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Dec 6, 2024 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
It’s hard to keep a good man down, or a smooth talker like Dwight “The General” Manfredi (Sylvester Stallone). The last we saw of Dwight, he was headed back to prison for allegedly bribing a federal agent. He successfully argues that it was a gift, in the Shakespearian, “It blesseth him that gives, and him that takes” sense.
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Nov 15, 2024 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
With a plot that moved at warp speed, diverse and fun characters, and just enough social commentary to make us think, Syfy’s The Ark was one of the biggest surprises of last year. Once The Ark was renewed for another season (now on Peacock), the only question was, could the showrunners maintain a steady course? When we last saw the crew of Ark 1 things didn’t look so good. Their ship was seriously damaged, and they had yet to find a new home planet.
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Sep 6, 2024 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
Space Command Redemption wasn’t made by Hollywood, yet looking at the cast you’d never know it. Looking at the special effects? Yeah, you would know it. Still, writer/director Marc Scott Zicree made a love letter to science fiction, new and old, and managed to bring along a few friends, many of whom you’ll probably recognize. Watching his crowdfunded film we have to wonder if this is our future.
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Jul 30, 2024 | 
thebanner.org | Douglas Brunt |Trevor Denning
The world political machine has many moving parts. Personal agendas, technological advances, the discovery of natural resources, and nationalistic oneupmanship start wars and end them. Sometimes significant people and moments get lost in the swirl of major events, rattling around in the depths like loose coins in a washing machine. One such casualty of history (literally and figuratively) is Rudolf Diesel, inventor of the engine that carries his name and still dominates the transport industry.
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Jun 21, 2024 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
Hollywood stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) doesn’t know who he is anymore. After a disastrous fall, the guy sees himself as a failure, unworthy of his girlfriend Jody (Emily Blunt) and his career. So without explanation he turns his broken back on both and becomes a parking valet. Eighteen months later, when Gail (Hannah Waddingham), the producer of Jody’s directorial debut, calls and says Jody needs his help, Colt thinks he’s got a shot at redemption. There’s just one little problem: Gail lied.
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Mar 26, 2024 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
When considering the enduring popularity of some lowerbrow 19th-century adventure stories, C.S. Lewis wrote, “A great myth is relevant as long as the predicament of humanity lasts: as long as humanity lasts. It will always work, on those who can receive it, the same catharsis.” One wonders how he’d feel about the stories of Zorro, the masked hero who has remained a pop culture staple since 1919 and is back on Amazon Prime as a Spanish-language series with English subtitles.
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Dec 15, 2023 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
Sports history is filled with inspiring, true stories tailor made for film. Even people like me, who don’t know a backhand from a ball toss and nothing of love (which I just learned is a score of zero, so, ouch), can get caught up in the drama of overcoming impossible odds. We all experience times in life when we feel we’re facing the impossible and know we have to say a prayer and try anyway. In Ephesians 2:10 we’re reminded that God created us in Christ for predetermined good works.
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Nov 22, 2023 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
The Libyan Diversion (the fifth book in Joel C. Rosenberg’s Marcus Ryker series) can hold its own against any of the late Vince Flynn’s novels, with all the cloaks, daggers and clandestine White House meetings that fans of political espionage crave. But Rosenberg doesn’t use sex and shocking language to keep us turning pages. The rocket-fueled story alone will make your adrenaline spike.
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Nov 17, 2023 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
As anyone searching online for the best way to bake a potato – only to scroll through someone’s ode to fall, farm markets and an aside about a childhood pet before getting to the directions– can tell you, every recipe has a story. It just may not be very interesting. That said, should you want to know about my one-eyed rescue cat who loves my scrambled eggs and how I prepare them, feel free to reach out.
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Oct 20, 2023 | 
thebanner.org | Trevor Denning
Father Colin (writer/director Paul Roland) is a social media sensation. During the lockdown he used his artistic abilities and somber charisma to launch a YouTube channel called Exemplum. As the title card explains, exemplum is defined as “an anecdote that illustrates or supports a moral point, as in a medieval sermon.” Unfortunately, Colin finds material for his morality tales in an immoral way: he’s been recording confessions. If you love old movies, you’re probably familiar with film noir.
