Historical Drama
Chariots of Fire (1981 | PG | 124 min.)
Winning is everything for Harold Abrahams, the son of an immigrant, and a man desperate to be authentically British. But for Eric Liddell, winning is just an extra thrill in a process he delights in. Their parallel stories are told, as both prepare and compete at the 1924 Olympics, and face twin crises of purpose and conscience. IMDB
Cinderella Man (2005 | PG-13 | 144 min.)
The story of James Braddock, a washed-up boxer who came back to become a champion and an inspiration in the 1930s. www.universalstudiosentertainment.com/cinderella-man | IMDB
The Glen Miller Story (1954 | Approved | 115 min.)
Based loosely on Glen Miller’s life, this film shows the stories behind some of the best big band music there is: Pennsylvania 6-5000, Little Brown Jug, and more! IMDB
Hanged on a Twisted Cross: The Life, Convictions and Martyrdom of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1996 | NR | 120 min.)
When many German pastors bowed to their Führer’s will, Dietrich Bonhoeffer refused. Bonhoeffer realized that true spirituality did not consist of trite sayings and political expedients, but obedience to a living God.
The Hiding Place (1975 | PG | 150 min.)
Knowing the horrific treatment of Jews by the Nazis, Corrie ten Boom and her family decide to build a secret addition to their house in occupied Holland and provide shelter for “God’s people.” When she is betrayed and imprisoned, Corrie finds spiritual shelter in her Lord and Savior. IMDB
John Adams (2008 | 501 min. | TV mini-series)
The life of one of the USA’s Founding Fathers, its second President and his role in the nation’s first 50 years. (Note: some fast-forwarding required in the episode where John and Abigail are reunited.) www.hbo.com/john-adams | IMDB
Luther (2003 | PG-13 | 123 min.)
During the early 16th century idealistic German monk Martin Luther begins the dialogue that will lead to the Protestant Reformation. IMDB
A Man Called Peter (1955 | Approved | 119 min.)
From the church sanctuary to the Senate chambers, Peter Marshall lived for one man: Jesus Christ. This is his story. IMDB
A Man Escaped (1956 | NR | 99 min.)
French Resistance activist Andre Devigny is imprisoned by the Nazis, and devotes his waking hours to planning an elaborate escape. Then, on the same day, he is condemned to death, and given a new cellmate. Should he kill him, or risk revealing his plans to someone who may be a Gestapo informer? IMDB
A Man for All Seasons (1966 | NR | 120 min.)
The story of Thomas More, who stood up to King Henry VIII when the King rejected the Roman Catholic Church to obtain a divorce and remarriage. IMDB
The Passion of the Christ (2004 | R | 127 min.)
A film detailing the final hours and crucifixion of Jesus Christ. www.thepassionofchrist.com | IMDB
Sergeant York (1941 | Approved | 134 min.)
A backwoods ne’er-do-well becomes a national hero, after enduring a severe crisis of faith. IMDB
Shackleton (2002 | Approved | 206 min.)
The true story of Shackleton’s 1914 Endurance expedition to the the South Pole and his epic struggle to lead his 28 man crew to safety after his ship was crushed in the pack ice. www.channel4.com/programmes/shackleton | IMDB
Sophie Scholl: The Final Days; Sophie Scholl: Die Letzten Tage (2005 | NR | 120 min.)
A dramatization of the final days of Sophie Scholl, one of the most famous members of the German World War II anti-Nazi resistance movement, The White Rose. www.sophieschollmovie.com | IMDB
Fictional Drama
All the King’s Men (1949 | PG | 110 min.)
Based on the Robert Penn Warren novel. The life of populist Southerner Willie Stark, a political creature loosely based on Governor Huey Long of Louisiana. IMDB
Anne of Green Gables (1985 | TV mini-series | 199 min.)
Anne’s temper matches her hair: it’s fiery red. But don’t you dare reminder her! IMDB
Anne of Avonlea (1987 | TV movie | 230 min.)
Anne may have grown up, but she hasn’t grown out of all that makes her that “Anne-girl.” IMDB
Babette’s Feast (1987 | G | 102 min.)
Gratitude causes a mysterious guest to sacrifice her greatest gift for those she loves. IMDB
Batman Begins (2005 | PG-13 | 140 min.)
Bruce Wayne has watched his home, Gotham City, turn into a crime infested abyss throughout his entire life, so he decides to become the hero Gotham needs: Batman. www2.warnerbros.com/batmanbegins | IMDB
Bella (2006 PG-13 | 91 min.)
What’s one day? It can be everything. IMDB
The Best Years of Our Lives (1946 | Passed | 172 min.)
Three men return from the field of war to pick up life–but not where they left off.
Courageous (2011 | PG-13 | 129 min.)
