For Your Viewing Pleasure, Education, and Understanding........
The Changeling…….(starring Angelina Jolie)
This was a pretty disturbing movie. It deals with many things that are hard to deal with and witness. It is even harder to find out that this story is all true. This really did happen to a woman back in the late 20’s and 30’s. This movie deals with child abduction, serial killing, child abuse, the loss of a child, being falsely committed to insane asylum, and corruption in law enforcement. I made a link to a Christian review resource, so that you can determine for yourself if you choose to watch. I would definitely advise against your children seeing this move.
What makes me recognize and recommend this movie is the fortitude of one mother. I connected with this woman as a mother of RAD. This woman stood for the truth. When the police and doctors told her she was crazy, she refused to believe and searched for professionals who could back up what she knew to be true about her child. Her love for her child empowered her to keep fighting. Her fortitude caused for major changes in a corrupted system, set other falsely imprisoned people free, encouraged the public to stand for justice. It reminds me as a mother to hang on for all I’m worth that one day our children may return to us.
I was familiar with a young boy pretending to be the mother’s son. He showed no emotion. He didn’t seem to be bothered by the mother’s grief and unbelief. It was a true RAD performance.
My heart also grieved for a young man who was forced as a child to do horrendous acts. It reminded me about what some of our children have been through and the incredible courage it takes to step up and face it.
And I applaud the fortitude of one pastor who befriended the mother and aided her in times of need.
Please research the review of this movie yourself. Be careful if you are emotionally in a bad place for this movie.
Feature Films for Families - Great movies without all the garbage, cursing, sex and drug talk....Great movies for all ages.
Overcome - a rebellious teen's life changes through parent's prayers and faith to keep believing....
The Ultimate Gift - an awesome movie for every member of the family......how a young girl and an old dead man change the life of a selfish young man.
...email me with movies you would like to share and tell how they have impacted you and/or your family
I love movies that keep you guessing.....hold your interest......but, most of all........give you an awesome life application!!
What I loved about Vantage Point is how they show the audience what happens during the assassination of the president. You think you kind of know what happened........ because you saw it. But, then it goes back and takes you through the same “assassination plot” over and over again through the eyes of a handful of witnesses and significant others. As you witness each person’s different perspective and gain that person’s knowledge and information about what is going on, you end up with a very different truth as to ALL that happened.
So very often when we witness a situation in real life, or hear about one from one or two people, we falsely believe we know it all and feel qualified to judge and condemn. There are many ways for a person to look guilty, but when ALL the cards are NOT on the table, the truth and the outcome may be very different indeed.
Are there situations or relationships in your life that cripple you, that enslave you to bitterness and unforgiveness? Are you positive beyond a shadow of doubt that what you believe, is actually the whole story? Is there a character in that story whom you refuse to allow testimony from? What about the character of the witnesses? You see………..only God knows the complete truth about life and what happens in it. He is the only one who can watch real life like we watch a movie. Unlike the movie, we cannot always tell when someone is lying or giving false testimony.
Bitterness and unforgiveness is a far more evil taskmaster than the actual events that hurt us to begin with. I urge each one of us to re-evaluate those areas of our lives where we bring so much baggage from our past into our futures. I also urge you to be very careful when you think you know “what happened” in a situation. The one you think is dead, may instead, be fighting for their very life across town somewhere, very much alive and needing your help. It takes the REAL truth seekers to find them.
For several reasons, I encourage each and every one of you to screen for yourselves any movies you show your children. We all have different values, beliefs, boundaries, and issues. You can best predict how each movie will affect your family members. Secondly, I suggest you watch with pen and pad. Jot down thoughts, insights, biblical contradictions, and questions that come up, so after watching the movie together, you can address certain issues brought up in the movie, process them with your family. It's a great time to explore how your children view the world or would face like situations in their own lives. Use everything in life as a lesson to teach your children the ways of God. KT
The Martian Child- Starring John and Joan Cusak
A widower adopts a child who believes he is a Martian from another planet. The child is so convincing the father begins to believe that he may really be from Mars.
“All parents feel like they are the blind leading the blind”
….is what the psychologist tells the adoptive father when he says he just doesn’t have what it takes to father his adopted son……
It’s a great adoption story of a dad trying to connect and win the heart of his new son……that no one else wants…….
Problem Child - John Ritter
Although this movie is supposed to be comical, this adopted kid is RAD for sure. When he first comes home he catches his bedroom on fire on purpose, he sabotages the neighbor girl's birthday party because she was mean to him, and his idol is a murderer in prison that he penpals with. It even has a sequel or two.
Drop Dead Fred- Phoebe Cates
A comical story about a young woman who's childhood immaginary friend resurfaces when her fiance' dumps her. She must once again deal with all the mischief "he" does and she gets blamed for. She must deal with her childhood psychologist and parents to once again get rid of him.
Though a silly story it was kind of fun thinking, "it's what must be causing our children to act out so".....a fun movie, but preview first to assess how your child might react to it. I would not recommend for the children to watch as it portrays the mother as a dysfunctional mess. There is mild language and is not realistic for problem solving.....along the lines of Problem Child.
Curly Sue - A streetsmart little girl and her con-man guardian must outsmart social services to become a family.
Second Hand Lions - A fun family movie about a quiet boy left by his neglectful mother, with his two eccentric great-uncles. They become quite a family....
