Leaving Limbo

As we grow older we often think back to periods in our lives and wonder “whatever happened to those years?”

Imagine if you were a promising young girl just out of high school and you suffer a horrendous accident that puts you in a coma for nineteen years. This is the story of Monica Wyatt in a lovely film, Leaving Limbo, who appears to have a great life until a careless automobile crash takes away everything she has ever known.

This film from award winning play writer Sandy Boikian is one I have to say at the offset is not to be missed. First I have to highlight the acting of Mandy Brown who is in practically every scene of the film having to run through the gamut of more emotions than most professionals do in a series of motion pictures. Mandy is a tour de force as she goes from scene to scene trying to adapt to a greatly changed world and the fact her fiancee’ Ben Hudson (Elias Cecil) who was also in the accident has since married, has had a son and is now divorced with some bitterness.

It is little wonder that Monica questions a God who would let this happen to her and there are times when she rages against the circumstances she is faced with. Her father Jack Wyatt (David Fruechting) on the other hand has not only made his peace with God, he is embarked on an important mission of caring for others. Their contrast is important to the plot and there are interesting short segments when Jack and Monica’s niece (Lauren K. Montgomery) have Bible studies with Monica as a listener who feels things are being deliberately aimed at her.

This is in part a beautiful love story, rather Shakespearean as you wonder if Monica and Ben will get back together after so many years. Like classic plays, there are misunderstandings between the two, even anger and resentment until they discover secrets about the accident they did not know. There is also a triangle here as another in the accident is Monica’s presumed best friend Tuesday (Noelle Perris) who adds both tension and at times humor.

This is definitely a well written film and redemption and forgiveness is a major part of it.
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This is definitely a well written film and redemption and forgiveness is a major part of it. A great job of acting is given by Wallace (Owen Williams) who caused the accident, though he is only in four scenes. The young Wallace reminds me of Jim Carrey and nineteen years later he is a man overridden by guilt. He has still managed to stay in contact with Monica and their coming to terms with each other is a real message for the audience.

It must be added that Sandy Boikian also has an understanding of British humor as for lightness has added Nurse Rosa (Violet Mathieson) who had looked after Monica during those nineteen years. Such writing is not easy to carry off unless you understand the genre’. Then again it is clear that the writer and director clearly has an understanding of all the elements that make a good story.

It may be doing an injustice to refer to this as a faith film as it is clearly one that will be enjoyed by everyone no matter what their beliefs. To some the phrase “faith film” is sadly a turn off. The film is not only well written and acted well, the cinematography, editing and music are excellent. Let nothing dissuade you from seeing Leaving Limbo. It is a film you will want to see more than once.

Hats off to the writer and director, Sandy Boikian.

Find it on Amazon: Leaving Limbo

Watch the Trailer: Leaving Limbo Trailer

When sitting down to what you think will be a faith movie it is surprising to hear a suspenseful musical chord and see the arrival of a train, a very Alfred Hitchcock opening. Doc Benson, the producer, director, and writer has surely taken a hint from the old master of suspense to give us a different tone for his faith film, Seven Deadly Words. Even the title has an Agatha Christie ring and it turns what has been an old story for many churches into a riveting tale that is based upon true events.

Can Evan Bennett Save this Church?

On the surface the story line sounds very simple. A new young minister, Evan Bennett, comes to take over an old established church in Connersville and finds that the church is in deep financial trouble. The leader of the board of deacons, Vincent Haman, and his wife Bertha have a great deal of control in the church and soon we hear that one phrase that has been the death knell for anyone with new ideas, “We’ve never done it that way before.” To add to the tension in the film Pastor Evan meets a man who once attended the church, Walt Tannin, who warns “They’ll be watching.” Later even the pastor’s wife, Elena Bennett, is told by so called well meaning ladies in regard to the deportment of her children, “We’ll be watching you, just to help out.” What seems like a peaceful community is one that is greatly divided.

