In partnership with Plugged In, a Focus on the Family publication dedicated to providing entertainment reviews for families, here’s a list of the biggest blockbusters of the summer and what to know before you go to the theater.
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Barbie
Ever since “Barbie” was first announced, I couldn’t help but think “Welp, I wonder how Hollywood is going to ruin my childhood this time?”
But the film defied my expectations, even as it had some problems I hadn’t expected.
By bringing Barbie to life, she begins to embody what it actually means to be a woman. She voices how uncomfortable objectification makes her. She shuts down attempts to flirt with her. She discusses the impossible standards expected of women by society. And she begins to feel a sense of dread because even though she’s done nothing to warrant this treatment (and everything to prove she’s somehow “worthy”), she and the women around her are still subject to it.
But therein lies a serious problem with the film. At its core, I truly believe “Barbie” wants to teach girls to stand up for what’s right, to hold true to their beliefs and especially to support other women. And these are great aspirations. Unfortunately, the way the message is delivered shines Ken (and all men) in a really bad light.
Because “Barbie” uses extreme stereotypes to make a point, it fails to show how the average man behaves toward women. And it even sorta blames guys for all the negative emotions women have ever felt about themselves or other women.
Read the rest of the review here.
READ NEXT: Barbie’s blunder: A closer look at what went wrong with the icon
Oppenheimer
“Oppenheimer” paints a bleak picture of the future of humanity. But let’s be clear: A bleak worldview isn’t why Nolan’s latest drama has an R-rating. That’s where the content comes in.
For a film set primarily during World War II, the violence of the bomb is only hauntingly hinted at here. Jean Tatlock’s suicide by drowning should also be noted.
But “Oppenheimer’s” biggest content issues arise from its sexual content and crude language, the latter of which is due to the film’s many uses of the f-word. A couple of scenes contain explicit sex and nudity—most prominently when Oppenheimer has a nude conversation with his ex-lover, the camera showing off the woman’s breasts and barely hiding the two’s lower bits.
That’s not to say that “Oppenheimer” doesn’t provide some interesting and important perspective into a monumentous moment in American history. It definitely does. But prospective viewers will need to prepare themselves for a film that, while not world-ending, certainly leans into content that easily could have been suggested far less graphically.
Read the rest of the review here.
The Hill
At times, Christian movies can feel formulaic and forced, sometimes preferring sermonizing to storytelling. “The Hill” generally avoids that approach, allowing the story to speak for itself.
Where the movie succeeds is also where it might blunder for some families. In its efforts to keep things as authentic as possible, “The Hill” isn’t afraid to use some profanity as well as substance references, content that might make this faith-focused film a bit too gritty for its assumed audience.
That said, Rickey’s story is powerful. Not only does the movie communicate an inspiring message about overcoming obstacles, it also demonstrates what it looks like to keep your faith despite discouragement from other believers.
Although James Hill is a Baptist preacher, and his career is a central part of the story, “The Hill” avoids preaching. Instead, we see how God’s power and faithfulness are more effectively illustrated by a movie that focuses on this narrative rather than trying to preach a sermon.
And you know what? God’s hand is testimony enough.
Read the rest of the review here.
Watch The Washington Times Higher Ground video interview with the real Rickey Hill and movie director Jeff Celentano.
Sound of Freedom
Let’s be blunt: “Sound of Freedom” is a brutal film to watch. But it also might be the most important movie you see this year.
Sex trafficking, we hear in the film, is the fastest-growing international crime network the world has ever seen.
“You can sell a 5-year-old kid five to 10 times a day for 10 years straight, every day. Ordinary people don’t want to hear it. It’s too ugly for polite conversation. But meanwhile, over 2 million children a year are being sucked into the deepest recesses of hell.”
“Sound of Freedom” isn’t a movie you watch for entertainment or escape from the summer heat. It’s movie you buy a ticket to because you’re willing to enter into the ugliness of this societal scourge. It’s a movie you give consent to shock you out of complacency. It’s a movie that can’t help but light the fuse on the question, “What can I do?”
Most of us won’t, probably, go to the lengths that Tim Ballard did. But a movie like this, as hard as it is to watch, could serve as a searing catalyst to look for ways that you can help combat human trafficking in your city, your state.
Because, as Ballard says, “God’s children are not for sale.”
Read the rest of the review here.
Watch The Washington Times Higher Ground video interview with Tim Ballard and actor Jim Caviezel:
The Hiding Place
In this new stage-to-screen take on that story, Corrie ten Boom is not its hero. That title goes to her father. Her sister. To God Himself.
No, Corrie is a lot more like … me. Perhaps you. When someone’s unkind to her, she wants to be unkind right back. When someone demeans her faith, she wants to lash out. When she’s called to take a dangerous stand for righteousness, we can see the nervousness in her. The pragmatism. The “wait a minute” hesitation.
Watching the production, I was struck by the contrast in the ten Boom sisters. They reminded me of Jesus’ friends, Martha and Mary: Betsie as Mary, sitting at the feet of Jesus while Corrie, as Martha, bustled about.
And that bustling makes sense, in a way. Corrie, not Betsie, was a real watchmaker. She was licensed as such in 1922—the first woman in the Netherlands to receive such a distinction. Her livelihood was predicated upon precision and careful consideration and time. She understands the work that it takes to keep the watch going. She knows that the watch will stop unless you wind it.
In “The Hiding Place,” we see Corrie distracted by life’s gears, the springs, the myriad things that might throw the whole works off. She loves that Betsie loves her flowers—but she, like Otto, can sometimes lose sight of their necessity.
That makes Corrie, in the movie, not an unreachable hero of faith, but a woman that we can understand and sympathize with. So when she makes significant decisions and sacrifices — even in the midst of doubt and pain — maybe somewhere deep inside us, we realize that we can make a difference, too.
Read the rest of the review here.
Listen to actress Nan Gurley discuss how she prepared to play Corrie ten Boom in the new film on the “Higher Ground Podcast with Billy Hallowell.”
Gran Turismo
As a racing movie with a video game heart, Gran Turismo picks its lane and hits its line very well.
The film is based, remarkably, on a true story that took place in 2011. It’s fun, tightly paced and gives viewers a real sense of the speed of a race and the incredible effort needed to be a real-world pro racer. I also enjoyed how director Blomkamp sweetened the visual pot with CGI special effects and graphics designed to appeal to the gamers in the crowd.
However, viewers revving their engines for a family outing need to keep in mind that there are a few things here that could be worthy of a yellow flag. As you might expect, there are fiery car wrecks and vehicles hurtling into spectators and scenery. But you might not expect the fiery language that hits viewers at speed, ready to scorch young ears in the family pit crew.
Too bad the PG-13 rated movie’s makers didn’t take a cue from the E-rated game’s creators on that front.
Read the rest of the review here.
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Plugged In is a Focus on the Family publication designed to shine a light on the world of popular entertainment while giving families the essential tools they need to understand, navigate, and impact the culture in which they live. Through our reviews, articles and discussions, we hope to spark intellectual thought, spiritual growth and a desire to follow the command of Colossians 2:8: “See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ.”
Article excerpts written by Adam R. Holz, Director of Plugged In; Paul Asay, a Plugged In staff member since 2007; Emily Tsiao, Plugged In contributor; Kennedy Unthank, a Plugged In contributor; Sarah Rasmussen, a Plugged In contributor; and Bob Hoose, a Plugged In contributor.
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