Review by Dana Chaffin

Dolphin Tale is now available on DVD at most movie retail stores (such as Best Buy, Target, and Wal-Mart) and at www.dolphintalemovie.com.

This film is based on the inspiring true story of Winter the dolphin and her amazing human rescuers from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA). Winter is an incredible little dolphin that never gave up even after losing her family and eventually her tail. She is an inspiration to those with disabilities and encourages everyone she meets. The entire family will love this movie for the amazing story, the outstanding cast, and the adorable animals.

Dolphin Tale is a very entertaining movie for the whole family to enjoy. It follows the true story of Winter, played by Winter, at the time of her rescue she was a 2 to 3 month old dolphin, that was rescued from being entangled in a crab trap. A fisherman spotted the dolphin and with the help of a boy, Sawyer played by Nathan Gamble (Marley & Me, The Dark Knight), passing by who calls for help. The Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA) rescue team lead by Dr. Haskett played by Harry Connick, Jr. (Hope Floats, Will and Grace) takes the injured dolphin and cares for her at their Clearwater, Florida facility. Her tail had been wrapped so tight in the ropes and the damage was too severe that her tail would eventually be amputated. But that did not stop her, once strong enough she taught herself a different way to swim. The connection between Winter and Sawyer was special and both of them needed each other. Dr. Haskett’s young daughter, Hazel played by Cozi Zuehlsdorff, was quite a help to the CMA team and the recovery of Winter. She and Sawyer became good friends while going through the ups and downs of Winter’s ordeal. Sawyer’s mother, played by Ashley Judd (Simon Birch, A time to kill), saw the difference in him and finally approved of him skipping out of summer school to help with the dolphin. The team discovers that Winter’s new way of swimming is causing life threatening damage to her spine and they must find a way to correct it or she will die. That is when Sawyer finds a prosthetics Dr. from a nearby VA hospital, played by Morgan Freeman (The Shawshank Redemption, The Bucket List), to manufacture a prosthetic tail, which had never been done before. After several failed attempts would they have to give up? While this bunch of heroes are fighting to keep Winter alive the CMA is in dire financial stress and will be closing and the property sold if something does not happen fast. So can they save Winter and the CMA in time? You will have to watch the movie to find out, but I can tell you it will have you crying, laughing, and cheering for the team and Winter, the little dolphin that could!

In the movie Winter is the celebrity, but there are many other amazing stars at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA). Right now the facility is home to sharks, stingrays, sea turtles, otters and more. The CMA’s mission is to restore and preserve marine environment through education, research, and the rescue, rehabilitations and release of marine life. All of the animals at the facility got there because of an injury or illness. It is their goal to help each animal recover and release it back into the wild, but unfortunately not all of the animals are able to return so they become permanent residents and help with educating visitors. There is a 24 hour emergency stranding phone hotline and when a call is received, no matter what time, a dedicated team of staff and volunteers respond. Educational programs and summer camps are available for visitors at the Clearwater, Florida site, but there is also CMA L.I.V.E. a virtual educational program to reach classrooms all around the world. Part of the research program is a sea turtle nesting program to help sea turtle hatchlings make it safely to the water and ensure their survival. Since 2005 over 60,000 hatchlings have been released into the Gulf of Mexico. All of these programs are provided by CMA staff and their caring volunteers. To find out how YOU can help CMA &/or get involved visit their website www.seewinter.com or contact kmartin@cmaquarium.org for details.

Dolphin Tale is an inspirational and entertaining movie for any age. The entire family can get together for an awesome family night movie, but even the adults and teens will enjoy. It will leave viewers with a positive message of hope that anything is possible. Winter’s story is not over and she will continue to touch many more lives around the world.

*Top

**Awards: Peoples Choice Award: Best Feature Film – 2010 San Diego Christian Film Festival

This movie took me by surprise. A powerful Christian message wrapped naturally into a story that includes true friendship, tragedy, and the pain of growing up and seeking one’s identity and place in life. Plus it starts off with some incredible surfing cinematography and a soundtrack that gets you into it right from the very start.

In the first couple of minutes you learn that Luke has a passion for surfing and would like to become a pro. His friend Casey on the other hand is quite different and won’t even go into the water but they are the closest of buddies anyway.

Then there are Luke’s parents who don’t seem to listen to each other or Luke for that matter. From there we find out that Luke’s father is not exactly thrilled with His son’s surfing and wants him to dedicate himself to getting a college education. Luke on the other hand is keyed in on the upcoming local surfing contest that could get him a place on a sponsored team –a start towards achieving his dream.

