, Plain and Tall

Last updated on: August 19, 2018 at 10:48 pm By Esther O’Reilly

I had a different post scheduled for today, but I immediately shifted it when I was browsing Youtube recently and discovered that all three of Hallmark’s Sarah, Plain and Tall adaptations had just been uploaded in full the other day. I had to take the opportunity to recommend them to my readers while this person’s channel is still live! These movies are a little hard to track down and find, and they won’t always play on your computer even if... Read more

New "Christian" Movie Waffles on Homosexuality

Last updated on: July 28, 2018 at 11:24 pm By Esther O’Reilly

If you’ve seen Unbroken in theaters, you might have caught a preview for a new movie billing itself as a “Christian” production. The trailer’s soundtrack is current CCM, and the Dove Foundation has already rated it glowingly. So it’s safe to say that this product is being pushed in fairly mainstream evangelical circles. This isn’t Steve Taylor’s pet project. It’s the kind of thing for which your local Christian morning show might give away tickets when it gets a wider release. People... Read more

Of Sinners and Saints: Missing the Point of "Unbroken"

Last updated on: July 28, 2018 at 11:24 pm By Esther O’Reilly

This Christmas, Angelina Jolie’s much-hyped adaptation of the best-selling biography Unbroken made it to the big screen. Most of you probably know the story: It traces the remarkable journey of WWII hero Louis Zamperini, as he became a pre-war Olympic athlete, only to be drafted as a pilot and have his plane shot down, only to be captured by the Japanese and tortured in a prison camp. But amazingly, his story didn’t end there, as he went on to have a crisis... Read more

Christmas: To Know it For the First Time

Last updated on: July 28, 2018 at 11:25 pm By Esther O’Reilly

One of my favorite Christmas movies is It’s a Wonderful Life. Technically, you could say the entire thing takes place on Christmas Eve, since George Bailey’s life story is told entirely through flashbacks as Clarence gets debriefed before touching down for his rescue mission that fateful night. Once George has his moment of grace and time returns to normal, he comes home to celebrate Christmas with family and friends as his oldest pounds out the tune of “Hark! the Herald Angels... Read more