Jim Caviezel: The Power of ‘Moral Reminders’ in Film

A Beliefnet.com interview by Dena Ross with Jim Caviezel, the actor who played Jesus in “Passion of the Christ”.  He talks about his new film and how his movie roles help him grow.

(EXCERPT)  Jim Caviezel has had memorable roles in movies like “Pay it Forward,” “High Crimes,” and “Frequency,” but he is perhaps best known for his portrayal of Jesus Christ in Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ.”

In Caviezel’s new film, “The Stoning of Soraya M.”—based on the novel of the same name by French writer Freidoune Sahebjam—he plays a journalist who learns about a small Muslim community’s dark secret. Academy Award-nominated actress Shorhreh Agdashloo plays Zahara, the woman who tells the heart-breaking story of her niece Soraya.

A conservative Catholic, Caviezel spoke to Beliefnet’s EntertainmentEditor Dena Ross about why we need to be more like the Good Samaritan and his hopes for making people’s lives better through his work.

Actor Jim Caviezel

As a Christian, what was it like immersing yourself in Muslim culture for your role in the new movie? Did you learn anything new about the religion or the culture that you hadn’t known before?

Oh, it was interesting. There was a man when I first got there, he was a Sunni Muslim. He drove me around. He [brought] my luggage to my [hotel] room, and he says, “I cannot believe I’m driving the man who played Jesus!” So, right away, I thought we were in a good spot there.

But he had a very peaceful countenance to him. We had a situation where we had to go across the border, and the guards were giving us a hard time. And he had a great, calm countenance to himself, and got out of the car and basically let them have it. I was in real good hands there.

Read the full article at BELIEFNET.COM

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The 10 Commandments in the Worlds of STAR TREK

A humorous article by Paul Asay on Beliefnet.com about some of the Bible themes that can be found in the Star Trek universe despite Gene Roddenberry’s religious views or lack thereof:

(EXCERPT) When Gene Roddenberry created “Star Trek,” he pictured a future dominated by science and human ingenuity–without a lot of religion to muddy things up. Oh, sure, Federation crew members met scads of religious sentient beings around the galaxy, but it turns out most were worshipping computers, power generators, or toga-wearing aliens. Roddenberry didn’t place a lot of faith in faith.

“Religions vary in their degree of idiocy, but I reject them all,” Roddenberry once said. “For most people, religion is nothing more than a substitute for a malfunctioning brain.”

So why does “Star Trek” seem to have such a yen for the Ten Commandments?

In giddy anticipation for the new “Star Trek” movie, here are 10 examples of how God’s prime directives have found their way into the “Star Trek” franchise.

Now, even though I’m not a fan AT ALL of the click-on-ten-pages-to-read-ten-witty-points theology, (drives me nuts) I invite you to click on over to Beliefnet.com and read the FULL ARTICLE

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Daniel Millican Guest-blogs at Beliefnet.com

Our friend Dan Millican filled in for Joanne at Beliefnet.com and delves into a topic we are VERY interested in at W4F.  That is, “Why Do Christian Movies Have Such a Bad Reputation?”

(EXCERPT)  Christian Cinema, has a lot of growing to do. The number one criticism from Christian and non-Christian’s alike, is that Christian movies are awful. The production value, the writing, the directing, the acting, the editing. And with the mountain of evidence, I don’t dispute this.

What is the essence of filmmaking? Storytelling. Who was the master storyteller? Yeah, so as Christians, we have no excuse but to follow in the footsteps of the person we are choosing to follow as a disciple. Clearly, stories are a way that God communicates with us.

So why do Christian movies have such a bad reputation? Just like the music industry, it takes time for professionals to learn the craft of storytelling and hone their skills. There are a lot of people who completely disregard craft, excusing their laziness for grace–God will gift me to tell this story. While it’s true that He can and has done that, He also talks about excellence in what you do.

Read the full blog HERE at Beliefnet.com

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“The Imposter” website:  The Imposter Movie

Dan Millican’s Production Company:  Serendipitous Films

Dan Millican’s blog:  killinghimself.blogspot.com

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