Screening Dates
Machine Gun Preacher ~ February 3
Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader ~ February 17
Courageous ~ March 2
Freedom Writers ~ March 16
The Encounter ~ March 30
Of Gods & Men ~ April 13
The Maldonado Miracle ~ April 27
The Way ~ May 11
The Mighty Macs ~ May 25
Author David L. Cook's best-selling novel Golf's Sacred Journey: Seven Days at the Links of Utopia comes to the big screen in this inspirational sports drama starring Lucas Black and Robert Duvall. Luke Chisolm (Black) has the drive to become a professional golfer. Just when he's on the verge of going pro, however, he buckles under the pressure. In the aftermath of that crushing disappointment, Luke vanishes from the spotlight, uncertain if he'll ever return to the game again. Luke is driving through Texas when he crashes his car in the town of Utopia, and strikes up a friendship with Johnny Crawford (Duvall), a rancher who knows more about the game of golf than the troubled young visitor realizes. Now, the more time Luke spends with Johnny, the more he begins to see life from a new perspective -- a perspective that will not only help Luke to make sense of where he's been in life, but where he's headed as well. Oscar winner Melissa Leo and True Blood's Deborah Ann Woll co-star.
Inspired by the true story of Tennessee recluse Felix "Bush" Breazeale, who planned his funeral while he was still alive, director Aaron Schneider's dramatic period thriller stars Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek, and Lucas Black. Few folks have spoken with Felix Bush (Duvall) since he disappeared into the Tennessee woods 40 years ago, and the ones who have don't necessarily have the kindest things to say about him. Gruff, confrontational, and ill-tempered, Felix has been the source of many malicious rumors over the years. Some say he's a cold-hearted killer and his penchant for walking into town with a shotgun, a wild beard, and threadbare clothes doesn't exactly give the impression of a man who seeks to make friends. When Felix walks into Frank Quinn's (Murray) funeral parlor and announces his intentions to throw himself a massive party before he passes away, word quickly spreads through town and anticipation starts to run high. Before long the big day has finally arrived, and Felix surprises everyone by revealing exactly why he shunned society to lead a life of solitude in the deep woods.
A former biker and drug dealer single-handedly takes on the nefarious Lord's Resistance Army in a noble bid to save young Sudanese refugees from a life of violence and suffering. Inspired by actual events, Marc Forster's Machine Gun Preacher stars Gerard Butler as Sam Childers, a tough-as-nails biker whose heart shatters upon witnessing the harrowing plight of children in Sudan. Determined that no child shall be enslaved by the brutal Lord's Resistance Army, Childers turns to God for inspiration, and establishes an orphanage for wounded kids and child soldiers. When the Lord's Resistance Army refuses to stand down, Childers organizes a militia to protect the children. In helping to give the orphans of war-torn Sudan a better future, the former outlaw begins to find new meaning in his own life as well
Four police officers attempt to put their faith in God after a sudden and unexpected tragedy transforms their lives forever. Produced by Sherwood Pictures, the Christian production company behind such popular films as Fireproof and Facing the Giants, Courageous follows dedicated cops Adam Mitchell and Nathan Hayes as they work with their partners to keep the streets safe. But when these devoted peacekeepers face the challenge of fatherhood, both their faith and devotion to family are put to the ultimate test. In the aftermath of a devastating calamity, they are faced with a difficult choice that will ultimately come to define their lives. Fortunately, a wise mentor appears to help them understand that man's ambition and God's will aren't always in perfect harmony
Assigned the thankless task of teaching freshman English at a gang-infested Long Beach, CA high school, a 23-year-old teacher resorts to unconventional means of breaking through to her hardened students in director Richard LaGravenese's adaptation of Erin Gruwell's best-seller The Freedom Writer's Diaries: How a Teacher and 150 Teens Used Writing to Change Themselves and the World Around Them. Her students had been written off, and her chances of succeeding scoffed at, but Erin Gruwell (Hilary Swank) wasn't about to go down without a fight. Long Beach is a place where a new war is waged with each passing day, and when the hardened students who walk those dangerous hallways sense an outsider attempting to understand their plight, their cynical resentment threatens to keep a deadly cycle in motion. Despite the initially hostile reaction she receives in the classroom, Gruwell uses the writings of Anne Frank and Zlata's Diary: A Child's Life in Sarajevo to teach her students not only the basis of the English language, but compassion and tolerance as well. Later, when the time comes to tell their own tales in a project specially designed to explore the daily violence that the majority of students have grown numb to, the barriers that had once stood so strong gradually begin to crumble. When the only chance for survival is to befriend the person who was once your mortal enemy, the world is opened to a whole new realm of possibilities.
