Philippians 4:8 Movies

Dear Victorious,

I know you've blogged in the past about using Philippians 4:8 as a "filter" on what we should watch on TV, listen to, etc. Can you recommend some movies or TV shows that you think would meet the Philippians 4:8 test?

Movie Fan

Dear Movie,

Philippians 4:8 admonishes us to focus on things that are "excellent and worthy of praise." In my mind, entertainment that meets this criteria can be just that - entertaining. Or it can be entertainment with a purpose. But it must not be offensive, violating God's standards. We could argue all day about what that is. In my book, here are some of my favorite movies:

Night At the Museum
Legally Blonde
Sister Act (1 & 2)
City Slickers
Mrs. Doubtfire
Star Trek

In terms of TV shows, there is a plethora of shows on Discovery, Learning and Animal channels. I also like the home and gardening shows. Of the sitcoms, most of them use sarcasm. But the less offensive ones that I would watch include:

Everybody Loves Raymond
Friends
Still Standing
Reba

Of course Christian TV and movies are usually good choices. I also find documentaries are a good choice - like historical movies such as Last King of Scotland or Hotel Rwanda. They help us understand the reality of the world we live in.

Hope that helps!