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March 16, 2016 The Skanner Page 7 Arts & Entertainment FILM REVIEW: CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: Terrence J ‘The Young Messiah’ Chronicles Critical Year in the Life of the Christ Child By Kam Williams For The Skanner News T By Kam Williams For The Skanner News 2 015 was certainly a banner year for Christian-oriented fare, with over 30 faith-based films being released in theaters. 2016 ap- pears to be following suit, with Risen, The Lady in the Van and The Witch among the offerings already featuring heavy religious overtones. Directed by Cyrus Nowrasteh (The Stoning of Soraya M.), The Young Mes- siah is a Biblical bildungsroman chron- icling critical events which transpired during a momentous year in the life of the Christ child (Adam Greaves-Neal). The intriguing historical drama was adapted from Christ the Lord: Out of Egypt, a best seller by the legendary Anne Rice, the Grand Dame of Gothic Fiction. That debut foray into Chris- tian-themed literature represented a big departure for Rice who neverthe- less earned Beliefnet’s 2005 Book of the Year for her opus based on the Gos- pels as well as on theological scholar- ship. And now Nowrasteh has brought a version of the story to the big screen certain to capture the imagination of the target churchgoing demographic. After all, the New Testament reveals precious little about Jesus’ formative years, and this ambitious project man- ages to flesh them out ever so convinc- ingly. As the film unfolds, we find Him living in Alexandria and behaving like your typical seven-year-old while His parents, Mary (Sara Lazzaro) and Jo- seph (Vincent Walsh), struggle with how to go about explaining the con- cept of God to His own Son. We also learn that they have been living in exile because of King Herod’s (Jonathan Bailey) order his soldiers to massacre all the young boys of Bethlehem. The maniacal despot was determined to prevent the rumored Messiah from ever seizing the throne. Vincent Walsh as Joseph with Adam Greaves-Neal as the Christ Child Herod’s demise frees the family to return home, although the obsessed centurion Severus (Sean Bean) is still searching for Jesus and sees a little King of the Jews lurking behind every rock. Meanwhile, Jesus goes about inad- vertently healing His sick uncle, cur- ing a blind rabbi, and raising both a bully and a bird back from the dead. And He performs plenty of random acts of kindness, too. But He remains desperate for an ex- planation of these superpowers until Mary finally ‘fesses up about every- thing from the Immaculate Concep- tion to the Virgin Birth to His divine destiny. A plausible, cinematic parable presuming to fill in gaps in the Biblical narrative of the Lord’s early life. errence Jenkins, aka Terrence J, was born in Queens, New York on April 21, 1982, but raised in Raleigh and Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Broadcast Journal- ism at North Carolina A&T University where he also worked as a DJ and was served as Student Body President. In 2006, Terrence launched his tele- vision career as host of BET’s “106 & Park.” That same year, he made his movie debut alongside Zoe Saldana and Wood Harris in The Heart Special- ist. He parlayed that success into roles in Stomp the Yard 2, Think Like a Man and Sparkle, to name a few. And just last year, he played himself in the big- screen version of Entourage. Terrence has blossomed into a char- ismatic actor, philanthropist and author who is now one of the most recognizable faces in Hollywood, most recently, as the co-anchor of the news program “E! News.” The three-time Emmy Award-nominee also spent sev- en years hosting BET’s “106 & Park,” the longest-running music countdown show in television history. Terrence published his first literary work, The Wealth of My Mother’s Wis- dom, in 2014, and he’s also a model and spokesperson for several brands, in- cluding Jeep Wrangler, Crown Royal Black Whiskey, Sean John and Snap- ple. He’s appeared in GQ magazine four times in the past couple years, too. Away from work, Terrence is heavily Author/actor Terrence J invested in numerous philanthropic endeavors. For instance, he served as a Centennial Ambassador in the Nation- al Park Service’s 100th anniversary “Find Your Park” campaign. Furthermore, he’s a spokesperson for Ronald McDonald House Charities Future Achievers Scholarship cam- paign, a mentor with Steve Harvey’s Disney Dreamers Academy, and an avid supporter of the Newark, New Jersey, Boys and Girls Club. Closely as- sociated with the Obama Administra- tion, Terrence has been tapped to host the White House student film festival. Here, he talks about his latest outing opposite Cassie Ventura in The Perfect Match, a romantic comedy revolving around a shameless player who takes a dare to remain faithful to one woman for an entire month. See TERRENCE on page 11 Excellent HHHH Rated PG-13 for violence and mature themes Running time: 111 mi. Distributor: Focus Features THIS WEEKEND: MEET THE PLAYWRIGHT AFTER THE SHOWS: SATURDAY, MARCH 19 • 7:30PM SUNDAY, MARCH 20 • 3:00PM TICKETS CAN BE PURCHASED AT: JP’S CUSTOM PICTURE FRAMING & GALLERY 418 NE KILLINGSWORTH, PORTLAND, OR | 503-288-2118 ELEVATED COFFEE 5261 NE MARTIN LUTHER KING JR BLVD, PORTLAND, OR | 971-255-1296 OR ONLINE WWW.PASSINART.NET The James F. & Marion L. Miller Foundation
