I wanted to compliment the webmaster for running an incredible site!…

That’s how I would sum it up in a few words. Of course, the cast is slightly older, but the movie has a “High School Musical” feel.

I’m going to give the movie a review here, without any spoilers. I don’t want to spoil it for you.

Yesterday was Opening Day, and I made the 74-mile drive with my wife to the only theater in Washington State showing the movie, in Tukwila, Washington.

From Wikipedia Tukwila is the code-name for a future generation of Intel’s Itanium processor family following Itanium 2 and Montecito. It is expected to ship to OEMs in the first quarter of 2010.[1] While its features have not been publicly disclosed in detail, it is said to utilize both multiple processor cores (multi-core) and SMT techniques. The engineers said to be working on this project are from the Alpha project, specifically those who worked on the Alpha 21464 (EV8), which was focused on SMT. (anyone else see the symbolism here?)

We decided to go to the 3:15 matinee showing, to save money, get home earlier, and avoid crowds.

We got there early, purchased our tickets and had lunch across the street at Claim Jumpers restaurant. This also was our first time eating at Claim Jumpers, and we were both pleasantly surprised. The food was excellent, far above our expectations. My wife had a chicken cobb salad, and I had a 3-soup lunch trio combo. For me the New England Clam Chowder won out over the Cheddar Potato Soup or the Tortilla Soup. The tortilla soup was a bit on the salty side, but otherwise good.

After lunch we headed back over to the movie theater, and went inside to “claim” our seats. We didn’t know what to expect as far as crowds go. The movie theater parking lot was fairly full, but there were about 10 other movies playing as well. This was our first experience going to a movie on Opening Day.

The theater our movie was playing in was empty when we walked in. We had our choice of seats. Of course we were about 20 minutes early. As it got closer to showtime, a few people trickled in. All in all for the movie including my wife and myself there might have been about 10 people total, 3 of those being well-behaved children.

The name of the movie is Preacher’s Kid, and it’s about a preacher’s kid. But it could have been anybody’s kid. To me, the preacher’s kid part was more incidental than anything else..this story could happen to anyone, in any family. The real focus of the movie is not about being a “preacher’s kid” but about life itself, its challenges, ups and downs, and the way we handle them. It just so happens in the movie that she is a preacher’s kid, which adds to the symbolism.

This movie crosses barriers. It crosses age barriers, racial barriers, and secular/Christian barriers. Teenage boys and girls will be left swooning over the stars, and grownups of all ages will be touched emotionally. Towards the end of the movie, I found myself getting watery eyes, and I glanced out of the corner of my eye at my wife, who was wiping tears from her eyes. (She also gives this movie a 2 thumbs way up.)

Letoya Luckett who, incidentally, sang her first church solo at the age of 5, (a little trivia for you) shines in the movie. She has already made a name for herself in the music industry, and this could be the beginning of a film career for her. She has star-quality beauty and some cute facial expressions as well. Her acting was, for me, believable and convincing.

Watch for plays on words and symbolism in the movie.

Stay for the credits. There’s a hilarious scene at the closing credits that you don’t want to miss, trust me.

Last but not least, go see the movie. It will be money well-spent. Not only do you get the entertainment value, which is great, but you also get the bonus spiritual value…now that’s 2 for the price of 1….something I call a Real Deal.

The film, a Warner Premiere and Gener8xion Entertainment presentation, is a modern-day take on the Biblical prodigal-son story. A sheltered daughter defies her father and strikes out on her own, entering the gospel-play circuit. LeToya Luckett plays the lead role.

“Preacher’s Kid” made its theatrical debut last weekend in 109 theaters in 33 cities. The opening weekend gross was $190,000.

Oddly enough, Youngstown was one of the worst-performing markets, Foster told The Vindicator on Wednesday. The film has grossed the most in some of the cast members’ hometowns: Houston, Chicago and Covina, Calif., to name a few.

Foster has a penchant for sprinkling Youngstown references into his script, and “Preacher’s Kid” is no exception.

“There are so many [references],” said Foster. “We see a map that shows travel starting in Youngstown. We show Powers Auditorium as one of our theaters. There’s a character named Theodore Bell that is a reference to Mooney High football great Ted Bell, who was a star when I was a kid.”

In one scene, Luckett’s character and her friends sneak out to a nightclub called The Breakout. “It’s a reference to the old Breakout Lounge, which no longer exists,” said Foster. “I could go on and on.”

“Preacher’s Kid” stars Luckett, Tammy Townsend, Durrell “Tank” Babbs, Gregory Alan Williams and Essence Atkins.

The film has received generally positive reviews.

Michael Dequina, writing in themoviereport.com, had this to say:

“Stan Foster’s film confirms the unique, undeniable power this genre can achieve on both stage and film.”

Variety.com critic John Anderson wrote, “For all its billboard-sized gestures and a title that suggests uplifting family fun, ‘Preacher’s Kid’ is a surprisingly edgy morality play about a fallen woman whose descent into abuse and debasement is served up in a kind of Old Testament slo-mo.”

http://larrykinglive.blogs.cnn.com/2010/01/29/fil…

13 Preacher's Kid $201,500 — 109 — $1,849 $201,500 1 Gener8Xion

Former Destiny’s Child member Letoya Luckett makes her starring debut as a prodigal daughter who learns a valuable series of life lessons in moralizing melodrama, “Preacher’s Kid.” Guest reviewer Kam Williams takes a look at this cautionary tale.

As the only child of an overprotective, widowed father, Angie King (Luckett) almost couldn’t help but feel smothered. But when you factor in her dad’s being both a preacher and a pillar of the community in their tight-knit community in Augusta, Georgia, you’ve got a serious recipe for rebellion. Thus far, the 23 year-old virgin has devoted herself to the needs of her asthmatic father, between singing in the choir, ministering around the ‘hood and attending services several times a week.

However, everything changes the day Angie decides to run away not to join the circus but a Tyler Perry-esque travelling troupe passing through town, a supposedly spiritually-oriented outfit putting on a faith-based fable featuring Aunt Bebe, a trash-talking character played by a big dude (Carlos Davis) in a dress. For she has developed an instant crush on the show’s suave star, Devlin (Durrell Tank Babbs), a Romeo well versed in the art of seduction.

When informed of this sudden development, disapproving Bishop King (Gregalan Williams) disowns his disappointed daughter on the spot. Yet, sheleaves town with dreams of not only winning Devlin’s heart but of landing a role in the theater group’s next musical production.

Needless to say, a very rocky road lies ahead of Angie, starting with her initially being denied an audition by an impatient director who calls her deaf, dumb and stupid. And just when the promoter (Clifton Powell) is about to send her packing on the proverbial midnight train back to Georgia, Devlin intervenes on her behalf like a knight in shining armor.

Given a second chance, Angie impresses the producers sufficiently to be retained as an understudy to the female lead. While this might give the aspiring Gospel singer’s career a much-needed boost, it also makes her beholden to devilish Devlin, who soon proves to be a two-timing, physically-abusive creep.

So, unfolds “Preacher’s Kid,” a cautionary tale written and directed by Stan Foster. It’s not very hard to anticipate the arc of this Christian-oriented message movie which tends to telegraph most of its punches. Nonetheless, it’s well-enough executed, especially for a flick on a modest budget, to forgive the low production values and a tendency towards melodrama.

The payoff arrives after Prodigal Daughter Angie has learned some tough lessons and returns to ask her father for forgiveness, allowing for a moving moment of mutual redemption.

Grade: C+