"Courageous" trailer heckled before screenings of "The Help"

[lilwriter85]

I'm taking two great classes this coming semester: one in general multi-culturalism since 1865 and the other focusing on the multi-culturarism of the people from the Southern Border (also the name of the course) since the conquer of the Aztecs. Yo fundies, they are NOT ALL THE SAME!!!!!

Yeah, this is what we do in grad school to understand, as best we can, all cultures that come through the schools (I've chosen areas in need). Hell, without completion of my Master's, I could go out and teach an AP English class at a school or a DRT in my sleep.

FWIW, the cops in my city are from diverse backgrounds, but rookies often get put into bad 'hoods and when a white cop shoots a black guy, no matter his criminal past, there are always riots here because those people have been so marginalized. It's now shifting to the Hispanic areas where two 3 year old boys have been shot in crossfire in the last two weeks.

I don't care if a cop is Christian; they too can fail miserably at their jobs and vilified for it, if the circumstances warrant it. Heck, most of the time, the cops I hear who have been shot are good family men. Maybe in Albany, GA, you can talk a guy down from a ledge or whatever, but that won't fly in the big cities where the races are MUCH more mixed (and often have inner conflicts, ie. San Francisco).

Sorry for the rant, but being a good father won't keep you safe.

edited for multiple riffles that I must clean up by tomorrow. :D

It isn't only fundies that think all Hispanics are the same. I have seen many different people have misconceptions about Hispanics/Latino groups in general. I sometimes laugh at the Duggars and how they brag up about some of the older kids speaking Spanish. I think the Duggars probably have the belief that all Hispanics are the same. If they spent time in New Mexico especially in the northern part they would see be in more for a shock to start off the dialect spoken there is actually is 16th century Spanish. Also some the Hispanos which are mostly in northern New Mexico still practice brujeria and curanderisimo that would freak out the Duggars and other fundies.

[debrand]

These movies aren't that great because the people in them aren't actors...they are from the church that is associated with Sherwood Pictures. It has nothing to do with this being a Christian movie, the plot looks contrived and the actors are as wooden as spoons in a drawer. At least "Fireproof" had Kirk Cameron to kind of liven it up (forgive me, I'm from the era that had pin-ups of him on our walls). The same guy from "Fireproof" is in this film, I wonder if he's supposed to be the same character? I don't really love the production values either... it looks like they borrow a model home from a development and don't even bring in their own furniture to liven it up. There are a lot of things that contribute to the believability factor of a movie... and this one has nothing to do with believing in God. The film just looks bad. I'd think it looked bad even if it didn't have the praying scenes... the acting is God-awful without the Jesus factor.

Christian movies wouldn't be so bad if they remembered a few rules.

Making a good movie and telling a story comes BEFORE selling your religion

Characters matter. Making all the real Christians overly noble or good is boring. They need faults in order to come off as more than laughable cardboard cut outs. One of my problems with Fireproof is that after Kirk Cameron becomes religious, he starts doing the right thing. People don't change that quickly. It would have been better if he had been a Christian the entire time and decided to change.

No one wants to feel attacked by the message in the movie this goes for any group with strong ideology. If the viewer feels that he is being attacked by the director's faith or beliefs, it will turn him or her off

I'm sure that other people will have other ideas

[thoughtful]

It isn't only fundies that think all Hispanics are the same. I have seen many different people have misconceptions about Hispanics/Latino groups in general. I sometimes laugh at the Duggars and how they brag up about some of the older kids speaking Spanish. I think the Duggars probably have the belief that all Hispanics are the same. If they spent time in New Mexico especially in the northern part they would see be in more for a shock to start off the dialect spoken there is actually is 16th century Spanish. Also some the Hispanos which are mostly in northern New Mexico still practice brujeria and curanderisimo that would freak out the Duggars and other fundies.

Even if one is only thinking of stereotypes, they are also ignoring a big chunk of popular culture in the US.

From the silent era through the 1940s, and even into the 60s, film characters and settings from Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries were often glamorous and high-class. Plots often revolved around families that the Anglo character was trying to impress, to win the right to marry their son or daughter.