Next day at school a new girl (Emily) catches Luke’s eye but he learns that she is some kind of serious Christian. Then there’s a new guy (Matt) on campus who brags about being the sure-fired winner of the upcoming surfing contest and ends up challenging Luke to a private surfing duel.

Along the way Luke gets grounded but comes to an understanding with his parents about his future. As part of the agreement he is required to attend the youth group at church. His friend Casey goes along with him and loves it.

Tragedy strikes and Luke has a hard time dealing with the aftermath. His friend Emily tries to talk to him about it but her answers seem like trite platitudes until he finds out the truth about her past and ends up searching for his own answers in the process.

The story is true to life with several twists and turns plus an inspired ending. This is a great story for teenagers and parents alike and even grandparents like myself.

The acting is top notch, the screen play is exceptional, and it is pulled together with an excellent soundtrack along with several scenes of surfing cinematography to die for. An awesome experience on many different levels with a natural Christian message to boot. Yes I really did like this film.

This movie would be great for youth groups. It raises all sorts of questions about life, relationships, parents, identity, goals, and the importance of bringing God aboard in the midst of it all.

<<Here’s a link to the movie website>>            *Top

**Disclosure Statement

RUST: A Mystery of faith

Review by Dana Chaffin

The new inspiring movie Rust is available October 5, 2010 on DVD. This film has all the elements of a great mystery with a helping of faith. The story keeps viewers on the edge of their seat just waiting to see how it all turns out. The story behind the movie, the choice of location, and the cast could in itself be an award winning movie. The excitement of both the movie and the story behind the movie will leave you with a sense of hope.

The Movie

Rust was written by actor Corbin Bernsen, (LA Law, Major League). It is the story of a middle aged pastor that leaves his calling and returns to his hometown to ponder his life and his faith in God’s plan for his life. It was not quite the return he had hoped for; his father was not too welcoming, his sister was struggling in her marriage, and his childhood friend was being blamed for a mysterious fire. This man must now decide to follow his gut feeling that his friend is innocent and fight to clear him or just worry about his own problems. Not wanting to give too much away, by the choice he makes and how it all unfolds is outstanding.

The Story behind the movie

The story of the film developed as Corbin Bernsen examined his own faith after the passing of his father. In an interview with CBN Corbin says “We don’t know what the plan is (speaking of God’s plan). We just have to have faith in the plan.” Bernsen has been acting for many years and has even started a movie production company called Team Cherokee Productions, but writing and/or producing Faith films was not something he ever really planned.

It all started because of a red paper clip. That is right and I will show you! In 2005, Kyle MacDonald began bartering his way from a single red paper clip to eventually a house. You can see all the trade information and the story of Kyle MacDonald at www.oneredpaperclip.blogspot.com, which has had over 9 million visitors since July 2005. He made several trades that included a snowmobile, a van, a recording contract, an afternoon with Alice Cooper, and more.

Bernsen heard about all the media attention this was getting and decided to offer a role in a Hollywood movie. At the time Bernsen did not have any movie plans, but he worked fast and came up with a movie called Donna on Demand. MacDonald secured a trade with the small Canadian town of Kipling for the movie role and they would trade a city owned two-story house. He had done it, in less than one year MacDonald had traded from a red paper clip to a house. The city of Kipling was excited because they made a trade that one of their citizens would get a role in a Hollywood movie produced by Corbin Bernsen.

Bernsen thought this person would get a line or two to satisfy the agreement, but he never imagined the talent he would find. Nolan Hubbard eventually won the role. Kipling held auditions and 150 people from the 1,000 population showed up to audition. Bernsen was so impressed with Hubbard that he was cast as a lead in Corbin’s third film Rust. The town of Kipling wanted to do another movie with Bernsen so much that the town raised over $230,000 to fund the movie. Not only was Rust shot in Kipling, but most of the actors were from there or surrounding communities. See, it really did all start with one red paper clip!

Rust may not have started out as a faith based film, but once God got involved it sure turned out that way. It is amazing to see how all this came together. The story is one of hope and restoration, but the story behind the movie is an example of faith. Learn more about the movie at www.rustmovie.com. Also on the website is a great study guide.

Dana Chaffin is a Christian freelance writer who has published many articles on sites like: faithwriters.com, christianmediaalliance.com, and extantmagazine.com. Passionate about Christian film, her desire is to get the word out about Christian movies to as many people as possible. Email signgal@faithwriters.net

A movie based upon an inspirational true story.

Randy Simpkins and his wife Christal are loading up their van and preparing to go on vacation. Their 2 year-old son Joe is riding his trike in the driveway. 

