The Veggie gang retell the Jonah and the whale story in their own way, and learn that second chances are a gift.
Genre: Children's Video
Rating: G
Release Date: 14-SEP-2004
Media Type: DVD

Director:  Mike Nawrocki, Vischer, Phil
DVD:  Anamorphic, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Company: Lions Gate  (2003-03-04)
List Price: $9.98
Amazon Price: $5.07
Used Price: $4.25

Two brothers, one born of royal blood, one an orphan with a secret past, grow up the best of friends. But the truth will ultimately set them at odds, as one becomes the ruler of the most powerful empire, the other the chosen leader of his people.
Genre: Feature Film Family
Rating: PG
Release Date: 10-APR-2007
Media Type: DVD

Director:  Brenda Chapman, Steve Hickner, Simon Wells
DVD:  Anamorphic, Animated, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Company: Paramount Home Video  (1999-09-14)
ISBN: 0783236743
List Price: $12.99
Amazon Price: $7.62
Used Price: $6.01

The moving biblical tale of Esther--a humble Jewish girl who saved her people from annihilation and won the heart of the handsome Persian king Xerxes--is the subject of One Night with the King, a lush ode to one of the Old Testament's most inspiring women. Esther, played with spark and confidence by Tiffany Dupont, could perhaps be said to be the first career woman to "have it all"--while also serving her people, and God. The film, shot on location in India, has the feel of the great epics of the '60s--a sensation underscored by the appearance, in small but pivotal roles, of both Omar Sharif and Peter O'Toole. (Even Raiders of the Lost Ark's John Rhys-Davies--"Bad dates!"--echoes earlier desert adventures.) But the film belongs to the willful Esther, who navigates among war, bloodlust, persecution, and terror with the strength of knowing she's serving the Lord, and her people. If the film has a few anachronisms--including the young Esther's suitor, who has blonde streaks and a surfer-dude delivery ("The market was rilly busy today")--its heart and its focus never waver. Fans of biblical tales and well-made drama for the entire family shouldn't miss it. --A.T. Hurley

Director:  Michael O. Sajbel
DVD:  AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD-Video, Widescreen, NTSC
Company: 20th Century Fox  (2007-01-30)
List Price: $29.99
Amazon Price: $10.00
Used Price: $9.90

The Old Testament story of the pagan idolater Ruth (Elana Eden), who married Mahlon (Tom Tryon), found faith and a great mother-in-law, Naomi (Peggy Wood).

Director:  Henry Koster
DVD:  Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, NTSC
Company: 20th Century Fox  (2006-03-14)
List Price: $14.98
Amazon Price: $6.18
Used Price: $4.96

Originally made for TV in 1977, this in-depth (six hours plus) version of Jesus' life is so thorough that the first hour is devoted solely to the story of his birth. The film doesn't skimp on some of the other landmark events of this famous story either. Director Franco Zeffirelli gives more than 12 minutes screen time each to the Last Supper and the Crucifixion. Passages of the Bible are quoted verbatim, the locations have a Palestine-like authenticity, and, aside from some of the principals (Robert Powell as Jesus, Olivia Hussey as Mary, and Stacy Keach as Barabbas), many of the non-Roman characters are actually played by Semitic-looking actors. Zeffirelli diligently provides the sociopolitical background that gave rise to Jesus' following and the crisis in belief it caused for the people of Israel (and one or two Romans). While not graphic by today's standards, some of the scenes--baby boys being ripped from their mothers' arms and slaughtered, nails being driven into Jesus' hands--may disturb young and/or sensitive children. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Director:  Franco Zeffirelli
DVD:  Digital Sound, Full Screen, NTSC, Surround Sound
Company: Lions Gate  (2002-03-01)
List Price: $24.98
Amazon Price: $17.83
Used Price: $16.51

Following the successful 1998 video release of Cats comes another Andrew Lloyd Webber blockbuster musical, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and it's a savvy choice. It hasn't been represented on film before, it's short enough (78 minutes) to present without cuts, and it has the star power of former teen icon Donny Osmond, who played over 1,800 performances across North America. Rather than record a live performance, Cats director David Mallet conceived Joseph as a film, though one that is based strongly on codirector Steven Pimlott's 1991 London revival and relies more on camerawork than venturing beyond its stagelike sets.

Lloyd Webber's first project with lyricist Tim Rice was originally written in 1968 as a school cantata; accordingly, this film uses a framing sequence of a school recital, with an audience of clapping, singing kids and members of the faculty playing the roles. The Old Testament tale of Joseph and his coat of many colors gets a splashy, vigorous treatment with an energetic cast, Las Vegas-style glitz, and catchy, eclectic songs, including "Any Dream Will Do," "Close Every Door," the peppy "Go, Go, Go Joseph," and various bits of country, calypso, and Elvis. Osmond is perfect in the title role, with a strong voice and winning persona, while London stage veteran Maria Friedman performs well in the central role of the narrator. Richard Attenborough appears (and sings a little) as Jacob, and Joan Collins makes a brief, nonsinging cameo.

