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Summary: A helpful tool for Christian parents of teens
Review: Here is a helpful tool for Christian parents of teens who ask the question, "What movie do you want to see tonight?" It also helps to answer the question, "Why?""Movie Nights" is edited by Bob Smithouser, of Focus on the Family's "Plugged in Magazine." In his introduction, Smithouser writes, "Parents, you have a wonderful opportunity before you. Aside from the simple pleasure of spending time together and discussing films over a big bowl of hot-buttered popcorn, there are teachable moments in these modern parables and character studies. We have a brief window, usually when our children are between the ages of 13 and 18, to watch and discuss mature-minded movies *together*, before they're out on their own." In this helpful introduction, Smithouser states that the pitfalls of a legalistic approach "often breeds rebellion" and the other extreme, permissiveness "inevitably leads to indecent exposure." He goes on to say, "the answer lies somewhere in between. That's because teaching discernment inspires critical thinking based on clearly defined boundaries, bonds families, and gives adolescents life skills they'll carry with them into adulthood." He makes clear that Focus on the Family does not necessarily endorse the films suggested in this book. The 25 titles range from G to PG-13 ratings, with the majority of titles made since 1990. I personally think the list is a wonderful selection (based on the films I've seen). Here's the complete list, in alphabetical order: Apollo 13; Chariots of Fire; The Count of Monte Cristo; Ever After; Fiddler on the Roof; Galaxy Quest; Groundhog Day; Hoosiers; It's a Wonderful Life; A Knight's Tale; Life is Beautiful; Little Women; The Mission; Mr. Holland's Opus; October Sky; The Princess Bride; Quiz Show; Remember the Titans; Searching for Bobby Fischer; Sense and Sensibility; Sergeant York; Shadowlands; To Kill a Mockingbird; The Truman Show; and Unbreakable. The section for each movie gives the rating, mentions themes, the running time, stars and the director. Then the body of each chapter discusses cautions; story summary; things to do "before you watch," Bible bookmarks with related scripture references; talking points, follow-up activity and "just for fun" information about the film. There are two appendixes. The first, called "Hollywood and the Bible," provides some topics for discussion "across the dinner table" on things like character, despair, discernment and human nature. The second appendix discusses "the power of story" by analyzing the classic Jimmy Stewart film, "It's a Wonderful Life." This chapter alone would be helpful for any student studying literature in a high school English class. It might also be added that Plugged In Magazine has many more reviews that can be found on the Focus on the Family web site. But a book like this is helpful for pointing you in the right direction at the outset, as opposed to wading through reviews on this and other sites (or in other books) until you find an acceptable film you all will like.
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