Christal tells her husband to put Joe in his car seat while she goes back inside to finish up. Randy lets Joe keep playing while he goes in to check on his email at work before they leave. He comes back out a couple of minutes later and Joe is nowhere in site.

Then the search for the little boy begins. At first the parents are convinced that he is probably hiding from them and playing some kind of game. A half an hour later after searching everywhere in the house and on their property plus all of the nearby neighbors the parents are fit to be tied and now know that their son is gone, lost, or has been taken.

It is every parent’s worst nightmare.

Randy calls the Sheriff who immediately calls in the Fire Department’s search and rescue experts and then the search begins in earnest.

Meanwhile the Grandmother who lives nearby calls their minister at church who starts a prayer chain and calls in dozens of church members to help in the search and to help the family cope. In a very short time 100’s from the church and the community show up to volunteer.

After searching everywhere for 4 hours, the experts are beginning to fear the worst. It is a rural area full of all sorts of potential dangers for a 2 year-old. In every direction there are woods, ponds, dry wells, old buildings, and swamps that could swallow up the boy and time is getting short.

After a couple more hours, the Fire Chief begins to regrettably call in all of the crews  for the night with only a half an hour of daylight left. It is an emotional time for all.

In the midst of it all Randy Simpkins realizes what is really important in his life and promises God to make changes accordingly. Up to that point his life had been consumed by his job but after this he planned on putting his faith and his family first.

An inspirational story with a powerful ending. <<View the trailer and more info at the movie website>>

<<The DVD is currently available @ Thomas Nelson>> or at the following stores after October 26:

*Note: We received a DVD free for review: <<Read our Disclosure Statement>>

DVD Now Available: Released Oct.5, 2010 by Spyplane Films; Directed by: Ken Horstmann; Cast:  Randall Bentley (Solomon White), Leah Sims (Wren Woods), Taylor St. Clair (Mrs. Buck), Blair Jasin (Cody), Jeremy Harrison (Craig Parker), Kay Copeland (Cindee).

Great story, good acting, with a wonderful soundtrack.

Story of a high school senior with everything and everything going for him at least so it seems.  Solomon White is a rich kid, an accomplished Jock that is being heavily recruited by Ivy league schools, and has a pretty girl friend that won’t leave him alone.

At the beginning I thought this would be just another teen love story with little substance where the hero doesn’t get along with his parents and snows his teachers, but I was wrong.

Solomon is a bright kid that is trying to cruise his way into an Ivy league athletic scholarship for lacrosse by doing the bare minimum in school work.  Meanwhile behind the scenes his mother is pulling strings and making contributions to her former alma mater to get him in and his girl friend Cindee who he broke up with is pressuring him to take their relationship to the next level.

In the midst of it all Mrs. Buck a Christian teacher takes an interest in Solomon and sees lots of potential but forces him into a writing project to make up for a copied paper that he had turned in as his own. With his scholarship on the line Solomon has to respond whether he likes it or not.

During a big game of lacrosse against a major rival Solomon is hit hard and suffers a major concussion. He wakes up in the hospital and finds that his world has literally been turned upside down. He suffers from a rare condition where his eye sight is now turned around and upside down.

In the process of learning to cope with his new situation Solomon meets a new love interest Wren Woods who is blind but helps Solomon view his life in a new way and begin to make decisions for himself. Wren is a Christian girl who does not pressure him in any way but does take him to church which ends up being a turning point for Solomon. Wren along with Mrs. Buck helps Solomon to find God and really find himself in the process.

A marvelous story with all sorts of lessons for living. Great for the whole family and also a great movie for the youth group at church.

<<Here’s a link to where the DVD may be purchased>>

*Received DVD free for review: <<Read Disclosure Statement>>            *Top

Review by Dana Chaffin

     Letters to God, an inspiring faith based film, opens in theaters April 9, 2010.  The story is extremely touching, inspired by a true story, and the hope beyond the movie is unstoppable.  The message is about hope and trusting God, no matter the circumstances.  The production is high-quality with an outstanding cast and crew.  It is produced by David Nixon (Facing the Giants, Fireproof) and written by Patrick Doughtie, the actual Tyler’s father.

The Story

    Letters to God is the heartwarming story of a young boy’s battle with cancer and how he touches the lives of those around him.  Tyler Doherty (Tanner Maguire) is an 8 year old boy diagnosed with a rare brain cancer.  He writes letters to God asking Him to help those around him deal with his cancer.  He explains that his letters are like texting your best friend.  Tyler sees the stress his mom, Maddie (Robyn Lively) is under trying to run the family after his father passes away.  He unselfishly asks God to help his mom laugh again.  He is concerned about what his family and friends will do after he is gone.  Not once does he complain or question why he has cancer.  The postman Brady McDaniels (Jeffrey Johnson), going through his own battles with alcohol abuse and a bitter divorce, receives the letters.  He is confused with what to do with the letters at first, but finds himself on a mission for God. 

