THE LAST SIN EATER

THE LAST SIN EATER - 2007

RATED - PG-13 (For thematic elements and some intense sequences of violence). Not suited for younger children.

RATINGS - 68 Amazon (4.5/5), 137,781 Netflix (3.4/5), NY TIMES (4/5), 850 IMDB (5.6/10).

STARRING - Michael Landon, Jr., Director, Louise Fletcher, Henry Thomas.

THEMES - Justice, spirituality, relationships, redemption.

STORY - Based on the actual practice of the Welsh who settled in the Appalachian Mountains during the 18th & 19th centuries and the novel of the same name by Francine Rivers. The sin eater was someone in the community, picked by God through lottery, who was set apart to live alone, and only showed up at the burial site to perform a ritual of taking the dead person's sins upon himself, making the person acceptable to God in the afterlife. No one ever saw the Sin Eater. The story centers around young Cadi Forbes, whose sister died recently in an accident, and the guilt she feels for her death. She can't stand living with the guilt and can't wait until death to have her sins removed , so she seeks this elusive and strange person called the Sin Eater. In doing so, she confronts the demons and dark secrets that have haunted the community for decades. Who is this mysterious Sin Eater, where does he live and can he remove the sins of the living as well as the dead? While the film has a clear Christian message, it is intended for all audiences and is more than just an excuse to make a 'video sermon'. The story is well done, the scenery is gorgeous and the acting is more than adequate, all done on a relatively small budget. Reading the book is a plus in understanding as it would be helpful to have a little better knowledge of the role of the Sin Eater and the cause of Cadi's guilt a little earlier in the film. Produced as part of the FoxFaith Series. It will be over the head of and a little too violent for most children under 13.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TRAILER, NY TIMES REVIEW

ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD

ANGELS IN THE OUTFIELD - 1951

RATED - NR but probably G/PG. 'Guffy' McGovern uses a lot of apparent profanity but it's all garbled electronically so you can't understand it which makes it sound rather silly.

RATINGS - 17 Amazon (4/5), 2,242 Netflix (3.6/5), 504 IMDB (7/10).

STARRING - Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh

THEMES - Redemption, nice guys finish first, family.

STORY - 'Guffy' McGovern's the roughest guy in baseball and he manages the worst team in baseball, the Pittsburgh Pirates (many actual scenes from the old Forbes Field). When the local paper assigns the Home Economics reporter (Janet Leigh) to cover the Pirates to try and find a different angle since they're losing all the time and nobody is following the team, she confronts McGovern about his attitude and he replies, 'Dogs have fleas, managers have sportswriters'. After being thrown out of a game for the umpteenth time, 'Guffy' can't find his pin and goes to look for it on the field after the game. It is there sitting on 2nd base under the stars he encounters an angel and his life is changed. No more bad guy. Amazingly the team's fortunes start to change, also. It becomes even more mysterious when Janet Leigh writes an article about a young, orphan girl who has been praying for the team. 'Guffy' wants to find this girl but Leigh won't reveal who she is. He tracks her to the orphanage and in one of the most poignant scenes in the film tells the Sister in charge that he's 'looking for a little girl'. The Sister rushes into the classroom and announces to the classroom full of 8 year old girls that a man is here who is 'looking for a little girl'. One little girl wearing thick glasses quickly takes them off and hides them, telling her friend, 'people looking to adopt don't like children with glasses'. Your heart goes out as you wonder how many times she has had her hopes up that the next person 'looking for a little girl' would pick her. It's wonderful family film with enough baseball for real fans. It has cameo appearances by Ty Cobb, Joe Dimaggio and Bing Cosby, who was part owner of the Pirates at that time. Conspicuous by their absence, there are no African-American players in the Major Leagues at that time. Dwight Eisenhower called it his favorite movie. Enjoy!! Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 03/02/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, TRAILER