by Marc T. Newman [critic]
At the beginning of every year, instead of compiling some backward-looking “Top Ten” list, I put together a list of upcoming films that I believe will be useful in sparking conversations about spiritual, moral, and ethical issues. So far, most of the films identified have met expectations. Okay, not enough people saw the X-Files sequel to merit much conversation, Inkheart has been moved to January (rarely a good sign), the latest Star Trek film has been moved to a summer date – a sign that the studio thinks it will be a big hit, but it will be competing with the next installment of Harry Potter, which was moved from its original November release date.

The other films on the early roster: Penelope, Horton Hears a Who, Iron Man, Prince Caspian, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, The Incredible Hulk, WALL-E, Hancock, and particularly The Dark Knight, all contained a tremendous amount of discussion material. (So many people use film as an entry point for outreach, that MovieMinistry created www.myfilmtalk.com to help them – you can try it free for 30 days). Since that initial list, many new films deserving of notice have entered the calendar. So here is MovieMinistry’s fall addendum – eight additional upcoming movies that appear to have a lot of thought-provoking content. As always, these recommendations are based on trailers and insider buzz, but our track record is pretty good so far. Here are the films to look for: [more]