Princess Cut (A Homeschool Crew Review)

I am going to admit to you one of my guilty pleasures.  Are you ready?  When I am wanting some along time, away from the kids and my husband, I lay down in a dark room and vegetate without anyone bothering me and I watch cheesy romantic movies.  I like the predictability, the happily ever after endings.  But even more so, I tend to find myself watching those movies produced by independent Christian based production companies because I'll be honest, I get tired of all the sexual content that's currently found on cable television.  I want a nice, sweet love story that focuses on feelings and building lasting relationships rather than a story based on getting drunk and "hooking up".

When I was given the opportunity to review Princess Cut by Watchman Pictures, I knew it would be right up my ally because it was by an independant Christian production company. So I told the kids I was having a "mommy needs a quiet night", curled up under the warm covers of my bed, popped in my headphones and pressed play.  Turns out,  I already had this movie marked on my watchlist on one of my subscription services and once I started watching it, I discovered I had already watched this movie in the past.

About the Movie

Princess Cut follows the story of Grace Anderson, a young woman in her 20's who lives on her family's Carolina farm. Like most young women, Grace dreams of the day when a man will drop to one knee, slip a princess cut diamond ring upon her finger and ask her to be his wife.  This desire clouds her judgment in her choice of a partner as well as creates feelings of chaos in her life and her relationships with those around her.  It isn't until she accepts that her timing and God's timing are not necessarily the same that the pieces fall into place. She ultimately learned that "True Love is Worth the Wait".

This movie features talent that those who watch movies produced by Christian based production companies should recognize.  Ashley Bratcher, who following Princess Cut moved on to be in the movies War Room and 90 Minutes in Heaven, stars as Grace.  Rusty Martin Sr (War Room, Courageous and Sons of our Fathers) fills the roll of her father, Jim Anderson while Mimi Sagadin (Return to the Hiding Place) plays mother Katherine.  Other talent includes Jenn Gotzon Chandler (Love Different), Joseph Gray, Cory Assink, and Evan Brinkman (Stranger Things).

Princess Cut is produced by Paul Munger and was written by Paul and Sheilah Munger.  The runtime of this movie is 97 minutes.

What I thought of the Movie?

I had previously watched this movie on one of my other "hide in the bedroom with headphones and my Kindle" night and had enjoyed it at that time.  That had been some time back, so I didn't realize right away that I had seen this movie when I started watching it until I had gotten a bit into it and recognized what was going on with the story.  Even knowing how it ends, I enjoyed watching it the second time.

This is a movie that will appeal more to those with more traditional, conservative values when it comes to relationships, both when looking for a mate as well as with our families.  Grace deals with many adult issues, such as the pressure to bring a relationship to a level she's not ready for as well as feeling she needs to hide aspects of her relationship from her parents. There is also one scene where she is given advice from a "professional" who tells her to try a "Practice Marriage". 

A few who watch this movie might take offense at the idea of a father having any influence these days over who his daughter chooses to marry.  Some may view this as very old-fashioned or archaic in ideology, especially in today's society where men having any influence over a woman's life is a very volatile subject. Personally, I have no problem with this and feel that one of the biggest problems with relationships today is that we lead with our hearts rather than our heads, whereas a parent is able to see the flaws in a person/relationship that we cannot see for ourselves because of being "love blinded".

Overall, I personally think this is a great movie with an important message for young women who feel they "need" to find someone to spend their lives with. I would highly recommend it, both for a platform for discussions about healthy relationships with our daughters as well as just to watch for a love story with a great moral lesson and nothing you would half to fast forward though.