A Suspenseful Mystery

There are several meetings shown in the film when the pastor must deal with the deacons and congregation members in budget concerns. The big issue is that a misappropriate amount of money is going into foreign missions and the needs of the local church are being ignored. One example is a weak, leaky ceiling which will prove to be important later. The Haman couple has a vested interest as a portion of that money is going to support a daughter who is a missionary. As the pastor works to add new people and to present a budget that would save the church, there is a whispering campaign against him and his family. When it looks like the pastor might succeed, his own children and Walt Tannin are nearly killed and we find ourselves in a real mystery. The ending of the film, I won’t be a spoiler, has twists and turns that will make the viewer want sequels. Think film noir.

Obedience to God’s Call in the Face of Opposition

It is possible that some who see this film will think it is promoting an anti-foreign mission theme; however, that is not the point. It is definitely a case of setting priorities and churches also have a responsibility for the needs of the local congregation and home missions as well. If a church dies, then missions are not served. There has to be a balance and there has to be compromise. For a brief time even Elena questions her husband going against what appears to be a majority. However, Pastor Evan believes firmly that “God brought us here for a reason.” He is not there because some of the deacons wanted someone to preside over the death of a church. The writer is reminded of Paul in the opening of his letter to Galatians. Paul writes that he is not witnessing to them because some board, some committee, made him an Apostle. It was Jesus Christ who made Paul an Apostle. Pastor Evan Bennett believes he is called by God to revive this particular church and in time he does gain support. Whether it is enough support you will have to see for yourself in the film.

Outstanding Cast

I freely admit I was not familiar with the stars in this film and have to congratulate Doc Benson and whoever did the casting on making some great selections. Roy Lynam as Pastor Evan Bennett and Guisela Moro, who portrayed his wife Elena, are the perfect choices for a couple new on the scene like this and you can believe their resolve to improve things within the church. Mark A. Ginther, as Vincent Haman, brings the right touch to seeming like a man who cares about his church and at the same time masking a sinister evil. Also very enjoyable are Shane Willimon as Brax McCoy and Wayne Greeson as Walt Tannin and it must be said that having good character actors is as important as good leads for a film to succeed. These two plus others could easily have made names for themselves in old Hollywood.

Accolades

Seven Deadly Words has well deserved a number of awards already and it is a shame that more has not been said about it. As this is being written it was learned that this film was at the Cannes Film Festival, something rare for faith films. It is a film that will cause a great deal of conversation about the needs in our churches and what our goals should be to successfully spread the Gospel. While mission support seems to be the issue here, it must be remembered that mission work starts first in our heart, then goes to our neighbors and community. I am reminded of a sign on the inside of a small Florida Church that reminds members when they leave, “You are now entering the mission field.”

Final Words

Doc Benson hopes that this film will be used in churches and church conferences. I would like to see it shown in every Bible Study group, schools and colleges. Please check out the web pages below for more information. And to Doc I would say, thank you for making this very important film.

For more information check out the following websites:

sevendeadlywords.com

facebook.com/sevendeadlywords

Wow! Really, that was my honest reaction after seeing Beyond the Farthest Star. And it’s ironic because Anne, the troubled daughter of Adam, pastor of a small church in the tiny hamlet of Leonard, Texas, often uses those two words as a sarcastic mantra invoked whenever someone tells her something she does not want to hear, like when her father or her therapists encourage her to think happy thoughts. “Wow. Really?”

It’s the defense mechanism of a severely damaged young lady. Her nineteenth birthday is approaching and already, Anne (Dallas native Cherami Leigh) has experienced a lifetime of anguish. She was rescued from an earlier suicide attempt thanks to father Adam’s timely arrival on the scene and has since struggled with what is described as a “therapy-resistant” depressive condition. And she’s losing. What is wrong with her? What is causing Anne’s pain? Why is she so off-putting to everyone around her and compelled to shield her fragile psyche behind a bad attitude and “Wow. Really?”

