The Blind Side (PG)
 Keywords: homelessness, compassion, talent, family, acceptance
Teenager Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron) is surviving on his own, virtually homeless, when he is spotted on the street by Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock). Learning that the young man is one of her daughter’s
classmates, Leigh Anne insists that Michael—wearing shorts and a t-shirt in the dead of winter—come
out of the cold. Without a moment’s hesitation, she invites him to stay at the Tuohy home for the night.
What starts out as a gesture of kindness becomes much more as Michael becomes part of the Tuohy family
despite the differences and backgrounds.
Living in his new environment, the teen faces a completely different set of challenges to overcome. And
as the family helps Michael fulfill his potential, both on and off the football field, Michael’s presence in
the Tuohys’ lives leads them to some insightful self-discoveries of their own.
Download the Truly Moving Pictures discussion guide here.
Bright Star (PG)
 Keywords: communication, romance, redemption
London 1818: a secret love affair begins between 23-year-old English poet, John Keats, and
the girl next door, Fanny Brawne, an outspoken student of fashion. This unlikely pair started
at odds; he thinking her a stylish minx, she unimpressed by literature in general. It was the
illness of Keats’ younger brother that drew them together. Keats was touched by Fanny’s efforts
to help and agreed to teach her poetry. By the time Fanny’s alarmed mother and Keats’ best
friend Brown realised their attachment, the relationship had an unstoppable momentum.
Intensely and helplessly absorbed in each other, the young lovers were swept into powerful
new sensations. “I have the feeling as if I were dissolving”, Keats wrote to her. Together they
rode a wave of romantic obsession that deepened as their troubles mounted. Only Keats’ illness proved insurmountable.
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Up In The Air (M)
 Keywords: Home, travelling, meaning, purpose, relationships
Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) has an unusual job: he flies around America firing people on behalf of their employers. Equipped with motivational anecdotes, a winning smile and a pamphlet purported to contain ‘all the answers you’re looking for’, he is confident that he makes the experience bearable, even dignified.
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The Hurt Locker (MA)
 Keywords: Fear, courage, significance, war, obsession, addiction
As the war in Iraq continues, we're growing used to thought-provoking films about the conflict. But The Hurt Locker does not tackle the broad issues of the war. Instead, it zooms in on a group of men with perhaps the most dangerous task of all, defusing improvised explosive devices (IEDs). These have been the hallmark of the recent wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, set up by local fighters aiming to disrupt American and other forces. Director Kathryn Bigelow immerses us in this deadly environment, where each day could be a soldier's last. She doesn't comment on the rights or wrongs of the conflict or give us a large-scale view of its progress, but shows us the near-narcotic effect of war on this small group of soldiers.
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The Informant! (M)
 Keywords: Lies, greed, fraud, mental health
By the time we finish breakfast, most of us have eaten something made from corn, and not just if we've feasted on the humble corn flake. Corn-derivatives are in orange juice, cereals, syrups and most other parts of our culinary lives. Mark Whitacre (Matt Damon) is very fond of corn. As the president of the BioProducts division of ADM - a giant in the corn industry - he was one of the biggest executives in the business. But he also uncovered an industry-wide price-fixing cartel, with ADM at the centre. Persuaded by his wife (Melanie Lynskey) to do the right thing, Whitacre tells the FBI all about ADM's fraudulent activities. That's when everything begins to unravel for Mark.
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How to Train Your Dragon(PG)
 Keywords: Expectations, relationships, adventure, calling, changing misconceptions
From the studio that brought you Shrek, Madagascar and Kung Fu Panda comes How To Train Your Dragon. Set in the mythical world of burly Vikings and wild dragons, and based on the book by Cressida Cowell, the action comedy tells the story of Hiccup, a Viking teenager who doesn’t exactly fit in with his tribe’s longstanding tradition of heroic dragon slayers.
Hiccup’s world is turned upside down when he encounters a dragon that challenges he and his fellow Vikings to see the world from an entirely different point of view.
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District 9 (M)
 Keywords: Aliens, humanity, compassion, cruelty, refugees, justice, reality, secrets, selfishness
South Africa is now home to thousands of alien refugees. Their ship was accidentally marooned over Johannesburg 28 years ago. For partly humanitarian but mainly selfish reasons, the government decided to keep them here and to segregate them in a township called District 9. The area is policed by a private corporation called Multi-National United (MNU), whose chief interest is discovering how their weapons work.
