Jesus and Joseph (Herald Entertainment)

Today, I am reviewing two movies provided for me by Herald Entertainment. Both were made by the same people, and they are called Jesus: He Lived Among Us and Joseph: Beloved Son, Rejected Slave, and Exalted Ruler. Each of them are approximately 90 minutes long, with English and Spanish options. The film on Jesus is recommended for ages 7 and up, which I will explain why in the review. While the film on Joseph is suitable for ages 5 and up. Onto the reviews!

Jesus: He Lived Among Us begins on the island of Patmos in the year 96 A.D. Those familiar with their Biblical history will immediately know that John will be of great importance to this film. The scene then shows us an old man (John) and two Roman soldiers questioning how this ancient man could be considered so dangerous that they would need to imprison and isolate him. John informs them that he would not worship the emperor, because there was only one true God. They then go on to talk about how there had been many attempts on John's life, but that he would not die. This is highly accurate, but it surprised me that they made mention of it, as I got a bit of a Protestant vibe from the film. John then tells the story of Jesus, and the remaining 99% of the film is a flashback.

The flashback begins with the Annunciation and quickly escalates to the Flight into Egypt. As Catholics we know about the deaths of all those babies, the Holy Innocents, that gave their life so Jesus could be saved, but we tend to gloss over them when reading in Scripture. After the Flight into Egypt, we flash forward approximately thirty years to Jesus' baptism by His cousin John the Baptist. The rest of the film focuses on Jesus' ministry. We see His teachings, His miracles, and those whose lives were changed by Him. However, there is a constant shadow being cast by the Pharisees in this film. They are always in the background grumbling and plotting. Again, this is something we know, but not something we always focus on. We also see the Passion, the Resurrection, and Jesus talking to Peter after His Resurrection. The film then ends with a bit of a Protestant altar call. Old John tells what he believes, why he knows it to be true, and asks,  "Now that you have heard the story, what will you believe?"

Overall, I was impressed with this movie. You never know what you are going to get when you have an animated tale of Jesus, but this one was VERY Scriptural. There were times when it felt like some of the miracles were out of order, and there was one very tough scene to explain to your kids in the form of Judas' hanging on the tree. It didn't show him commit the act, but you could see the tree shaking and then it panned out and revealed him hanging there. Yes, I know this is accurate, but it was jarring for me to see and raised questions among younger children. Overall, I would still recommend this move. Just be prepared to field tough questions on some of the scenes. Here is a trailer of the movie for you to preview.

Joseph: Beloved Son, Rejected Slave, and Exalted Ruler begins oddly enough with Abraham, not Joseph. In it Abraham is having a prophetic dream, which speaks of the centuries of slavery that the Israelites will suffer in Egypt and their eventual exodus. It then flashes forward 170 years, and we see Joseph as a teenager being gifted his coat of many colors. Joseph goes off to find his brothers and show off his new coat. Even early on, we can see Isaac's favoritism to Joseph; Joseph's arrogance/obliviousness at being the favorite; and Reuben's instincts on trying to protect Joseph. Joseph also has his first prophetic dream about the sheaves of wheat and how his brothers' sheaves bowed before his sheaf. About thirty minutes in Joseph is sold into slavery, and his life is changed forever. In addition to showing elements of the story that we all know, i.e., Potiphar's wife and the great famine. We also see Joseph making reference to his father Isaac and the stairway to Heaven. The story ends by comparing Joseph with Moses and then to Jesus. This ending shows a covenantal history that is found throughout the Bible.

The story of Joseph are some of my favorite chapters in the Bible, so I have mixed feelings on this movie. On the one hand, the film itself is Biblically accurate. It does an amazing job, not only telling the story of Joseph, but putting it in its rightful place in the story of the Bible as a whole. On the other hand, I remember and often watch Joseph: King of Dreams from Dreamworks, so it is tough to live up to one of my favorite movies. Tastes in movies vary greatly though, so you will have to judge for yourself, and that is why I have provided you with the trailer below to see it. I personally recommend it for your family and religious education classes as well.



These DVDs were provided to me for free by Herald Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, please click here and/or here and hit Yes!