When a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers; together they make a decision that will change all of their lives. www.courageousthemovie.com | IMDB
The Dark Knight (2008 | PG-13 | 152 min.)
Batman, Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the chaos unleashed by a terrorist mastermind known only as the Joker, as he drives each of them to their limits. thedarkknight.warnerbros.com/dvdsite | IMDB
Emma (2009 | 240 min. | TV mini-series)
Emma Woodhouse finds that matchmaking isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00n8s6x | IMDB
The Great Escape (1963 | UR | 172 min.)
In retrospect, maybe we shouldn’t have put all the masterminds together… [BTW–to truly understand Chicken Run, you must be well steeped in this movie]. IMDB
The Heiress (1949 | Passed | 115 min.)
Does he love her, or just her bank account? IMDB
It’s a Wonderful Life (1947 | Approved | 130 min.)
It didn’t seem so wonderful–until he saw it. IMDB
Journey to the Center of the Earth (1959 | Approved | 132 min.)
You’re going down. IMDB
Kidnapped (1960 | Approved | 97 min.)
David Balfour’s uncle isn’t exactly avuncular. IMDB
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962 | Approved | 129 min.)
Atticus Finch, a lawyer in the Depression-era South, defends a black man against an undeserved rape charge, and his kids against prejudice. IMDB
The Ladykillers (1955 | 91 min.)
Killer music, literally. Five criminals rent a room ostensibly to practice music together; these aren’t the type to wait for tips in mugs, however. [Note: For best results, I only watch it about 75% the way through and then skip to almost the very end]. IMDB
The Lady Vanishes (1938 | 96 min.)
As WWII breaks out, Iris Henderson is traveling by train to meet your fiancée. En route, she meets a cheerful but somewhat spotty old lady. When the lady disappears, no one but Iris claims to remember her existence. IMDB
The Lavender Hill Mob (1951 | Approved | 78 min.)
Is it possible? Boys all over London want to know if the crimes they read about in serials might actually happen in real life. IMDB
Life is Beautiful (1977 | PG-13 | 116 min.)
Guido choose to laugh. In a world that has turned against him, he chooses to laugh and to teach his son to live. IMDB
Lilies of the Field (1963 | Approved | 93 min.)
Car trouble lands Homer Smith to a town on the outskirts of nowhere–or so he thinks. But a group of German nuns have been praying, and they see his arrival as nothing short of Providential. Before he can help it, he’s helping to build their church, and liking it. IMDB
Little Women (1933 | NR | 115 min.)
The joys and trials of four growing sisters so different and yet so similar. IMDB
The Little Foxes (1941 | Passed | 116 min.)
A narcissistic woman wreaks havoc on the lives of all those around her. IMDB
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001 | PG-13 | 178 min.)
In a small village in the Shire a young Hobbit named Frodo has been entrusted with an ancient ring. Now he must embark on an epic quest to the Cracks of Doom in order to destroy it. www.lordoftherings.net | IMDB
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002 | PG-13 | 179 min.)
Frodo and Sam continue on to Mordor in their mission to destroy the one ring while their former companions make new allies and launch an assault on Isengard. www.lordoftherings.net | IMDB
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003 | PG-13 | 201 min.)
The former Fellowship of the Ring prepare for the final battle for Middle Earth, while Frodo and Sam approach Mount Doom to destroy the one ring. www.lordoftherings.net | IMDB
Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World (2003 | PG-13 | 138 min.)
During the Napoleonic Wars, a brash British captain pushes his ship and crew to their limits in pursuit of a formidable French war vessel around South America. IMDB
Mrs. Miniver (1942 | Approved | 134 min.)
Gold is refined by fire, and Mrs. Miniver is proof positive. IMDB
Old Yeller (1957 | Approved | 83 min.)
A boy is a dog’s best friend. IMDB
The Patriot (2000 | R | 165 min.)
Loosely based on the lives of Revolutionary War heroes, Benjamin Martin’s life conveys the ideas: You touch my family, you touch me. You touch my country, you touch me. I am my own man and I will defend what I believe in. [Note: There’s definitely some scenes that need to be fast-forwarded because of violence]. IMDB
Persuasion (1995 | PG | 107 min.)
Years after a broken engagement, Anne Eliot and Frederick Wentworth are unexpectedly reacquainted. But their fortunes have flipped, and Wentworth, initially rejected for his lack of money, is now the most eligible bachelor in town. IMDB
Pride & Prejudice (1995 | 300 min. | TV mini-series)
What Lizzy Bennet lacks in fortune, she more than accounts for in looks and wit. But her would-be romance is kept in check by rumors, egos, sisters, and snooty great aunts. IMDB
The Prince and the Pauper (1937 | Approved | 118 min.)
