The Third Testament

http://geektyrant.com/news/2011/3/6/dvd-review-the-third-testament.html DVD Review: THE THIRD TESTAMENT brians Review DVD The Third Testament Synopsis: "The Third Testament" follows the discovery of four lost gospels that are included in the canon of the bible as the third testament. Some believe the gospels are fake, while others believe their discovery will lead to the improvement of humanity. For one nonbeliever, it is the key to finding her husband, a documentary film maker gone missing after interviewing the archeologist who discovered the missing gospels. First-time director Matt Dallmann’s The Third Testament is a thriller/mockumentary that tells the “what if” story of the discovery of a third testament in the Bible and missing filmmaker Jacob Mathews, The movie is shot realistically and clearly on the red camera as if the audience is watching an actual documentary. It follows Caroline (Amy Weins-Dallmann) who is looking for the truth behind her husband Jacob’s disappearance. She persistently pursues and documents her conversations with Phineas Black (Eric Michael Gillett) who is the films antagonist. Gillett, who at one instant claims to be the devil, steals the show in The Third Testament with his evilness and uncaring nature. Throughout the film we watch an odd bond form between Caroline and Phineas, almost like the relationship between Hannibal Lector and Clarice Starling in Silence of the Lambs. This odd relationship is the heart of the movie! The supporting cast also do a great job in making you think you're watching a documentary and not a mockumentary. The story has very few slow moments and keeps your interest up until the very end where her questions are answered. Don’t look for any big special FX or anything like that as this movie is story driven from beginning to end. We have an age-old curiosity with the Bible and the stories in it. This is a great watch for anyone who has ever had questions, which I bet is just about all of us. It’s nothing more than a “what if” story for entertainment purposes and nothing more.

http://ptpopcorn.com/index.php/2011/the-third-testament/ The Third Testament Spooky, Kooky Genius Greg Wright | 15.03.11 Posted in Reviews, New on DVD, DVD Feature, DVD What do I have to say about The Third Testament? It’s not quite a film that I’d say I wish I had written and made—but it’s not too far from it. This film is first-time feature producer/writer/director Matt Dallman’s ambitious alternate-present indie thriller, a preposterous, irresistibly compelling car-wreck of a yarn in which, essentially, the Jesus Seminar and Dan Brown fanatic conspiracy theorists win, theologically—and succeed in having the “Third Testament” of the Gnostic gospels canonized. Yes, you read that right. When a documentary filmmaker investigating the archaeological provenance of a cache of Gnostic manuscripts goes missing, the filmmaker’s wife, Carolyn, hires another filmmaker to document the search for her husband. Employing the “found footage” techniques popularized by Blair Witch and Paranormal Activity, Dallman’s script very craftily yields the backstory of Caroyln Matthews, her husband, and her husband’s suspected killer, Phineas Black, bit by bit. And when the documentarian hired by Mrs. Matthews, Joe, suspects that she’s not been telling him the truth about certain things, he decides to go freelance himself. So the story has layers upon layers of untrustworthy narrators, in the “best” Da Vinci Code sort of way—and yet you never feel like you’re about to get the shoddy M. Night Shyamalan treatment. In fact, by the time the film is done you may, if you’re like me, have absolutely no clue what you’ve just seen! Part holy-roller tract, part skeptical Scripture debunker, and 100% “take that you neo-myth-making shysters” in-your-face comeuppance, The Third Testament has enough gall to offend just about everyone who’s thinking of embracing this film as “one of their own.” Who’s side is Dallman on, exactly? God’s, I think. But not any sect’s. And that’s a good thing. Dallman is at his most crafty, though, in knowing just how far his budget can stretch and still leave his film feeling “real.” He has either studied films like Cloverfield and The 4th Kind enough (as well as the precedents cited earlier) to know exactly which strings to pull—and just how hard—or he’s a prescient genius when it comes to this sort of thing. You never forget that this is a film made on a shoestring (his wife Amy stars as Carolyn, and she is listed as an executive producer) but that never gets in the way, either. And if you’ve ever looked much into the Brownian issues related to orthodox and Gnostic scriptures, you can tell that Dallman has done his homework there, too. Further, Dallman has brilliantly cast the talking heads who undergird the bulk of Joe’s “documentary.” If I didn’t know for a fact that this film is fiction—and its alternate-present setting is really the only in-film dead-giveaway—I’d swear that probably 95% of the interview footage is from real scholars and police detectives, not from micro-budget indie film actors. The quality of what Dallman has done here is literally astonishing. Does this mean you’ll like it? I wouldn’t bet on it. My tastes are kind of quirky—and as I hope you’ve figured out from my review, I doubt that Dallman is catering to your tastes, particularly, either. But if you’re looking for something consistently surprising, challenging, often chilling, and ultimately mystifying, I bet you’ll be the first one your block to see this one… and you’ll love telling your friends about it. The Third Testament is unrated. But there’s enough language and eroticism here, in a Henry VIII historical “re-enactment” sequence, that it would probably be pushing the outer boundaries of PG-13. Consider yourself waRned.

