What to Watch This Weekend: Early Halloween Horror, Apocalyptic Sci-Fi, Chinese Anime, Enola Holmes, I Still Believe, and Guy Ritchie Comedy

For Horror Fans Looking To Vacation - Death of Me (Theaters and Digital)

Death of Me constructs a convincing horror scenario in paradise, with a great sense of dread, a story that has you constantly worried about the clock, and eerie effects and sound.  For more information, check out our review!

For Anime Fans - Jiang Ziya (Theaters)

Jiang Ziya is a decidedly more epic film than Ne Zha, with more detailed and stunning animation, a grandiose soundtrack, and a larger and more consequential adventure.   For more information, check out our review!

For the Sci-Fi Fans - 2067 (Theaters and Digital)

2067 is a breath of fresh air, with a new take on a post-apocalyptic scenario, strong acting from Kodi Smit-McPhee, and a well-paced story that concludes with a satisfying ending.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Mystery Solvers - Enola Holmes (Netflix)

Enola Holmes gets high marks for Millie Bobby Brown's wonderful, effervescent performance, charming story, and its valuable lessons.  

For the Horror Storytellers - Scare Me (Shudder)

Scare Me tells a spirited, funny story that will entertain viewers, but leaves it up to their imagination to really find the scares in these spooky stories.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Nostalgic Horror Fan - Scary Stories (Amazon)

Get into the Halloween spirit with the retelling of the classic children's tales.  The remake did a great job translating the iconic imagery to the big screen and the whole film was much better than it should have been!  For more information, check out our review!

For the Faith-Forward Fans - I Still Believe (Hulu)

I Still Believe tells an amazing story with solid performances by its two leads and an inspiring message that was tweaked a little too much for Hollywood in the wrong ways.  For more information, check out our review!

For the Heist or Guy Ritchie Fans - The Gentlemen (Showtime)

The Gentlemen is classic Guy Ritchie: a fantastic cast acting in a complicated crime caper fueled by Ritchie's amazing style and sharp, clever writing.  Dignify yourself and don't miss this one.    For more information, check out our review!

Review: I Still Believe

Release date: March 13, 2020
Running time: 115 minutes
Starring: Britt Robertson, K.J. Apa, Melissa Roxburgh 

I Still Believe is based on the early life of Christian music star Jeremy Camp.  It starts with Camp's (Apa's) early years at college and how he met Melissa Henning (Robertson), someone who had a significant impact on his faith and music.  The two start a whirlwind relationship that is met with lots of love, humor, and challenges that no one their age should face.  How the two deal with this forms a huge part of the movie and is where a lot of the faith-based message comes from.

I Still Believe does have a lot going for it.  First and foremost, K.J. Apa is fantastic as Jeremy Camp.  He is talented (doing about 85% of the vocals in the film and playing guitar) and funny, really highlighting what is special about the famous singer.  And, most importantly, he has fantastic charisma with Britt Robertson.  The relationship that these two share really drives the story and the underlying message of the film, and the clear connection the two have really shines through on the screen.  Additionally, although the movie is definitely a faith-forward film, it does ask some really tough questions and provide reasonable answers to those.  They're not all sunshine and overly optimistic, there are some bad times depicted in this film.  And, most importantly, the responses from the characters aren't always idealistic; I appreciated when some realistic answers were given to tough questions and situations. 

However, although this film follows Camp's life and his relationship with Melissa, this film is only based on a true story.  Although the main events and challenges of the film do seem to have happened, a lot of the journey between those points was tweaked and supplemented for Hollywood.  Specifically, how Jeremy Camp got his first break, how Jeremy and Melissa met, and an influential friend seem to have been tweaked for the purposes of the movie.  It is an amazing story as is, so it is a little disappointing that it was retooled for Hollywood.  And one thing that really struck me was the lack of diversity in the cast.  I'm sure that this was accurate for the community at Camp's college and maybe some of his concerts, but in re-crafting the story, I feel like the filmmakers should have added some diversity to the movie.  If they are going to rearrange aspects of his life, why not add additional characters that can speak to a broader movie audience?  And, although this is not a surprise for faith-forward movies, some of the lines were overly corny, though as I mentioned I appreciated that this film does have realistic responses to many tough questions.

I Still Believe tells an amazing story with solid performances by its two leads and an inspiring message that was tweaked a little too much for Hollywood in the wrong ways.  

Rent it

Screening: I Still Believe

From the makers of I CAN ONLY IMAGINE comes the true life story of Christian music mega star Jeremy Camp. Jeremy’s remarkable journey of love and loss proves there is always hope in the midst of tragedy and that faith tested is the only faith worth sharing.

Cast: KJ Apa, Britt Robertson, Melissa Roxburgh, Nathan Dean, Shania Twain, and Gary Sinise

Directed by: The Erwin Brothers

Screenplay by:Jon Erwin & Jon Gunn

Based on the Book by: Jeremy Camp

Produced by:  Kevin Downes, Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin

Rated:  PG

Screening Details

Tuesday, March 10
7:00 PM

AMC Mazza

Screening Link: 

http://www.lionsgatescreenings.com/LrMni93385  

Be sure to Like and Follow Watch or Pass on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and share with your friends!

As always, screenings are first-come, first-served so please arrive early to ensure you get a seat.