December 2002
My reviews are not meant to replace your good judgment!! Please
be an active parent, not a robot!! If you disagree with me, I'd love to hear
your opinion. Send comments, questions and suggestions for material to be
reviewed to: Mwuggazer@redeemerbirmingham.org.
Ratings System:
++ Christian - made specifically by Christians for Christians
+ Secular - but contains nothing offensive to most Christians, probably made by Christians trying to exert influence in secular media.
X Contains mature content. Not necessarily offensive, but parents should be careful before allowing exposure to children and pre-teens.
XX Contains very mature, problematic content. Parents should seriously consider restricting exposure to teens.
XXX Completely offensive. Not only should teens be restricted, but adults may want to question their own exposure. Article: Reminder: My reviews are not meant to replace your good judgment!! Please be an active parent, not a robot!! If you disagree with me, I'd love to hear your opinion. Send comments, questions and suggestions for material to be reviewed to: Mwuggazer@redeemerbirmingham.org. Want more? Wuggie's Music Media and More feature is available on the church's website: www.redeeemerbirmingham.org about 3 weeks before it is published in The Lamp. Next month's issue might already be posted.
CDs ~
This month I'd like to focus on Christmas Presents! Here are some great stocking stuffers:CDs ~
Lifehouse: Stanley Climbfall. + Lifehouse is the name of the band, Stanley Climbfall is the name of the CD. Lifehouse makes great mainstream pop rock with solid melodic guitar riffs. They get decent radio airplay, so kids know who Lifehouse is. What they might not know is that the band is made up of Christians who are targeting the secular market instead of the Christian market. The lyrics don't scream Jesus every other word, but the topics covered are thoughtful and complex. The lyrics are clean and represent Christian values. I can't recommend it highly enough. We should be supporting them with our money and our prayers. Compare to Matchbox 20 or Coldplay.
Peter Neumann: Worship. ++ Peter Neumann is the Christian recording artist and performer that we hire for our Summer Camp program and Mexicali Mission Trip. His CD is full of contemporary Christian praise and worship songs. He is backed by a full rock band on the CD, and every track is a sing-a-long praise to God. If your kid has been to camp and doesn't have this CD, it's a sure fire winner. It's also a great introduction to modern praise and worship Music. Peter's CDs are not available in stores. Please see me and I'll sell you a copy.
Faith Hill: Cry. + Faith Hill is great country, and great pop music at the same time. I don't particularly like the cover of this CD, but I do like the music and the lyrics. Faith doesn't sing openly about Jesus, but she does sing about all the things in life that people chase after that leave them unfulfilled, and she suggests that there might be a better way. My fav. song is "When the lights go down". Faith sings about people who live the good life but feel unfulfilled at the end of the day: when the lights go down / and the truth is all you see / when you feel that hole inside your soul / and wonder what you're made of. If you're buying for someone who likes country flavored pop music, this is winner!
Sixpence None The Richer: Divine Discontent. + See my review in last month's Lamp. Great gift. Dynamite pure pop with God pleasing lyrics.
Videos~
Spiderman X The film is rated PG-13, but I don't like the movie ratings system because it tempts us to let others make decisions about what we should let our kids watch. Still, the film earned it's rating with some pretty intense action violence scenes, but no blood and gore, and no gratuitous violence. I would have preferred that the film not use God's name in vain a few times, I didn't see how that related to the plot. Yet, the film has great redeeming value. It is a classic story about good v. evil, and good definitely prevails. A strong theme is: "With great power comes great responsibility." The protagonist models a very good close relationship with his father, and Christian values come out of every pore of his body. He is one of the few good role models for young men to come out of Hollywood this year. Bottom line, I wouldn't go letting my 12 year old see this film because of the violence and occasional language. But parents of teens may feel confident that this video is doing way more good than harm.
Left Behind: Tribulation Force. ++ Fans of the books may be so excited to see the movie that they will buy it no matter what I say. God Bless them. It is harmless fun, and resonates with Christian themes. Unfortunately it is a classic case of Christians making bad media and expecting Christians to buy it and like it because it's Christian even though it's not really very good. I like the attempt, but I'm afraid that this kind of movie creates the perception that "Christian movies" are "bad movies". Still, if your kids like the books and want the movie, it's a good choice.
The lump of coal list:
You'd be better off giving your kids a lump of coal than these selections:
CDs~
Eminem: 8 Mile Soundtrack. XXX No way, no how. Try the new CD, "Art of Translation" by Grits as a Christian alternative.
Christina Aguilera: Stripped XX If you want to encourage your daughter to be a stripper, and your son to marry one, this is a great choice. Otherwise, forget it. I see many signs that the music business and the pornography business are slowly but steadily converging. This is one of them. Try Joy Williams or Rachel Lampa as Christian Alternatives.