Psychology and Religion Movie Reviews

It is a good film and doesn't make too many biblical mistakes, but it just doesn't have the top notch actors it takes to tell a story of the life of Jesus. It is a tough job that countless filmmakers have been trying to perfect for years. I have a pretty good collection of biblical type videos and DVDs, so this just adds to the group. My favorite is still Franco Zefferelli's TV mini-series one, which is on three videos.

Not bad, some interesting points I would not have come up with, TBN produced this in 1996. Many people worked on this film. Sound is excellent, wardrobe is great, location is fantastic, but still lacked a real professional zeal. Special effects were not the best. Story line is biblical and follows God's Word very well. Enjoy, but there are better one's out there.

The movies are very well done! The dialog, if I'm not mistaken, is taken straight from God's Holy Word and nothing else. I've not been fond of any other movies done by the Crouches, but this was actually faithful to God's Word. What a miracle! This is why I give it 5 stars.

The DVD has a feature (NOT a part of the movie) that tells about the so-called "patron saints." It says that these "patron saints" are "over" certain areas of life, such as carpentry or health or whatever, and that these physically dead "patron saints" help us when we pray to them. This is NOT biblical. We are to pray to GOD and no one else. At least this is not part of the movie and you don't have to subject your kids to it.

The movie itself was great!

Now that the Joseph Campbell craze of the early nineties has abated just a bit, the Sukhavati release by Mystic Fire Video recaptures what all the excitement was about. Campbell lucidly exposulates on all manner of philosophy and mythology to an attentive audience in Northern California. Interspersed with the lecture are beautiful images filmed throughout the natural and man/woman made world. Campbell's lecture is loaded with perennial references and it's convenient to skip back quickly via DVD technology to replay previous statements to better follow the thread of a Campbell insight. Place of Bliss is also a nice compliment to the Bill Moyers interviews. The single DVD may seem a bit $$$, but the material is so deep that I find myself playing the program once every few months, so it's worth the price!

The amount of mythological ground covered in this eighty-minute film is truly prodigious. We begin with Eve and the Serpent in the Garden of Eden (Adam's been relegated to bit-part status), and before we can eat an apple we're exploring the difference between Mahayana (The Large Ferry-Boat) and Hinayana (The Small Ferry-Boat) Buddhism. Campbell spins an analogy in which Mahayana is San Francisco and Hinayana is Berkeley, or maybe it's San Francisco is "this world" and Berkeley is "nirvana". Buddhism is the ferry-boat which takes us across the bay. (I suppose a Jew takes the subway, while a Hindu drives a pick-up truck across the Bay Bridge).

Suddenly we're with Paul on the road to Damascus. We're told it was Paul's idea to upgrade the pagan Greek mystery religions with a crucified Jesus. Some of the most stirring footage is of the landscape surrounding the majestic ruins of the ancient Greek temple to Apollo at Delphi- the original edifices were razed by Christians because they were pagan. The lovely Greek countryside, with its soft green hills and crumbling ruins, impelled me to take the next flight to Athens. No wonder it was the cradle of European civilization.

These swift transitions and juxtapositions highlight a Joseph Campbell theme- the illusory nature of Time and Space. "Every sacred place is where Eternity shines through Time."

Another theme is that the Hebrew religion separates Man from Nature (that's what the expulsion from the Garden of Eden is all about), whereas in other religions Man is in accord with Nature. The evil serpent of the Garden of Eden represents the Feminine, Nature and Earth. You understand this if you've ever seen a snake vanish into a hole in the ground. Campbell contrasts the evil serpent of Genesis with Buddhism, in which a giant cobra's hood protects the meditating Buddha from a raging storm. There's footage of an ancient statue of the Buddha meditating, while protected by a giant cobra's hood: this alone is worth the price of admission.

