250 Great Movies for Latter-Day Families

Anyone who knows me well and has read my blog before knows that I love movies! I love to watch them, talk about them, analyze them, and watch them again. With so many movies that come out each year and ticket prices to movies constantly going up it can be difficult to know which movies to I should spend my time with. Also add in the fact that I'm LDS and I try to live by certain standards, it can be really hard to find movies that are worthwhile.

Over the last year I have had the great pleasure of getting to know a pretty cool dude named Jonathan Decker (aka the Mormon Movie Guy). Jonathan runs a blog called Mormonmovieguy.com, and a podcast called Mormons at the megaplex. His blog and his podcast are both designed to give reviews of movies from an LDS perspective. He reviews the films, the content in the films, and then outlines what messages we as an audience can take away from the films. His site has become my go to place for movie reviews. Even if you are not LDS, his insight and knowledge into the film industry is very vast and he provides a unique perspective into film. He has a great understanding of film that has helped me see movies as more than just entertainment.

Not only does he have his website and podcast, but he recently just released a book, which is what this post is really about. The book is title 250 Great Movies for Latter-Day Saint Families. I had the opportunity of reading the book before it was released and I wanted to share some of my thoughts about it.

This is a pretty simple and straightforward book that is designed to suggest films that will help people find movies that they can feel comfortable watching. It is an easy to use reference to 250 great movies. For each film there is brief review and synopsis of the what the movie is about, with a final letter grade review. Next there is a paragraph about the overview of the content of the film. Finally there is a section titled Messages to Discuss. This is my favorite part of the book, and the section I find the most valuable. With so many movies coming out these days, and with Hollywood's standards declining, this book helps LDS moviegoers and families find films that can uplift and keep within the standards of the gospel. I look forward to now not only being entertained by watching a movie, but also being able to find gospel themes and discussing them with my family.

Here is an example of the messages to discuss for my favorite film The Empire Strikes Back:

MESSAGES TO DISCUSS: There are no miracles without belief (Moroni

7:35–37; Mormon 9:19–20). Vengeance, fear, and anger are not righteous

(3 Nephi 11:29–30); the path to wickedness is easier and quicker.

The difference is discernible (Moroni 7:15–17); the “good side” (i.e.

the Holy Ghost) speaks peace to our minds and hearts (Galations

5:22–23).

Another thing that is great about this book is that it's not just reviews about Disney and animated movies (don't get me wrong I love Disney and animated movies, there's just a lot of other good stuff out there too). He journeys outside of those types of films and finds movies from all different types of genres. There is such a wide variety of films such as classics like the Swiss Family Robinson, to more recent films like the Blindside, and epic movies like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, and of course Star Wars.

Overall, this is a great book for anyone who is searching for media that is uplifting and worthwhile. It's especially great for families, but it's also a great resource even if you don't have a family yet. If you are interested in purchasing it you can pre-order it here at amazon.com or here at Desert Book. It will be released on September 10.

Also check out Jonathan's site! I can't say enough good things about what he is doing!