UPCOMING SORBO ACTION FILM 'THE RELIANT' FACING 'R' RATING CHALLENGE
A scene from the upcoming Fervent House Media motion picture “The Reliant.” Center, Josh Murray grabs hold of fellow actor Burt Blake to help him onto his feet as Kevin Sorbo holds the opposition at bay with a pointed pistol.
▶ BY KRISTEN AND KEVIN COLLIER
Advance tickets went on sale August 23 for the action/thriller film The Reliant, which hits motion picture screens Friday, October 24. Set in a period of economic collapse and widespread rioting and looting, five children are separated from their parents in the ensuing chaos. A good-time family film it is not. But a slice of End Times prophecy it might be.
The movie stars Kevin Sorbo, who also served as an executive producer, and reflects much of what is unfolding in the world today, the actor conveyed.
“The Reliant is a movie that tackles the issue of what would happen if there was an economic collapse in America, much like we are seeing happen in other countries around the world...Greece, Venezuela, etc.,” Sorbo told CM. “We are already experiencing riots on college campuses, Ferguson, Baltimore, Chicago, Portland...not due to economic collapse, but certainly on social issues and just plain anger.”
Produced by Fervent House Media, written by J. P. Johnson and directed by Paul Munger, this atypical Christian film presents a suspenseful tale, arming the lost children with a couple of their father’s weapons, in a quest for survival. And, the bigger picture, with danger all around, a sincere doubt of God’s existence.
The kids flee the burning city they once called home and scratch out survival in a secluded stretch of woods on the outskirts of town. With no food and gangs of evil closing in, are their prayers going unanswered? Can they close their eyes to the devastation and danger, and see trust in God? Will they ever be reunited with their parents?
The Reliant not only shows a war on the streets of a collapsed culture, but a larger, more real spiritual conflict raging within Christians. Is life what we see, or what God sees for us? And who are the architects of conflict? Kevin Sorbo has a chief suspect.
“We have a very disgruntled world right now, fueled by the media more than anywhere else,” Kevin Sorbo told CM.
The film also stars former NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth and Mollee Gray, an alumna of the High School Musical franchise.
In addition, the picture features the talents of Eric Roberts, Ryan Buggle, Jenn Gotzon Chandler, Julia Denton, Kevin Wayne, Josh Murray, Blake Burt, Jim E. Chandler, Tyler Sanders, McKenna Bintz, Marisa Hampton, Ian Lauer, Denise Morris, Bryan Friday, Kiera Strauss, Jesse Boone, Ramona Schwalbach, Todd Howard, Caleigh Anne and others.
Actress Julia Denton, who plays Liz in the film, sees The Reliant as an unusually deep Christian film that leads to profound spiritual reflection.
“The Reliant allows us to dig deeper into the themes like faith, forgiveness, and restoration than [where] you might be used to seeing family movies go,” Fenton told CM. “I really believe people are hungering for movies that ask the hard, often taboo, questions and show them where hope lies in those stories. And The Reliant factors well into that equation.”
The movie already has seized critical acclaim, winning the "Best of the Fest" at this year’s Inspired Faith Film Festival. However, the evildoers are not just fictional characters in this movie--the real forces of darkness have been against The Reliant.
The Reliant recently received an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, a tactic filmmakers say is designed to limit the film's message and deter Christian viewers. Some on the right have lobbed criticism, saying the movie breaks from “traditional” faith-based movie orthodoxy (which CM thinks is needed to overcome the cheesy norm) with the significant amount of on-screen violence.
The film is based on the book of the same title by Dr. Patrick Johnson, who felt compelled to speak out against the “R” status. He and his fellow filmmakers plan to appeal, hoping for a "PG-13" rating instead, which would open the movie to a wider audience.
In a recent interview on TBN's Huckabee, Kevin Sorbo acknowledged the gun violence in the film, but added there is something else at work in the MPAA decision.
“It's just once again these things that are happening within the system of Hollywood,” Sorbo told Mike Huckabee, a minister and former Governor of the state of Arkansas. “What the message is they want to get out, as opposed to the message we're trying to put out."
Actress Julia Denton addressed the ratings issue for CM.
“If you really need a PG-13 rating is it worth a tweak? Probably. Will that change your message or storyline? Then it’s probably not worth it at all,” Denton said. “I just don’t think that God needs some rating system or anyone else’s permission to use our talents, so I’m less concerned about that than I am the message of a movie and what people take home from it.”
Actress Diane Richardson, who enjoys a small part in The Reliant, knows a bigger Authority is behind the movie and its bumpy rating issue.
“The world will always try to smother out the good, but all who live in Christ will succeed and surpass those lies!” Richardson said in a post.
