'Unbroken', 'Heaven Is for Real,' 'God's Not Dead' and UP Win Big at Faith-Friendly Awards

Heaven Is for Real and Unbroken took top prizes at the Faith & Values Awards which rewards programming based not only on their entertainment and artistic quality but also their uplifting messaging and Bible-honoring content.

Unbroken, a film about World War II prisoner Louis Zamperini that was directed by Angelina Jolie, was deemed the best film of 2014 for mature audiences while Heaven Is for Real was named the best movie for families.

The 23rd annual Movieguide Faith & Values Awards Gala was hosted by Bill Engvall and drew executives from most major — and lots of minor — studios. The event will be broadcast on ReelzChannel on Feb. 21 and again two days later.

The most notable snubs of the evening were the total absence of Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings, two movies based on the Bible that were controversial in some circles for being insufficiently faithful to the source material.

Unlike the Oscars and most similar affairs, the Faith & Values Awards chooses not only a winner in its top two categories but also nine runners-up that receive trophies.

In the 'family' category, the nine additional movies were: Son of God, God's Not Dead, Big Hero 6, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Dolphin Tale 2, Penguins of Madagascar, Bears, Muppets Most Wanted and Planes: Fire and Rescue.

In the 'mature' category, the nine other movies were: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, The Giver, The Good Lie, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies; The Hunger Games: Mockingjay — Part 1, Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, Divergent and The Amazing Spider-Man 2.

Also unlike other awards shows, the Faith & Values Awards doles out a few cash prizes, supported by a grant from the Templeton Foundation. This year, its $100,000 Epiphany Prize for movies went to God's Not Dead and its $100,000 Epiphany Prize for television went to UP's Love Finds You in Sugarcreek.

There's also a Faith & Freedom Award for movies and television, with the former going to The Giver and the latter to The Gabby Douglas Story.

Presenters included actor Corbin Bernsen, Duck Dynasty personalities Sadie and Korie Robertson and, as has been the case for a few years, several Disney Channel stars: Madison Pettis (Jake and the Never Land Pirates), Shane Harper (Good Luck Charlie); Olivia Holt (Kickin' It), Austin North (I Didn't Do it) and Karan Brar (Jessie).

Stevie Wonder appeared with several other artists in a musical tribute to gospel singer Andrae Crouch, who died in January.

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Going Hollywood: 'Duck Dynasty' stars 'honored' to be part of Faith & Values Awards

The annual Movieguide Faith & Values Awards celebrates productions focusing on American patriotism, Christian beliefs and the traditional family. Now in its 22nd year, the gala ceremony – being held Friday evening at the Universal Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles – is welcoming “Duck Dynasty” stars Willie and Korie Robertson into the fold.

"We're excited to attend an awards show that honors and recognizes actors, directors, writers, producers and executives providing a positive message in film and programming," Korie Robertson told Fox News. "We are honored to present an award and to see Willie's work recognized as a nominee."

Gala founder Dr. Ted Baehr said the Movieguide Awards are equally as thrilled to have the Robertsons as guests and nominees.

"I think they were pretty beaten down by the media following Phil’s interview last year, and went through a period of extreme angst," Baehr said. "But they’re so excited to be coming and they’re bringing the family."

Willie has a Grace Prize TV nomination for his role in “Last Man Standing: Back to School,” while “Duck Dynasty: Till Duck Do Us Part” is also in the running for the Faith and Freedom TV awards and the Epiphany Prize TV award.

Furthermore, Willie and Korie will together present an award for the Best Family Movie. Nominees in that category include “Frozen,” “Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2” and “Oz, The Great and Powerful,” while the “Best Mature Audience Films” is acknowledging “Captain Phillips,” “Gravity” and “Iron Man 3.” On the small screen, “Blue Bloods,” “Remember Sunday” and “Christmas in Conway” will face off against “Duck Dynasty” for the Faith & Freedom Award and the hit History Channel series “The Bible”” is up for both a TV Grace Award and the TV Epiphany Prize.

Other confirmed presenters include Mark Burnett, Roma Downey, Andy Garcia, James Denton, Ali Landry and Holly Robinson, while Ritchie Sambora, Billy Ray Cyrus and AJ Michalka from “Grace Unplugged” will perform.

“This past year has been the greatest year we’ve ever had for movies with faith and values; these are being lifted up everywhere," added Baehr. "But we really try to focus on more than celebrating the actors is the people behind-the-scenes – the writers, directors and produce who make these movies and shows happen. These are the people who are too often forgotten.”

The 22nd Annual Movieguide Faith &Values Awards airs March 1 and 2 on the Reelz Channel.

New 'Lone Ranger' Film 'Pagan'?

Gore Verbinski's "Lone Ranger" opened in theaters Wednesday. Verbinski, director of the "Pirates of the Caribbean" franchise, brought along a familiar face, well-known actor Johnny Depp. Despite Depp's appeal, however, the film has received sour reviews, and two prominent reviewers explained why.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Dr. Ted Baehr, chairman of the Christian Film and Television Coalition and Editor-in-Chief of Movieguide, described the film's "strong mixed pagan, revisionist, politically correct worldview."

