Imagine if you will, parents pushing aside all the meaningless movies about Santa crises, irritating Christmas relatives, greedy Grinches and stingy Scrooges on the rental shelf, and pulling to the forefront a compelling, well-crafted movie that brings the real story of Christmas to life for the whole family. Well, it seems that such a movie has arrived! “The Nativity Story” is a movie with everything:  drama, action, romance, history, and miracles – a sure bet to edge out the shallow, same old “pretend-Christmas” offerings. We hope that this film’s disappointing box office take won’t prevent Hollywood from making more such films that respectfully explore the Christian faith.

Click here for a full review.


3.  TIE:  UNITED 93

• DVD Release Date:  September 5, 2006

• Theatrical Release Date:  April 28, 2006

• Rating:  R (for language and some intense sequences of terror and violence)

• Genre:  Drama

• Run Time:  111 min.

• Director:  Paul Greengrass

• Actors:  Daniel Sauli, Lewis Alsamari, JJ Johnson, Gary Commock, Polly Adams (II)

We know we’re cheating a bit by including two films in our number “3” spot. But looking back on the year, we don’t see how we could choose one of these films over the other. Immediately following September 11, 2001, it was difficult to imagine how filmmakers might render the event in years to come. Would they bring their own agendas to the films? Would they politicize the day? Would the films be as traumatic? And if so, would we want to sit through them? Fortunately, this year directors Paul Greengrass and Oliver Stone delivered films that are exceptional on almost every level.  “United 93” and “World Trade Center” are too very different films, yet both in their own way capture the horror of that fateful day. Stark, and almost documentary-like, “United 93” focuses mainly on how air traffic controllers dealt with the events of the day, and most likely how the passengers of the final hijacked flight heroically fought back against the terrorists. “World Trade Center,” while taking a bit more dramatic license, tells the riveting story of two Port Authority policemen, trapped in the rubble of the twin towers.

Click here to read a full review.


TIE:  WORLD TRADE CENTER