Five strangers are forced to reexamine their life choices after finding themselves stranded at a mysterious, isolated diner with a man who somehow has all of the answers to their most pressing problems. From the callous businessman (Steve "Sting" Borden) to the unhappily married couple, the desperate runaway, and the solitary woman, each of these lost souls faces an existential dilemma that has thrown their lives into chaos. But the proprietor of the restaurant, a man named Nazerine (Bruce Marchiano), possesses the secret to freeing them all from an eternity of suffering, if they could only see outside of themselves long enough to understand just what's at stake.
Men of faith find their pacifist beliefs put to the test in this drama from filmmaker Xavier Beauvois, inspired by a true story. Christian (Lambert Wilson) is the leader of an order of Trappist monks living in the hills outside Algiers. The community outside the monastery is almost exclusively Muslim, and the monks have worked to foster understanding between themselves and their neighbors; they observe Muslim traditions, are well versed in the Koran, and provide medical and charitable assistance to the townspeople. The monastery is an oasis of calm and peace as Algeria is caught up in a civil war, with forces led by Muslim extremists leading a bloody campaign against the nation's rulers. Christian and his monks do not wish to take sides in a conflict they believe is immoral; they refuse the protection of the military while also denying aid and comfort to the insurgents. The monks' efforts to remain outside the war, however, have ugly consequences when they're taken hostage by a band of Islamic revolutionaries. Des Hommes et des Dieux (aka Of Gods and Men) was an official selection at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival.
Actress Salma Hayek makes her directorial debut with this heartwarming drama based on the novel by Theodore Taylor. José (Eddy Martin) is a young boy from Mexico who sneaks into the United States in search of his father, a migrant worker. On the run with an injured arm and looking for a place to rest, José sneaks into a church in San Ramos, CA, and hides in a scaffolding above the pulpit. Blood from José's arm drips onto a statue of Christ, and the next morning when Josephina (Soledad St. Hilaire), a devoted member of the congregation, arrives for her daily prayers, she's convinced that the plaster figure is weeping tears of blood. Father Russell (Peter Fonda), the parish priest, isn't sure if this is a genuine miracle or not, though given the town's financial woes and his own waning faith, the timing would be good for one. As Father Russell tries to determine just what has happened, Josephina begins spreading word of the miracle, as and the story spreads, it becomes increasingly embellished. Soon curious believers and intrigued skeptics flood San Ramos, boosting the town's sagging economy, with Maisie (Mare Winningham), proprietor of the local cafe, one of the prime beneficiaries. Maisie, however, has also discovered and taken in José, and when she and her friend Cruz (Ruben Blades) learn the truth about the weeping statue, they're unsure if they should tell the townspeople just what has happened. The Maldonado Miracle was produced for cable television broadcast in a partnership between Hallmark Productions and the Showtime premium cable network.
A grieving father makes a pilgrimage to the Pyrenees in honor of his late son, and experiences a major epiphany during his journey down the Way of Saint James. When his adult son (Emilio Estevez) is killed during an excursion down a Christian pilgrimage route, California doctor Tom (Martin Sheen) vows to complete the treacherous journey. As Tom sets down the 800 km path with only his son's guidebook and backpack, he forges powerful bonds with three fellow travelers (Yorick Van Wageningen, Deborah Kara Unger, James Nesbitt, who alter his perspective of the world and remind him what it means to lead a meaningful life.
The feature debut of director Tim Chambers, this sports drama stars Carla Gugino (Spy Kids) as Cathy Rush, a women's basketball coach in the early '70s. With almost no resources for the sport, Rush is hired by a small college and commits herself to turning a nearly nonexistent team into a national competitor. With sheer determination, the coach inspires her team to reach for the stars. The Mighty Macs also stars Ellen Burstyn and Marley Shelton.