For more information about Watchman Pictures and Princess Cut, visit them on the following social media platforms:

• Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/PrincessCutMovie 
• Twitter:  https://twitter.com/PrincessCutFilm         
• Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/princesscutfilm/pins/
• Instagram:  http://instagram.com/paulmungernc         
• Google+:  https://plus.google.com/+Princesscutmovie   
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/PrincessCutMovie/videos   

Online Christian Filmmakers Academy ( A Homeschool Crew Review)

I don't know how it happened but somewhere in the recent past, Ashleigh got it into her head that she is going to be the next YouTube sensation.  It's pretty funny, to be honest.  She gets her Kindle and gets the camera going and you can hear her say "Hey Youtube, this is Ashleigh and today I'm making a video about..."..   I've tried to embrace this passion for her by helping her make actual YouTube videos and she and our dog have starred in a couple of unboxing videos for subscription dog boxes that we receive.  But while these videos are very cute, they are far from looking anything remotely like a high quality production.  Let's face it, Mom is not a director or a film producer.   However, I'm hoping to fix that.

Recently, members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review the one year  Online Christian Filmmakers Academy from Family Gravity Media, a division of Families For Christ Ministries, Inc.  I knew this would be a perfect opportunity for both myself and the kids to learn about the filmmaking process and pick up tips and tricks to create a more polished video for Ashleigh's subscribers (yes, she actually has a few.. lol).  

What is the Online Christian Filmmakers Academy?

The Online Christian Filmmakers Academy is an online instructional course for aspiring filmmakers to learn

the basics of producing quality video productions.  The course is taught by Ken and Zack Lawrence, a father and son team who have extensive experience in both in the secular and Christian film making industry. 

The course consists of five learning modules:

 Module 1: The Camera -  Introduces students to the DSLR camera, the various lenses, frame rate, shutter speed, and ISO settings
 Module 2:  Cinematography - Discusses types of lighting, color temp and white balance controls, framing and using lighting equipment.
 Module 3:  Sound - Using sound equipment such as external microphones, location recording and using ADR and Foley recordings
 Module 4: Pre Production - Teaches how to tell a story through video through proper screenplay writing and the important members of the production team.
 Module 5: Production - This module teaches how to put all the previous steps together along with proper etiquette on the set and how to properly direct your production

Each module is broken up in to individual video lessons.  As students view these videos, they are checked off to make it very easy to pick up where you left off.  You can also quickly see the topics of the video lesson so if there is a particular aspect that you might not have understood originally, you can quickly return to that topic and review the information.  

Upon selecting a Lesson, you are presented with a video that teaches the lesson, taught by either Ken or Zack.   The videos are in depth but both instructors have a knack for explaining the information in such a way that it is easy to understand and not too overwhelming.  Following the end of the lessons, a quiz is presented so that you can test your knowledge and see what you might want to go back and review before proceeding to the next module. 

Another nice function is there is a chat option where you can leave questions in regards to the material and either Ken or Zack will respond (in what appears to be a timely manner) to help with answers or to clarify information for the student.

What We Thought:

The Online Christian Filmmakers Academy is a one year course in filmmaking and while it would be very easy to fly through this course, we decided to take each step slowly and master each section before moving on.

There is lots of very helpful information for understanding how to make quality videos using nothing more than a standard DSLR. I personally shoot with a Canon t5i which has an available video mode option and I also own a few lenses in addition to my kit lens so we were able to follow along with the lessons easily using the equipment that we currently own.   While I consider myself pretty educated with my camera when it comes to still photography, I never really have used the video option for anything more than taking video of fireworks, to be honest.  Because of this, I found the lessons as they pertain to the actual video function on my camera very informative and educational and it is opening a whole new realm of possibilities for me.  The lessons are very informative and easy to understand, especially for someone who has prior knowledge of camera functions such as ISO, Fstops and aperture.  I really like how the the modules are broken down into easy to digest segments to keep from being overwhelmed by too much information..

While we haven't yet made a video just yet, we plan on using the various techniques that we have learned so far in our videos and I hope to see a big difference in the quality of the video we produce.  I don't expect to win an academy award anytime soon, but just producing a video that isn't a complete eyesore for Ashleigh's YouTube viewers would be nice :)

For a limited time, readers of my blog can use the following coupon code that will give you $100 off the regular price of $299. Please note that the coupon code is only valid through November 30th, 2016.    The code is: FALLCREW16 

For more information on the Online Christian Filmmakers Academy, please visit their website. They can also be found on the following social media:

www.facebook.com/ChristianFilmmakersAcademy 

www.facebook.com/christianfilmmakerscamp 

FishFlix.com: My Son My Savior (A Schoolhouse Crew Review)

In today's entertainment world, it's very hard to find a family friendly movie that is appropriate for all ages that doesn't contain questionable materials.  There are so many movies that have great premises but contain unneeded sex scenes or profanity that do not contribute to the movie content at all but just seem to be there because society says it should be.

