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Review by Anna Darrah In my first movie review for this newsletter, I find myself compelled to write about a new film that is very close to my heart. Conversations With God, from the best selling books by Neale Donald Walsch, and produced and directed by my good friend Stephen Simon (disclosure: he’s also my boss!) opens this month in theaters around the country. I had the privilege of reading and commenting on many versions of the script as it was carefully crafted by Eric DelaBarre, during pre-production. I was so close to the project that the first time that I saw the completed film, all I saw were the people I knew, the scenes that had been deleted, the weather I knew had come straight from God, and the credits that included all of the incredible people who made the movie happen. Oh, and did I mention my daughter and I have a walk on bit in the film? It took me three screenings to be able to really see the movie. And I was blown away. The film is not a movie version of the book, though the book does come through loud and clear. It is about the time leading up to the writing of the book, the most challenging time in Neale’s life. Five years before Neale published that first book, (“Conversations With God”) he was homeless on the streets of Ashland, Oregon, asking for change from the people walking by. How does that happen? Could it happen to me? Is God part of a time like that in a person’s life? What does it take to turn the experience around? This is the epic story of one man’s journey as he turned his life around. And God definitely has a lot to do with it. There are funny times in the film, although I’m not sure how funny they really were when Neale was living them. There are sad times that about break your heart, and I’m sure they were much worse in real life. And through it all, way before God starts talking in the film, God is communicating. It just takes Neale (played by the brilliant Henry Czerny) a while to be able to listen. Once he starts listening, everything turns around, and the film starts flying. Neale’s propulsion through his life is infectious and we are catapulted into our own sense of potential and greater purpose. It’s an amazing ride, one that I found myself quoting from constantly in casual conversation for weeks. In fact, I still hear myself saying “Always. In All Ways.” You’ll understand when you see it. Conversations With God hit theaters on October 27th around the country. Can we prove to Hollywood that a little film about a man talking to God can bring in the big bucks and create a trend? Ticket sales will tell the tale, so go see it now. To find showtimes and more about the movie, go to CWGthemovie.com. For more about Anna Darrah and the Spiritual Cinema Circle, go to spiritualcinemacircle.com. Next > 1 2 3 4 5 6 |
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