POST PUBLISHED INFebruary, 2010
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  • Cinema in Focus - DEAR JOHN - 2 Stars

    February 28th, 201009:09 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin As the title implies, "Dear John" is a film of romance lost. But that simple explanation is not enough to describe Lasse Halstrom's (Cider House Rules) heartfelt love story of Army Special Forces Sgt. John Tyree (Channing Tatum) and Savannah Curtis (Amanda Seyfried). Set primarily in Charleston, South Carolina, ...

  • Cinema in Focus - PERCY JACKSON & THE OLYPIANS: THE LIGHTNING THIEF - 3 Stars

    February 23rd, 201012:17 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Percy Jackson is a precocious teenager who is about to find out that he is not the son of normal parents. While touring a museum with his school class, he is confronted by other-worldly spirits that reveal to him that he possesses more power than he ever knew. Although he had been protected by his mother for years...

  • Cinema in Focus - DEPARTURES - 3 Stars

    February 23rd, 201012:13 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Every once in a while a film comes along that surprises you with its simplicity and beauty. Such is the case with Yojiro Takita's 2008 Oscar-winning film "Departures." Slow to start, this touching story wins you over with its sensitivity and compassion. Daigo Kobayashi (Masahiro Motoki) is a young cellist who lo...

  • Cinema in Focus - VALENTINE'S DAY - 2 Stars

    February 15th, 201002:48 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Watching the star-filled cast of Gary Marshall's "Valentine's Day" is the most enjoyable part of the film. Having directed several of these stars in such films as "Pretty Woman" and "Princess Diaries", Marshall's whimsical style takes another form as he weaves together a tapestry of love stories. However, due to ...

  • Cinema in Focus - FROM PARIS WITH LOVE - 1 Star

    February 07th, 201005:49 PM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin When our love for someone requires that we kill as an expression of such "love," then love is only an illusion. Neither is it love when the one who claims to love us requires us to seduce or manipulate someone else. These messages are woven into this tale of terror by Pierre Morel in his film "From Paris With Lov...

  • Cinema in Focus - BLOOD DONE SIGN MY NAME - 4 Stars

    February 04th, 201012:51 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Everyone pays the price when prejudice persists. This is true not only of those against whom prejudice is expressed, but also for those who express it. The dehumanizing goes both ways. This truth was experienced by the 10 year-old child of a Methodist pastor in 1970 when his father attempted to bring together the...

  • Cinema in Focus - EDGE OF DARKNESS - 3 Stars

    February 01st, 201012:30 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin Martin Campbell's remake of the acclaimed British television series by Troy Kennedy Martin is dynamic. Removing many of the original environmental and new age elements, Campbell turns "Edge of Darkness" into a tale of a greedy and perhaps insane corporate magnate whose company is complicit with the CIA in illegal...

  • Cinema in Focus - TO SAVE A LIFE - 3 Stars

    February 01st, 201012:26 AM ET
    By Denny Wayman
    Denny Wayman and Hal Conklin The authenticity of the youth ministry portrayed in the film "To Save a Life" reveals an author with personal experience. But author Jim Britts is not only a youth pastor, he is also a trained film maker. So when his church in Oceanside, California realized that the number one way to influence a culture is throug...
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About this blog
Reviews, discussions, articles, and opinions on films and faith.
Contributors
  • Cinema In Focus is a social and spiritual movie commentary. Hal Conklin is former mayor of Santa Barbara and Denny Wayman leads the Santa Barbara Free Methodist Church.
  • Dr. Marc T. Newman, president of MovieMinistry.com, helps Christians use film to reach others with the Gospel. He also teaches in the School of Communication and the Arts at Regent University.