I am you and you are me; but hold it: who am I? IMDB
The Prisoner (1967-1968 | TV mini-series)
The Prisoner wakes up in what would be a vacation getaway–if it wasn’t a prison. While others around him accept the dehumanizing conditions, he stands alone, defying his superiors and constantly trying to escape. Through the course of 17 episodes, we see issues such as individuality, indoctrination, and political correctness dealt with in turn. (Note: the 2009 remake is ghastly; avoid it all costs!) IMDB
The Prisoner of Zenda (1937 | Approved | 101 min.)
Should you impersonate a king–if it’s all for his own good? IMDB
Pygmalion (1938 | NR | 89 min.)
In this precursor to My Fair Lady, there’s more meat but also more that’s sweet. IMDB
Rebecca (1940 | NR | 130 min.)
She lives in a shadow… named Rebecca. IMDB
Rope (1948 | TV-PG | 80 min.)
Two young men who feel themselves to be superior to a classmate do him in and conceal the evidence. What they can’t conceal are their nerves. This film about cultural Darwinism, directed by Alfred Hitchcock, is loosely based on the true-life case of Leopold and Loeb. IMDB
The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934 | Approved | 97 min.)
Sir Percy Blakeney is willing to go to any lengths in order to save innocent lives from “Madame Guillotine”–even to appear to those closest to him as a brainless fop. IMDB
Secret Agent (Danger Man) (1964-1966 | TV series)
Communists taking over an outpost? A lookalike needed to get a diplomat out of a touchy situation? No problem: John Drake is on the job. Drake is an intelligence agent for M9, but unlike James Bond, has a moral center. He uses gadgets, but it’s his cool head and attention to detail that keep his neck out of the noose. (Note: the 2000 TV series of the same name shares only the theme music).
Sense & Sensibility (1995 | PG | 136 min.)
Reason and emotion collide in this story of two sisters: Elinor and Marianne Dashwood. IMDB
The Scarlet and the Black (1983 | 143 min.)
A Catholic official’s daring during WWII places his very life at stake. IMDB
The Search (1948 | Passed | 104 min.)
In the days after WWII, an American GI helps a young refugee find hope and a future. IMDB
Shadow of a Doubt (1943 | TV-PG | 108 min.)
When Uncle Charlie visits his extended family after years of absence, things aren’t quite what they seem to be. IMDB
Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (1939 | G | 129 min.)
A naive man is appointed to fill a vacancy in the US Senate. His plans promptly collide with political corruption, but he doesn’t back down. IMDB
The Son; Le Fils (2002 | 103 min.)
A shop class teacher confronts his past–and his future. [Caution: some profanity] IMDB
Stalag 17 (1953 | NR | 120 min.)
Someone’s snitching. But who? IMDB
The Swiss Family Robinson (1960 | Approved | 126 min.)
When a family is shipwrecked on a desert island, they find that their greatest treasures have remained intact: God and one another. IMDB
The Taming of the Shrew (1967 | Approved | 122 min.)
Petruchio changes lead to gold in the form of his wife, Katharina. IMDB
Treasure Island (1950 | PG | 96 min.)
Finding a map is just the beginning. IMDB
The Third Man (1949 | NR | 104 min.)
Dime novelist Holly Martins is out of luck. He arrives in Vienna just after WWII hoping for a break, but finds that his would-be friend and employer has just died. Yet something seems off. IMDB
Twelve Angry Men (1957 | PG | 96 min.)
A dissenting juror in a murder trial slowly manages to convince the others that the case is not as obviously clear as it seemed in court. IMDB
Comedy
His Girl Friday (1940 | NR | 96 min.)
A newspaper editor uses every trick in the book to keep his ace reporter ex-wife from remarrying.
The Shop around the Corner (1940 | NR | 99 min.)
Two penpals gradually fall in love, though they’ve never met in person. The only things marring Alfred Kralik’s plans are the increasing annoyances at work, from false allegations to an irritating coworker. IMDB
Musicals
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968 | G | 144 min.)
The next time they went on a family vacation, they made sure it was kid friendly. IMDB
The Fiddler on the Roof (1971 | G | 181 min.)
A Jewish milkman fights to understand God’s will as change ripples through his family and his country. IMDB
Mary Poppins (1964 | Approved | 139 min.)
She had no resume, but then, she didn’t need one. IMDB
My Fair Lady (1964 | Approved | 170 min.)
She’s a bloomin’ flower girl! IMDB
The Sound of Music (1965 | G | 174 min.)
A young woman helps a family find its way. IMDB
Documentaries
2016: Obama’s America (2012 | PG | 87 min.)
Who is this man and what does he want? IMDB
Agenda: Grinding America Down (2010 | NR | 93 min.)