Beyond the movie

Letters to God is more than just a movie; it is a movement of hope.  The official website, www.letterstogodthemovie.com, offers a multitude of information and encouragement.  There you can watch the movie’s trailer, find theaters showing the film, preorder the soundtrack, find resources about cancer, and write your own letter to God.  

Letters to God is a powerful film of how one boy moves those around him to look to God for answers.  It is very well done with an experienced cast and crew.   Although the film tackles the issue of a young boy with cancer, the message is of hope.  God can use any situation to bring people into a relationship with Him, even a young boy’s letter.  See the movie, visit the website, and join the movement of hope!

Review by Dana Chaffin

     March 2, 2010 is the DVD release date for Jake’s Corner.  This is a touching story of tragedy, loss, and family.  It is a drama mixed with comedy that can be enjoyed by the entire family.  Singer B.J. Thomas (Raindrops Keep Fallin on my Head, Hooked on a feelin) acts and performs in the film.  The movie soundtrack of various entertainers is also available.  Writer/Director Jeff Santo’s story behind the film and his family history that lead up to the making of the film is outstanding.

Jake’s Corner is about an ex-football star, Johnny Dunn (Richard Tyson), who escapes to Jake’s Corner in the desert of Arizona after an accident takes the lives of his parents.  Dunn is trying to answer the question…why did this happen?  Jake’s Corner is an actual place in Arizona with a general store, bait shop, bar, and RV park.  For the people who live there, it is home.  Dunn gets a disturbing call that his only sister, her husband, and son were in a terrible accident and only the son survived.  He had not yet recovered from the loss of his parents, now he was expected to help his nephew Spence (Colton Rodgers).  Trying to protect him from the pain, Johnny decides not to tell Spence that his parents died.  Johnny calls a meeting of all those at Jake’s Corner to require them not to tell Spence the truth.  The curious young boy will bring out the best in everyone at Jake’s Corner. Spence starts to remember about the accident and runs away to his home only to find the truth.  The gang at Jake’s Corner search frantically for their lost friend.  The touching moment when Johnny and Spence share their pain is outstanding.

Jake’s Corner was written and directed by Jeff Santo.  The story of how Santo found the site Jake’s Corner is extremely moving.  He had previously produced a documentary, This Old Cub, about his father, Chicago Cub legend, Ron Santo.  He was the first and only major league baseball position player to play with Type One Juvenile Diabetes (insulin dependent).  He did not reveal his diabetes during most of his career in fear of being forced to retire.  Santo eventually had both legs amputated due to complications from the disease.  A portion of all revenues earned by the film was donated to Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF).  The film was so inspiring that it sparked one viewer to take action.  Wild Bill Holden watched the film repeatedly before he decided to help out the cause.  To raise money for JDRF he would walk from Prescott, Arizona to Wrigley Field in Chicago.  This over 2,000 mile journey would be Holden’s way to show respect to the legendary Cub. Jeff Santo heard of Wild Bill Holden’s adventure and caught up with him at a stop called Jake’s Corner.  He would later use the actual site to shoot the movie Jake’s Corner. Together Holden and the film have raised over $250,000 for JDRF.

     Jake’s Corner will make you laugh, cry, and then laugh again.  The characters from Jake’s Corner may not be blood related, but this odd bunch is certainly family.  To find out more about the movie, to purchase the DVD, or buy the soundtrack go to www.jakescornerthemovie.com            *Top

Review by Dana Chaffin

     Saving Melanie, a Christian drama, is now available on DVD.  The message of this film is forgiveness, trust, and testing. Most Christian films end with someone being saved, but this one takes the story from the salvation. It shows that just because you are saved that everything does not magically become perfect. The story of this movie is touching, but the story behind the scenes is inspirational.

The Story

     A young single mom, Melanie (Melissa Serrano), is excited about accepting Christ as her Savior.  She is very eager to go out and evangelize everyone she meets.  Her angry and alcoholic neighbor, Jonathon (Brian Renner), becomes her target.  He tells her that she is not ready because she has not passed the “Job test”. However; he seems to be in the middle of his own “Job test” and is failing.  When Melanie’s ex-boyfriend shows up, her faith will be tested intensely.  She also learns that God can use the bad choices and situations from our past to help others.