Due to public anxiety, MNU decide to move the aliens to another facility. Wikus van der Merwe (Sharlto Copley), an MNU bureaucrat, is put in charge of this operation. Whilst distributing eviction notices to the aliens, he is contaminated by a chemical that begins to change his DNA. As Wikus mutates into someone who can activate alien weapons, he becomes the most wanted man in the world and is forced to seek refuge in
District 9.
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Wendy and Lucy(M)
 Keywords: Poverty, dignity, compassion, love, sacrifice
Wendy and Lucy is a quiet, sparse film about a woman whose life is teetering on the edge of disaster. It follows Wendy, played with heartbreaking vulnerability by Michelle Williams, as she attempts to travel north to find work in the Alaska fish canneries with nothing to her name but a car, a dog called Lucy and just enough money to complete the journey. When her car breaks down in Oregon, Wendy attempts to steal a few cans of dog food and is caught in the act. Taken into custody, she has to leave Lucy tied up outside the supermarket and on her return, having been forced to pay a $50 fine which she cannot afford, she finds that the dog has disappeared.
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Up(PG)
 Keywords: Adventure, dreams, fulfilment, love, grief, friendship, self-centredness, relationships
As a boy, Carl Fredricksen (voice of Ed Asner) longed for adventure and idolised the world explorer Charles Muntz (voiced by Christopher Plummer). When he met and fell in love with a fellow adventurer, Ellie (voice of Elie Docter), he made her a promise: one day they would follow in Muntz’s footsteps and travel to South America to live at Paradise Falls. They have a long and happy marriage, but Ellie dies without ever making it to her dream destination. As a widowed senior citizen with a dodgy back and dentures, Carl longs only to live an undisturbed life. Until one day when he is forced to move out of his home and into a retirement community, and decides to do something radical. He attaches thousands of helium balloons to his house, intending to fly it south.
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Where the Wild Things Are(PG)
 Keywords: relationships,power of imagination
Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in Where the Wild Things Are, a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in.
The film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and
escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange
creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions.
The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When
Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though,
that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he
originally thought.
Download the Truly Moving Pictures discussion guide here.
Moon (M)
 Keywords: Selfhood, identity, isolation
In the near future, the energy crisis has been solved with a clean fuel called Helium 3, which is mined on the far side of the moon by Lunar Industries. Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) is an astronaut working at the lunar base on a three-year contract. On his own, save for the base’s eerily intelligent computer Gerty (Kevin Spacey) and bereft of all contact with earth except for pre-recorded video messages from his employers and his wife (Dominique McElligott) and daughter, Sam is counting the days until he can go home. But something isn’t right. Haunted by hallucinations of a teenage girl (Kaya Scodelario), Sam has an accident which leads him to a terrible discovery about what is really happening on the base.
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Gran Torino(M)
 Keywords: Racism, respect, peace, revenge, friendship
Walt Kowalski (Clint Eastwood) is a Korean war veteran and the proud owner of a 1972 Ford Gran Torino. He shows great affection for this classic car, but little for any people. He is indifferent towards his family, openly racist towards his Hmong neighbours and offensive towards the priest (Christopher Carley) who tries to befriend him after the death of his wife.
The son of Walt’s neighbour, Thao Vang Lor (Bee Vang), is cajoled by a gang into trying to steal the Gran Torino. Walt catches him in the act and Thao’s mother insists that the boy does chores for Walt to make amends. Slowly Walt gets to know the Lors and they become more of a family to him than his blood relatives. Walt takes it upon himself to teach Thao how to stand up for himself in their dangerous neighbourhood.
Father Janovich (Carley) has promised Walt’s late wife that he will try to get Walt to confession. Walt is sceptical of religion and believes the priest to be utterly unqualified to give advice about life, death and forgiveness. The priest has a series of conversations with Walt, but it is only when Walt gets a glimpse of Janovich’s weaknesses that he begins to listen to his message.
