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We recently had the opportunity to review Princess Cut dvd from Watchman Pictures. What a great movie for Christian families!!
Grace has dreamed about being married her entire life. The movie starts out with her looking for engagement rings and waiting anxiously for a proposal from a man she thought she loved and loved her back. But love seems to be something that Grace cannot seem to find. She continues to make bad decisions about who she dates, and a bit resistant to her parent's advice to turn to God for help in finding the right mate for her. As she wakes up from her most recent bad choice, she begins to see what her parent's have been suggesting is really her best action. She has realized the guilt that her bad choices have caused her and her conscious leads her in a new direction. This causes her to work on her relationship with God more, and allow his guidance in her decisions about dating. The remainder of the movie is watching Grace mature from her decisions and we wonder, will Grace finally find her forever partner? Princess Cut is a Christian family movie. It is a full-length movie, at approximate 97 minutes in length. There is not an official rating for this title, but I would rate it PG since it does touch on more sensitive topics. I watched this with Lydia and I was not upset that she was with me. She is almost 13 years old, and although not interested in boys yet, she has seen many weddings and talks briefly at times about getting married. We were able to discuss why Grace was having such a hard time, and how she could have started out in making her decision to find a spouse. It opened up some more lines of communication in this area between us. Waiting for marriage and having a clean courtship is not portrayed in the media or on television today. Living together without being married and sex before marriage is something that is now accepted as the social norm. It's even portrayed as ok in most movies that are themed toward kids and families. Those who decide to follow the Bible's counsel about waiting are now considered weird. Life has changed so drastically in the past 50 years. It is very refreshing to see a director making a movie that we want to show our children, with behaviors that are not against Bible principles. Even encouraging young ones to pursue a deeper relationship with God. Princess Cut did a wonderful job showing the importance of not following blindly with what your friends may be doing, and blaze your own path with God as your guide.
We have very much enjoyed Princess Cut, and Lydia LOVED it! She has asked to watch it again with me soon. I can't wait to see what films Watchman Pictures releases in the future!! Several members of the Homeschool Review Crew were given the opportunity to review Princess Cut. Visit the link below to read their thoughts and feelings on this movie.
Trust Fund is the story of young Reese. She lost her mother when she was a teenager and has grown up and is working on her novel. Her father sees her heading down a dangerous path. He sees her life as a spiral of overspending and no responsibility. He keeps trying to get her to grow into a responsible and mature adult. Reese feels that her father and sister though just do not understand her. She is a free-thinker and wants to do want she wants to do. She just wants to keep overspending. Then she discovers that she actually is set to inherit $5,000,000 from her mother in a Trust Fund. She is so broke, and she just wants to run away from what she feels as a jail. While in Italy, she falls into bad association and quickly must run for her life. She fortunately has a caring father at home, and he was able to help her escape. Reese comes back a changed person. Her father welcomes her back with open arms. But her sister and her fiance are very upset and have a hard time accepting Reese back into the family. Trust Fund is a beautiful family movie. It's a modern day story of the Prodigal Son. It's a reminder of how no matter how much family upsets us or even does something that we do not agree with, we forgive and move on together. That family always will be there for each other. Trust Fund is a great story for all ages. Our youngest is 9 and I had no problem with her watching this film. In fact, it's a sweet love story thrown in also that is not inappropriate for the pre-teen crowd. It's really hard to find a movie that is a love story that does not promote premarital relations. Trust Fund is set to release July 18th nationwide for DVD purchase of $14.99.
We also had the opportunity to preview a copy of Love was Near by Sandra Martin ($12.99). This is the story that Reese is writing during the movie. Written for Ages 12 and up, this young adult novel takes you into a deeper look of the movie Trust Fund.
Love was Near takes you to a in-depth look of what Reese was thinking. What her regrets were and how she moved forward. But it's more than just reading her story. Love was Near turns into a journal that you and your daughter can work on together as you read what was going on in Reese's mind. It follows right along with the book.
Love was Near was written as a way to open up dialog with your child about so many topics that you may be afraid to approach or even might not even think about. There are so many times that we think our children just know, because we do. Well that's not the case. We have been given such a weighty responsibility in raising our children and preparing them for life.
We definitely want to make sure we prepare them as much as possible for the world. Reese's father probably thought he had prepared his daughters, but Reese still fell into a trap. One of the chapters is on looking at a person and deciding if they are right for you. (Which is why the book Love was Near is meant for the older teenage girls in your life, and not the whole family).
Mapelle Films has also provided a wonderful extra resource to use along with your viewing of Trust Fund. There is a downloadable study guide from the Mapelle Films website. This can be used along with your viewing or a small group viewing of the movie. The study guide matches up areas of the movie with the Biblical story of the Prodigal Son. It includes the bible verses that you can read along with your child. I actually really enjoyed the Trust Fund movie. It is an excellent family night movie for those of us with older children (at least 9 and older). Trust Fund was a great film, that didn't come off as preachy to children. You all know films that basically wag their finger at wrong doing. We all know that we are imperfect and make many mistakes. If a child feels (or even adults) that they are being preached at constantly they will turn a deaf ear to you. This films just helps to reinforce a parents love for their children, as well as the love that our heavenly father has for us also. The book Love was Here is an excellent companion to go along with your movie viewing. I would definitely recommend it for girls over the age of 15. It was a bit above Lydia at only an early 12 years old. But as our daughters grow older, these are definite topics that we want them to be aware of, dealing with the responsibility of selecting a good mate and the dangers of what lurks out there. Several members of the Schoolhouse Review Crew were given the opportunity to try out both Love was Near and the Trust Fund Movie. Take some time to see how they used these Mapelle Films products in their homes.
