UPtv APRIL 2022 TV Movie Premieres + Easter's on its way! 💮 SEE HERE:

UPtv will be airing inspirational and religious movies throughout the month of April, leading up to Easter Sunday. Then, they'll end the last weekend of the month, with an all-new romantic-comedy premiere.

Some of the uplifting films air in April on UPtv include: Run the Race, When We Last Spoke, Courageous, and more. The Passion of the Christ, which tells the story of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, will air on Palm Sunday and Good Friday.

See details on the April movies below...

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The movie, Run the Race, is from Executive Producers, Tim Tebow and Robby Tebow. It had it's theatrical release in 2018 and is rated PG.

Run the Race

Original Air Date: April 3, 2022

Starring: Tanner Stine, Kristoffer Polaha, Evan Hofer, Kelsey Reinhardt, Mario Van Peebles, Frances Fisher, Jaci Velasquez, etc...

Story-line via UPtv: Against the backdrop of high school football and track, two brothers in a small Southern town face escalating problems with two different world views, straining – but ultimately strengthening – the bonds of brotherhood. All-star athlete Zach Truett finds glory on the high school football field — working to earn a college scholarship and a ticket out of town. When a devastating knee injury forces Zach to the sidelines, his brother laces up his cleats to compete in track and field.

Movie Reviews:
"Run the race is a little depressing, but also very good." -Maria

"Run the Race is definitely a deep movie about faith and family issues. The story centers around two teen boys, who are basically raising themselves after their mother’s death. Their father (Kristoffer Polaha, "Mystery 101") is a drunk, who drops in and out of their lives when he needs something. The younger boy has seizures, periodically, due to a concussion from playing football. The eldest brother is determined, ironically, to get a football scholarship so they can get out of their small town and make something out of their lives. In the meantime, he meets a special girl, Ginger, who loves Jesus, as he wrestles with his faith. There are many ups and downs throughout the movie, and I loved the stories of faith and redemption; however, the ending was terribly disappointing and sad. I was hoping to be uplifted in the end, but I wasn’t. Really enjoyed the depth and terrific acting in the movie, minus the last 10-15 minutes." ~Net

*Run the Race is available on DVD, Blu-ray, and Prime Video.

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On Palm Sunday and Good Friday, UPtv will have a special encore presentation of the film, The Passion of the Christ, which focuses on the last 12 hours of Jesus' life.

Please Note: this movie is Rated R - due to the violence of the crucifixion.

The Passion of the Christ

Encore Air Date: Palm Sunday - April 10, 2022 and Good Friday - April 15, 2022

Starring: Jim Caviezel, Maia Morgenstern, Christo Jivkov, Francesco De Vito

Story-line via UPtv: Academy Award winning director Mel Gibson offers audiences breathtaking cinematography and the seamless performance of actor Jim Caviezel in an uncompromising film depicting Jesus Christ’s profound courage and sacrifice. The Passion of The Christ dramatically captures the last 12 hours of Christ’s life on Earth, based on the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.


Movie Reviews:
"Passion of the Christ is one of my favorite biblical movies that I have seen." ~ Chris

"My family and I went to our local theater to watch 'The Passion of the Christ' the day it premiered. I have never been so moved by a film in all my life. I love how the story depicted the life of Jesus from the very beginning to the resurrection. It is powerful, moving, emotional, and mot definitely, difficult to watch, at times. It's hard to imagine the pain Christ endured on the cross for our sins. 'The Passion of the Christ' is the perfect Easter film. ~Net

*The Passion of the Christ is available on DVD, Blu-ray, VHS, and Prime Video.

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See the full Easter line-up *here* in UPtv's press release.

In prime-time on Easter Sunday, UPtv will have the premiere of...

Faith, Hope & Love

(Note: Many refer to this film as a faith-based romcom/dance movie. According to Wikipedia: Faith, Hope & Love is a 2019 American romantic comedy film directed by J.J. Englert and Robert Krantz and starring Peta Murgatroyd, Robert Krantz, Michael Richards, Corbin Bernsen, Natasha Bure and Ed Asner in one of his final film roles during his lifetime.)