Central and South American countries, and Cuba, were expensive vacation destinations, as portrayed in Now Voyager, Guys and Dolls, Notorious, to name a few.

Dolores del Rio, Rita Hayworth, Jose Iturbi, Ramon Navarro, Ricardo Montalban, and Rudolph Valentino were all glamorous figures whose ethnic background was part of their public relations image. Desi Arnaz, Cantinflas, Lupe Velez, and Carmen Miranda had a fun, carefree image. Granted, those images often came with some goofy stereotypes attached, but (other than Cantinflas), they were not typecast as poor or downtrodden.

I can think of films that portrayed a Hispanic character or family as very high-class, just off the top of my head -- Flying Down to Rio, You Were Never Lovelier, The Pirate, The Baron of Arizona, Breakfast at Tiffany's, Lady for a Day (and the remake, Pocket Full of Miracles), Yolanda and the Thief, and just about every version of Zorro.

Mexicans didn't always fare as well in their portrayal, especially in Westerns. And, whether the high-tone image was necessarily a good thing can be argued, but, in musicals, comedies, and many dramas, the image was of glamour, joy, respectable old family, and/or wealth.

[Visionoyahweh]

Geez, with all the merch I'm reading about just on this thread, Courageous could reach Spaceballs proportions in tie-ins.

'Fireproof - The Flame Thrower!' Sorry, I couldn't resist.

I looked up the summary for their first film, Flywheel. OMG, a crooked used car salesman who finds God and gives back the money? Josh needs to have his eyelids held open and be forced to watch it until the lesson sets in.

[lilwriter85]

Christian movies wouldn't be so bad if they remembered a few rules.

Making a good movie and telling a story comes BEFORE selling your religion

Characters matter. Making all the real Christians overly noble or good is boring. They need faults in order to come off as more than laughable cardboard cut outs. One of my problems with Fireproof is that after Kirk Cameron becomes religious, he starts doing the right thing. People don't change that quickly. It would have been better if he had been a Christian the entire time and decided to change.

No one wants to feel attacked by the message in the movie this goes for any group with strong ideology. If the viewer feels that he is being attacked by the director's faith or beliefs, it will turn him or her off

I'm sure that other people will have other ideas

I think a lot of people will agree that most Christian movies are bad. On IMDB if you go on the message boards for all of the movies made by Sherwood Pictures there is a guy on the boards who is associated with the church and he pretty jumps to defend the methods used by the Kendricks. He defends the fact that Kendricks/SBC refuses to hire professional actors and he said that Kirk was only offered a role in Fireproof after he had praised Facing the Giants.

A lot of Christians dislike these movies quite a bit. Some people on the IMDB boards have stated their dislike for the movies and some dislike the movies because they thought Facing the Giants and Fireproof were too much like fairytales. I have a friend whose uncle is a UMC minister and they often have movie nights to show these movies and my friend never goes. She said seeing FTG and Fireproof a couple times was enough. I agree with you on Kirk Cameron's character in Fireproof, people don't change that quickly.

The production value for Courageous looks like a step up from the previous movies. I have watched other Christian movies that have worse production values than Sherwood movies. I watched a movie called The Goal which was basically a Christian version of Murderball and that movie was a lot worse production/technical wise than FTG.

[ChickeyMonkey]

If you watch the credits at the end of "Rawhide," pay attention to how the name "Jesus" is spelled. I'll tell you so won't have to look it up. It's spelled "Hey Soos." Talk about ignorant...

[Terrie]

It isn't only fundies that think all Hispanics are the same. I have seen many different people have misconceptions about Hispanics/Latino groups in general. I sometimes laugh at the Duggars and how they brag up about some of the older kids speaking Spanish. I think the Duggars probably have the belief that all Hispanics are the same. If they spent time in New Mexico especially in the northern part they would see be in more for a shock to start off the dialect spoken there is actually is 16th century Spanish. Also some the Hispanos which are mostly in northern New Mexico still practice brujeria and curanderisimo that would freak out the Duggars and other fundies.

Which family is it that talks about eating "Mexican food" when they make supermarket brand tacos? Can you imagine their response to New Mexican food? "Where are the meat and beans in the chile?"

