...yes, and Fireproof is one of the 'better' Christian movies. So sad.

I know One Night with the King was a limited release in theaters. I don't recognize many of the other titles in that list, so I'm assuming most of those were. It would definitely be a step down to put it under the Fox Faith label. As well as the Narnia stories have a much wider appeal then just the faith based crowd. It needs to stay with a larger distributor to have any chance of succeeding at the box office.

I don't see how it would do the franchise any good and could potentially hurt the franchise by connecting it with the sort of soppy drek that comes out of the Christian film industry. The last thing we need is for people to think SC is another Fireproof.

Now, now, now. Let's be nice. To be fair, it's hard to make a decent film when you are on a shoestring budget... or in the case of Fireproof, no budget. When you consider that every actor in the film was a volunteer, not a professional, then the acting was really quite good for what they paid.

Christian film-making is an emerging business. It has only seriously been around for 11 years. We can't expect them to make top-notch movies right off the bat. -Especially without any funding.

Right now Christian films are basically either being made by tiny independent studios with no experience that turn out poorly-made films, or by HUGE major studious that turn out films that are barely Christian. Sooner or later the two will meet, and we'll see partnerships between the big studios and the smaller ones that will turn out films that are both Christian and artistic. (Or possibly films that are neither Christian nor artistic.) Whatever the case, I see Fox Faith as the beginning of that process.

But I think all of this discussion is beside the point. I personally object to BOM calling Narnia a "Christian" franchise in the first place. Christ is never mentioned in any of the films, and Aslan himself is only a supposal. These are fantasy stories, not allegories, nor films about coming to Christ. I think BOM is trying to label these films as "Christian" because they like neither the Narnia franchise nor Christian films. Seriously, can't a film be influenced by Christianity without it being labeled "CHRISTIAN"?

I don't see this same type of arbitrary segregation going on in any other art form. When you watch Hamlet, do you think of it as a "Christian" play? When you read Beowulf, do you read it as a "Christian" poem? Is A Christmas Carol a "Christian" story? Is Ode to Joy a "Christian" piece? Is The Last Supper a "Christian" painting?

Yes, but not in the sense that BOM is thinking. As artists, shouldn't everything we do be Christian? If anything, we should be segregating out the secular films. Can't Fox release movies like Love & Other Drugs under a new label called "Fox Secular"?

Fox Secular? LOL yes they should.

Fox Faith sounds good. I still find it ironic and appalling that Fox, the studio behind the t**d Epic Movie, was the studio that ultimately got involved the Narnia movies several years later.

I don't think a small budget is any excuse for bad writing, which is my major problem with the Christian film industry. The consensus seems to be that it doesn't matter how cliched or trite the writing is, as long as they wedge in enough preaching and unrealistic presentations of Christianity. This has been a long-running issue in Christian fiction and it doesn't surprise me to see it cropping up in Christian film. It reminds me of that C. S. Lewis quote about not needing more Christian fiction, but more Christians writing. But considering how truly dreadful and even nonsensical a lot of the writing has been over the course of these three films, I suppose they would fit in just fine with Fox Faith's films.

Agreed though on the question of whether or not the CoN are Christian films. Christian-influenced, certainly, but so is the LotR. Are we now going to claim those films are "Christian"? Even Star Wars has Christ figures and religious interpretations.

The sad reality is that the Christian scriptwriters who wish to help make better movies, just aren't in the powerful role needed to green-light them. Those in power want a risk-free product and sadly that means making didactic non-biblical crap.

^ Agreeing with Warrior. Which in turn is why we have a humanistic message in VDT rather than one focused on Aslan.

^ Agreeing with Warrior. Which in turn is why we have a humanistic message in VDT rather than one focused on Aslan.

Mr Gresham seems to be pretty happy with the spiritual messages in VDT and after 6 screenings, I concur with him.

I agree with Warrior too. I actually wrote a letter recently to Walden and Fox to voice my complaints about the final VDT product. The only thing it made me do was make me feel better to get it on paper, but do I have great hope they'll seriously do anything to right the wrongs of VDT and not repeat them with Silver Chair? No.

^ Agreeing with Warrior. Which in turn is why we have a humanistic message in VDT rather than one focused on Aslan.

Mr Gresham seems to be pretty happy with the spiritual messages in VDT and after 6 screenings, I concur with him.

I suppose, insofar as it's hard to disagree with the "be yourself" message. But do you realize how cliche and trite it is after the dozens of movies that have it? It's a "fall back" message, needed whenever the scriptwriters can't write anything morally deeper.

The message in VDT goes beyond "be yourself." It goes into themes of humility, and knowing that Aslan is the only who can truly heal you. It does so in a non-cliche and poetic way.

I think Mr. Gresham is ok with the film considerhing how much more they wanted to botch it. He fought very hard for that line of Aslan's at the end. But you know what? It took me a second viewing to catch it.

