Spiritual Cinema Circle’s volume 4 films include “Thomas and the Rainbow”, “The Philosopher Kings”, “Dandelion Dharma”, “His Good Will” and “Act As If.”

In Thomas and the Rainbow, Marie (Connie Nielsen) transforms an orphan’s life when she brings him to live in her home, an island village off the coast of Ireland. Her husband, Alec (Aidan Quinn) is disappointed when he meets the frail, shy eight-year-old. However, Marie remains committed to showing Thomas (John Bell) that you can find magic anywhere – if you really look.

The Philosopher Kings is a documentary that features wisdom found in staff members of prestigious American universities who have seen it all: the custodians. Their untold stories of tragedy and triumph are weaved in with lessons they’ve learned from surviving lost loves, hard times and shattered dreams.

Act As If is an engaging documentary about a feisty blue-collar Boston kid, Kathy Delanely-Smith, who becomes Harvard’s championship basketball coach.

In Dandelion Dharma, a distraught 20-something, stands brokenhearted in a community garden plot she once shared with her love and receives insights from a trio of older women about their relationships.

In His Good Will a young boy struggles to make ends meet in a Southern town in the 1950s. Will seemingly has nothing to offer, buy gives with all his heart.

For information on how you can watch these films, you can visit Spiritual Cinema Circle’s website by clicking here.

“Avatar” is one of the few blockbusters that delivers great entertainment while still weaving in messages that leave people touched, moved or inspired. One part of “Avatar” that hasn’t really been a topic of conversation is that its lead character, Jake Sully (Sam Worthington), is a guy in a wheelchair. This is especially interesting considering that “Avatar” is the biggest action movie of the year.

Most of the media hasn’t talked about why Cameron would have his protagonist be a paraplegic. However, in a recent interview with “Unbeaten” Producer, Tamara Henry (in photo above), James spoke about the message he was trying to convey by having a disabled person be the hero of the film. In their interview, he told Tamara,

“The breakthrough for me in writing Jake Sully’s character was the realization that his personality hasn’t changed. He’s still a warrior. He’s still a guy who will succeed.”

Avatar’s message about the unbeaten spirit of paraplegics is empowering to not only disabled people, but to everyone. It’s also refreshing to hear that James Cameron was inspired and even had a breakthrough by making this a unique aspect of Avatar’s main character.

Below is a letter written to James Cameron, director of Avatar, from the filmmakers of UNBEATEN Movie. It has been reprinted on Spiritual Media Blog with permission from Tamara Henry, one of the producers of Unbeaten. Avatar and Unbeaten demonstrate the type of positive impact that movies are capable of having on people as you can see in the letter written to James Cameron below….

“James, Great to see you tonight at the Hyatt…and yes, I am guilty of sending you several emails.. I have saved the BEST email for LAST!! Please understand that I am a passionate film maker on a mission, as you are… that being said, here is what my producer and I propose:

We would be honored if you and Mr. Landau , Stephen Lang and Sam Worthington would join us May 14,15 at the Walter Reed Medical Facility in Washington DC to receive the UNBEATEN AWARD (see attachments) This award exemplifies the “Unbeaten” spirit which you certainly embody. I understand that you have been given award after award after award and more to come. This award is different. Its not about film per say.. it is about you being the first film maker to embrace the Disabled Veteran in a positive light and the joy and hope that you have brought for millions trapped in a wheel chair.

Unbeaten at the Avatar Premiere: http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgjrw95j_813gg44rhg3

Movies like ‘Coming Home” and ‘Born on the 4th of July” while showcasing the disabled vet, do not raise the profile of the Veteran like you have and certainly does not have the lead character as the ‘Hero” and show him as a positive role model like the Sam Worthington character in Avatar. It is impossible in words to tell you what it was like for both of the disabled men from our film when Sam not only invited them to the Premiere, but sought them out for photo ops and spent 30 minutes in deep dialogue about disability and Sam’s character in the film. He was just terrific!! Class act!!

I realize for the majority of film goers that seeing Avatar was a special effects extravaganza and film as it has never been seen before. For the millions of disabled in America and around the world, it was and will continue to be a journey of hope and enlightenment that one of “there own” is the lead character in the biggest movie in the history of cinema. THAT IS THE “UNBEATEN” message.. never give up, never give up….never, give up!!

