In the follow-up to his documentary The Overnighters, director Jesse Moss teamed with Amanda McBaine to track several key students at the Boys State in Texas. A thousand teenagers assemble each summer to run against each other for made-up political positions mirroring real-life ones, working, scheming, discussing, campaigning, and crying over their rise and fall […]
By Jacob Sahms Some films require a level of discernment that exceeds a Dove review, when the project’s themes, language, violence, or sexual content clearly exceed the levels of family friendly material that Dove has determined. But viewers choosing to use their discernment can find meaning nonetheless. Canadian director Miranda de Pencier’s feature debut,The Grizzlies, […]
By Jacob Sahms Created by Jim and Jane Henson in 1955, The Muppets have seen several iterations throughout the last sixty-plus years. Short-form episodes early on led to late-night show appearances and spots on Sesame Street; from 1976-1981, The Muppet Show launched the furry creatures into homes during prime time, netting twenty-one Emmy nominations and four wins. Beginning […]
By Jacob Sahms Father Soldier Son may be the most gut-wrenching film about war that I’ve ever seen, even though very little screen time is devoted to wartime scenes. In fact, the film receives an R rating primarily for language and some thematic discussions, rather than anything the audience is shown. So what makes it such […]
By Jacob Sahms When we meet Commander Ernest Krause on the Fletcher class destroyer, USS Keeling, he’s praying Luther’s prayer from the Small Catechism, “Let Your holy angel be with me, that the evil foe may have no power over me. Amen.” He’s a spiritually deep man who tells a pair of his sailors to […]
By Jacob Sahms This week, we’ll celebrate Independence Day on July 4, when the Continental Congress of the thirteen American colonies declared themselves free from the rule of Britain’s King George III, who they found to be tyrannical and uncompromising. The preamble of their Declaration of Independence states, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, […]
By Jacob Sahms Most of what I learned about being a man came in spoken and unspoken lessons from my dad. He was my best friend, teacher in school and in church, and coach. He taught me to respect myself, to respect my mother and sister, to love my neighbor as myself, even those who […]
By Jacob Sahms Nineteen years after Irish author Eoin Colfer dropped the first Artemis Fowl novel and Miramax optioned it for a film, Walt Disney has finally delivered the cinematic version of the twelve-year-old criminal mastermind on Disney+. While fans of the books may be troubled by the ironing out of Fowl’s mischievous character and adults seeking […]
By Jacob Sahms Noah Ferris has been dealing with social anxiety disorder, and his parents are struggling to find the right way to deal with his anxiety while also moving along in their own lives. In conjunction with their medical providers, they’ve decided that it would be best if the eleven-year-old boy would enroll in […]
By Jacob Sahms TNT’s Snowpiercer has much mature content that keeps it recommended for family purposes, including the use of sex, violence, and drugs. Discerning audiences may recognize that they are challenged to reflect on their own decisions and consider what it means to faithfully live in times of high anxiety and societal disruption. This […]