For the first time since Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, a distributor will be courting the church-going audience with the release of Universal’s $200-million Evan Almighty — reportedly the most costly comedy ever made — this weekend. Today’s (Wednesday) Los Angeles Times observed that in recent years, studios have avoided making films with content aimed at the faithful. (Gibson’s Passion was self-financed; Disney’s The Chronicles of Narnia played down the religious themes, although the studio heavily marketed the film to churchgoers.) However, the Times observed, “If Evan Almighty turns into a summer hit, as several competing studio executives predict, the movie could put Hollywood back in the business of making big-budget movies that intentionally embrace sacred subjects.” According to the newspaper, Universal has partnered with Grace Hill Media, the marketing firm that several studios are using to bring the film to the attention of the country’s estimated 200,000 churches. It has conservatively estimated that the movie will earn $40 million on opening weekend. IMDB

This whole thing just doesn’t settle well with me (yes, I’ve said it before). Hollywood marketing towards churches? I don’t think anything good can come from this. The only thing they want is money. They’re trying to find the best way to get the biggest audience. This is not a Christian film. This is a big budget Hollywood film. It’s made to make money. I just find it interesting that churches are so willing to be marketed to. What does this have to do with the Great Commission or the Gospel?So a big fat “thank you” is in order to Grace Hill Media. Thank you for caring so much about our money. Their slogan is “a window to the religous community.” We just let ourselves be suckered into this and the churches are more than willing to jump aboard.

“Here’s the funniest thing: In trying desperately to reconnect with religious Americans, Hollywood assumes religious Americans are so dumb they’ll laugh at anything,” Michael Booth observes in a review of Evan Almighty in the Denver Post.

The only way you’ll ever get bonafide movies that are good (sorry Bibleman, I’m not talking about you) and of merit are when you finance them yourself. We’ve seen that with Mel Gibson and The Passion. Like it or not, that was a movie with clear personal conviction and beliefs. That’s the only way you’ll get something with a remote amount of integrity. And the reason that Grace Hill Media exists is because there is no integrity left in the country’s “200,000 churches.”

For more on my views on Christian movies check out this post on:

I want more R rated Christian Films

Here’s a new site you may find interesting:

www.hollywoodjesus.com

 It’s a site with “pop culture with a spiritual point of view.” I spent some time looking around it and have liked it so far. It’s not your typical, “if it’s Hollywood - it’s evil” point of view. It tires to see culture as a starting point for conversation and I like that. So you should check it out! 

In an effort to attract the enormous church-going audience that flooded theaters to see Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, Fox Filmed Entertainment is expected to announce today (Tuesday) that it is creating a new division, FoxFaith, that will produce as many as 12 films a year, half of which will have theatrical releases and the other half going directly to home video. According to today’s (Tuesday) Los Angeles Times, the first theatrical release under the new banner will be Love’s Abiding Joy, due to open on Oct. 6 at theaters operated by Carmike Cinemas and AMC Theatres. The studio hopes to attract evangelical Christians who have traditionally stayed away from current movie fare, regarding it as offensive and irreligious. Commenting on the studio’s plans, the Times observed: “Fox might seem an unlikely studio to pioneer a religious label, given its history as a purveyor of salacious TV programming. Yet people in the Christian community say the company has gained credibility as the voice for conservative America through its Fox News Channel.”

Christians have money? Yes. So Hollywood is coming (sort of). But do we really want Hollywood?

Traditionally, Christian media is retched and horrible. We’ve sacrificed quality for a good idea without good follow through (Left Behind the movie anyone?). Does there deserve to be better Christian themed films? Sure, but what is the cost for getting in bed with Hollywood? Lest we remember that The Passion of the Christ was done outside of Hollywood studio system (with Mel Gibson money - not Hollywood’s). So what does Hollywood really have to offer when it comes to entertaining our faith?

Any thoughts or comments?

Apparently, Bruce Willis is jealous that Indiana Jones still has a pulse or that Tom Cruise has a younger wife than him. Either way, get ready for this… expect for next summer: Die Hard 4. Hey, I’m ready for it. I can’t wait to hear Willis yell his trademark, “Yippee - Ki - Yay Mother - my hemorrhoids Hurt!”

Are there no new ideas in Hollywood? Sequels don’t work! The even were trying to develop a sequel to Gladiator with Russell Crowe. He died in the end of the movie! What’s left? The burial? Any comments on anything else that needs a burial? My vote: John Travolta. There is no forgiveness for 2, count ‘em, TWO sequels to Look Who’s Talking (also involving Bruce Willis!)! Heck, just put ‘em both on one of those Viking boats, push it off shore, and light it on fire. All their black hair dye is about like napalm, so it should go up fast!