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Music.
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To the official podcast of the Love Times Two Project. Change the culture and
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the politics will follow. Hey, welcome back to the podcast. I want to make sure that you stay tuned to
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the very end of this podcast because I've got a special offer you're not going to want to miss.
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Hey, the last time we got together, I shared with you five books to really get
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you thinking about life issues. And those books were Embryo, The Unaborted Socrates, Modern Fascism,
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Whatever Happened to the Human Race? And Abortion Questions and Answers. Go back and listen to that episode if you
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didn't get a chance to hear it. I think you'll enjoy that episode and maybe give you some ideas on some books
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for you to read this summer, maybe at the beach or poolside or whatever.
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But it just sort of follows that it may be helpful to share with you a list
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of five pro-life films that may be helpful to get you thinking at a deeper level as well.
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Especially here in the middle of summer where if
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you're like most folks it's probably hotter than usual where you
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are and it's just a good idea to hang out indoors maybe and
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get caught up on some films that you've never seen or maybe that you have seen
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and it's just time to go back and view that film again now keep in mind this
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is my list of five recommendations and just like the book recommendations they're
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in no particular order but they are well worth your time to watch and to share.
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So here we go, five pro-life films that will really get you thinking.
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First up, Eclipse of Reason. Okay, I get it that this one right out of the shoot is going to date me,
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but this is a very powerful film that deserves a strong mention on this list.
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Here's the background of the film. Way back in 1984, a former abortion doctor,
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Bernard Nathanson, produced a film called The Silent Scream.
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Now, that's also a film you should check out, although it's not part of this
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list of five, simply because I wanted to keep the list to five.
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But Silent Scream took the world by storm by showing the ultrasound image of
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an unborn baby during an actual abortion.
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And then you see the baby's mouth visibly opening as the abortion begins.
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Hence the name Silent Scream. Now, the film caught all kinds of flack,
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as you might imagine, with many critics arguing that it was reliant upon ultrasound
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imaging that is grainy and it means nothing and et cetera, et cetera.
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So Nathanson followed it up in 1987 with Eclipse of Reason.
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Now, this time, Nathanson described an abortion step by step as viewed through
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a fetus scope inserted into the uterus.
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Painfully, viewers watch as the unborn baby is dismembered by what's termed a D&E abortion.
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Once more, critics were outraged, as again, you might imagine,
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with heavy hitters such as a professor of OBGYN at Mount Sinai Medical Center
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who described the film as factually misleading and unfair.
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John Hobbins of the Yale School of Medicine called the film's use of special
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effects deceptive and a form of technical flim-flam. What do you think?
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Well, if you haven't watched it, check out Eclipse of Reason.
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You can probably find it on YouTube. I think it's there, but I'm sure you can
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find it somewhere else. Watch Eclipse of Reason.
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Think deeply on what is presented.
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Just a warning, it may be life-changing for you. So next up is Bella.
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Now, this 2006 film is the first straightforward pro-life film to go mainstream.
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Now, if I'm wrong on that, contact me and let me know if there's something I'm overlooking.
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From my recollection, Bella is the first straightforward pro-life film that
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really went mainstream. And at the time. It also took the nation by storm. There are a lot of twists and turns in Bella,
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so I don't want to give the whole plot away.
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But it really evolves around a former soccer player who takes a special interest
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in a waitress fired from her job who is considering an abortion.
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What unfolds in Bella is a beautiful and gentle story about life.
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Rotten Tomatoes panned the film, noting, critics labeled Bella as a simplistic
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and mostly pedestrian but positive word of mouth, gave this tiny,
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indie, surprising theatrical legs.
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That's a kind of way of saying Rotten Tomatoes scratched their head and said,
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we don't understand why this film took off like it did.
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A New York Times critic was much more acidic, who wrote, quote,
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if Bella is a mediocre cup of mush,
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the response to it suggests how desperate some people are for an urban fairy
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tale with a happy ending, no matter how ludicrous, end quote.
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Wow, well, that's how critics responded to this heartwarming film,
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simply because it's pro-life. Pretty ridiculous, right?
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I mean, Bella took the People's Choice Award at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.
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It won the Heartland Film Festival's Grand Prize Award winner for Best Dramatic
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Feature and the Crystal Hearts Award for its Writer, Director, Producer.
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Bella's filmmakers received the Smithsonian Institution's Legacy Award for the
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film's positive contribution to Latino art and culture.