Her dilemma is the central conflict of the plot around which all the action centers, and there is a lot of conflict in the town of Leonard and within the almost irretrievably broken lives of Anne’s family. In a heart-wrenching moment of insight, she tells potential boyfriend and cow-town rock guitarist Stephen (Tyler Corie) that it wasn’t always like this; she used to know what was beyond the farthest star. But she doesn’t anymore. She’s forgotten.

All this places a large load upon the shoulders of MS Leigh but she is more than up to the task. She perfectly captures the angst-ridden Anne, we believe her desperate need for answers, her soulful yearning for grace and when she lashes out at those who love her, who just want to help. MS Leigh is a captivatingly attractive new actress with striking features. Her fresh face is a delight to watch as she progresses through the succession of emotions Anne experiences. It would come as no surprise to see her rocket to stardom. Her performance is first class all the way and she entirely steals the show which is saying a lot considering the company with whom she is working here. The entire ensemble does a brilliant job portraying their roles, like fellow Texas-native Renee O’Connor (sidekick Gabrielle to Xena: Warrior Princess) as mother Maureen, who is similarly excellent and sympathetically believable as Anne’s guilt-tortured mother, slowly distancing herself from husband Adam via romance novels, secret drinking and attraction to a man from her past.

Todd Terry, yet another Texan, portrays Adam. Whether it was intentional or not on the part of the film-makers, it lends a note of verisimilitude that nearly the entire cast hails from the Lone Star State. Even veteran actor Barry Corbin (Urban Cowboy, Northern Exposure) who lends his memorable voice to the Sheriff, is from Lamesa. Several cast members have appeared on TV’s Friday Night Lights. Like Terry. Here he plays the aging “Miracle Boy” preacher, forced in his youth by a bullying father into the labored life of a child evangelist (“I don’t believe you, son! And the Lord doesn’t believe you!” he shouts at his trembling son after a practice sermon witnessed in flashback). As the “Miracle Boy,” Adam made the cover of national magazines and once prayed with the President in the White House. But a series of setbacks, only hinted at but including his daughter’s escalating descent into mental illness, have cost him at least one desirable posting at a church of renown and led him to question the sincerity of his faith. And so the family find themselves in Leonard. Adam senses it is his last chance to get right with God, to reclaim the love of his wife and save the soul of his ailing daughter.

At first things start off well. Just after assuming leadership of the church, Adam inspires a former table dancer to come to Jesus. That seems a positive thing. But she is the wife of retired Senator John Cutter, played by another Hollywood vet, Andrew Prine, who is not a Texan but has frequently played one on TV and in Westerns, like Texas Across The River and Chisum with John Wayne. Senator Cutter is not the least bit happy that Adam has “saved” his wife. The church’s Christmas nativity display on the grounds of the courthouse is torched. The Senator is arrested as the culprit. A Civil Liberties group becomes involved and the national media descends upon the town like turkey vultures on a dead armadillo by the side of a Farm to Market Road. From jail, the senator threatens to publicly disclose a secret from Adam’s past that, once revealed to the world, could destroy his family and does in fact lead directly to a harrowing denouement in a flea bag hotel with a deranged gunman.

Right from the start, the conflict compounds with every scene and the tension builds masterfully throughout the two-hour length of this outstanding production from Pathlight Entertainment of Dallas. The time flies by. I was surprised afterward to discover the running time of the movie. I was thoroughly engrossed from the opening to the shattering conclusion, a riveting and intense confrontation in a dingy hotel room where several of the principles and one enraged shooter come together in a memorable film moment staged and filmed as well as any action scene ever lensed. It spoils nothing to say that not everyone emerges from the room unscathed.

