Wink's Movie Blog

Gerard Butler, last seen onscreen in The Bounty Hunter) will be hunting a bounty of another kind in an upcoming film that begins shooting this month: Machine Gun Preacher, the true story of Sam Childers. Childers, allegedly a Christian preacher, literally lives up to the film's title by carrying a machine gun into Sudan to rescue young children from that nation's war atrocities -- including rape, murder, and forcing them to become child soldiers. Childers, author of Another Man’s War: The True Story of One Man’s Battle to Save Children in the Sudan, told The Christian Post last year, "I don’t condone violence at all . . . but at the same time I don’t believe that children should be raped, murdered, or cut up. I would have to ask the American people that you take a person that cuts up a child, or kill a child, or rape a child, if you catch a person doing that do you think that person would just stop if you just say stop? Or do you think you are going to have to fight that person? You would definitely need to fight that person or else they are going to kill you. "I look at it as a self-defense and I look at it as I’m helping God’s children. I’m not a person out to murder. But at the same time these people need to be stopped. "As far as a pastor with a gun, what would you call David? What would you call all the prophets in the Bible that were soldiers?"

Aretha Franklin teamed up with Condoleezza Rice for a benefit concert in Philadelphia this month. You read that right: Condi Rice, the former Secretary of State, is an accomplished pianist who accompanied the Queen of Soul as she sang "Handel, Mozart and the hits," at Philly's Mann Center for Performing Arts on July 27. Proceeds benefited programs supporting inner city children and the Mann Center's own education initiatives. Rice accompanied Franklin on her hits "Say a Little Prayer" and "Natural Woman," in addition to performing a 20-minute set with the Philadelphia Orchestra. It was the first of a series of concerts with Rice and Franklin, who calls Rice "a consummate classical pianist and since I sing the arias, I thought that we could do something, a bipartisan effort for our favorite charities."

When it was announced last October that Beloved Pictures had picked up the rights to make a movie of C. S. Lewis's The Great Divorce, many reacted with a "huh?" Who is Beloved Pictures? Though respected director David L. Cunningham (To End All Wars) had signed on to helm the project, some still wondered if it would ever see the light of day. Now it has been announced that Beloved is partnering with Mpower Pictures to produce the film, with Mpower founder Steve McEveety to lead the production team, moving the movie one critical step closer to reality. McEveety is best known for producing a number of Mel Gibson films, including The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart, and We Were Soldiers. Beloved Pictures president Caleb Applegate says that McEveety and Empower are "keen on the project. It's definitely going to happen." He said the release date is still to be determined; the script hasn't even been written yet, but acclaimed children's writer N.D. Wilson (Leepike Ridge, 100 Cupboards) will tackle that task. "He's a phenomenal writer," says Applegate. "He's a Christian, and he's red-hot right now. I've got nothing but great things to say about him."

Saying there's already enough "Christian TV" on the airwaves, the co-founders of a new network (both Christians) are focusing instead on bringing more family-friendly programming -- without an in-your-face faith message -- to millions of viewers. ComStar, founded by Rev. Robert A. Schuller and Chris Wyatt, in 2009, is now in 50 million homes, according to a recent story in the Dallas Morning News. By pursuing a PG-rated audience, Wyatt and Schuller are steering away from traditional ministry-based Christian media to family-friendly shows. "What we're doing is not teaching and preaching by any means," Wyatt said. "It's just clean, family TV. No objectionable material or ads. It's what you would be comfortable sitting down [watching] with your 8-year-old or 11-year-old." Schuller, referring to a new show, Everyday Life, he hosts on the channel, says he's not looking to become a televangelist -- a role his father somewhat played as pastor of the Crystal Cathedral. "There are many pastors airing their message and doing a very good job," he says. "My message on Everyday Life is pretty clear. In many ways, it's a sermon message without being a sermon." ComStar programming can be found on Family Net TV and American Life TV.