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Hey, not bad for a cup of mush. Gosh, a New York Times.
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Anyways, next up is one that may surprise you. The Boy in the Striped Pajamas.
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Hey, I get it. This isn't a direct abortion related film, but we really have
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to expand our thinking when we try to get our heads around any discussion about
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the value of every human life,
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because that isn't limited to only unborn children.
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God's grand design for each human life is so huge. And when inhumanity strikes out against it.
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We all need to think deeper. This film has one massive plot twist that I'm not
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going to even get close to giving away.
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Just know that it is one of the most powerful and moving films that you will ever see.
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And you will think deeply on man's inhumanity against man.
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There's actually a lot of controversy about this film too, as again, might be expected.
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Rotten Tomatoes scored it with a 64% approval rating. its awards that were handed
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down to it as a film are really minimal, likely due to its controversial reception.
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I just know that it's one of the few films that I've watched just one time,
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and if you've seen it, you probably feel the same way too, and you know exactly why.
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Hey, watch it, and you see what you think about the film.
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Hey, next up, you can't have a list of pro-life films without including Unplanned,
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the most powerful and well-received pro-life film of all time.
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Unplanned tells the redeeming story of former abortion clinic worker Abby Johnson
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and her exodus from the abortion industry.
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No surprise, once again, the film was blasted by critics for its negative portrayal
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of abortion and the abortion industry. And by the way, do you see a trend in
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the criticism of these films? Yeah, it's pretty obvious. Yet unplans $21 million worldwide compared to only
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a $6 million production budget.
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Not bad for a film that critics blasted left and right. Right.
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Criticism goes just beyond the pale.
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I mean, a fellow with a nonpartisan American College of Obstetrics and Gynecologists
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who performs ultrasound guided abortions, but has not seen the film,
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by the way. That's a key part of all this.
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She hasn't seen the film, but she said that while an ultrasound of a 13 week
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old fetus may show a visible head and body, the notion that it would be,
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quote, fighting for its life, end quote, is misleading. leading.
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She went on to explain that most abortions last three to ten minutes and are, quote, well tolerated.
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I don't even know what to say about that. I mean, wow.
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On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 10 out of 100.
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That's pretty low. Based on seven critics indicating overwhelming dislike.
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That's their term, quote, overwhelming dislike.
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So there you go. Hey, one last note. A lot of the controversy surrounding this
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film included the fact that it got an R rating from the Motion Picture Association
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of America and the fact that many mainstream outlets refused advertisement for the film,
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including Google, A&E Networks, Discovery.
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Hallmark Channel, NBCUniversal.
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Hey, check it out. See what you think about it.
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And last but not least on the list, another film that may be surprising.
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It's the Christmas classic, It's a Wonderful Life. That is right.
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The film with George Bailey and Mr.
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Potter and all the other great characters that we've come to know and love.
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Have you ever stopped and considered the main thrust of this film?
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I mean, I've seen this film just analyzed left and right, bows in different ways.
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But really, the main thrust of the film is how the world would have been worse
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off had George Bailey never been born.
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When George utters that thought, Clarence, the angel, grants him that rare opportunity
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to see what the world might have missed had there never been a George Bailey in Bedford Falls.
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Because it really is a wonderful life. Think about that the next time that you're
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sipping eggnog and watching It's a Wonderful Life.
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Hey, that's it for this episode of the podcast. and now I have a really special deal for you.
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As a very special thank you for all gifts of $19 or more this month to help
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support the Love Times 2 project, I'll send you a DVD copy of Unplanned just
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to show you our appreciation. You can make your gift at lovetimes2.org.
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Now, Love Times 2 is L-O-V-E-X, the number 2, .org.
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Make your gift today. Must be 18 or older. you can have your DVD copy of Unplanned
9:32
as a very special thank you gift.
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I hope to hear from you very soon. Quantities are limited on the number of copies
9:38
of Unplanned available. So if you'd like to get one of these DVDs, make your gift today.
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Would love to send one to you. Hey, thanks for listening in.
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I hope that this episode inspires you to really check out these important films
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and that these films will really stir up your thinking.
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Hey, never forget, change the culture and the politics Thanks for listening
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to the official podcast of the Love Times 2 Project.
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Be sure to subscribe to the podcast so you never miss an episode.
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And never forget, change the culture and the politics will follow.
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Music.
10:17
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