Ignore the Oscars! Author and 'Time-Traveling' Son Pick Best Movies of 2005

While Americans stand in long lines at sold-out theaters to see The Chronicles of Narnia (2005), what do film critics offer up as the year's best film? Answer: Brokeback Mountain (2005).

"It's time to ignore the critics and the Oscars," says Seattle author Michael Class. "They are out of touch. It's time to recognize what Americans really want to see, and what they really pay to see. I propose the 'American Values Award.' I propose an honor bestowed on movies that reflect and encourage traditional American values."

In his new book, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame (www.MagicPictureFrame.com), Michael Class offers a list of nearly 600 movies that every American "must see" — 600 movies that would qualify for the American Values Award. 

Class points out that most of the highest grossing movies of all time reflect the traditional values of the audience, not the values of the critics. "And, most blockbusters are not rated R," insists Class. The ten top grossing films of all time, adjusted for inflation, include: E.T. (1982), Star Wars (1977), The Sound of Music (1965), The Ten Commandments (1956), and Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937).

"That's what Americans look for in movies," explains Class. "Stories of love, honor, discipline, family, commitment, good versus evil, and the triumph of the human spirit: traditional American values. Those are the ingredients that turn a movie into a box-office success."

Which movies win the American Values Award for 2005, according to Michael Class? The winners are: Cinderella Man (2005), the story of a man who remains committed to his wife and children during the Great Depression; The Chronicles of Narnia (2005), a fantastical morality play borrowing heavily from the New Testament of the Holy Bible; Star Wars Episode III (2005) and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2005), both stories of good versus evil; The Great Raid (2005), a true story of American heroism during World War II; End of the Spear (2005), a true story of spiritual growth and redemption; Millions (2005), an off-beat story about doing the right thing; The Greatest Game Ever Played 2005), a story of generosity, determination, and good sportsmanship.

Honorable mention goes to: Glory Road (2006), the inspiring true story of how a small school in West Texas, with an unproven coach, and an all-black starting team of basketball players changed history: heroes all. It's a story of character, integrity, and overcoming prejudice. It's a story of inner strength and doing something that is bigger than yourself.

"I really wanted to include War of the Worlds (2005)," says Class, "but I couldn't. It's a remake of a classic that many people hoped would be good, myself included. Why couldn't the new version feature a married father defending his family, instead of a divorced father? Why do Hollywood screenwriters seem to think every family is broken? See the 1960 original instead." Class says that the only recent movie that is positive on marriage is just a cartoon: The Incredibles (2004).

Class has other suggestions for today's movie fans: "Skip Jarhead (2005), a movie that dishonors the American fighting man, and see Sands of Iwo Jima (1945) and To Hell and Back (1955), instead. Skip Syriana (2005), a movie that blames Islamic terrorism on America's national appetite for oil, directly contradicting what Osama bin Laden has repeatedly told us were his reasons for the 9/11 attack. Skip Spielberg's Munich (2005), a movie that blurs the distinction between justice and vengeance, good and evil, and heroes and villains: it's just two hours of cinematic moral confusion. To see the real story of what happened after the Munich Olympics, see Sword of Gideon (1986), instead." Other movies that accurately tell the story of Islamic terrorism in modern times, and recommended by Class: Raid on Entebbe (1977), The Hijacking of the Achille Lauro (1989), and Osama (2003).

All 600 movies recommended by Michael Class, and qualifying for the American Values Award, can be found in: Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame (hardcover, 225 pages, $35). The book is available at www.MagicPictureFrame.com, or by calling toll-free: 1-800-247-6553. The book is also available at select bookstores and on amazon.com.

"It's not surprising that many of the 600 movies in my book appear on lists of the all-time highest grossing films," says Class. "They are all-time favorites because they reflect and honor traditional American values. I recommend them over most of the movies produced by Hollywood today, and the movies endorsed by modern-day critics."

The book, Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame, is a groundbreaking approach to teaching American history and traditional moral values. In the book, Anthony, the author's real-life twelve-year-old son, travels into the past by stepping through a magical picture frame: Anthony witnesses some of the greatest events of the twentieth century. The book is known for amazing digital photography that places Anthony in the cockpit of the Spirit of St. Louis with Charles Lindbergh, on the moon with Neil Armstrong, and on Normandy beach on D-Day. The book's realism extends to Anthony’s conversations with the heroes of the past: all of the conversations are based on things they really said. Photographs of Anthony with Thomas Edison, Jonas Salk, FDR, Lou Gehrig, Charles Lindbergh, Audie Murphy, Neil Armstrong, and other American heroes can be viewed at the book's official Web site: www.MagicPictureFrame.com. The book is recommended for young adults, Grade 6 to Grade 12.

Each chapter of the book includes a list of recommended books, movies, music, and places to visit — part of a built-in 'time machine' that kids can use to explore the past. The 600 movies on the list are broken down by the subjects of the book's chapters: Time travel, space exploration, immigration, World War I, the Great Depression, airplanes and flight, invention and business, World War II, the Holocaust, baseball and athletes, character and moral development, medicine and healers, what it means to be an American, and the War on Terror. 

"In the book, I list 600 movies that are really worth watching," says Class. "600 movies that teach and inspire and enrich the soul. 600 movies that really entertain!"

The book is published by Magic Picture Frame Studio, a new publishing company in the Pacific Northwest, dedicated to telling the stories of the past to the children of today in exciting new ways. Anthony and the Magic Picture Frame is the first book in a planned series of historical time-travel adventures.

Note to editors and book reviewers: Michael S. Class and Anthony are available for interviews. Photographs and review copies are available.

Contact: Michael S. Class (author), 425-222-7562, class@MagicPictureFrame.com, Magic Picture Frame Studio, P.O. Box 2603, Issaquah, WA 98027-0119. Or contact: Maryann Karinch (publicist), 970-577-8500, maryann@karinch.com.