'The Grace Card' inspired by success of firefighter-themed 'Fireproof'

Eye doctor David Lane took time out from his practice with the aim of giving people new vision in a different way. The result was The Grace Card (6-02341-00449-7, $24.99), a PG-13-rated police drama about racism and forgiveness that releases on DVD Aug. 16 after an unexpected theatrical run.

Having written church dramas for years, optometrist Lane was inspired to take his ministry writing a stage further after seeing the Sherwood Pictures hit Fireproof. "When I saw it, I said, 'I believe that this is what God has been calling me to do.' "

Investing his own money, he wrote and produced the movie through his own Graceworks Pictures, founded to create "entertainment with purpose," in association with Calvary Pictures, formed at his church in Cordova, Tenn. Filming took place in and around the Memphis area, with Michael Joiner, best known as one of the country's leading "clean" comedians, one of the few professionals in the cast.

He stars as Mac McDonald, a longtime police officer embittered by the loss of his son in an accident, whose anger is further fueled when he is partnered with a rising star on the force who happens to be a part-time pastor and a loving family man.     

Originally planned as a straight-to-DVD release, The Grace Card was picked up for cinema screenings and drew $2.4 million at the box office earlier this year. "That was a blessing to us and something we never expected," said Lane. 'This message of grace and forgiveness is something everyone needs to hear the emotions we address in the movie—anger, bitterness—are universal."

Included in the extras are Starting a Grace Awakening: Behind the Scenes, Give a Little Grace: Outtakes and "Healing Begins"—a Tenth Avenue North music video. Outreach has produced a DVD-based study course, study guide and 30-day devotional tied in to the film.

Call Provident-Integrity Distribution at 800-333-9000 to order. For more information, go to www.thegracecardmovie.com. 

American Idol

Releasing to Christian retail March 5, Big Idea’s  traditional three days ahead of the general market, the 48-minute feature follows cable news reporter Marlee Meade as she tries to save an old theater with the “Up With Bunnies” show. 

But with a missing star and a conflicting church Easter service, the plan is thrown into question, providing an opportunity to present the message of the real meaning of Easter based on Mark 10:45. Additional family-friendly content includes silly songs, an audio commentary and profile of Doolittle, and a backstage pass feature with Larry the Cucumber on the VeggieTales Live! tour. 

“We hatched ‘Twas The Night Before Easter as a holiday surprise for families,” said Leslie Ferrell, general manager of Big Idea Entertainment. “This title follows the huge sales success our first Easter-themed release, An Easter Carol, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to deliver a new DVD timed to the holiday this year.”

Big Idea is promoting World Vision’s child-sponsorship program by including a video about the ministry on the DVD.

The new release will be promoted through a viral eGreeting Easter card campaign with American Greetings Interactive, as well as an “Easter Countdown” vignette program for radio outlets. Clips will be screened in-store at select Barnes & Noble, J.C. Penney, Chuck E. Cheese’s, Best Buy, Toys “R” Us, Wal-Mart and Target outlets. 

To order, call 800-876-WORD (9673).

Former semi-pro racer takes ‘leap of faith’ with sports-themed challenge

Scotty Curlee draws on experiences and friendships from his years as a semi-professional cyclist for his debut feature, The Potential Inside (8-52382-00301-4, $21.95).

He stars as as veteran cyclist Chris Carmik who, reeling from grief after a family tragedy, is given an opportunity he doesn’t want, to train a rookie cycling prodigy.

Releasing next month through his own Red Cloud Productions, the 96-minute drama that Curlee also wrote, directed and co-produced was shot on courses in Virginia and includes an appearance by Jeremiah Bishop, a 12-time member of the USA Cycling National Team and twice U.S. national champion.

“We wanted to bring authenticity and technically accurate depictions of cycling to the big screen,” said Curlee, who twice competed in the Olympics trials after moving to the U.S. from South Korea to purse his passion for cycling. “The only way we could do that was to bring the real people to the film.”

Though the film centers on cycling, “the cycle could be replaced with anything else,” he said. The movie’s message is “about the potential we have inside of us, in Christ, to reach our very best. ... That potential could be for working through marriage struggles or dealing with grief. For other people it might be reaching some potential physically.”

The Potential Inside has been “a leap of faith” for Curlee, who as a Liberty University graduate left a career in the pharmaceutical industry in 2007 to form his production company to produce films that are “socially responsible and have a positive impact on our communities.”

Promoted with the tag line “You never know what can be achieved until you’re pushed beyond your limits,” the film has earned the Dove Foundation’s highest, five-star rating. DVD extras include a personal greeting from Curlee and a director’s commentary in which he talks about the movie with soundtrack composer Jim Daneker, who plays keyboards for Michael W. Smith.

The Potential Inside is being distributed by Wesscott Marketing. To order, call 800-375-3702.

A church ceremony scheduled last month to mark a long-forgotten miscarriage of justice coincided with the release of a film version of the subject’s life, The Lena Baker Story (0-12236-13045-1, $26.98).

The PG-13 rated docudrama recounts the story of the 44-year-old African-American who was the only woman ever sentenced to die in the electric chair in the state of Georgia, after being convicted of killing a white man from whom she was trying to escape after suffering years of abuse.

Speaking of her faith in her last words, Baker—whose early life included imprisonment for prostitution—was granted a posthumous pardon in 2005 after authorities ruled she had been wrongly denied clemency. In January a headstone in her memory was to be dedicated at Mt. Vernon Church in Cuthbert, Ga., where she worshiped and was buried.

Antarctic documentary follows extreme explorer to the bottom of the world

A documentary-style account of an epic trek into the frozen wilderness of Antarctica, Surrendered and Untamed (978-0-801-01374-4, $14.99) aims to warm viewers’ hearts towards more risky faith in God and His promises.

Released this month by Baker Publishing Group, the 74-minute program follows extreme explorer Alex Harris as he attempts an unsupported, near-700-mile hike to the South Pole. The South African who has scaled the world’s seven tallest peaks battles sub-zero temperatures, frostbite and broken equipment in his quest.

Having made his name as a mythological hero, Kevin Sorbo (Hercules) changes direction to help people separate make-believe from reality in presenting The 12 Biggest Lies (7-45638-05585-4, $19.98), released last month.

Made by Cloud Ten Pictures, the documentary tackles what Producer-Director André van Heerden called a dozen of the most controversial commonly held beliefs relating to faith and society, challenging them with an alternate view.