The Birth of Jesus - My Son, My Savior

Luckily there are companies like FishFlix.com who sell movies that either have this type of content removed or never had questionable content to begin with.  I had the opportunity to review the movie My Son, My Savior  on DVD in time for Easter and it was a wonderful viewing experience for the entire family.

About FishFlix

FishFlix.com is an online retailer who specializes in Christian and Inspirational movies. Their goal isto provide quality Christian entertainment that can be watched by families without the worries of questionable content or ideas/beliefs that disagree with those who follow Christ.  The company was started over a decade ago by Turkish Christian Dr. Enis Sakirgil who original wanted Christians in the West to know about the Biblical histories of Turkey. Since those origins,FishFlix.com has evolved into selling more mainstream Christian movies.

About My Son, My Savior

When we think about the ministry of Jesus, most people do not give much thought about Mary after the Christmas story.  Yet throughout history, only Mary had the privilege to call Jesus her son. She probably grew up hearing of the coming Messiah, learning the Old Testament prophecies that spoke of him and how he would deliver them from sin.  Then she had to watch him make the ultimate sacrifice as he gave his life on the cross for the sins of mankind.   

My Son, My Savior is a 42 minute feature film released in 2015 that portrays the life of Mary from the visitation of the angel announcing the coming Messiah to the crucifixion and her point of view of being the mother of Jesus.  Written by Janis Lonnquist and directed by Steve Boettcher, My Son My Savior  stars Corrina Crade as Mary,   Neil Vanides as the apostle John, and Bruce Marchiano as Jesus. 

A great tool for small group studies and church groups, the purchase of the DVD also comes with access to a 4 session bible study and small group study guide that can be downloaded from a website. 


What We Thought

Christian or Inspirational Movies are always a hit or a miss as far as quality. Unfortunately, in the past, it has not been a popular genre of movies and so many titles are DVD release only and never see theater time.  This also means many of these titles are very low budget with grainy filming and bad scripting.

Bruce Marchiano's protrayal of Jesus

Luckily, with the recently popularity of Inspirational genre lately, more quality movies are being made.  My Son, My Savior falls in somewhere in between.  While most of the acting cast were unknown to me, I was very familiar with Bruce Marchiano who has portrayed Jesus in many other files such as "The Encounter" and "Apostle Peter and the Last Supper".   I really enjoy Marchiano's portrayals of Jesus as he has a demeanor and a kindness to his eyes that one can only imagine would be much the same that our Lord would have also had.

The settings are beautiful and one can one travel back to ancient Bethlehem and Jerusalem and imaging walking where Jesus walked or feel like one is watching the Savior as he teaches.

While this movie does depict the Crucifixion, it is not nearly as graphic to watch as other movies. Some Biblical truths are left out, such as the striking of the sun, the ripping of the veil and the destruction of the temple, but the focus of this movie is more about Mary's heartbreak then it is about the crucifixion.  

With the additional material such as the downloadable Bible study and Small Group Study guides, this movie is perfect for both a family worship study or in a church setting.   I would also recommend it just for a casual watch with the family when wanting something that is not as heartbreaking as "The Passion of the Christ" but still able to remind us of his sacrifice.

FishFlix.com  can be found on the following social media platforms:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fishflix

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/FishFlix 

Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/ChristianDVD 

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fishflix/

Members of the Crew got to review not only My Son, My Savior but also other popular movies such as War Room, Woodlawn, and Captive as well as children movies such as Owlegories and Superbook.  Over all, FishFlix.com was generous and offered the Crew ten different titles to review.  Be sure to click the banner below for other wonderful movie reviews.