Brother Francis: The Mass and The Saints (Herald Entertainment)

Today, is a two-for-one review day at Stuart's Study. This one is for the kids and isn't books, but DVDs. I am blessed by Herald Entertainment to review the latest two episodes in their Brother Francis series entitled The Mass and The Saints. These are episodes Six and Eight respectively. Other topics in this wonderful series include Prayer, Eucharist, Rosary, Confession, Baptism, and Christmas. It looks like the next one out will be called "Following in His Footsteps," which I imagine talks about being a disciple of Christ. I'm really hoping they make some for the rest of the Sacraments and Easter as well. But that's a different conversation. So without further ado, it's on to the reviews!

The Mass begins with Brother Francis vigorously ringing the Church bells and explaining that they are used to call people to Church. He then explains how the Mass is like a holiday or celebration and one that you can attend every day. Unfortunately, some of us (myself included) sometimes forget how special the Mass is and take for granted how lucky we are to be able to attend it so freely. He also tells us that "The Mass is not just about a ceremony and a celebration. The Mass is about Someone."

He then compares Jesus to a hero, for giving up Heaven and coming down here to die for us and our sins. We are then walked through the Mass from entering the door and crossing ourselves with Holy Water to the priest's Dismissal at the end, and reminding people to stay until the priest leaves, not sneaking out after Holy Communion. I particularly like that they included the Parable of the Tax Collector and the Pharisee in this DVD when explaining the Penitential Rite. This has always been one of my favorite parables, and is an excellent reminder that only in humility can we find true forgiveness. This is the perfect DVD for teaching your children or school children (8 and under) what happens at Mass, each part of Mass, and how to be respectful during Mass. 5 stars!

The Saints begins with Brother Francis teaching himself to roller-blade and falling down a lot. He asks the children to remember when they were learning to do something like how to ride a bike, swim, or read. I have to admit I wasn't sure where this was going at first, but once he said, "We all do better when we have encouragement and when we have someone to learn from," it clicked! We're going to talk about how the Saints are they to encourage us and serve as examples who have been there before us.

Before he starts talking about the Saints, he shows secular examples that adults and children look up to, such as musicians and athletes. Then, we dive into the Saints! Brother Francis explains that the Saints are like our family, even if we don't have a family. We see examples of children using the Saints in times of discouragement, but what I found fascinating was that we also see Mother Teresa (a future saint) also turned to the Saints, specifically St. Therese of Lisieux. One saint in particular receives special attention in this episode and that is John Bosco. Your children will learn a lot from this little boy, who grew up to become a great saint and led many people to Jesus. Also of great educational value is a step-by-step explanation on how people become Saints.

Both of these DVDs were as high quality as the previous six in the series. Whenever anyone asks me for good Catholic programs that their children can watch and will enjoy, Brother Francis are always the first two words out of my mouth. What's also great about this series is that it is more than DVDs. They have dozens of coloring books that correspond with the DVDs or focus on a particular saint. There are also kid-friendly Holy Cards modeled in the same style as the graphical style as the DVDs. Last, but not least, they have introduced a matching game that your young kids will both enjoy and learn a lot from!

These DVDs were provided to me for free by Herald Entertainment in exchange for an honest review!

Brother Francis Presents Born into the Kingdom (Herald Entertainment)

Born into the Kingdom is Volume 5 in the Brother Francis series. So far, this cartoon Brother has taught us about prayer, the Eucharist, Confession, the Rosary, and Christmas. This episode we learn about Baptism. We begin by seeing Brother Francis looking through an old picture album. This is appropriate and a good representation for children to associate with Baptism, as we become part of the family of God when we are baptized.

Next, we learn about Original Sin by going all the way back to Adam and Eve. This section doesn't pull any punches, and shows a very realistic and Biblically accurate representation of Genesis. It's nice when the Faith isn't watered down. We don't always give our children as much credit as they deserve when it comes to understanding the Faith.

The last section of the DVD walks you through the actual Sacrament. Since most Catholic children are baptized as babies, they will not remember theirs and might not witness the Sacrament unless they have younger siblings. This video walks them through the basics, including what the priest says, what the parents and godparents say, the prayer of exorcism, etc. Parents could learn as much in this section as their children. I loved Born into the Kingdom as much as I loved the previous episodes from Brother Francis. Be sure to check out Volume 6, The Mass, which was just released.

I received this DVD for free from Herald Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, click here and hit Yes!