Campbell manages to drag in Arthur, Merlin, Celts, and Druids into it all. There's engaging archival clips culled from an old black & white, silent movie of King Arthur with his famous sword, riding a pale horse around dim, misty moors and dark, primeval forests. Of course, Arthurian legend relates how Christianity displaced the pagan Celtic religion of Britain. What we might not realize is that Arthur is, in fact, a stand-in for the pagan god Arcturus the Bear. Bears were the first animals worshipped by early man, relates Campbell. We're treated to some lovely footage of the ruins at Glastonbury. I've been to the ruins of Glastonbury Abbey, and it truly is a magical, sacred place- so I especially appreciated that part.

Kali, the Dalai Lama, and Tibetan Tantric Buddhism initiates a discussion of re-incarnation. We hear Campbell's voice explicating the Tibetan Book of the Dead, while Tibetan Buddhist monks do that strange throaty chanting in the background. "Forty-nine days - seven times seven- pass between the moment of death and re-conception, during which one passes through the worlds of the chakras". There's stirring archival footage of Tibetan dancers enacting this journey of death and resurrection.

Native American shamans bring up the rear: "The Shaman is the one who can invoke the animals." There's aerial landscape footage of the Black Hills, sacred to the Lakota. Campbell recites the famous environmental speech by Chief Seattle, while idyllic, pastoral scenes of wild buffalo herds on the open plains are contrasted with speeded-up film clips of hectic urban life. The point is made that Native Americans wanted to live life and not merely survive it.

Eighty minutes is a long time to be pummeled by such a dizzying array of gods, no matter how artistically presented. One suspects that this is at least two Campbell lectures spliced together; one wonders how long the original lectures were, and if Campbell would've approved of them being spliced together in this fashion. The stunning landscapes and archival film clips, along with a pleasant soundtrack, mostly manages to hold one's attention for the time required. However, I could've done with fewer scenes of lotuses blooming in slow motion, and more footage of Joseph Campbell himself.

Have you ever wondered who's to blame for The New Age Movement?
Sukhavati: Place of Bliss clearly implicates Joseph Campbell as a prime suspect. As he explicates everything from Buddhism to Dionysus in that quietly insistent, slightly lisping voice, one realizes that this aging white guy in a suit and tie was an American home-grown guru. Exactly which American accent does Campbell have? New York? California? Chicago? Still another juxtaposition is Joe Campbell's stolid American accent expounding on the mysteries of far-flung, exotic times and places. His voice conveys an infectious, excited wonder concerning the wide-ranging subject matter. Joseph Campbell comes across best when you hear his voice; but it's not just his voice, it's his entire body language. He walks around onstage, leans on a desk, shakes his fist or snaps his fingers to make a point (Campbell was an excellent finger-snapper). Overall, I heartily endorse this Mystic Fire Video: it clearly demonstrates that television doesn't have to be mindless entertainment!

This video is a meditation. Campbell's thoughts on life, myth, and religion (excerpts from his lectures) are presented together with images and music that complement them. There are many insights here. The video is both relaxing and thought provoking.

There really is no central theme, other than the broad one of myth, religion, and the thoughts of Campbell. For those who have read Campbell's works, there is nothing new here, but the music, images, and Campbell's words fit together nicely.

I enjoyed the dvd. I was hoping that it would be more of a description of the elements of the mass & how it evolved. I was also hoping that it would have had more of the mass at St. Peter's Basillica, more of the Gregorian Chant, & Latin hymnns.

This is a magnificent DVD of The Pope John Paul II. The message of our Lord to the World.

The entire bible is narrated over two discs--one disc for the Old Testament, and another for the New Testament.

The only feature besides the reading and showing of biblical passages are several pictures that one might read about in the scriptures; the pictures are the same on both discs.

The reading is fine. However, LEVITICUS 18 sounds like it was read by a different narrator--the reading was a little faster.

If you're planning to buy the DVD, don't throw away your bibles to replace them with this DVD. The best way to learn is to read each verse and let it absorb in your head before continuing on to another verse; the DVD won't stop for you after the reading of each verse--thus, no time to reflect and absorb the verse.