See trailer:

Behind the scenes

Saving Melanie is the first Christian feature film for producer Jose L. Cruz.  He has made several short films in the past before he became a Christian.  After watching The Passion of the Christ, Cruz decided to accept Christ and make Christian movies that would touch others like that film touched him. He was also inspired by Sherwood Church (Flywheel, Facing the Giants, and Fireproof). The story of Saving Melanie came about from a conversation Cruz had with his pastor about why people leave their faith.  The first draft of the film was written in just a couple of weeks.  At that time he did not realize that his own faith would be tested.  He would go through a divorce, depression, and was at risk of losing his faith.  After many prayers, he felt the answer was to proceed with the film and stay strong in his faith.  As the characters in the film went through their tests and overcame them, so would the life of the producer.  Cruz says, “The film was his spiritual therapy.”  He is looking forward to making more Christian features.

    Have you passed the “Job test”?  It is pretty easy to trust God when things are good, but what happens when bad times hit?  This film demonstrates the difficulties that can happen to even those who are saved.  Scripture tells us that Job was a blameless and upright man that feared God.  God allowed Satan to test Job, but he could not take his life.  Job lost everything: his children, his flocks, his servants, and was afflicted with painful sores covering his body.  Job 1:22 In all this, Job did not sin by charging God with wrongdoing.  Job stayed faithful to God and in the end he was given back everything lost and even more.  As Christians, even though we may go through tests, we are to put our trust in God.  He can bring us all the way through every test.  You can find out more and purchase the film at www.savingmelanie.com.                *Top

Review by Dana Chaffin

On January 22, 2010 To Save a Life is opening in theaters nationwide.  This exciting Christian based film confronts many teen issues.  New Song Pictures gives viewers a touching story that will certainly change the way they see people.  The story is inspiring and the way it deals with the issues the characters face is remarkable.

To Save a Life is the story of a teenage boy, Jake (Randy Wayne), who must make the choice to do what is popular or what is right.  In the past he made the choice to be popular and it cost him a friend, literally.  Now he will not let that happen again.  Jake must also decide what he believes as far as God.  A youth pastor, Chris (Joshua Weigel), comes into Jake’s path and he has a very unique, but effective way of dealing with the teens. Jake’s faith is tested by many difficulties, but the final outcome is inspirational.

To Save a Life discusses difficult topics such as suicide, cutting, divorce, teen pregnancy, dating, partying, drinking/drugs, depression, abortion, adultery and more.  Although it is very tastefully handled, parents and leaders should know.  This is a very moving film that will help adults to understand what our teens are facing and teens to see what their actions towards others could be saying.

    To Save a Life is a powerful movie.  It is a great film for any teen, parent, youth group, etc.  I do want to warn there are some topics that might be too mature for younger kids; however most teens are aware of these issues.  Please check out the official website www.tosavealifemovie.com to find a theater near you and for resources.  Today many teens are faced with issues and situations similar to those discussed in the movie and this film may be just what is needed, to save a life.               *Top

A tremendous ‘feel-good’ movie that highlights the acting talents of Sandra Bullock. Bullock plays a wealthy white Christian housewife ( Leigh Ann Tuohy) who takes on the onerous task of raising a homeless black kid- Michael Oher.

She helps him to overcome his learning deficiencies and encourages him to participate in sports. He eventually becomes a football star that ends up being heavily recruited by college coaches and later on to the NFL.

There are twists and turns along the way but Mrs. Tuohy and her family are up to the task and make a home for a young man who has never really had one. The process also seems to be good for the Tuohy family and gives them purpose and actually ends up drawing the whole family closer together.

There were also several interesting scenes where Leigh Ann had it out with some of her ‘socialite’ lunch friends who questioned the advisability of giving a home to a big black kid from the wrong side of town.

I was actually taken back by Sandra Bullock’s performance. I’m used to seeing her in comedy roles and in this movie I actually forgot that she was ‘Sandra Bullock’. She really excels In her role as Leigh Ann Tuohy and should be up for some awards, though the Hollywood crowd who vote on that stuff are usually not up for redeeming ‘feel-good’ roles and movies.

This is not only a touching movie but also a true one to boot. For once a Christian family is not typecast as a bunch of hayseed bigots like Hollywood usually tends to do nor are the Tuohys presented as some kind of idealized family like many Christian films seem to be guilty of. These are real people and the film presents them as such warts and all but also their natural goodness.

The title of the film was really apropos because I ended up being ‘blind-sided’ by the movie. It was far better on many different levels than I ever expected it to be even though I had read a number of lovely reviews on the film. It stands as a movie not to be missed—either in the theaters or later on DVD.          *Top