Greg Strom, my producer had also put together and AVATAR MOBILIZATION PROJECT that I emailed to you last month…the project will embrace MILLIONS of disabled Americans and Greg and I would like to get a meeting with you and Jon after the Oscars. After all of the awards are over, and all of the money is in the bank, the message of Avatar has this amazing opportunity to morph into something even higher than you may have realized. It can now move into the future by being not just an entertainment vehicle, but a vehicle for healing and the greater good for the disabled. 100% of films end after the lights come up..AVATAR and the AVATAR MOBILIZATION project, NEVER HAS TO END!!!!

I have no idea of knowing if when you were writing this film that you could foresee the good that it might do, but because of my work with the disabled over that last few years, it is more than clear to me and EVERYONE who is sitting in a wheel chair of the potential of healing for the disabled.! You have done an amazing thing..for that, you are to be congratulated and it is my great hope that you will recognize my passion as a film maker and the quality of WWW.UNBEATENTHEMOVIE.COM . I believe there are 2 copies at your home..when the smoke clears, please watch it.. it is a ‘film makers” film!

Please really, really consider coming to Walter Reed. There are 558 Disabled War Veterans living at the hospital, and over 12,000 men and women with missing limbs have come through Walter Reed since the beginning of the war 8 years ago.. 12,000!!!! You will be an inspiration up on stage in front of these men, and the amount of good will and hope that you will be bringing with you…well, once again, there are no words. Thousands of people have one an Oscar.. NO ONE has yet to win the UNBEATEN AWARD!

We will have invites out to President Carter, Clinton, Bush 1,2 and Michelle and Barack Obama. We have also reached out to Colin Powell and several high ranking Congressman and Senators. There will also be a screening of UNBEATEN on Capitol Hill in April for many high profile politicians. We are very excited about the future of UNBEATEN and the healing power of this film and it would be our profound pleasure to bestow the UNBEATEN AWARD to you.. It is not just a coincidence that UNBEATEN came out almost the exact time as Avatar! It took me almost 4 years to get it finished.

We look forward to hearing from you and working with you. LAST EMAIL!!!

Regards

–
Steven C. Barber
~ Filmmaker ~
www.unbeatenthemovie.com

“Validation” is a 16-minute, enchanting comedy about the magic of free parking, compliments and smiles.  The filmmaker, Kurt Kuenne, posted it on YouTube for anyone to watch or post on their site.

The Butterfly Circus is a short inspirational movie. The synopsis of it from IMDB says,

“At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover a man without limbs at a carnival sideshow. However, after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed.”

If you want to watch the 20 minute film, then you can visit www.TheDoorPost.com a site that allows other people to share their movies.

“The Gratitude Experiment” is a new film from the creator of “The Opus”, Douglas Vermeeren, that asks: Who is correct faith or science?…It is unclear when it will be released. For more information, you can visit the film’s website at http://www.gratitude-experiment.com/

Spiritual Cinema Circle’s feature film for March is “Uncross the Stars.” According to the film’s website, Daniel Gillies plays Troy Harper, who has suffered the tragic death of his wife, Corrine. Beset by grief, he receives from his Aunt Hilda a letter that Corrine left for him before her death. Troy finds himself following her last request, to drive to the desert and build Hilda a porch, and along the way, to “uncross the stars.”

Shut down to his emotions, stifling his pain with anger and self-pity, Troy arrives in Happy Valley, an Arizona retirement community, where he meets Hilda’s friends, a group of elderly ladies who show Troy a different outlook on life and death than he has ever experienced. Bawdy, wise-cracking and adorable, the “girls” inject unexpected vivacity into Troy’s darkness.

He also meets Bobby Walden, a cactus farmer, ex-fighter pilot and desert philosopher, who befriends Troy and, along with Hilda and the girls, guides him through the lessons he needs to grieve and find peace. Once Troy reopens his heart to the world around him, he begins to see the pain in others as well, and learns that his wife’s bid for him to “uncross the stars” has a deep and caring meaning of its own.

For more information on the Spiritual Cinema Circle DVD club, please click here.

