Amazing Grace
February 16, 2007 5:05 pm
Breaking news:I want to let you know about a change to our upcoming 2/24 not-so-big meeting. You may be aware that the movie Amazing Grace is scheduled to open on Friday, 2/23. This movie depicts the story of William Wilberforce, a pioneer in the British abolitionist movement. Wilberforce was a Christian, and stood nearly alone in the British Parliament against the British slave trade and slavery itself. Produced by Walden Media (makers of The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe), this looks like it will be an accurate depiction of Wilberforce’s life. (NOTE TO PARENTS: this movie is rated PG for thematic elements related to slavery and mild language. I don’t know what this means since I haven’t seen the movie, but please exercise your own discernment for your family’s participation.)
So, we are going to move our five15 not-so-big Meeting to the movie theater! We’ve purchased all the tickets at a discount price of $6.50 for the 7:20 show on February, 2/24. Though this was originally scheduled as a not-so-big meeting, I want to invite all high school and middle school students and their parents. This will be a great outreach opportunity! Feel free to invite friends.
Here are the details… Please read carefully:
- WHAT: Amazing Grace movie night.
- WHEN: Saturday, February 24. 7:20pm
- WHERE: Fairfax Town Center Movie Theater (map)
- WHO: all five15: high school students, middle school students, and their parents.
- HOW MUCH: $6.50. We have 173 tickets to be sold first-come, first-served.
- HOW TO GET TICKETS: There will be a table in the lobby after church this Sunday, 2/18. Tickets are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Bring cash or check.
See you in line in the lobby on Sunday!
4 Responses to “Amazing Grace”
This sounds like a lot of fun! I had hoped to organize a group of teens from the church to go see the movie, but I didn’t even need to! Thanks!
this looks FUN!
Hi Steve,
Brenda, Heleena, James and I wanted to be there with y’all for ‘Amazing Grace’, but we promised to be in F’burg for a Christian potluck, SO we all went to see the movie Friday opening night (see my review below with no spoilers!) I post on christianspotlight.com, but their reviews are not always very helpful as Christian reviewers, professional and public, often approve of bad films with ‘PG’, ‘PG-13′ and ‘R’ ratings! They rave about EVIL films!
I posted this online tonight and was so excited by the discussion afterwards, I didn’t go to bed all night! :-
‘Amazing Grace’, by ‘Gorillas In The Mist’ director, Michael Apted, IS ‘amazing’, in that it is a film that leaves you feeling happy and blessed to be a believer and to have seen such a great piece of cinematography! The acting is moving, believable and strong, and you feel you are in the presence of greatness even with this small part, actor Albert Finney played as John Newton, author of the powerful hymn which inspired the movie and apparently William Wilberforce’s campaign against slavery. Who knew that Newton was a slaver and then lived a kind of Anglican monastic life!? Be warned though, some of these actors have been in some ripe material over the years, so don’t be tempted to watch all they have done until you have rented and reviewed away from the kids. For example, Finney was in infamous ‘Erin Brockovich’, far-fetched ‘Big Fish’, and noteworthy for a plump, naked, swearing ‘Winston Churchill’; Wilberforce’s character is played by the ‘Titanic’ and ‘Horatio Hornblower’ star, Welsh Actor Ioan Gruffudd, (Pronounced YO-an GRIFF-ith), and the young Prime Minister at only 24!!, William Pitt, played by Benedict Cumberbatch (yes, some Brits have funny names!) was in ‘To the Ends of the Earth’ by ‘Lord of the Flies’ author William Golding, the former a nautical movie in the mold of Russell Crowe’s ‘Master and Commander’, but promoting lust through prostitution and clergy-sailor homosexuality and clergy-suicide, and the latter, cannabilism and boy on boy violence. In ‘Amazing Grace’, you never do hear the hymn all the way through, but the audience was singing along, laughing, crying and applauding, which in 2007 is pretty amazing in itself! My only criticism is that the abolitionist movement is portrayed as a work of God and ordinary men and women, but without much prayer. When Pitt is afraid of death, all he gets is his hand held and the man who should know how to share Christian Truth is strangely silent. Overall, a wonderful hour and fifty-one minutes…over too quickly…I can’t wait to buy it and see it again!
Well Done Hollywood - people love this stuff!!
Chris Winter winternest@aol.com (Permission given to post email also.)
Great movie! Go see it!
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