"The pagan elements triumph because you're looking at it from Tanto's point of view." He used "pagan" as a generic term for non-Christian, unidentified spirituality. "It's not Buddhism, it's not Hinduism, it's a mishmash."

"There's a lot of humor in the film, much at the expense of some of the Christians," he added, also mentioning the villain "who prays in the name of Jesus before he goes off slaughtering people."

But Baehr thinks that despite the film's flaw, he wouldn't go as far as saying the film is a "direct attack on Christians." "I don't think it's an evil film at all," he noted.

Paul Asay, senior associate editor for Focus on the Family's review blog, Plugged In, agreed with Baehr's criticism but hesitated to call the film "pagan." Noting the prominence of Tanto's perspective, he said, "you see a great deal more spiritism, animism, magic, and portent in everything he sees and does."

"Spiritism is not an unusual thing to see in movies these days – magical elements that don't exactly jive with Christianity," he argued. But when it came to Christianity, the "Lone Ranger" "felt a little bit mean."

"Most of the Christian characters are benevolently stupid or outright bad," Asay said.

While the film never explicitly says Tanto's animism is true, "his view is more persuasive than the Christianity presented here."

He argued the betrayal of the Lone Ranger tradition proved the film's most damning weakness. "I think that's the primary reason the movie doesn't work."

He noted that, in their original settings, neither the Lone Ranger nor Superman are characters that a modern American can identify with. "He is not meant to be a sort of flawed and frail character," Asay explained. "He is more of a template, an aspirational character."

"This is what goodness is like, the American character," he added. The Lone Ranger became the "embodiment of truth and justice in the rugged west."

"When you take away that aspirational heart of the Lone Ranger, you really are left with a guy in a mask," Asay argued. The original Lone Ranger "didn't wear a mask because he's becoming an outlaw," but for "a kind of modesty" – he didn't need praise.

The filmmakers "understood the legend behind the Lone Ranger, but I don't think they understood the character."

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Study: Movies With Traditional Values Make More Money Than 'Liberal' Movies

Patriotism and traditional values, like those displayed in "Thor," "The Artist," "Soul Surfer" and "Hugo," are what moviegoers want, says a group that will honor such films at an awards gala Friday.

Wanna make money in Hollywood? Release patriotic movies that promote conservative values and do not denigrate Christianity.

For two decades, that has been the message of Movieguide, and on Friday, Feb. 10, when it celebrates its 20-year anniversary with an awards show airing on The Hallmark Channel, the organization will present a 76-page report designed to back up its assertions.


The report praises such 2011 releases as Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close, Battle: Los Angeles, Moneyball, We Bought a Zoo and Hugo while heaping scorn on the likes of Super 8, Red State, Bad Teacher and Happy Feet Two.

The Movieguide report rates movies using more than two dozen criteria, such as whether a title promotes capitalism or socialism or if it promotes or denigrates biblical principles. Violence, sex, political correctness, revisionist history, environmentalism, and homosexuality.

This year’s report concludes that seven of the top 10 films of 2011 scored high on Movieguide’s index and therefore qualify as films with “strong or very strong Christian, biblical, moral and redemptive content."


Movieguide identified 91 movies in 2011 that scored high in “conservative/moral categories”; these earned an average of $59 million apiece. On the other hand, it identified 105 movies that scored high in “liberal/leftist categories”; each of those titles earned an average of just $11 million.

The average movie scoring four stars from Movieguide earned $53.5 million while the ones that scored just one star earned $10.6 million.

Exceptions abound, of course, notable ones being The Hangover Part II and The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn Part 1, hit movies that earned $581 million and $702 million worldwide, respectively, but are panned by Movieguide as films that promote “fringe worldviews” and “obscene behavior.”



“Most moviegoers want good to conquer evil, truth to triumph over falsehood, justice to prevail over injustice and true beauty to overcome ugliness,” Movieguide editor Ted Baehr writes in the report.

Friday’s awards gala, where the report will be made public, is hosted by Baehr, sponsored by the Christian Film & Television Commission and will be emceed by actor Dean Cain. Scheduled presenters include Joe Mantegna, Corbin Bernsen, Kevin Sorbo and Pat Boone.

Nominees for best movie for mature audiences are:

• The Artist
• Captain America: The First Avenger
• Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close
• Mission: Impossible — Ghost Protocol
• Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides
• Sarah’s Key
• Seven Days in Utopia
• Thor
• The Tree of Life
• The Way

Nominees for best movie for family audiences are:

• The Adventures of Tintin
• Cars 2
• Courageous
• Hugo
• Justin Bieber: Never Say Never
• Mars Needs Moms
• Mr. Popper’s Penguins
• The Muppets
• Puss in Boots
• Soul Surfer

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