Everything about Beyond the Farthest Star is top notch. The performances are professional, compelling and nuanced, especially that of Cherami Leigh. The story is intense and moving though perhaps a bit heavy with Christian and political hot-button issues which are invoked to manipulate the feelings of the audience but otherwise not made much of, from separation of church and state to abortion to homosexuality. The personal troubles of Anne’s family are dire enough without bringing all the worldly topics of the day down upon them in addition but perhaps this is intentional on the part of writer/director Andrew Librizzi. After all, that is what life is like: we are surrounded by conflict in the midst of our suffering. There are no easy answers and Librizzi wisely does not offer any. He simply depicts what is. And shows us, in dramatic fashion, how one dysfunctional family and a failing community come through horrible events to a better understanding of God. It is a moving reaffirmation of faith through ordeal that had this reviewer choking back tears.

There are several standout moments. A well done nighttime semi-confrontation between Sheriff and Senator at the scene of the burned nativity highlights the virtuosity of Corbin and Prine. A flashback to Anne’s eighth birthday is enhanced by a memorable, if brief, appearance by Emily Stuhler as the young Anne. And then there is the finale in the hotel room. It’s a wow.

The music by Damon Criswell is superb. Good enough that I’m wondering if a soundtrack CD will be made available. The song over the closing credits is particularly good. And there is some nice animation under those credits.

Know that there are two shootings and a murder but Librizzi’s masterful direction never shows, only implies, the violence. There is talk about the shootings at Colombine and Virginia Tech as students at Anne’s new school in Leonard compare her Goth attire to the Colorado high school shooters but in a brilliant costuming choice, Librizzi shows us that there is more than one kind of long black coat in which a shooter may adorn himself. Know, too, that Anne is a cutter. She is so disturbed she slices her arm with a piece of broken glass in one scene and holds a flaming lighter to her skin two others times. No burns are shown and the scenes are not gory. Language is gritty but not out of hand. There is a good bit of verbal abuse – one character constantly addresses Anne as “Freak” and she often calls Stephen “Sticks-boy” which isn’t necessarily abusive but is certainly not nice the way she does it. There is also physical abuse as the father of one of the boys beats him (mostly off-screen but it is depicted once). And there is a little bit of drinking.

An excellent topic for discussion is “How does one maintain faith in times of extreme duress?” There are many, many lessons from scripture, from Job to Daniel as well as many others, which offer examples of hardships others have endured and how well they did or did not handle their situations. Perhaps, from those passages, we too can discover wisdom.

Isaiah 61:3 is referenced in the film and fits the story perfectly: and provide for those who grieve in Zion to bestow on them a crown of beautyinstead of ashes,the oil of joy instead of mourning, and a garment of praiseinstead of a spirit of despair. These lines speak encouragement directly to all who are buffeted by the world, who find faith difficult to maintain in times of trial, who question, who seek and who despair. From the ashes (in this case the burned nativity display but applicable symbolically to so much more), the Lord will bring forth beauty. A wonderful lesson. It is used brilliantly in the film.

From Psalm 32: 7 come these words of hope: You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. A song is paramount in the film. Adam wants Anne to sing a particular hymn at a church function but she keeps dropping the hymnal in the trash. He retrieves it and returns it to her several times. At movie’s end the song reveals what it is all about in a supremely moving scene that caps the entire story and had me nearly sobbing. And that is why I highly recommend you see this movie. At the end, I think, like me, you too will say, “Wow!” Really.

You can learn more about Beyond the Farthest Star and find out about tickets here:

http://beyondthefartheststar.com/

You can also follow them on Facebook here: Beyond the Farthest Star

William Kamp has the responsibility of making this a Christmas that will not go without presents.  He scrapes together what little money he has to total a dollar.  Each child plans to give a special gift to one of their siblings and through this we see their wishes come true.

However, this is not a simple children’s tale as there are conflicts.  One is between William Kamp and a new school teacher, Miss Mary Ellen Mayfield (Heather Beers).  Within the school itself there is a rivalry between Ruthie Kamp (Ruby Jones) and a bully vying for a special gift.  Norman himself is also the butt of bullying by two boys.

