New Creationist Film “A Matter of Faith�

[DomWackTroll]

College freshman Rachel is all like “Dad, you’re totally embarrassing me!†when her Christian father takes on her evolutionist professor. But we know she’ll eventually come around, because all Christian films are laughably predictable.

answersingenesis.org/store/specials/matter-faith/?utm_source=discountsdeals&utm_medium=email&utm_content=feature1&utm_campaign=20151008a&mc_cid=40c86a32f5&mc_eid=2f0656c69a

What on earth happened to Harry Anderson that he is now a "star" in all these fundie movies? I never did like the guy's shtick, but he seemed an unlikely candidate for right-wing, anti-science propaganda. Just broke? A true believer? Either way, strange.

ETA: Hmm, I thought this was a new movie (and that I recalled Anderson starring in another fundie film) because Voddie just posted a link to it. But apparently, it came out last year and it is the only fundie film Harry has starred in. Still, I wonder what possessed him. He hasn't worked in years, so maybe he just needed the money:

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0026789/

[PennySycamore]

He was running a club in New Orleans until 2006 with his wife when they decided to up and move to Asheville. Asheville is not the kind of place where I'd expect someone to move if they'd turned fundie. He also did a film Hexing a Hurricane about life in New Orleans before and after Katrina. It starts out with a Voudoo priestess asking protection for the city at the start of the hurricane season.

I'd say he did it for the money. According to the IMDB board, he preferred stand-up and magic to acting so he is pretty much retired from the acting biz.

[Drtwinkstutu]

What on earth happened to Harry Anderson that he is now a "star" in all these fundie movies? I never did like the guy's shtick, but he seemed an unlikely candidate for right-wing, anti-science propaganda. Just broke? A true believer? Either way, strange.

ETA: Hmm, I thought this was a new movie (and that I recalled Anderson starring in another fundie film) because Voddie just posted a link to it. But apparently, it came out last year and it is the only fundie film Harry has starred in. Still, I wonder what possessed him. He hasn't worked in years, so maybe he just needed the money:

Please not another one. I'm becoming discouraged by how many entertainers I watched while growing up have been recently outed as fundies. If Harry truly did it just for the money and doesn't believe in the premise then shame on him for perpetuating this type of propaganda. There are other ways to make money. If he does believe I have to question how he reconciles his belief system with being on a sitcom that had prostitutes, drug addicts and other ungodly sinners in his "court" every episode. It's been a long time, but if I remember correctly his character was benevolent to all. I realize it's acting but it would seem if he was/is a true believer, he would not have been able to play that role without seriously compromising his personal beliefs. I never heard of him pitching fits a la Kirk Cameron style about how the show scripts didn't line up with the bible. To be fair, I never paid that much attention to entertainment news back in the day so it could have happened.

[Marian the Librarian]

Found an article from 2013 - the film was shot at Aquinas College in western Michigan, a heavily Christian/conservative part of the state:

mlive.com/entertainment/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2013/06/feature_film_a_matter_of_faith.html#comments

[DomWackTroll]

Sean Astin and Mira Sorvino are currently starring in Do You Believe, which is by the same guys who did God is Not Dead. Ugh...

Here's a funny review of A Matter of Faith: “The walking stereotype [Anderson's character] is the most sympathetic character in this film. As a devoted follower of Christ who believes we were given brains for a reason, I cheered the villain of the movie in just about everything he did…â€

channelawesome.com/forums/xfa-blog-entry/a-matter-of-faith-a-matter-of-reviews.5075/

[Drtwinkstutu]

Sean Astin and Mira Sorvino are currently starring in Do You Believe, which is by the same guys who did God is Not Dead. Ugh...

Oh FFS. Look, I know the hobbits didn't get paid all that much money being relatively unknown actors at the time. But it was a year shooting schedule. Even if they were only getting union scale (which is highly doubtful) it's still more money than some people will make in their lifetime. And the Meerkat Manor thing had to pay a reasonable amount. Sorvino? Yeah, no words.

Is it because there seem to be more of these fundie films recently and therefore more work available regardless of belief system or are these actors fundies? I can see the value of a fundie filmmaker hiring an actor with a "name" that people recognize. On the other side, I can't see filmmakers that are true believers hiring even "A-list" actors that aren't fundie and having heathens tell their story. It's the chicken/egg conundrum.

[DomWackTroll]

Did someone say A List? How about Jennifer Garner?

http://variety.com/2015/film/news/jenni ... 201484873/

Same studio (Sony) as Heaven is for Real (barf).

[PennySycamore]

Jennifer Garner was the actress who was married to Ben Affleck, right?  I remember reading a few years ago that they went to a, IIRC, Presbyterian church in Beverley Hills.  Jennifer does support Democratic candidates and gave $25,00 to Wendy Davis who ran for Texas governor last year and who is well known for her fabulous 11 hour filibuster to an anti-choice bill in the Texas Senate in 2013.