Brother Francis Presents The King is Born (Herald Entertainment)

Christmas season is quickly approaching! Have you got all your shopping done, or are you still looking for that one perfect gift? Perhaps, you could get the child (or children) in your life some Brother Francis DVDs. They have a 20% off special going through December 20th for all six DVDs and coloring books located here. Just remember to order by December 13th if you want to guarantee your packages arrives before Christmas. Today, I will be reviewing one of their latest releases on Christmas, called The King is Born.

The King is Born begins by talking about all the traditions and activities people associate with Christmas, including decorating a tree, baking cookies, and exchanging presents. He then explains that with all the hustle and bustle of the season, it's easy to forget the true reason for the season, Christ's birthday. He follows this up with the example of how you would feel if you had a birthday party and everyone ignored you and just focused on themselves instead. We have birthday parties to show appreciation and thankfulness for the person's birth. This leads us to how thankful we should be that Jesus came to earth to be born and ultimately die and save us from our sins.

Brother Francis then tells us the Biblical account of the Christmas story. I appreciate the fact that this DVD told the WHOLE story, too! We begin with Gabriel appearing to Zechariah and telling him that his wife Elizabeth will bear him a son and that he should name his son John. Then comes the Annunciation of Gabriel to Mary, Mary's Visitation to Elizabeth, the birth of John the Baptist and the Nativity of Jesus. It wraps up with Jesus' Presentation in the Temple, and Simeon prophesying to Mary about the sorrow she will experience. I wish there would have been mention of Herod, the Magi, and the Holy Innocents, but I am impressed with all the aspects of the Christmas story it did cover. Lastly, after the Christmas story is over, Brother Francis offers a succinct summary of how Christmas is just the beginning of the story of God's love.

This is the perfect Christmas gift for your little ones, but I'd honestly recommend opening it up early and watching it during Advent. Your kids are bound to get distracted by all the lights and presents and talk of Santa, and that's fine. They are just kids. However, it is our job to make sure that they know the real "reason for the season" and not let the other distractions envelop the whole season of Advent and Christmas. I very much recommend this DVD for parents of little ones, catechists, and teachers in Catholic or Christian schools.

I received this DVD for free from Herald Entertainment in exchange for an honest review. If you found this review helpful, click here and hit Yes!

Herald Entertainment: Brother Francis Presents Forgiven!

Today at Stuart's Study, we're taking a break from reading to review a DVD in my favorite Catholic children's series, Brother Francis. My regular readers will recognize this series from my review of their first three DVDs in this series. Well, today I am reviewing Episode 4 - Brother Francis Presents Forgiven!

This episode starts out with Brother Francis forgetfully wearing a heavy tool-belt, which he compares to carrying around sin before going to Confession. This leads us to an explanation of what our conscience is,  how it can lead us to make right or wrong choices, and several examples of both types of choices. A song is then sung called "God is a Loving Father," which reminds us that God wants to help and love us.

Sins are then compared to rules or laws. This isn't always the best explanation, but the DVD shows us that rules/laws are in place for our own good. This is a good way to explain it to children. Children are then presented with the Parable of the Pharisee and the Publican (or tax collector). For some reason, this parable is not read yearly in the Catholic Church. However, it is read every Lent in the Orthodox Church. I wish we read it more as it teaches an important lesson about approach God with a humble heart when seeking forgiveness. We are then told of ways we sin in thought, word, deed, and omission.

The remainder of the DVD explains how to make a good confession. It starts with an examination of conscience. Next, we go to see a priest, either face-to-face or behind a screen. Brother Francis then walks you through Confession and reassures you that the priests won't judge you but want to help you. What penance is and the necessity of it is then explained. Brother Francis helps your children learn an Act of Contrition. Lastly, there is the song, "Praise God, I'm Forgiven."

This was a great little DVD, like all the Brother Francis DVDs. I would recommend it for a First Communion class of second graders, as they have their First Reconciliation as well! However, it can also be used for slightly older children who need a gentle reminder that Confession is necessary and shouldn't be a scary event. Unfortunately, teenagers and adults need to hear this message as well. So pick up this and all the Brother Francis DVDs for your kids or your religious education class. The next episode is about Baptism and is called Born into the Kingdom, and there is supposed to be one coming out about The Mass soon. They also have DVDs for older kids about Jesus, St. Augustine, and St. Philomena, which I'm sure are great as well!

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