My Own Little World

If I’m being honest, I really want the Christian film industry to succeed. I want it to be good art that families can feel comfortable seeing in a theater. I want it to have good messages for Christians in the world today, and I want these films to do well and gain respect outside of the American evangelical sphere. There haven’t been many films of this genre, though, that have risen above one of two categories – borderline sermon or borderline propaganda – and the typical lack of production quality behind these films means that I cannot in good conscience say they are good movies either. If I’m being honest, though, I also must admit that I Can Only Imagine is one of the better Christian films of the last several years. It does a surprisingly good job proving that its story – the life of Bart Millard and how his journey led him to write the titular song – can make an emotionally compelling film, which considering how unnecessary the film seems at its outset is quite a feat. ...

Third Day is perhaps one of the most popular acts in Christian music history. Their southern gospel-rock blend is accessible to fans of both adult contemporary and harder rock, but recently they have stuck to the same sound as their 2008 hit album Revelation . I was hoping for something different from Move but didn't get it. Did Miracle  finally undo their stagnation? In a word, no. They stick to their same brand of southern rock for most of the album. The upside? The word "most." Third Day realizes when the trends begin to change and when they need to slightly tweak their sound, like any well-seasoned band should. Musically, they drift more into ambient rock and add some subtle electronic bass lines in songs like "For the Rest of My Life." Like 2010's Move , they add a harder edge to open the album with "Hit Me Like a Bomb." However, save these songs, they stay for the most part where they are comfortable musically. This is not entirely bad ...