END OF THE SPEAR - OKC produced opens tomorrow Jan. 20th

[metro]

Folks,

It is time to get out of the house for the weekend and go support an Oklahoma Film Company making the big time. No its not an small independent that is only coming to select theaters or only released on DVD. But END OF THE SPEAR (www.endofthespear.com) produced by local film company Every Tribe Entertainment (www.everytribe.com) will be released nationally in approximately 1200 theaters nationwide, tomorrow, Friday January 20th!!!

It is one of the most incredible stories you will ever see!! The cinematography is amazing!! The film's soundtrack was up for an oscar and the documentary based on the story won two awards.

This story is based on a true story and is not Hollywoodized. It is almost true to life. Imagine being best friends with your father's murderer!! That is exactly what Steve Saint and his family are with the man Mincaye' (named changed to Mincayani in the movie) that brutally killed Steve's father. In fact, today Steve travels across the world with Mincaye sharing their story of not just forgiveness, but total reconciliation. This story was headlines across the globe in 1956 and will be again!

The two men (Steve & Mincaye) were on Fox & Friends this morning, Hannity & Colmes tonight, and Fox News Radio tonight as well as a slew of other nationally syndicated shows and programs.

END OF THE SPEAR is a must see movie, the quality is right up there with any other movie out. If nothing else, you owe it to your fellow citizens to help support the budding film industry in OKC.

www.endofthespear.com

[Karried]

metro, I have seen previews for this - wow how exciting - where did the filming take place?

[metro]

In Panama. The Amazon Jungle in Ecuador where the story actually happened in real life, was too remote to support a film cast and crew, Panama had scenery that was very similar. You should be able to catch an interview about us tonight on Hannity and Colmes on Fox News and also Fox News Radio will be having a story. Fox News aired an interview this morning. CNN did an interview yesterday afternoon and the day before was Larry King.

[imafish]

This movie is a definite must-see. I saw a private pre-screening a couple of months ago at UCO. It made me cry, although not a hard thing to do as I am kind of a sap when it comes to movies. At some point everyone has been faced with the situation of forgiveness, whether on the receiving or giving end. End of the Spear shows what happens you choose to forgive and leave your heart open for all sorts of possibilities. So put aside any preconceived notions of its "preachiness" and go support a great movie and even better a local film company.

[roboticbrad]

I am going to try and see it this weekend.

[metro]

robotic brad, post what you think about the movie after you go see it, i'm anxious to hear your comments

[metro]

This is from today's Oklahoman. You can also catch interviews today on Channel 9 on most of their broadcasts, the 4 o'clock news being one of them.


'End of the Spear' skillfully portrays compelling story

Steve Saint's father, Nate, was a missionary pilot who was murdered with four others in a bungled encounter with Amazon jungle natives in 1956. "End of the Spear" is about that massacre, the people who committed it, and Saint's emotional confrontation with the man who killed his father.
The independently produced religious film is made with imagination and skill. Co-writer/director Jim Hanon takes us into a Stone Age world of violence and revenge, and shows us the animist Waodani and the trap of violence that was their existence.

The conventional way to tell this story would be to set up the massacre, show its effects on young Steve (who lived with his parents in the Ecuadoran Amazon) and then pick up the tale when the boy becomes a man and comes back to meet his father's killer. Hanon found the native stuff more interesting and keeps his movie in the jungle with the Waodani people, creating a beautifully shot and scored and quite informative drama. That structure, though, robs this tale of emotional effect.

We meet the tribe in the 1940s amid the cycle of revenge killings among family groups. Mincayani, compellingly played as an adult by Louie Leonardo, grows up in an isolated world of slaughter and fear. The stage is set for the misunderstandings that led to the massacre in 1956. One girl escaped another massacre in 1943; Dayumae (Christina Souza) has grown up among missionaries, told them of her people and taught them bits of her language. Pilot Nate Saint (Chad Allen) is determined to make contact with the Waodani. When he and four colleagues do, it's a short, bloody meeting.