http://blog.beliefnet.com/moviemom/2011/03/the-third-testament.html The Third Testament Tuesday March 8, 2011 Categories: DVDs, Spiritual films, Drama, Mystery B Lowest Recommended Age: Mature High Schooler MPAA Rating: NR -- mature theme and disturbing material Profanity: Some strong language including f-word Nudity/Sex: Scenes of sensuality including non-explicit sexual situations, description of child rape Alcohol/Drugs: None Violence/Scariness: Disturbing themes, character disappears, murder accusations, tragic losses Diversity Issues: None DVD Release Date: March 8, 2011 The discovery of a Third Testament leads to a mystery -- a whole series of them -- in this ambitious, intricately constructed film from first-time writer-director Matt Dallman. Carolyn Matthews (Amy Weins) is determined to find her husband, Jacob, who disappeared after he interviewed an archeologist named Phineas Black (Eric Michael Gillett), the man who found the controversial Third Testament. Black is arrested for Jacob's murder and Carolyn visits him in jail. He is hostile, even abusive. It turns out they have something important in common. Both have experienced tragic losses. But Carolyn responded by becoming a Christian while Phineas responded by rejecting God. Despite his hostility, Carolyn keeps talking to Phineas, certain that he has something to tell her about where Jacob is. He begins to give her some hints about a murky, centuries-long conspiracy called The King's Eight. And she will learn that they share another important connection. If it suffers from first-time mistakes, especially over-complication (its imitation "Da Vinci Code" plot twists are a distraction). But it benefits from far above-average acting from a cast with strong theater experience and a willingness to take on big issues in a generous-hearted and open-minded way. Its mosaic, documentary-style story-telling gives it an immediacy that makes its more amateur elements feel like further proof of its authenticity. Parents should know that this film has some disturbing material including tragic deaths, child rape, a teenager with AIDS, and hostile attacks on faith. There is brief strong language (f-word) and brief non-explicit sexual situations (bare back). Family discussion: How did tragic loss produce such opposite reactions in Phineas and Caroline? If a third testament was found, how would the world respond to it? If you like this, try: "The Da Vinci Code"