Cheaper by the Dozen - the 2003 version and it's sequel or the 1950 version
Hollywood story of a very large family blending. Yes, unrealistic, but entertaining, especially the older version. Maybe a good door-opener for conversations to discuss your own blended family issues.
Yours, Mine, and Ours - 2005, also a remake of an older, better version in 1968 with Henry Fonda and Lucille Balle... very much along the lines of Cheaper by the Dozen, an unrealistic but entertaining story of a large family blending.......
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Fireproof - An awesome new-release with Kirk Cameron, dealing with severe marrital problems. You cannot love your spouse completely until you allow the love of God to come inside you and become a part of who you are, so that you can love your spouse the way God meant for it to be.......There is a Love Dare book that accompanies the movie. There is also a book study for churches.
A Walk to Remember - After watching this movie, I made my 4 sons sit down and watch it with me. At the end, I told them, "That is the kind of woman I want you to marry.... A woman that challanges you to be a better man.. .... A woman that will move you closer to God, and not lead you away........a great movie with lots of lessons for older children.
Deut. 6:7-9
Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
In other words, surround your children with everyday examples and opportunities to live life and react to the world as God would have you. .... Every moment is a teaching moment. KT
The Miracle Worker - Disney, I believe, remade this 1962 movie of the real story of Helen Keller. This was the highest recommended movie by my therapists to see, because it displayed so well the tortuous job of teaching and training an out of control child who truly didn't understand what life could be without structure, rules, good behavior, and love.
I prefer the 1962 version myself. The newer remake softened it up quite a bit from how it really was.
Broken Bridges - A movie about a teen girl meeting her birth-father who wasn't there for her during her life. Her mother reconciling why their relationship never worked years before. Great cast of actors. Lindsey Hahn, Toby Keith, Burt Reynolds, Willie Nelson
The Nanny Express - A Hallmark movie....a cute clean movie for all ages. After their mother dies, two rich kids run off all the nannies dad hires. Until one comes along who overcomes the adversity to win the kids' and the widower's hearts.
Ordinary Miracles - a Hallmark movie- Judge Kay takes on trouble when she takes in a 16 year old foster girl for 3 weeks......
What About Bob?
Anyone having to deal with therapists and psychiatrists will appreciate this movie. Sometimes, we think people in this profession have their lives all together. We put them on the "God pedestal"......And, then we sometimes think we are the crazy one..........Sometimes, life has a way of turning everything upside down....A good funny movie to chill out to....
The Perfect Child- A business woman falls in love with the owner of the company.....the wed...and the trouble begins. He has a 12 year old daughter who is quiet, sweet, and shy. She has a hidden side and begins destroying her father's company and marriage while framing the new bride of it all. Looking into the life of a mom living in a nightmare no one else believes.
Uptown Girls-
Uptown Girls, and Us
By Kathryn Taylor
What a charming movie....... Except for a few "close your eyes" seconds for the kiddos, it was a great movie. It's about two troubled rich girls. One eight year old, who's obsessed about germs, never has fun, and is far too mature for her age.......and her twenty-two year old nanny who never grew up.
There is humor as these two young ladies mesh their obsessions, tears, and strong personalities. As they share their losses and pain, there are lessons for all to learn about relationship.
In one particular scene, the nanny is telling the little girl about her parents dying when she was little. The little girl responded to her saying:
"You're lucky…..
That you were mad……
See, when you're mad.... you don't miss people.
And if you stay mad, it's like you never knew them at all. That way you don't have to feel sucky about it…….You were lucky."
The words stung as she said them. Is that why my RADs are so consumed with anger? Is that why they live always mad? Is this what they do to not feel the pain? Will the mad never go away until they can remember no more? Will they drown in the sea of their rage unless we can find a way to rescue them?
It is so easy to get caught up in our children's anger. It quickly becomes a vicious circle. Anger is an ugly hideous beast that seeks to rob our families of the contentment they desire. God gives us a little insight into how to battle against the robber of joy.
Eccl 7:9
9 Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools.
Eph 4:31-32
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: 32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.
Col 3:8-10
8 But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. 9 Lie not one to another,
seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:
Matt 5:44
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;
The Note......a newspaper columnist finds a note written by a plane crash victim.....she sets out to find the intended recipient..........never realizing it will come full circle to make her face her past involving adoption.......A Hallmark movie...a bit slow, but worth the watch...
Why Did I Get Married?.....a Tyler Perry movie. 4 couples, who are friends, all endure some kind of hardship in their marriages. They are there to encourage and help each other through their ordeals....Divorce or reconciliation? What will each couple choose?
Child of Rage........a CBS movie starring Mariette Hartley.....based on the true story of HBO's documentary of an abused girl with Reactive Attachment Disorder. I cannot find a vcr/dvd available for this movie.
The Lost and Found Family........ After her husband dies, a widow winds up moving into all she has left ...a house where a foster family is renting from them .... Will she evict them or will they run her off?.....A good wholesome movie. Good for foster kids to see. Something for everyone to learn from this movie. :)
Generation Gap.......Hallmark movie. A troubled teen is sent to live with his grumpy, hard-nosed grandpa for the summer........ starring Ed Asner
Like Dandilion Dust.........Years after adopting their son, a couple must face a heart-wrenching battle for their son...when the boy's ex-con, domestically violent birth-father fights to get him back and has the legal right to do so.......very moving......well done.......
Unforgiveable......Real life of Paul Hegstrom, founder of Life Skills International. He was an abusive spouse who faced himself, healed, and reconciled with his family and now runs this ministry helping others heal.