What a fantastic product....and the person who said the DVD Bible cannot be stopped, doesn't know where his pause button is! This DVD is truly blessed! Now you can have the whole Bible on only two DVDs...that's 72 hours of recording. Stephen Johnston is the best narrator of our century...no one else has brought his kind of love to the Scriptures...plus awarding winning actors, music and sound effects. This is a phenomenal production and perfect for Bible study alone or with your whole congregation...Can you get this kind of Bible for less anywhere else? I don't think so!!

There is no doubt that Mr.Thurman has a vast knowledge of the subjects he lectures about (Tibet and Buddhism), but his information is delivered so excitedly that it is, at times, hard to follow. I found myself rewinding a lot just to let his words seep in. This DVD set is great for those who wish to expand their knowledge of both subjects, but the viewer should also have a pot of coffee handy in order to stay keen enough to follow Thurman's deeply detailed lecture on the history of Tibet and it's form of Buddhism. I would have gladly given this DVD 5 stars if only it were another two hours long, so Thurman could slow down and dive even deeper into his well of knowledge.

An excellent apologetic view of the Bible, this 1995 video uses factual and evidential findings of Shroud proponent experts in an attempt to answer several skeptical hypotheses, which attack the Shroud's authenticity. Introducing Walter McCrone, a microchemist, and outspoken skeptic, McCrone announces that the Shroud is an absolute fake. Skeptics believe that the Shroud is a fake because it has no clear history prior to the middle ages (1300's). Not true say the filmmakers, ancient manuscripts attempt to trace its historic trail: Jerusalem to Edessa to Constantinople in 944. From there it travels to Athens in 1205 to France in 1353 and finally to Turin in 1578. By the 3rd C., the 'Mandilian' of Edessa (Shroud) became the universally accepted prototype for all subsequent Christian art bearing some 250 points of congruence. A 1389 bishop's reference to the Shroud as being a forgery is considered suspect in that it is unsigned and the alleged investigation at the time it cites cannot be documented. McCrone disputes that significant telltale pollen exists on the Shroud to authenticate its origin. Overwhelming acceptance of identification of 58 separate pollens, 41 of which directly tie the Shroud to Jerusalem, Edessa, and Constantinople and 28 flower types found on the Shroud contradict McCrone's view. McCrone says that he found paint pigment on the Shroud proving that it is a fake. Shroud proponents point out that the pigment found is iron oxide which is found equally all over the cloth and X-ray shows that it is not found just on the image. 92 other recognized professional artists concur that the image cannot be duplicated, even today, and scientific radiation analysis confirms that the level of 'pigment' is no more than that of 'dust' on the cloth. VP 8 image resonance differentiates between two-dimensional and the three-dimensional imagery on the Shroud. McCrone did not find blood on the Shroud, however, several other noted experts did. In fact, it was typed as human AB containing billyrubin, which can only be caused by jaundice or trauma. During the 1978 STURP tests, five days of extensive testing in 50 disciplines resulted in 150,000 man-hours testing over 7 years. While no other STURP test found credible evidence that the Shroud was a man-made forgery, carbon dating in 3 countries concluded that the Shroud dated to 1260-1390 suggesting a forgery. Modern Shroud experts question the findings as singular, unreliable, contaminated and question the labs' failure to follow prescribed testing procedures. They point out materials that are known to create false carbon 14 tests (Mollusk and Bristle pine), they show that the known control samples (3,000 year old mummy wraps), tested and re-tested a 1000 years off and that the labs violated 14 test procedures in their analysis. The program introduces new theorem from Moscow which suggest that the wax and fat rendered out in the cloth's original bleaching as well as carbon 14 impregnated into the cloth in the 1532 fire would skew any carbon dating, calculating the real age of the Shroud to be 1900 years old. The film concludes that most experts agree that the image was made in a short period of time, in a radiated up and down fashion and that it was made in contact with a 3 dimensional image. Experts state that the negative image is most like radiation caused by lightening and that there is still no known way to duplicate it. The narrator then asks us, if with everything else in Christ's life witnessed, is it not reasonable to assume that the resurrection would be documented?

