The Captive

The Captive

A FAITH-BASED MOVIE REVIEW

Getting that God-life does not mean you get to be the only guy who doesn’t get to go to the movies! Nope! It just means that you get to be one of the few who choose not to sully your soul with a 90 minute thrill on the eyes, that could chill your heart for days or even months to come! 

Check out our latest ‘The Narrow Gateway’ review of the movie, Captive.

TITLE OF MOVIE: The Captive

ACTORS: David Oyelowo, Kate Mara, Michael Kenneth Williams, Elle Graham, Claudia Church

GENRE:  Faith based crime drama adaptation

Before I even get to the storyline, let me just say; this movie had me clutching hold of my heart and squeezing it every few minutes! The movie has you living breath by breath. I mean, not only was it graced by some super A-list actors, including our very own proudly Nigerian, David Oyelowo, it was performed so brilliantly, that we felt every crescendo as if the whole saga was happening to us! The movie definitely got it’s strong and captivating message across:

Redemption. Hope. Restoration. Purpose.

No one is beyond God’s reach. No one is beyond God’s love. God will always find a way to let even the most apparently far-gone of us know, that not only does He love us indescribably, but He also has a plan for us to change the world, using the very broken pieces of our lives.

Gosh!

Okay, here’s the story line.

STORYLINE: 

This incredibly moving movie is based on a book by Ashley Smith, in which she re-tells her true-life experience at the hands of Brian Nichols, an escaped convict.

Captive-KA-2Brian Nichols is an unpredictable and unstable young man, who breaks out of police custody rather dramatically, injures and murders a trail of people, then randomly finds an apartment to hole up in.

It turns out that the apartment belongs to Ashley, a young widow and mother of a little girl, and she comes to the party with her own tales of woe. She is a recovering meth addict, who has lost a whole lot of life’s goodness to her addiction.

The storyline spans the course of several hours, during which time, Ashley finds strength, seemingly out of nowhere, to start reading and sharing bits of a book titled The Purpose Driven Life”, by Rick Warren, with Brian. Now, just from what I know about that book…I mean, that should say it all!

WOW!

As in! Is that God or what?!

The story continues to unfold, dramatically, but if I say more, I’ll be giving out spoilers!

TARGET AUDIENCE:  Ages 13 and above, with Parental Guidance

VALUES AND WORLD VIEWS PROMOTED BY SERIES: 

I think, to get the full picture, you just have to scour Youtube for interviews that Ashley Smith has since done on her experience. You get to see a young woman who, by many human counts, did actually deserve to be yet another victim at the hands of a man who had already killed 4 innocent people. So how come she was not killed too, or raped, or even beaten?

The answer lies in Ashley’s subsequent explanation of where she was at in her life at the time. She had recently made a fragile recommitment to God, one that she really desired to keep, though she had no clue if she had the strength to keep it. She basically took a step toward God only to find that He had been taking a whole lotta steps towards her, all along. She had invited God to restore her from a life of drug addiction, and though she had no idea how it was going to work, she really meant it when she invited God in. And alas! God came in, used a dramatic situation (as we know He often does) to deliver her from her addiction.

The experience of being captured by a killer and an accused rapist literally turned out to be Ashley’s deliverance from a life of drug addiction and brokenness.

Neither the movie, nor the way Ashley tells her story in her interviews excuses sin or evil. Instead, it spotlights God’s mercy, God’s grace and God’s powerful hand in the lives of absolutely anybody who will give Him just an inch. Give Him an inch, and He will take MILES and MILES…that’s God. He loves us that much. And we see that play out in both Ashley and Brian’s lives.

So the values here are certainly 100% PLUS PLUS! Redemption. Hope. Grace. Undeserved mercy. Love. Forgiveness. Deliverance. Purpose. Purpose. Purpose.

Ashley is now remarried. She spends her time speaking about her experience of how God worked deliverance into her very broken life, using some very broken circumstances.

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RELEVANT BIBLE REFERENCES:

The movie actually opens with one.

Romans 5:20. Where sin abounded, grace abounded more.

Goosebumps. That’s one of my favourite verses. We often think that the more sinful we are, the more God retreats and stands behind some golden sideline waiting for us to kill ourselves off. Alas, that is not the case. The worse a person is, the more grace God pours out at you.

I quote from one of the interviews that Ashley Smith has done over the last 12 years since, “You can be so messed up and so far gone, and God is like, “Yea but…I have hope for you…”

Another verse that comes to mind is, Psalm 91:7-8.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

WHO SHOULD WATCH THIS?

Everyone. Absolutely everyone.

WHO SHOULD NOT WATCH THIS?

Little kids and preteens may find some of the scenes frightening or disturbing.

RATING:

I would give a 4 out of 5.

