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After viewing The Legend of Johnny Lingo, Holly McClure (Crosswalk) says, "Look for this film to open in your area and take all ages to see this precious and touching family-friendly story. It affirms faith in God who has a hand on our lives, hope in situations that seem hopeless, and shows forgiveness and mercy given for people who seem like they don't deserve it. This is a wonderful family film full of tender moments, exciting adventure and good old-fashioned values!"

Caroline Mooney (Christian Spotlight) says Lingo is "predictable, but wonderfully so. The film's message is clear: Good character bears witness to true beauty."

I watched the film with a group of my nephews and nieces. The kids enjoyed it, happy to see the young neglected heroes rise above those who mistreated them. But the acting had the mediocre quality of community theatre, which distracted me despite the film's exotic island settings.

The Medallion continues to disappoint critics. Michael Medved (Crosswalk) calls this Jackie Chan film "sad, rather than exhilarating … one of the most disappointing feature films of Chan's checkered career."

Regarding Stephen Frears' thriller Dirty Pretty Things, Andrew Coffin (World) says, "The movie realistically, sometimes graphically, portrays immigrant life. [It] deserves a strong R. The more brutal images in the film, although almost never explicit, are still disturbing. Even what is implied is often hard to take, particularly as [the heroine] faces sexual abuse by several employers. But the best scenes in the film show [the hero], by contrast, exhibiting a quiet resolve, intelligence, and compassion that guide him through this grimy underworld."

A list of things to consider while waiting for Gibson's Passion

Gary Leupp, an associate professor in the department of history at Tufts University, spoke up this week at Counterpunch regarding the scandal over Mel Gibson's unreleased (and largely unseen, even by its protesters) film The Passion. He tries to separate fact from fiction, hype from history, and to address whether Gibson is on the right path with his Jesus film. You can read his list of "dispassionate notes" here.

In two weeks: The Order , Dickie Roberts: Former Child Star, Matchstick Men, Once Upon a Time in Mexico, and more.

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September (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47