The negative Mormon reviewers ignore the facts and go for the messenger. The facts PROVE that Joseph Smith Jr. lied about his ability to translate an Egyptian papyrus. Because Mormons can't answer the facts, they always attack the messenger. "The people who made that movie are Christians" or "That's just Anti-Mormons bashing us again." Yes, the makers of this documentary are Christians -- but that doesn't obscure or change the facts that it presents.

This is a well made movie and it presents the facts well. Neutral historians of Mormonism like Jan Shipps are interviewed. Important liberal Mormons are interviewed. The official church refused to participate as did their apologetic "scholarship" wing, FARMs. (One reviewer asked, where is FARMs? Watch the movie, they invited FARMs members to respond and be interviewed and the FARMers said "no comment.")

I hold back 1 star because the movie was made by Christians and that helps Mormons argue that its content is irrelevant. The Christians would have done better to leave it in the hands of an independent film maker, but otherwise this is a good, solid documentary.

Produced in a History Channel format, this video is excellent because it relies on factual history to report the events that led to the publication of the Book of Abraham in the LDS scripture Pearl of Great Price. The question is this: If Joseph Smith was truly a prophet of God, and if he accurately translated the Book of Mormon plates into English, then shouldn't he have had the ability to take the writing of the patriarch Abraham and accurately translate it into English as well? However, as the video points out, the Book of Abraham is nothing more than common funeral papyrii that was sold to Smith by a traveling salesman. With the science of Egyptology in its infancy at that time, Smith was able to convince his people that this papyrus had been produced by Abraham himself. Although the scroll was lost for a century, it was uncovered in the 1960s and given back to the LDS Church. For the first time, this papyrus could be studied in light of the abundance of work that had been done in the field of Egyptology. In effect, the truth about Joseph Smith has been revealed.

All in all, this video is interesting to watch and accurate in its analysis. Although it may cause some honest Latter-day Saints some sleepness nights, grabbing ahold of truth is the most important thing anyone can do. I challenge every Latter-day Saint to see this video for him/herself and then weigh the evidence. If Mormonism is true, then it ought to stand the test.

I found this documentary to be very well done. It is fact filled, and presents the information in a thought provoking manner.

I'm not a Christian, but watching this unjust documentary was enough to make feel pity for their side of the case. Though truth be told, it's not as anti-Christian, as it is just childishly anti-Western.

A few examples:

1) The narrator says that slavery was "unknown to the New World," and even rather slyly gives the listener the impression (without actually saying so) that slavery might have existed in Europe only, and nowhere else. This is a howler. Amerindians kidnapped and enslaved each other continually, all over the New World. Ditto for Africa and Asia. Actually, at that time, Europe was just about the only place in the world that people had ever questioned the morality of slavery. Before the Europeans invented the crazy idea of individual liberty, slavery was the worldwide norm.

2) The script makes the Christian defeat of the tyrannical Emperor Montezuma out to be an unmitigated tragedy for the happy-go-lucky Amerindians of a utopian indigenous Mexico; though the neighbors of the Aztecs, who took Cortes' side, apparently didn't see it that way. Not revealed is the fact that Montezuma's boys used to collect conquered peoples like human taxes, in order to rip out their still-beating hearts and throw them, spraying blood, down the steps of their temples, at the rate of about a thousand innocent victims a year. Nice. Pisarro was as bad as can be, but Cortes's case isn't that simple.

The noble pagans did eat each other, too, by the way, just for the record. Though they lived in such desperate squalor and chronic hunger you can hardly blame them.

The truth is, I have to admit that Christianity almost looks wonderful, when you compare it to the grisly, savage sort of stuff it happened to replace, at least in most of the Western hemishpere. But you wouldn't guess that from watching this "documentary."