Though the word communism isn’t used anymore, this film will show the ideas behind it are alive and well. Join Bowers for a fascinating look at the people and groups that have successfully targeted America’s morality and freedom in their effort to grind America down. It’s a well-documented agenda. agendadocumentary.com
Blood Money (2009 | NR)
This documentary examines the dark origins of abortion, and returns with a deeply disturbing picture. bloodmoneyfilm.com
The Cartel (2009 | NR | 90 min.)
American public schools have been growing progressively worse. According to the U.S. Department of Education national testing, only 35% of American high school seniors are proficient in reading, based on 2006 data. And fewer than one-in-four, 23%, are proficient in math. On the global stage, America ranks last in educational effectiveness among large industrialized countries despite the highest spending per student in the world. It presents a conundrum: How has the richest and most innovative society on earth suddenly lost the ability to teach its children at a level that other modern countries consider “basic”? www.thecartelmovie.com | IMDB
Crossing the Line: The Intifada Comes to Campus (2010 | 39 min.)
Across U.S. campuses, the number of antisemitic incidents are increasing. This documentary looks at the “Second Intifada” unleashed in the wake of Operation Cast Lead carried out by Israel’s military, and shows how “antiZionistic” acts are often thinly veiled attacks on Jews. Startingly, it also shows how noted colleges and universities have allowed entire Middle Eastern Studies departments to be bought and turned into propaganda mills: weapons of mass deconstruction. www.campusintifada.com | IMDB
Dead Meat (2006 | NR)
Want to wait two years for a hip replacement? Neither do Canadians. But that’s what their single-payer system has done for them. News
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008 | PG | 97 min.)
Ben Stein examines the issue of academic freedom and decides that there is none when it comes to the debate over intelligent design. IMDB
The Great Global Warming Swindle (2007 | NR | 52 min.)
Everything you’ve ever been told about Global Warming is probably untrue. This film blows the whistle on the biggest swindle in modern history. We are told that ‘Man Made Global Warming’ is the biggest ever threat to mankind. There is no room for scientific doubt. Well, watch this film and make up your own mind. www.greatglobalwarmingswindle.com | IMDB
IndoctriNation (2011 | 102 min.)
What are we doing to our kids? IMDB
Indoctrinate U (2007 | NR | 120 min.)
Documentary filmmaker Evan Coyne Maloney investigates political censorship at colleges and universities in the United States. IMDB
Maafa 21: Black Genocide in 21st Century America (2009 | NR | 132 min.)
What is the leading cause of death among African-Americans? Abortion. More Planned Parenthood abortion clinics are located in minority neighborhoods than in any other location, and minorities are routinely targeted with marketing for abortions. This documentary examines the racist past of Planned Parenthood and its founder, Margaret Sanger, and shows how this legacy has continued to the modern day. www.maafa21.com | IMDB
Media Malpractice: How Palin Was Targeted and Obama Won the Election (2008 | NR | 115 min.)
A postmortem on how the mainstream media’s bias influence the outcome of the 2008 election. howobamagotelected.com | IMDB
Setting the Record Straight: American History in Black and White (2004 | NR | 157 min.)
The first thirteen African-American elected representatives were Republican. This film examines the rich history of African-American conservatism, from the Civil War to the modern day. Wallbuilders
Voices from El-Sayed; Shablul Bamidbar (2008 | NR | 75 min.)
In the picturesque Israeli Negev desert lays the Bedouin Village of El-Sayed. It has the largest percentage of deaf people in the world yet, no hearing aids can be seen because in El-Sayed deafness is not a handicap. The tranquility of the village is interrupted by Salim El-Sayed’s decision to change his deaf son’s fate using the cochlear implant operation. This bionic implanted chip, that can make deaf people hear, is slowly reaching more secluded areas, even to El-Sayed which has neither paved roads nor electricity. Salim’s decision is evoking great conflict in the village threatening the tradition of coexistence between deaf and hearing. “Voices from El-Sayed” is a unique and moving documentary offering us intimate cinematic dialogue with El-Sayed’s marvelous silent people. www.firsthandfilms.com/index.php?film=1000298 | IMDB
Waiting for Superman (2010 | PG | 111 min.)
A child shouldn’t have to beat the odds in order to get a good education. IMDB
Yodok Stories (2008 | NR | 83 min.)
Today, more than 200.000 men, women and children are locked up in North Korea’s concentration camps. Systematic torture, starvation and murder is what faces the inmates. Few survive many years in the camps, but the population is kept stable by a steady influx of new persons considered to be ‘class enemies’. A small group of people have managed to flee from the camps to a new life in the prosperous South Korea. Some of them gather and decide to make an extraordinary and controversial musical about their experiences in the Yodok concentration camp. Despite death treats and many obstacles the musical becomes a tour de force for this ensemble of refugees and for them a possibility opens to talk about their experiences and inspire others to protest the existence of the camps. www.yodokfilm.com | IMDB