[Trynn]

I loathe all how the media portrays Hispanics most of the time movies and TV shows. Hispanics are very diverse group when it comes to ethnicities/races, socioeconomic classes and different histories in the U.S. The Kendricks Brothers are just adding to misconceptions and misunderstandings that the media has thrown to out audiences about Hispanics. I bet the Kendricks don't realize that some Hispanics in certain areas of the United States haven't been living in poverty for 2 or 3 generations. Also I bet they don't realize that not all Hispanics have brown hair, brown eyes or dark skin. They probably think that there is a Hispanic race.

I admit to being ignorant on this topic. Of course I know that there is no such country as "Hispania," and I know that Hispanics are a very diverse group. Our teacher said that "sometime this semester, we will be learning the difference between Hispanics and Latinos. Historically speaking it's complicated."

Anyone care to enlighten me now?

[MrsYoungie]

My first exposure to Hispanic/Mexicans was on TV with "Zorro". I fell in love with Guy Williams (who was actually Italian) and Caesar Romero (Cuban heritage). Don Diego was quite wealthy and classy as I recall and he was sooooo handsome. Whoever said upthread that the Spanish cultures used to be presented much more upscale was quite right.

[PBrooke]

I admit to being ignorant on this topic. Of course I know that there is no such country as "Hispania," and I know that Hispanics are a very diverse group. Our teacher said that "sometime this semester, we will be learning the difference between Hispanics and Latinos. Historically speaking it's complicated."

Anyone care to enlighten me now?

There sort of is a Hispania - that's what they used to refer to the Spain/Portugal area. However, in my working knowledge, here's how it breaks down:

Hispaniola is the island with the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Growing up in Florida, it was considered acceptable to use the term Hispanic for people from the general Caribbean region: people from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, etc.

It is my understanding from friends who live in California that you refer to people of Mexican decent, etc, as Latinos. To call someone Latino, Hispanic, is an insult.

However, that's just my experience. Here's a more exhaustive Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic

[lilwriter85]

Which family is it that talks about eating "Mexican food" when they make supermarket brand tacos? Can you imagine their response to New Mexican food? "Where are the meat and beans in the chile?"

The Duggars are the ones that always talk about eating Mexican food. They probably wouldn't understand New Mexican cuisine and they would probably expect to be like what they usually have. New Mexican cuisine has a lot of traits or methods from Pueblo cultures and that is another thing the Duggars wouldn't understand.

[ChickeyMonkey]

There sort of is a Hispania - that's what they used to refer to the Spain/Portugal area. However, in my working knowledge, here's how it breaks down:

Hispaniola is the island with the Dominican Republic and Haiti. Growing up in Florida, it was considered acceptable to use the term Hispanic for people from the general Caribbean region: people from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Dominican Republic, etc.

It is my understanding from friends who live in California that you refer to people of Mexican decent, etc, as Latinos. To call someone Latino, Hispanic, is an insult.

However, that's just my experience. Here's a more exhaustive Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hispanic

Don't forget Chicano!

In my Border Cultures class (or whatever it was called), I learned about Criollos (people of "pure" Spanish (from Spain) blood who were born overseas in Spain's colonies). They would be the "white Mexicans" - the people who look like they're European, not Amerindian.

Wiki article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Criollo_people

I like that word, Criollo. Say it with me, Cree-yo-yo. It's fun to say. Another fun word(s) to say is La Calaca. Here's the wiki article on it: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calaca

I wonder if I can attach a picture file... I can! How can you not like a word that rhymes with "Wocka Wocka!" (Fozzie Bear). Besides, the drawings/renditions have such, I don't know, appeal, character, something like that.

[Terrie]

The Duggars are the ones that always talk about eating Mexican food. They probably wouldn't understand New Mexican cuisine and they would probably expect to be like what they usually have. New Mexican cuisine has a lot of traits or methods from Pueblo cultures and that is another thing the Duggars wouldn't understand.

I thought it might be them, but wasn't 100% sure. Personally, I love New Mexican food. Give me a green chile cheeseburger any day.