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Why are Christian movies so cheesy?

#1
Magical Realist Offline
I have to say I'm not qualified to say really, having to this day avoided seeing every christian movie ever made. But I have a sneaking suspicion it has to do with trying to use film to preach some kind of ideology or message. If that's the case, then it isn't even the message itself that is at fault. One could just as easily observe such deplorable lack of dialogue, plot, and production value in a movie about the virtues of science and humanism. Film used to convince us of a particular viewpoint or value system is no longer art. It is slick and deceptive propaganda. And that is what inevitably comes across in Christian movies. Among other things..
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"Christian culture is often the enemy of quality. Independent Christian film, in particular, has a history of being seriously and deeply flawed, routinely dismissed by secular critics and audiences as intellectually vacant and disconnected from reality.

The term Christian film has become synonymous with substandard production values, stilted dialogue and childish plots. Why is Christian film no more than a side note to modern culture? Why are Christians left behind?

Throughout the 1960s, heavy-handed Christian values were overthrown by the hippie generation. Christians retreated, overwhelmed by social changes—but we still wanted the pleasures of modern culture, only without any tempting content or foul philosophy.

Our reaction was to build a cultural wall around ourselves complete with self-prescribed content filters and an isolationist attitude. This cocoon was a comfy, safe place for Christians, but the cocoon became a time capsule. We spent decades discussing what we hoped the world was like rather than dealing with how things are.

Our isolation also bred well-intentioned but poorly trained artists. Instead of playing with the big boys, Christian filmmakers remained in the minor leagues.

Christian audiences learned to accept substandard artists who make substandard works. We no longer have any expectations of quality. Like expecting a church youth group to compete with off-Broadway, we are ill-equipped and out-matched.

A preachy pig

Even with successes (Bella, Facing the Giants), we are on the outside looking in. You can have the huge budget, skilled and experienced technical crew and a firmly executed marketing plan, but if you film a pedantic script with summer-stock-reject actors, your better-looking product is simply lipstick on a pig. Throw in Christian film’s inherently agenda-driven plots and dialogue and you have lipstick on a preachy pig.

Rather than developing organically, the average Christian film is more pushy and sanctimonious than the global-warming agenda movies. Violence is almost non-existent, salty language never happens, unmarried people never struggle with lust and evil is never very bad, because showing various forms of sin is not allowed. By movie’s end, everyone is converted with no residual issues. Life is reduced to an after-school special with prayer thrown in for good measure. For me, this is where the dry heaving begins..."

Read more at http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/...49F2ul6.99
#2
elte Offline
It reminds me of how Roman mythology came across when reading it in high school.  It could be that it portrays something that the author believed was true, or at least didn't want the reader to think otherwise even though the reader cannot help thinking otherwise.


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