By Jonathan Decker (Family therapist, film critic) WHAT’S 47 METERS DOWN ABOUT? Thriller finds two sisters running out of oxygen and surrounded by man-eaters when their shark cage sinks to the bottom of the ocean. (Rent or buy it here) IS IT ANY GOOD? (GRADE: B-) If you can embrace that this film has more in common with fictional monster movies than actual shark behavior (or scuba diving, for that ...[Read More]
47 METERS DOWN Family Movie Review
THE SHALLOWS Family Movie Review
By Jonathan Decker (Family therapist, film critic) WHAT'S THE SHALLOWS ABOUT? A surfer (Blake Lively) is terrorized by a relentless Great White Shark 200 yards from shore. IS IT ANY GOOD? (GRADE: B) Despite a few dull stretches and some hokey dialogue, The Shallows emerges as one of the few truly good “killer shark” movies since the original Jaws. It's not a masterpiece like that film, ...[Read More]
Why Dreams Don’t Come True (and How to Make Sure Yours Do)
By Jonathan Decker, Clinical Director, LMFT I saw Jaws at entirely too young of an age. The film terrified me, but it also sparked a lifelong obsession with sharks, particularly Great Whites (the species in the movie). For decades I fantasized about climbing into a cage and seeing one up close. It was on my bucket list. I once had the opportunity to cage-dive in shark-infested waters, but passed i ...[Read More]
SOUL SURFER Family Movie Review
GRADE: B Christian cinema has been gaining traction in recent years, and with box-office dollars comes increased production values and bigger-name actors. Fortunately what matters most, a focus on the sustaining power of faith, compassion, and family, isn't lost in the shuffle in the case of Soul Surfer. Based on the true story of Bethany Hamilton, a teen surfing prodigy who lost an arm to a tiger ...[Read More]