He explained to his boy, Steve, "Son, we can't shoot the Waodani. They aren't ready for heaven. We are."

Steve grows up without his father. But as a child (Chase Ellison), he witnesses the contacts that lead to full missionary involvement with the Waodani. The movie's best-written scenes tell how the missionaries explain Christianity and Jesus. "He was speared. And he didn't spear back."

While the movie's native focus and moral absolutes don't leave room for discussing the merits of this culture clash, what most holds this detailed and often entertaining effort back are the script and the uneven acting. They make the end of the film feel abrupt, lacking a heartfelt payoff.

-- Roger Moore, Orlando (Fla.) Sentinel

[metro]

Catch interviews on Channel 9 at 4:40pm, 5pm, 6pm, and 10pm today, or just go see the movie and support Oklahoma film!

[jbrown84]

I saw it earlier tonight. I could tell from the previews that Every Tribe was doing something that no other Christian film has come close to (not counting The Passion), but I am pleased to say that this is even better than I expected. Like the review above states, the story is not told in the obvious, traditional way. I really like the way it left a certain part of the story for the very end. I won't spoil it but it was a heartwrenching, emotional moment.

End of the Spear is not remotely "preachy", especially considering it's a story about missionaries. The name Jesus is never even mentioned. It doesn't ignore the fact that these were Christian missionaries, but focuses mainly on the overcoming of violence. The natives are portrayed accurately and not in a racist way at all. Their violence stems from generations of "eye for an eye" vengence killing back and forth, not from simple "uncivilized", random savagery.

The acting, especially from Chad Allen, is excellent and the cinematography stunning. Don't be afraid to see this even if you're not a Christian. It's more about forgiveness and peace than anything else, and it won't shove anything down your throat.

And like metro said, we need to support this Oklahoma company.

End of the Spear - 8/10 or A-

[metro]

Thanks jbrown for going to see the movie and giving your review. As you mentioned its not really a "Christian" film. People simply mislabel it that. Of course, it can apply a good message to a Christian audience, but it can also teach a life's lesson to the mainstream audience which is what it is truly intended for. As you stated, It doesn't preach or mention the word Jesus once. Thanks for supporting what could be the first major wide release Film to be produced by an Oklahoma film company

[metro]

anyone else see it yet?

[osupa05]

Loved it! Talk about grabbing ahold of one's heart and twisting it again and again! If the story had been fiction, no one would have believed that it could ever happen. The fact that it is true makes it so much more amazing! The message, the cinamatography, the music... oh, man.. incredible!!! I already knew the story going into the movie, and it was still wonderful!

[metro]

osupa, glad you enjoyed it!

[windowphobe]

In two weeks it's grossed $7.9 million on around 1100 screens; based on an estimated $10 million budget, they should come out just fine.

(Incidentally, it's running ahead of Terence Malick's colonial-America film, The New World, which cost three times as much to make.)

[metro]

windowphobe, its true we made the top 10 and are ahead of The New World, however the film had a budget closer to around $30 million. 100% of the proceeds were going to be donated to I-TEC (www.itec-usa.org) but I-TEC said they wanted Every Tribe Entertainment to have 50% of it back. Between this donation and overhead theaters, distributors, etc make, it will not gross anything from the box office. It will rather be goodwill to the public. In the movie business it is VERY hard to turn a profit. Hopefully it will be one of those movies that does better on DVD.

[windowphobe]

I'm guessing this was a case of $10 million negative cost and $20 million in promotion, then?

I suspect this will do well on DVD, though maybe not $20 million worth.

[metro]

It took just under $20mil for production of this movie and the documentary based on it, and then another $12 for P&A. Prints and Advertising.

[windowphobe]

This is the documentary that was released a couple of years ago (Beyond the Gates)?

[metro]

yes, for the both it cost around $32 million but the lionshare was on End of The Spear