CHRISTIAN TRANSFORMATIONAL PROGRAMS BY COACH TOYIN

                                       

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The B.O.O.M Walk Program by Toyin Oladiran

We all come from somewhere. We all have our battle scars. We all have those life experiences, past or even ongoing, that have forced us into shadowy corners in our lives, preventing us from living fully, loving fully and most of all, serving God to the uttermost.

Some of us have carried on in this way, and gone on to do life ‘normally’, to become pastors, engineers, fathers, builders, lovers, secretaries, government officials, wives, teachers, sports coaches, gym instructors, you name it. Yet many are living a façade; a classic tale of smokes and mirrors. Many are carrying around, and being defined by those pivotal life experiences. Many have learnt to accept that this is just the way life is – living with and from the baggage.

What’s your scar? Where does it come from? Is it still driving your thoughts and responses to life? Are you tired of your scars keeping you wedged off into the fringes and sidelines of life, constantly angry, bitter, frustrated, rejected, insecure, proud, self-righteous … etc?

That’s what you and I will be tackling with the HOLY SPIRIT in The B.O.O.M WALK PROGRAM.💥

This Program is for EVERYONE…
…Yes, I said EVERYONE!

Be careful now. Do not think that only people who struggle with what we erroneously call ‘the big sins’ like murder, slavery, adultery etc struggle with the ‘Old Man’ (‘B.O.O.M’ stands for ‘bow out, Old Man’). Yes those are reflections of the ‘Old Man’ at work, but for the vast majority of people, the traits of the ‘Old Man’ are way more subtle, and internal.

I’m talking anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, self-righteousness, pride, fear, insecurity, rebellion against God, inferiority complex, lack of self-control…the list can go on.

The ‘Old Man’ thrives in secrecy… it’s all about the state of the mind, isn’t it?

Come on. Do not be afraid! And do not settle for more of the same!

Click here now to indicate your interest and to begin to prepare your heart and your spaces. The kind of transformation we are talking about here does not come by the click of a finger, neither does it come by lurking in a spectator’s seat. You need to take a bold step, own who you are and where you are at, and come along, for The B.O.O.M Walk Program.

I cannot WAIT to work with you. And if I am so excited about it, imagine how God, the Incredible Lover of your soul feels?😉

Hugs and Love,

Toyin Oladiran (Christian Transformational Coach and Creator of The B.O.O.M Walk Program)


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This is Us (Season 1)

This is Us (Season 1)

TV SERIES REVIEW submitted by Aisha Olumese 

NAME OF SHOW: THIS IS US (SEASON 1)

ACTORS:  Mandy Moore, Milo Ventimiglia and Sterling K. Brown

GENRE:  Drama/ Comedy

 

STORYLINE: 

Rebecca Pearson once had a difficult pregnancy with triplets. The resulting births occurred on the same day as her husband Jack Pearson’s thirty-sixth birthday. The series explores the stories of the past and present of the characters and is presented at different points in time with most scenes taking place in past, and the present day.

Kate and Kevin are part of a triplet pregnancy; unfortunately, their biological brother was stillborn. Their parents, Jack and Rebecca who are fixed on the “original plan” to bring home three babies, decide to adopt another newborn: Randall, a black child born the same day and brought to the same hospital after his biological father abandoned him at a fire station.

The Rebecca and Jack stories generally take place during the early stage of their marriage, surrounding the birth of the three children, or at different phases of the children’s upbringing, which was not always smooth sailing for any of the five. Separate stories concerning Kevin, Kate and Randall are also presented in their adult years, each who has his or her own baggage resulting from that upbringing: Kevin who was generally the neglected one because he had no outward issues; Kate who has always had weight issues; and Randall, the gifted one, being the visible outsider.

TARGET AUDIENCE:  Ages 13 and above, with Parental Guidance

VALUES AND WORLD VIEWS PROMOTED BY SERIES: 

The series features heartstring-tugging family drama. The stories demonstrate the emotional ties that exist not only because of being family, but also because of four of them having the same birthday and some of them having always been together, since conception.movie review ad

It is refreshing departure and respite from the relational violence and other pessimisms featured in a lot of what is on offer.

RELEVANT BIBLE REFERENCES:

1 Corinthians 13:7 [Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things]

1 Corinthians 13:8 [Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away]

Colossians 3:13 [Bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive]

1 Corinthians 13:13 [So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love]

WHO SHOULD WATCH THIS? :

Everyone who wants positive content with a well told story line. #InMyOpinion

WHO SHOULD NOT WATCH THIS? :

Anyone looking for the “excitement” most of the reality series have to offer .  #InMyOpinion

RATING:

8 out of 10

After I watched the pilot episode, one word described what I thought of it…PERFECT! The show caught and kept my attention , I enjoyed all the emotions and family dynamics. The second episode topped the first by the way the past explained the present. I was eager to know how the stories moved forward and was beyond pleased that the show maintained the standard that it set forth from the very first episode.

