Tag: family movie

Running the Bases (PureFlix, Amazon, VUDU, iTunes)

Baseball was their dream. Until that dream is crushed by an untimely death and the diagnosis of a potentially fatal health condition. Now, with no plans and apparently no future, Luke feels lost until he modifies his dream. He may no longer be able to play baseball, but there is nothing stopping him from coaching it.

As a coach, Luke focuses on developing the whole person, not just their baseball skills, holding his team to high standards both on and off the field. His reputation as a coach lands him a job offer at a large, public school. Luke and his family make the decision to move and accept what they believe to be a God-given opportunity.

However, it is not long before this God-given opportunity turns into a nightmare as Luke’s values and methods are challenged by the school superintendent whose focus is on winning and not on building men of character. There is an underlying reason for the superintendent’s behavior, but that will be revealed in the course of the movie.

This movie is worth the watch, and I don’t say that about many Christina movies. The story has humor and heart; it has plot and character. Yes, there are Christian references, but they are believable (they come up naturally in the story). At no point in time do you feel like you are being preached at. This is by far one of the best Christian movies I’ve ever seen. Definitely worth the watch! I will be adding it to my “Favorites.”

Running the Bases is also available on VUDU, Amazon Prime, and iTunes.

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey

Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey is another of Netflix’s new Christmas movies, and … its a musical!!

Jeronicus Jangle is the Willy Wonka of toys. He is the world’s greatest inventor! But tragedy strikes. One night, Jeronicus’ ideas are stolen and produced by someone who was once a friend. Unfortunately, his ideas weren’t the only thing Jeronicus lost that night. As days and years pass, Jeronicus slowly loses his creativity, lust for life, and ultimately his family, leaving him a grumpy and lonely old man. That all changes when his granddaughter, Journey, shows up. Her creative, joyful persistence is no match for her cranky old grandfather. Ever so slowly, he begins to rediscover the magic in life.

The cast of Jingle Jangle is stellar! My favorite character by far was Journey; Madalen Mills does a fantastic job capturing Journey’s enthusiasm. Forest Whitaker does an excellent job playing the cantankerous Jeronicus, and Keegan-Michael Key does an excellent job as the villain.

I didn’t realize when I started watching it that Jingle Jangle was a musical. I absolutely love Madalen Mill’s (Journey’s) voice. She sings one song in particular – Square Root of Possible – which is my favorite song in the show. It is sort of the “Let It Go” of the film.

The vibrant colors, stellar cast, and fun music make Jingle Jangle: A Christmas Journey an interesting movie. While I can’t say I enjoyed it (I thought the story was a little slow), I was blown away by the excellent voices and drawn in by the fun colors and believable cast.

If you are looking for a family friendly Christmas movie, and are tired of the old classics, you might want to check Jingle Jangle out on Netflix.