The rating debate continues for the 2 hour, 2 minute picture, headed to release on October 24. Visit The Reliant website. Tickets are currently available online, enter your zip code to see where it will be playing in a theater near you.
Advance tickets went on sale August 23 for the action/thriller film The Reliant, which hits motion picture screens Friday, October 24. Set in a period of economic collapse and widespread rioting and looting, five children are separated from their parents in the ensuing chaos. A good-time family film it is not. But a slice of End Times prophecy it might be.
The movie stars Kevin Sorbo, who also served as an executive producer, and reflects much of what is unfolding in the world today, the actor conveyed.
“The Reliant is a movie that tackles the issue of what would happen if there was an economic collapse in America, much like we are seeing happen in other countries around the world...Greece, Venezuela, etc.,” Sorbo told CM. “We are already experiencing riots on college campuses, Ferguson, Baltimore, Chicago, Portland...not due to economic collapse, but certainly on social issues and just plain anger.”
Produced by Fervent House Media, written by J. P. Johnson and directed by Paul Munger, this atypical Christian film presents a suspenseful tale, arming the lost children with a couple of their father’s weapons, in a quest for survival. And, the bigger picture, with danger all around, a sincere doubt of God’s existence.
The kids flee the burning city they once called home and scratch out survival in a secluded stretch of woods on the outskirts of town. With no food and gangs of evil closing in, are their prayers going unanswered? Can they close their eyes to the devastation and danger, and see trust in God? Will they ever be reunited with their parents?
The Reliant not only shows a war on the streets of a collapsed culture, but a larger, more real spiritual conflict raging within Christians. Is life what we see, or what God sees for us? And who are the architects of conflict? Kevin Sorbo has a chief suspect.
“We have a very disgruntled world right now, fueled by the media more than anywhere else,” Kevin Sorbo told CM.
The film also stars former NFL linebacker Brian Bosworth and Mollee Gray, an alumna of the High School Musical franchise.
In addition, the picture features the talents of Eric Roberts, Ryan Buggle, Jenn Gotzon Chandler, Julia Denton, Kevin Wayne, Josh Murray, Blake Burt, Jim E. Chandler, Tyler Sanders, McKenna Bintz, Marisa Hampton, Ian Lauer, Denise Morris, Bryan Friday, Kiera Strauss, Jesse Boone, Ramona Schwalbach, Todd Howard, Caleigh Anne and others.
Actress Julia Denton, who plays Liz in the film, sees The Reliant as an unusually deep Christian film that leads to profound spiritual reflection.
“The Reliant allows us to dig deeper into the themes like faith, forgiveness, and restoration than [where] you might be used to seeing family movies go,” Fenton told CM. “I really believe people are hungering for movies that ask the hard, often taboo, questions and show them where hope lies in those stories. And The Reliant factors well into that equation.”
The movie already has seized critical acclaim, winning the "Best of the Fest" at this year’s Inspired Faith Film Festival. However, the evildoers are not just fictional characters in this movie--the real forces of darkness have been against The Reliant.
The Reliant recently received an "R" rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, a tactic filmmakers say is designed to limit the film's message and deter Christian viewers. Some on the right have lobbed criticism, saying the movie breaks from “traditional” faith-based movie orthodoxy (which CM thinks is needed to overcome the cheesy norm) with the significant amount of on-screen violence.
The film is based on the book of the same title by Dr. Patrick Johnson, who felt compelled to speak out against the “R” status. He and his fellow filmmakers plan to appeal, hoping for a "PG-13" rating instead, which would open the movie to a wider audience.
In a recent interview on TBN's Huckabee, Kevin Sorbo acknowledged the gun violence in the film, but added there is something else at work in the MPAA decision.
“It's just once again these things that are happening within the system of Hollywood,” Sorbo told Mike Huckabee, a minister and former Governor of the state of Arkansas. “What the message is they want to get out, as opposed to the message we're trying to put out."
Actress Julia Denton addressed the ratings issue for CM.
“If you really need a PG-13 rating is it worth a tweak? Probably. Will that change your message or storyline? Then it’s probably not worth it at all,” Denton said. “I just don’t think that God needs some rating system or anyone else’s permission to use our talents, so I’m less concerned about that than I am the message of a movie and what people take home from it.”
Actress Diane Richardson, who enjoys a small part in The Reliant, knows a bigger Authority is behind the movie and its bumpy rating issue.
“The world will always try to smother out the good, but all who live in Christ will succeed and surpass those lies!” Richardson said in a post.
The rating debate continues for the 2 hour, 2 minute picture, headed to release on October 24. Visit The Reliant website. Tickets are currently available online, enter your zip code to see where it will be playing in a theater near you.
