Holly on Hollywood
“Samson”
by Holly McClure
“Samson” tells the biblical tale of the handsomely strong warrior chosen by God to deliver Israel. At birth, Samson’s given a list of certain things he must do to keep his strength. One of them is never cutting his hair. When his impulsive and youthful ambition leads to a tragic brief marriage, the all-powerful Samson (Taylor James) seeks revenge. As his brother mounts a tribal rebellion against the Philistines, Samson’s personal quest tragically leads him to fall into the hands of the seductress Delilah (Caitlin Leahy), the Philistines’ Prince Rallah (Jackson Rathbone) and King Balek (Billy Zane), where he calls on God for his final victory. Rutger Hauer and Lindsay Wagner play Samson’s parents.
The PG-13 bible epic is mostly for older kids to adults because of battle scenes. Whenever Samson needs to do something powerful, he prays and is filled with God’s power. Filmed entirely on location in South Africa, the familiar story is told with a believable look and feel, that the famous bible story deserves. The dark haired, handsome, chiseled, Nazirite-looking James, is a dynamic Samson who passionately stands out from the rest of the cast. But I had a problem with the Caucasian brother (wearing a really, really bad wig), the older “Bionic Woman” mom and everyone’s favorite “Blade Runner” dad, looking like they aren’t related at all to Samson. This is a formula Bible story with impressive fight scenes, believable CGI special effects and a story of strength and passion, with a heartfelt message of redemption, God’s grace and hope.
“Remember to Choose Your Movies Wisely”
~Holly On Hollywood~
Holly_McClureHolly McClure is a multimedia personality with a career that spans over 20 years in the entertainment industry. Her background as a film critic, film and television producer, creative director, filmographer, radio and television host, author and pundit for family values, has established her expertise and made her a recognized advocate for family-friendly entertainment.
Holly was the first family film critic syndicated in over 365 newspapers with The Orange County Register. Her “Holly on Hollywood” movie reviews have been featured on TBN, Daystar and can now be seen on Uplift TV, The Word Network, UANetwork, Parables.tv and other affiliates.
In 2002, Mel Gibson asked Holly to come to Italy and film the behind-the-scenes interviews for The Passion of the Christ. She produced a one hour special, The Making of The Passion of the Christ (TBN, ION) and has since produced numerous press features for films like; Do You Believe, Dancer and the Dame, God’s Not Dead, The Frontier Boys, House, Thr3e, One Night With the King, Midnight Clear, The Visitation, Hangman’s Curse and others.
Holly is a charter member of the Broadcast Film Critics Association and serves on the advisory boards of The Dove Foundation and The Parents Television Council. She is a proud mother, grandmother, mentor and Christian, and passionate about supporting and creating life-changing entertainment!
For more information visit Hollymcclure.com or IMDB.com
