The Ultimate Gift (2006)

This movie had some potential... and, surprisingly, it was Abigail Breslin's character that killed most of it. Well, that and bad writing. It may not have been Abigail's fault - after all, she was fantastic in Little Miss Sunshine. But she was far, far too cutesy and precocious here. Her dialogue was clearly written by someone who hasn't talked to a kid since they were one. That in itself killed the movie. The predictable ending and cheesy lines only helped a little bit. 2.5 stars.

Facing the Giants (2006)

This wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I was dreading watching this movie, but it actually turned out to be quite watchable. The Christian message was there but it didn't feel like a "propaganda movie" in the least, and it actually did have a few very stirring moments. (The scene where Brock was crawling across the football field comes to mind - that was as powerful as anything in a mainstream sports movie.) It's still an inspirational sports movie, and the acting is pretty wooden, but I truly was surprised by it. For once in a while, a football movie that claims not to be about football... really *isn't*. Let's just hope that we can churn out Christian movies that make this much money but are higher quality. 3 stars.