[IreneIssh]

Whether or not this came out last year, I'm glad you posted it. Having grown up in a very non-religious family, I'm absolutely fascinated by these types of fundie films, and I didn't know about this one! I'm going to have to find a cheap way to watch all these titles that are getting mentioned. I've been having a field day since all the Left Behind movies got added to netflix  

[RandomTrivia]

Sean Astin and Mira Sorvino are currently starring in Do You Believe, which is by the same guys who did God is Not Dead. Ugh...

 

Oh FFS. Look, I know the hobbits didn't get paid all that much money being relatively unknown actors at the time. But it was a year shooting schedule. Even if they were only getting union scale (which is highly doubtful) it's still more money than some people will make in their lifetime. And the Meerkat Manor thing had to pay a reasonable amount. Sorvino? Yeah, no words.

 

Is it because there seem to be more of these fundie films recently and therefore more work available regardless of belief system or are these actors fundies? I can see the value of a fundie filmmaker hiring an actor with a "name" that people recognize. On the other side, I can't see filmmakers that are true believers hiring even "A-list" actors that aren't fundie and having heathens tell their story. It's the chicken/egg conundrum.

I ask the same thing every time someone recognizable turns up in those super-crappy D-list made-for-SyFy movies.  Do they need money, is any acting job at all better than the alternative, does SyFy sneak clauses into their series contracts that obligates actors to take a role in one of their mutant monster of the week flicks?  Do they do it to keep their SAG union card or insurance or something?  Or maybe it's a more mercenary thing - they need a job at a certain time, bills to pay, liked the filming location, figured it was easy money, or they just didn't read the whole script?  Fundie filmmaker gets them drunk to get the contract signed? 

[Coldwinterskies]

I would not be surprised if some of these actors/actresses don't even realize the full implications of what they are supporting by getting involved with these fundies. Just like a lot of people thought of the Duggars as a harmless, wholesome Christian family, perhaps the actors see this as just a harmless "Christian movie" and don't realize they are helping to promote dangerous ideas about extreme patriarchy and scientific ignorance. 

[DomWackTroll]

I would not be surprised if some of these actors/actresses don't even realize the full implications of what they are supporting by getting involved with these fundies. Just like a lot of people thought of the Duggars as a harmless, wholesome Christian family, perhaps the actors see this as just a harmless "Christian movie" and don't realize they are helping to promote dangerous ideas about extreme patriarchy and scientific ignorance. 

I think you're onto something, because Mira regularly praises the pope and called out Rick Santorum's "nonsense" about climate change on Twitter. 

https://twitter.com/mirasorvino/status/606136308654686209

Sean Astin says he's a Lutheran now. 

[Walking Cat Bed]

I mean, sometimes you just have bills to pay...But that's what SyFy movies-of-the-week are for. And Lifetime's versions.

 

Maybe they thought it was an indie project? Made-for-TV thing?

[CyborgKin]

I can't read 'Jennifer Garner' without my brain snapping to "My name is Sydney Bristow. Seven years ago I was recruited by a secret branch of the CIA called SD-6..."

[Drtwinkstutu]

I mean, sometimes you just have bills to pay...But that's what SyFy movies-of-the-week are for. And Lifetime's versions.

 

Maybe they thought it was an indie project? Made-for-TV thing?

This is just the point.  There are lots of Sharknado type made-for-television movies and other projects if all you care about is money.  My guess is they just saw "Christian" and thought it would be a wholesome, family friendly way to earn some bucks without doing any background research.  So shame on them if they didn't "know"  and WTF! if they knowingly perpetuated and elevated these cultist religious movements. 

 

[browncoatslytherin]

Sean Astin and Mira Sorvino are currently starring in Do You Believe, which is by the same guys who did God is Not Dead. Ugh...

i'm very disappointed in sean astin. i always saw him as a smart man who researched his roles to get into his character (hence his intentional weight gain to play samwise gamgee before he found out they weren't going with the "pudgy hobbit" look of the book).

[Peas n carrots]

As a fan of Mystery Science Theater 3000, I've been amazed at some of the big names that have shown up in absolute crap, and this is after they were famous. They obviously did it for a paycheck, because there is no way the low budget-ness of the productions would have went over their heads. A few I can think of off the top of my head are Raul Julia, Donald Pleasance, Linda Evans, Joe Estevez (ok, Joe is debatable I've only seen him in complete crap).

One of my favorite bad movies is Shark Attack 3: The Megalodon which stars John Barrowman of Dr. Who/Torchwood and various British Telly fame.

[sockinshoe]

According to google, Mira Sorvino is devoutly Christian (no clue about her politics) and Sean Astin is Lutheran, but has been a member of several democratic campaigns including Hillary Clinton's in 2008. However, Astin has also visited places like Liberty University (and recently, too) to talk about his Christian values and Christian movie-making. Maybe he doesn't know the crazy he's caught up in. Maybe he thinks he can try and steer some people away from the crazy. Maybe (and this what I find most likely) he has found a way to reconcile sincere and devout Christianity with social liberalism; when he's at Liberty, he's obviously not gonna talk about supporting Hillary Clinton in '08, he's going to talk about what he has in common with these people: his Christian faith.