...this visual survey of Church history is one-sided and distorted. The "experts" are persons such as those associated with "The Jesus Seminar," who by a vote of the membership have decided that something like 60% - 70% of what is attributed to Jesus in the Gospels was not actually said by Jesus. As they go along, the "experts" profer cynical observations such as the Nicene Creed was formulated by a group of "clerical bureaucrats," and that the main objective of Saint Augustine (who wrote over 400 documents) was to motivate people to avoid the pitfalls of promiscuous sex which plagued his own misspent youth. (As someone who has read a few Augustinian texts, I can assure you there is a lot more to his theology than this particular issue). This production is definitely not a centrist view of the last 2,000 years. It is unfortunately quite inaccurate and biased. I would have to conclude those involved in this effort were more interested in grinding axes than in presenting the truth.

It's interesting to read that several reviewers seem to be a bit upset by this video. I find it extremely interesting and helpful, to the point that I have watched it over and over again.
It is intelligently done, especially considering the monumental task of covering two thousand years of history in such a short time. I didn't find it biased at all, and I'm sure that it is as accurate as any other such account could possibly be. I suppose I could understand why it might make fundamentalists a bit nervous.
I happen to be a devout Christian. Whenever anyone tells me that something is inaccurate or not what it should be, that's exactly when I take a look for myself, and indeed that has made my faith stronger, as has this video presentation.

Without a doubt, this DVD contains an excellent playlist of Bad Religion songs. Unfortunately, the audio is disappointing. The vocals are often drowned out by the instruments. When I first watched it, I was slightly disgruntled; however, during my second viewing, I turned up the volume and found myself enjoying the experience.

The riot material is pathetic. The camera wasn't inside for the actual riot. You saw the tentative beginnings of one, then the camera footage immediately cut to outside the theater for the aftermath. I felt very misled by the promise of riot material.

I would only recommend this DVD to Bad Religion fans or someone who wants to build upon their collection of punk performances.

Undoubtedly, Bad Religion is an amazing band, but the audio quality on this DVD sells them short.

This bad religion dvd is the (...)! It's total punk rock chaos. I had heard it was (...) so I bought one because punk rock (...). When I watched it, I realized I had something that gave me the chills because I just recieved an oldSkool history lesson that I did not expect. The footage was raw and raspy and I felt like I was really there. There are 17 songs from the bands Suffer tour, plus bonus footage that you don't want to miss. I cranked it up so loud on my stereo that it was raunchy and distorted and made my ears bleed just like punk rock should do. I e>mailed L.A. Access Video about future releases. I was told about a 2002 release with legendary punk band T.S.O.L on dvd with bonus footage and the original drummer Todd Barnes. I give this bad religion dvd an A- for video features, C+ for the audio. Punk Out!

This bad religion dvd is the Sh#t! It's total punk rock chaos. I had heard it was crappy so I bought one because punk rock (stinks). When I watched it, I realized I had something that gave me the chills because I just recieved an oldSkool history lesson that I did not expect. The footage was raw and raspy and I felt like I was really there. There are 17 songs from the bands Suffer tour, plus bonus footage that you don't want to miss. I cranked it up so loud on my stereo that it was raunchy and distorted and made my ears bleed just like punk rock should do. I e>mailed L.A. Access Video about future releases. I was told about a 2002 release with legendary punk band T.S.O.L on dvd with bonus footage and the original drummer Todd Barnes. I give this bad religion dvd an A- for video features, C+ for the audio. Punk Out!

Amateurish, dubious archelogical references, this collection is poorly performed, edited, and researched. The bible stories are typically traditional. All in all, nothing new and intellectually painful viewing. I recommend Mysteries of the Bible for substance.

You can look up the individual reviews. Of course some individual titles will go out of stock. Others may not be your favorite. However you will have friends and relatives that will want to compare various stories. This is not an evaluation of the content. A single case makes the movies easier to keep track of and look better on your video storage wall. Being DVDs this is a one-time investment. With the advent of multiple DVD changers you will be able to keep Secrets ready at a moments notice. Buying them individually can be expensive. Dive right in and buy the collection.

This box set of 5 dvds actually contains 10 episodes, all about how modern science backs up the Bible. The series also visits counterviews to provide balanced arguments. You'll have your faith strengthened by this intriguing look at the ancient secrets of the Bible.