As the film progresses, Walt’s cold heart thaws. He begins to value relationships and put others before himself. By the end of the film, Walt is committed to protecting the Lor family, even at the risk of his own life.
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The Soloist
(M)
 Keywords: redemption, transcendence, giftedness, mental illness
In “The Soloist,” an emotionally soaring drama about the redemptive power of music, journalist Steve Lopez (Oscar® nominee Robert Downey Jr.) discovers Nathaniel Anthony Ayers (Oscar® winner Jamie Foxx), a former classical music prodigy, playing his violin on the streets of L.A. As Lopez endeavors to help the homeless man nd his way back, a unique friendship is formed, one that transforms both their lives. “The Soloist” is directed by Joe Wright (Golden Globe winner for Best Drama and Oscar® nominee for Best Picture “Atonement”).
“The Soloist” takes you on an emotional journey of friendship and human spirit and does so against the backdrop of the healing power of music. The story illustrates how one person can positively change another person’s life in a significant way and makes us consider the question, what if the life you tried to change, changed you?
Download the Truly Moving Pictures discussion guide here.
Henry Poole is Here (M)
 Keywords: Belief, Faith, Doubt, Community
Henry Poole is Here tells the funny, poignant and uplifting story of a disillusioned man who attempts to hide from life in a rundown suburban tract home only to discover he cannot escape the forces of hope. Hope comes in the form of a nosey next door neighbour, a local shop assistant and a young girl who hasn't spoken due to tragedy.
When his next door neighbour believes the face of Jesus may have formed on his newly stuccoed wall, she calls the local preist who questions Henry's belief and his need for solitude.
Download the Truly Moving Pictures discussion guide here.
Public Enemies (M)
 Keywords: Criminality, future, determination, hedonism, authority
Do you plan for your future? John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), America's first Public Enemy Number One, lived his life fast, frenetic – and short. He had a brief criminal career, just fourteen months long. He could rob a bank in 1 minute 40 seconds, as he would admit quite openly. His robberies were audacious, and for this he attracted the admiration of the public. He was a public celebrity, and he lived like one.
His accomplishments also made him an enemy of J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup), who would become the first director of the FBI. Hoover tasks Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) with apprehending Dillinger and his gang, and assigns him to head up the field office in Chicago. Michael Mann, well-known for squaring two strong male leads against each other, engages Purvis and Dillinger in a deadly battle of wits.
Hoover urged his agents to 'take off the white gloves', to interrogate relatives as they hunted down Dillinger, to create informants at any cost. The nascent FBI risked appearing more ruthless than the criminals themselves. In contrast, Dillinger's popular appeal only grew. Who were the real public enemies?
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Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (M)
As Harry Potter and his friends grow up, the popular series of stories about them becomes darker, more mature, and more complex along with them. In this sixth installment, Harry comes to see the more vulnerable sides of both his wise headmaster Dumbledore as well as his longtime nemesis Draco Malfoy, as the Dark Lord Voldemort sets in motion a plan that will enable him to conquer the wizarding world. This guide will help to discuss some of the questions raised by the film. What is the nature of love, and how does it differ from infatuation? What does it mean to make a promise and how should we regard the soul, its immortality and death?
Some themes the discussion guide contains:
•
Love (1 Corinthians 13:1-13)
• Making and Keeping Vows and Promises (Deuteronomy 23:21-23; Matthew 5:33-37)
• The Importance of the Soul (Matthew 16:24-28; 1 Corinthians 15:35-57)
Download the Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince discussion guide from Christianity Today for US$5.95 (allows you to photocopy up to 1000 times). |
discussion guide archives 
Hidden tunnels. Cryptic instructions. Monstrous creatures lurking in the shadows. Escape is the only option …
WALL•E
The Kite Runner 
Penelope
The Bucket List
Journey To the Centre of the Earth
Becoming Jane
Gracie
The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Prince Caspian
The Nativity Story 
Iron Man
Lars and the Real Girl
The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep
Juno 
Cloverfield
As It Is In Heaven 
Michael Clayton
Amazing Grace
The Golden Compass
Sunshine 
The Namesake 
Freedom 
Bridge to Terabithia 
Children of Men
Spiderman 3 
Rent 
Flightplan
Superheroes 
Super Size Me