“Valentine’s Day” movie was the number one film at the box office this weekend bringing in $52.4 million. The star-studded cast reached out to all age groups and demographics with big names such as Julia Roberts, Jamie Foxx, Ashton Kutcher, Shirley MacLaine, George Lopez and Taylor Swift. This diverse group of celebrities helped bring home the movie’s message that no matter what your age or background is, relationships can be kind of tricky, but if you hang in there you can find true love. It is a heartwarming, funny and upbeat film filled with themes surrounding serendipity, acceptance and finding love. It’s not surprising that audiences liked “Valentine’s Day” so much and it opened at the No. 1 spot.

However, if you read “Valentine’s Day” movie reviews from the critics you will hear how bad or boring it is. For example, here’s what Roger Ebert said,

“Valentine’s Day” is so desperate to keep all the characters alive, it’s like those Russian jugglers who run around, trying to keep all their plates spinning on poles. I won’t even attempt to describe the plot.”

“Valentine’s Day” reveals just how out of touch most of the movie critics are with mainstream audiences and the type of movies that people actually want to see. The critics gave “Valentine’s Day” poor reviews probably because it lacks the type of cruel sarcasm, bitter irony and gross cynicism that appeals to most of them. Fortunately, “Valentine’s Day” proved the critics wrong and showed that a romantic comedy with uplifting messages about love, humor and relationships can have great box office success and reach a large audience.

“The Meta Secret” is a new motivational documentary that consists of a series of interviews and dramatizations related to “The Law of Attraction” and six other Ancient Hermetic Laws combined with an intriguing storyline about one man’s quest to uncover the secret behind all secrets in spite of massive physical challenges along the way.

The film is largely influenced by Hermes Trismegistus’ ancient text called the Corpus Hermeticum and another revelatory text thought to have been written much later in the late 1800s entitled “The Kybalion.” It takes off where other “Secret” type movies left viewers and delves even more deeply into the Laws of Attraction, featuring comprehensive, step-by-step, “how-to” techniques of manifestation.

Some of the original Secret teachers return to focus more in-depth into the Laws of Attraction and the mysterious workings of the Universe, including Jack Canfield, author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul books, Dr. Joe Vitale, Bob Proctor and Dr. Masaru Emoto.

For more information you visit www.TheMetaSecret.com

Two years ago the Oscar ceremony had its lowest TV ratings and was its least watched telecast ever. Many blame the low ratings on a year dominated by dark and depressing films focused on greed, corruption and violence. Los Angeles Times writer Patrick Goldstein wrote that No Country for Old Men, that year’s Best Picture winner, is a “bone-chilling tale of violence, stupidity and revenge, with a relentless, amoral killer at its center, coolly dispatching anyone in his way with a cattle gun.” That year’s host, Jon Stewart, joked about the trend during the opening of the show when he asked, “Does this town need a hug?”

This year, however, the Oscars have dramatically changed their format to include 10 instead of 5 films for the Best Picture category and nominated some genuinely uplifting movies for various awards with hopes of increasing its ratings. For example, three of the nominees for Best Picture are Blind Side, Up and Avatar. Blind Side is the true story about a wealthy family who take in a homeless teenager to help him get an education and become a successful, professional football player. Up is an animated film about an elderly man who goes on a grand adventure while looking back at the meaningful moments of his life. And, Avatar has really struck a chord with themes about connection, the environment and what’s possible for humanity.

Precious and Up in the Air, two other movies nominated for Best Picture, are not exactly uplifting, but they do wrestle with how to overcome serious life-obstacles such as being laid off in Up in the Air, and child abuse in Precious. The only movie nominated for Best Picture with gratuitous violence is Quentin Tarantino’s Inglorious Basterds, which was shut out at the Golden Globes, receiving no awards even though it had multiple nominations.

Other uplifting and thought-provoking films that received nominations for this year’s Oscars include Invictus (Morgan Freeman for Actor in a Leading Role playing Nelson Mandela and Matt Damon for Actor in a Supporting Role), Crazy Heart (Jeff Bridges for Actor in a Leading Role and Maggie Gyllenhaal for Actress in a Supporting Role) and Julie & Julia (Meryl Streep for Actress in a Leading Role).

It’s hard to tell if the success of these films will motivate Hollywood to make more inspirational movies or if this year is just an anomaly. But, I do think that most people are getting tired of seeing movies like No Country for Old Men that basically say, “Look at how awful life is.” receive Academy Awards. Instead, I think people want movies that deal with dark subject matter and challenges in life, but do so in a way that offers hope and meaning.