http://www.unomaha.edu/jrf/Vol15.no1/Reviews/ThirdTestament.html Film Review The Third Testament Review by William L. Blizek University of Nebraska at Omaha Vol. 15, No. 1, April 2011 The Third Testament [1] This is a genre of film that I really enjoy. It asks the question: What if things aren't the way we think they are? We are so often set in our ways and cannot imagine things being any different from how we think they are that it is always a pleasure to have someone challenge the status quo. In this film, the question is: What would the world be like if there was a "Third Testament?" According to the story, a Third Testament has been added to both the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Pope has made it official. The Third Testament is now part of the Canon of the Bible. The Third Testament includes four new gospels – The Gospel of Thomas, the Gospel of Phillip, the Gospel of Mary and the Gospel of Phoebe – some of which figure heavily in the recently found Gnostic Gospels. How will the inclusion of the Third Testament change our understanding of the Bible? Furthermore, how will it change our understanding of Christianity? [2] The newly added gospels seem to have a different message from the other testaments. At least they emphasize different aspects of Christianity. The new gospels are less about faith and getting into heaven than they are about personal power, enlightenment, and social equality, especially for women. The new gospels are more about finding God within, than having faith in an unseen God that is somewhere out there. The Third Testament is more about loving your neighbor than about salvation. What if there was such a testament? [3] But there is more. This is not merely a theological debate, although it is that. It is also a story about a conspiracy. There is a secretive organization, Blue, an international consulting firm, working behind the scenes. Blue's slogan is: Managing the World, One Solution at a Time. Managing? Manipulating? Is Blue trying to hide some fundamental truth that might shake the very foundations of our religious beliefs? This reminds me of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code, which actually merits a reference in the film. Is Blue hiding the truth? Is it hiding the truth about the Third Testament? Big, secretive, powerful organizations, whether they be the Catholic Church, the giant corporation, or the Masons, are wonderful elements to add to a movie. The story keeps us guessing about what it real and what is not. And, while it keeps us guessing about what is real and not real, the film also challenges our understanding of what is truly real in the world around us. [4] All of this "what if" and "what's real" and "whodunit" is to be found in what appears to be a documentary film – a documentary film about a missing documentary film maker. Because the movie is supposed to be a documentary film, it has the feel of a cross between The Blair Witch Project and any one of the numerous television shows that are supposedly exposing some until now hidden truth. Using a documentary style also allows the director to introduce the many twists and turns in the film. The viewer has some reason to believe this or that in the film, but he or she also has some reason not to believe this or that. All of this keeps the viewer on his or her toes throughout the film. [5] The director, screenwriter, and producer of the film, Matt Dallmann, told me that the film "is really just a 'what if' scenario if a third testament was presented in modern day with all of the political and religious spin in modern day media." He did not intend to push his own message, but rather leave it up to the viewers to reach their own interpretation. From my perspective, however, it seems that there is a transformation in the main character over the time of the film. She, the wife of the missing documentary film maker, starts out taking one position and ends up taking the opposite position. That transformation suggests to me that the message of the film corresponds to the message of the Third Testament, whether the Third Testament is taken to be literally true or not. Love your neighbor. Make the world a better place for others. Find God within yourself. [6] This film is not yet rated. Since I found one scene of cruelty to be very difficult to watch, I would not recommend the movie for children or even young teens.

http://888webtoday.com/articles/viewnews.cgi?id=EkAAFFkFAVXetkWkhN Web Today Review By Managing Editor Harold Cheetham I had the privilege of reviewing this film and it is truly one of the best films I have seen in many years. It is very well done and a very interesting film. A must see. A 5 star rating in my book. The dvd will be released March 8th, 2011. The Third Testament - Movie review- Category: Christian_Conservative_News The Third Testament - Movie review Magdaline Pictures Presents A Film By Matt Dallmann THE THIRD TESTAMENT Running Time: 78 Minutes Shot on: Red One Digital Camera “The Third Testament” opens with documentary footage of an interview gone wrong: a man, who we later learn is the famous Phineas Black, viciously attacks his interviewer, then static and darkness. Archived news reports light up the screen, telling the tale of a documentary filmmaker gone missing. Bit by bit, it is revealed that the missing filmmaker, Jacob Matthews, was interviewing Phineas Black in an effort to debunk his latest archeological discovery, The Third Testament to the Bible. Through several interviews with professors, historians, and archeologists, we learn the history of the gospels that make up the Third Testament. And like the New Testament before it, this new edition to the canon of the Bible has changed religious doctrine held sacred by so many followers for so many years. Carolyn, like her husband Jacob, does not believe in the legitimacy of the so-called Third Testament. She decides to confront the man responsible for her husband’s disappearance during visiting hours at his new home, the New Jersey State Prison. Phineas, convicted of kidnapping and assault, with pending murder charges, sits across from Carolyn in a menacing way. They exchange barbs over faith and/or the lack of it. He challenges her beliefs as she sits unaffected. Meanwhile, we learn through interviews with detectives, witnesses, friends and family that both Phineas and Carolyn had suffered great tragedies in life. Each had turned to opposite sides of the religious spectrum, Carolyn embracing it as a way to survive and Phineas denouncing it as a mind-controlling tool. Determined to break Phineas of his silence on the whereabouts of her husband’s body, Carolyn continues to meet with him. Each time, Phineas drops subtle clues about an organization called The King’s Eight. The clues lead her deeper into Phineas’s life and his circle of friends. She discovers that all of the archeologists, historians, religious figures and financial donors that were involved with the discovery and implementation of the Third Testament are all somehow connected to this unknown group called The King’s Eight. Each unveiling swings us in a new direction: Could the centuries old King’s Eight have fabricated the Third Testament? Did Jacob know? Was he a member? Despite it’s suspicious beginnings, is The Third Testament really a vehicle for the betterment of society? We get our answers by the movie’s end. Against her instincts, Carolyn develops a fondness for Phineas… and makes a startling discovery. Released by Magdaline Pictures