A NOTE FROM TOYIN

The views expressed in the review are that of the writer. We hope you find the review helpful in your quest to find some #goodoldfun to #fillyourspaces without #diminishingtheGodlightinyou. We encourage you to remain prayerful about the entertainment content that you look to in order to #fillyourspaces. We encourage you to keep the biblical values of restraint and moderation in mind – 1 Corinthians 6:12: “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.”

If you would like to write a TV/Movie Review, a Christian Book Review or a “Gig Review” for The Narrow Gateway, please reach out to me on thenarrowgateway@gmail.com and check out why we do Entertainment Reviews, and our guidelines here

Cousins are childhood playmateswho become lifetime friends.

“Brotherly Love” by Fehintoluwa Jolugbo

“Brotherly Love” by Fehintoluwa Jolugbo

“Brotherly Love” – A Movie Review by Fehintoluwa Jolugbo

Hi! Welcome to our second MOVIE REVIEW here at THE NARROW GATEWAY! I am super-excited to share this Movie Review with you. Why? Because it was submitted by an intelligent young man, only 14 years old! His name is Fehintoluwa Jolugbo (a.k.a Yoyo) and I was so impressed with his review, I hardly had to make any changes! It’s pretty “telling” that Yoyo has the depth of character and insight to even think of writing a Movie Review from the point of view of Christian values, but why would we be surprised? You see His mum is Bukola Jolugbo, Founder of Joshua’s Army, which is an organisation with a mission to foster a “role-model relationship” between fathers and sons, and to see sons raised to walking in line with God’s will and agenda for them as males. This is what Bukola Jolugbo had to say about the movie “Brotherly Love”:

“In May 2017, Joshua’s Army challenged fathers to deliberately spend time with their teenage boys and engage in constructive conversation & activities on a daily basis. We set up Saturday nights as Family Movie Night and one of the movies we watched was “Brotherly Love”. I recommended this movie because the values of the movie (though it is not altogether a Christian movie) are in line with the values of Joshua’s Army. Watching “Brotherly Love” as a family is an eye opener to the battles our teenagers face with peer pressure and I am proud to read my son’s review on it.”

Here’s the Review! Well done Yoyo!

Movie title

Brotherly Love

Feature Actors and/or directors and/or producers

Actors: Keke Palmer (Jackie), Cory Hardrict (June), Eric D. Hill Jr. (Sergio)

Director: Jamal Hill

Producers:  Charles E. Alston, Yaneley Arty, Shakim Compere

Genre

Sports film, drama

Storyline

In West Philly, a born and raised teen basketball star faces pressure to make it big, while his twin sister embarks on a risky romance, and their brother is drawn into a street war.

Target Audience

I think this movie is targeted to all ages, but specifically teenage boys and young adults because its shows the distractions and pressures that we feel and face, but it does so from a  “hood” sort of perspective.

Values and world-views that the storyline promotesbrotherly love

The main value that this movie puts across is that as young people we should always chase our dreams, irrespective of where we were born or grew up. It also tells us that we should be careful of the people we associate ourselves with. As said in the movie “The foundations we lay right now are for who we are going to be in the future”.

Also, June’s mum stayed in the pain of her past leaving the responsibility of the family on June, a young man who needed guidance himself (he started running the home when he was 15). June became the man he wasn’t at a very early age because his parents were absent and he led life and his siblings the way he knew to do best. In my opinion, June was a fantastic son and brother who only made the wrong choice in life for lack of parental guidance.

I’d also like to mention Chris (Jackie’s boyfriend). He seem to truly love Jackie but allowed anger and the thirst for vengeance take the better part of him because of his cousin’s death. Anger only destroys and leaves us in regret – it’s not worth it!

Although Sergio ended up well – he became his dreams and made his community proud – but someone (his brother) paid for that with his life and I am glad he made good use of the ransom. My mum likened that to the ransom Jesus paid for us and what we do with it.

Does it bring any Bible stories or Bible verses to mind?

This movie can be linked to the biblical story of Samson. Samson had potential and he was chosen by God, but he allowed distractions from peers to ruin him. If Samson had listened to his parents and paid attention to his calling (potential), he would have been greater than he was.

Who should be watching this?

Teenagers, young adults and parents (families)

Who should not be watching this?

Pre-teens and children because of the gunshot, blood and language

Give a rating

I would give this movie a rating of 5 out of 5 stars

 

A NOTE FROM TOYIN

The views expressed in the review are that of the writer. We hope you find the review helpful in your quest to find some #goodoldfun to #fillyourspaces without #diminishingtheGodlightinyou. We encourage you to remain prayerful about the entertainment content that you look to in order to #fillyourspaces. We encourage you to keep the biblical values of restraint and moderation in mind – 1 Corinthians 6:12: “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.”

If you would like to write a TV/Movie Review, a Christian Book Review or a “Gig Review” for The Narrow Gateway, please reach out to me on thenarrowgateway@gmail.com and check out why we do Entertainment Reviews, and our guidelines here.