Actually I agree with smartypie. Douglas Gresham seems happy, and that should be good enough. After all, the CON series are supposedly supposals, not allegories, let alone literal translations of Christian doctrine. Aslan wasn't there to take the preacher's job, nor is Narnia there to replace the Bible. Narnia is a fantasy series, and one of the things that turn people off it most, is the idea they might be preached at, or the idea they will be given a 'lion-delivered sermon'.

For one thing I can't believe after several viewings that people still persist with this 'Be yourself' nonsense. Aslan never said that. He commented that Lucy needs to value who she is. She, after all, was the first one to find Narnia. Since when is 'Know thyself', 'Examine your conscience' and 'let your light so shine before men that they can see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven', been a humanistic message, or even a trite one?

And for another, I don't see the message of the films as humanistic in any way. If you want to see a humanistic message go view Eragon or Golden Compass.

Agreed though on the question of whether or not the CoN are Christian films. Christian-influenced, certainly, but so is the LotR. Are we now going to claim those films are "Christian"? Even Star Wars has Christ figures and religious interpretations.

And guess what, in a vague sort of way, Harry Potter does, too. Surprise! Surprise! After all the hoo-har about having the books banned as anti-Christian . Getting back to these 'Christian' movies, why aren't the old famous Christian movies included in categories of Christian movies? You know the ones: The Robe, Quo Vadis, The Ten Commandments, or Ben Hur? Now these were real movies, epics as well. I wonder what happened since then?

I didn't like some other movies that are obviously Christian. I'm not sure if it was The greatest story ever told or King of kings. In one of them at least you have a lot of people in a trance-like state drifting in to various locations looking like they were dazed by the portentous events that were unfolding and not acting normally, in a movie that just had to take itself too seriously.

But I won't forget there were some great Christian movies, big budget ones for their times, with specific Christian messages in a way that is not true for either CON or LOTR. Christian movies should deal directly with biblical events, or else they are based on fiction actually relating to biblical events.

As much as Narnia is enjoyable, as much as Aslan may 'have another name', I'd like a distinction made between the two categories of fantasy and Christianity/history.
If FoxFaith is limited to Christian films then maybe it should leave the Narnia movies alone.

I don't see this same type of arbitrary segregation going on in any other art form. When you watch Hamlet, do you think of it as a "Christian" play? When you read Beowulf, do you read it as a "Christian" poem? Is A Christmas Carol a "Christian" story? Is Ode to Joy a "Christian" piece? Is The Last Supper a "Christian" painting?

Yes, but not in the sense that BOM is thinking. As artists, shouldn't everything we do be Christian? If anything, we should be segregating out the secular films. Can't Fox release movies like Love & Other Drugs under a new label called "Fox Secular"?

Excellent points. I love the idea of Fox secular. Since we are categorizing, why not Fox War, Fox Romance, Fox Comedy, etc.? People ought to be able to look at a movie and figure out if it is right for them without a label. There are plenty of place to find reviews by Christians about movies, so the public should be able to go there to find out what movies are "Christian" or at least not harmful. I can see dividing a website / category by category but I don't see the point in a whole different label. Then again, there are a lot of things I don't understand about the film industry.

^ Agreeing with Warrior. Which in turn is why we have a humanistic message in VDT rather than one focused on Aslan.

Mr Gresham seems to be pretty happy with the spiritual messages in VDT and after 6 screenings, I concur with him.

I suppose, insofar as it's hard to disagree with the "be yourself" message. But do you realize how cliche and trite it is after the dozens of movies that have it? It's a "fall back" message, needed whenever the scriptwriters can't write anything morally deeper.

I was moved by that whole scene. I guess at age 56 with 3 grown children and 3 grandchildren, I have lost some of my youthful sophistication along with some hair

The message in VDT goes beyond "be yourself." It goes into themes of humility, and knowing that Aslan is the only who can truly heal you. It does so in a non-cliche and poetic way.

I've noticed that members on this forum like to use the word cliche a lot. Would it be cliche for me to say that you are being cliche?

I think Mr. Gresham is ok with the film considerhing how much more they wanted to botch it. He fought very hard for that line of Aslan's at the end. But you know what? It took me a second viewing to catch it.

The word he used in the "Relevant" article is "magnificent". 1st view- 3/5, 2nd view 4/5, 3rd-6th view 5/5. Your last sentence gives me hope for my own senility

I've noticed that members on this forum like to use the word cliche a lot. Would it be cliche for me to say that you are being cliche?

Platitudinous. Bromide-filled. Trite.

Your last sentence gives me hope for my own senility

It's not age---it's that the film overwhelmed me so much with all those tropes that that one line, amidst all the bad dialog, whizzed past my attention.