Joseph certainly isn't revolutionary musical theater, but if you view it as a kids' show, it's a silly good time (though there are poignant moments too). Parents should note, however, that this production might warrant a little discretion due to one suggestive scene and some risqué costumes. --David Horiuchi

Director:  David Mallet
DVD:  Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Letterboxed, Widescreen, NTSC
Company: Universal Studios  (2000-03-28)
ISBN: 0783240287
List Price: $19.98
Amazon Price: $10.65
Used Price: $10.64

An epic in the spirit of THE PASSION OF THE CHRIST, this widely acclaimed motion picture is a meticulous recreation of the turbulent era of Jesus and the events that changed the course of history! Narrated by Golden Globe nominee Christopher Plummer (Best Supporting Actor, AMERICAN TRAGEDY, 2000), it's the bold and powerful story of Jesus as told by his disciple John. The best-loved but least understood of the gospels, John presents a uniquely human portrait of courage and passion encompassing Jesus' entire three-year ministry, the final years of his life. Intimate and reflective, THE GOSPEL OF JOHN offers an unparalleled opportunity to experience the incomparable life and times of Jesus Christ.

Director:  Philip Saville
DVD:  Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Company: Buena Vista Home Entertainment / Disney  (2005-03-15)
List Price: $14.99
Amazon Price: $5.84
Used Price: $6.97

The Nativity Story is a remarkable, if frustratingly restrained, act of imagining the tale of Christ's birth as a flesh-and-blood drama actually set in Israel two millenia ago. Written by Mike Rich (Finding Forrester) and directed by Catherine Hardwicke (Thirteen), the film makes very strong impressions in a scene-by-scene way. Beginning with the slaughter (bloodlessly portrayed; this is a PG movie) of Bethlehem's innocents under orders from a paranoid King Herod (a dark and knowing Ciarán Hinds), the film then jumps back a year to the prophecy that informs Zechariah (Stanley Townsend) that his wife, Elizabeth (Shohreh Aghdashloo), will bear a child. Meanwhile, Elizabeth's cousin, the adolescent Mary (Keisha Castle-Hughes), struggles with her family to make ends meet and is promised to the carpenter Joseph (Oscar Isaac). Soon comes word to Mary, via an angel, that she will carry, while still a virgin, the long-awaited Messiah who will liberate the Jews from Herod and his Roman benefactors. Thus begins a detailed account of Joseph and Mary's hard travel to Bethlehem, while three Magi spend months crossing the desert trying to rendezvous with some point below the convergence of three heavenly bodies in the night sky. Hardwicke and Rich anchor all this in period detail, though what proves most moving are relationship nuances, especially the friendship and trust that emerge between Mary and Joseph after he is told in a dream that she speaks truthfully about her miraculous pregnancy. While The Nativity Story should appeal to almost anyone as a straightforward narrative, it is far from a secular version of the familiar Biblical tale, and thus feels a bit stifled. It might have been nice if the film could have breathed a little more with imagination, but The Nativity Story makes up for it by ingeniously weaving hints of things to come, later in Christ's life, into the action. --Tom Keogh

Director:  Catherine Hardwicke
DVD:  AC-3, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Subtitled, Widescreen, NTSC
Company: New Line Home Video  (2007-03-20)
List Price: $19.98
Amazon Price: $8.45
Used Price: $3.75

King Solomon led a grand life, thus rating this epic movie told in two parts, averaging 86 minutes apiece. Director Roger Young chronicles the king's rise from the weakling mama's boy of Bathsheba to a ruler known for his wisdom, international alliances, construction of the Jewish temple, and oh yes, those thousand wives--concubines included. Part 1 spends the first hour tracing the rivalry of Solomon (Ben Cross) with half-brother Adonijah, before and after the death of their father King David (Max Von Sydow in a brief appearance). It then makes a 10-year leap to dramatize his famous method of divining the true mother of a contested infant. In Part 2, the filmmakers embrace the legend that Solomon and the Queen of Sheba (Vivica A. Fox) had a romantic as well as political alliance, suggesting that they were the star-crossed loves of each other's life and introducing some soft-focus nudity. With the queen's departure, Solomon descends into materialism and idolatry. The performances are strong and the script, penned by Bradley Winter, artfully weaves in background information to give the viewer helpful historical context. --Kimberly Heinrichs

Director:  Roger Young, Raffaele Mertes, Harry Winer
DVD:  Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Full Screen, Widescreen, NTSC
Company: Lions Gate  (2000-09-26)
ISBN: 1573629944
List Price: $34.98
Amazon Price: $22.95
Used Price: $18.99

This epic network television mini-series brings to life the precarious existence of early Christianity. The new movement is beset by violent opposition from without and constant turmoil from within. Two key leaders emerge--Peter and Paul--who struggle to keep the faith alive. This dramatic presentation follows the pair, together and separately, through three epochal decades. Included are the stoning of Stephen, the road to Damascus, their encounter in Jerusalem, their conflicts over how the word of Christ should be spread. Paul's travels to Asia Minor and Greece, Peter and Paul's clashes over Jewish law, and Peter's decision to follow in Paul's courageous footsteps. The drama concludes in Rome in approximately A.D. 64 with the beheading of Paul and the crucifixion of Peter under Emperor Nero.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
-Spanish Language track with or without English subtitles
-Closed captioning in English
-Biographical information on leading actors
-Chapter titles provided for easy scene access

DVD:  Closed-captioned, Color, DVD-Video, Subtitled, NTSC
Company: Vision Video  (2002-12-01)
ISBN: 1563646285
List Price: $19.99
Amazon Price: $11.40
Used Price: $12.22