For me the real drama is provided by Mrs. Rathbone, the owner of the horse. It is one of Nancy Stafford’s most outstanding performances, and she has had many.    Looks are deceiving as your first introduction to her leaves the impression of a very strict and hard woman.   She evolves into what becomes the most pivotal character in the film.  Mrs. Rathbone and her relation to the Kamp family children is key to the plot and Nancy Stafford is able to carry off a character change that will leave viewers in suspense.    Those who have screened the film would love to see a prequel exploring the background of Mrs. Rathbone.  I agree.

Will the Kamp family have a real Christmas, will Norman become the cowboy he dreams of being and will he be able to handle Cloud, will Ruthie win out over the school’s leading bully, and will William Kamp and Miss Mayfield come to terms with their differences?  Something for everyone who loves good family and faith films.  There is plenty of drama, comedy, romance and very well done examples of the importance of faith and prayer.

The film itself has the blessings of good acting by all involved, a great story line with interesting twists and breathtaking scenery.   The cinematography is excellent and the music score has me wanting a CD of it.  I highly recommend Christmas for a Dollar which will premiere on December 15, 7:00 P.M. EST on the UP (Uplifting Entertainment) TV network.  I believe this film has Emmy quality and were it theatrical I would amend that to Oscar.   It will be available on DVD in December and will make an excellent Christmas gift.

An Invitation from a Friend

When friend and author Jim Stovall made an advanced screening of the newest film based on one of his books available to me, I knew I wanted to go. Although I am a friend of Jims, I’m also a big fan of his work and have enjoyed many of his books (A Christmas Snow, The Lamp, The Ultimate Gift, to name a few). So my wife and I headed out to take in the film this week.

A Little Background

If for some reason you haven’t read Jim’s “Ultimate” line of books including The Ultimate Gift, The Ultimate Life and The Ultimate Journey or seen the first film based on his The Ultimate Gift book you can still enjoy this film. It is being promoted as a sequel and prequel to The Ultimate Gift film and rightly deserves the title.

The film starts in modern day as Jason Stevens is busy with the work of running his Grandfather’s billion dollar foundation and is beginning to overlook the things in life that are truly important. As his world begins to fall apart through various circumstances his grandfather’s long time friend Hamilton (played by Bill Cobbs), lets him in on a secret. His grandfather kept a journal his entire life and he just might be able to find something in there that will help him.

The Story of Red Stevens

As Jason opens the journal we get taken back in time to days long forgotten and a time when Red Stevens was just a young man. Red is growing up in a poor family and has promised himself that someday he will be a billionaire. As we follow Red along his journey we get to experience some of the circumstances along the way that helped shape him into who he became in later years.

We meet his childhood sweetheart, his mentor (played by Peter Fonda) and others who helped him along the way. There are numerous times when the audience laughed out loud and even cried as we were swept away on Red’s journey with him as he found out what is truly important in life and that message and the way in which it was conveyed was to me the highlight of the film.

The Ultimate Life is a powerful message of legacy that will inspire you!

See It or Don’t See It?

I believe there is a large group of people who will really enjoy this film. It is a family friendly and entertaining story that families can enjoy together and take away a powerful message on what our fortune and legacy in life truly is. I will definitely watch it with my older kids (10 & 8).

That said, it is a slower film like The Secrets of Jonathan Sperry. I also felt like the filmmakers tried to get too many events on the screen instead of spending more time developing the relationships of the characters and tightening up plot points.  It seemed to jump around a bit.

My final recommendation would be that if you liked The Ultimate Gift you’ll enjoy this one as well and if you want to see more family friendly, entertaining films like this in your local theater you need to go opening weekend September 6th – 8th. The message more than makes up for the few criticisms I had with the production quality and story and young and old alike will enjoy it.

RATING: See It!

More Information

To find out if it will be playing by you or to help spread the word visit The Ultimate Life at:

www.TheUltimateLifeMovie.com

www.facebook.com/TheUltimateLifeMovie

www.twitter.com/TheUltimateMo

If you want to buy out an entire theater or get group sales information you can visit:

www.TheUltimateLifeMovie.com/buyout

*As mentioned above, I was invited to a free screening of the film.