Original Air Date: April 17, 2022

Starring: Robert Krantz and Dancing with the Stars' dancer Peta Murgatroyd

Story-line via UPtv: Recent divorcee Faith enters a dance contest to save her dance studio, where she meets Jimmy Hope and rediscovers her faith, and dreams.

Movie Review:

I wanted to share this movie review I read at Common Sense Media by someone who goes by the initials, GM:
💮 "I was happily surprised to see the dad in this film caring about his daughters, having limits for them, being involved in their lives. I liked how he made his faith natural and a basic part of his life. My only caution is that there is a parent death in case that's a concern, there is also talk of a divorce and mentioning of the adultery that lead to the divorce. A few of the dance outfits are skimpy." ~GM

💮 "I watched Faith, Hope & Love online and really liked it. I recommend the movie." Misty

💮 "Faith, Hope & Love has some wonderful scenes about faith. I liked seeing Ed Asner ("The Christmas Card," "All of My Heart"); he was so fun in the church Bible study scenes. Natasha Bure ("Home Sweet Home," "Switched for Christmas") was wonderful in this, as well. She plays the leading guy's daughter, and I liked how she chose family first. Overall, it's a very intriging story, and like I said above, the faith elements are good and inspiring, but I must caution that the dance performances were rather risque, at times, and some of the clothing worn by the lead female were very tight and short. Due to that, I cannot label this movie as family-friendly." ~Net

I hope the reviews above are helpful to you. More reviews can be seen at Common Sense Media and Amazon.

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This next movie premiere on UPtv premiered in theaters in 2018 and is rated PG-13.

Small Group

Original Air Date: April 17, 2022

Starring: Sterling Hurst, Emily Dunlop, and Matt Chastain

Story-line via UPtv: A documentary filmmaker infiltrates a small church group to document how imperfect people live for Christ. When his producer gets angry and exposes him to the church, the director has to deal with the repercussions.


Movie Review:

I have not seen this movie, but I want to share this review from Common Sense Media: "Parents need to know that Small Group is a 2018 faith-based drama in which a documentary filmmaker is sent to infiltrate a small church group. Unlike some faith-based movies, this drama doesn't sugarcoat or gloss over mature content. A mother gives birth to a stillborn child. While in Guatemala, characters witness and stop the near-rape of a girl sold into sex slavery. A character is pistol-whipped, and then the gun is pointed at his head. The characters are flawed, know that they're flawed, and try to use church and the Bible to improve themselves, as opposed to using religion as a weapon to judge others and act sanctimonious. A neighbor chews tobacco, walks around with an assault rifle, and talks about going to the shooting range where new targets that look like "Obama bin Laden" have arrived. Wine, beer, champagne, shot drinking. Implied cigarette smoking in a flashback scene (not shown). Some humor concerning huffing kerosene, riding the "short bus," and flatulence." ~ Movie review by Brian Costello, Common Sense Media

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UPtv ends the month of April, with a romantic comedy...
(Please be sure to read review below.)

Kiss the Cook

Original Air Date: April 24, 2022

Starring: Erica Deutschman and Andrew Bushell

Story-line via UPtv: Kacey, a food blogger with an impressive following, is approached with the opportunity to write her own cookbook. The only problem is, she isn’t a very good cook, but with the help of chef Gavin, they may just have the recipe for success.


Movie Review:

An anonymous commenter shared this information with us... "Kiss The Cook is NOT family friendly. There is a comment by women asking the two main characters to forgive HER WIFE for being I think she said over enthusiastic. Near the end of the movie the one woman kisses her wife's shoulder." ~Anonymous

"Not all UPtv shows are family friendly. Kiss the Cook has a same sex marriage. This is awful." ~Anonymous

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Please note: I have not pre-screened the new movie premieres. If you'd like to post a review on whether a film is family-friendly, please share in comments.

I am moved each year by the way UPtv takes a break from their usual programming to honor the Easter holiday with these wonderful films about Jesus. Thank you, UPtv, for telling the true Easter story, by sharing with the world that Jesus made the ultimate sacrifice on the Cross at Calvary so we could be forgiven of our sins. We rejoice because we know Jesus is Risen!

“In His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” ~1 Peter 1:3

If you've seen any of the movies mentioned above, we would love to hear your thoughts in comments below.

God's blessings to you all! Net