Let’s face it, folks: Comedies are tricky business. In my book, the line between a memorable comedy and a forgettable one is a very fine one. If a filmmaker focuses too much on delivering laughs-a-minute, you completely lose the humanity of the characters. But if they lean too hard into the heartwarming stuff, you’ll inevitably have people screaming “YOU CALL THIS A COMEDY!?” and spewing their partially chewed popcorn all over the theater floor (gross). So when my good friend and consistent encourager Chris Dowling reached out to me with a screener for his latest project, I was eager to see how he navigated that aforementioned line. By the way, if you haven’t read my reviews on two of Chris's other films, Roll With It and Where Hope Grows , do yourself a favor and check them out here and here . His new flick is called Bad Counselors , and YAY! FINALLY! We have a fresh, original storyline on our hands.

When former President Donald Trump recently said he hopes he makes it to heaven but doesn’t feel good enough , it struck a chord with millions of Americans — including me. The video below is my "open letter" to President Trump in response to his seeming uncertainty regarding his eternal destiny.

Despite it's age, It's A Wonderful Life remains one of the most watched holiday films of all time (and for good reason).

Navigating the entertainment industry can be a challenging voyage, to be sure. But one way you can avoid commonly made mistakes is to surround yourself with seasoned professionals that you respect and admire who can provide you with good advice and steer you in the right direction. Producer Josh Walsh ( Unsung Hero , Jesus Revolution , I Still Believe ) has been one of those crucial connections for me. The advice he gave me before I headed to set for my very first experience as a lead actor in the upcoming feature film Carol proved invaluable to me, and thus became the subject matter for the inagural episode of my brand new social series, Pointers From The Pros . You can watch the full episode below (a mere 3:27 runtime). If you find this new series enjoyable and/or helpful, please do spread the word and stay tuned for future episodes!

Let's face it: Clean comedies are hard to come by these days (like... annoyingly rare) . So when I heard a new karaoke-themed comedy starring Chonda Pierce was in the works, my interest was officially piqued. And when I discovered my friend-whom-I-have-yet-to-meet-in-person Chris Dowling was helming the project, my interest was doubly piqued. Around this time last year, I watched Dowling's 2014 film Where Hope Grows (my first exposure to his work) and explained why everyone and their mother should watch it. Read my full review here . If you're not familiar with comedian Chonda Pierce's work, I just have one question for you... WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? Chonda's talent speaks for itself. Her comedy, her accent, her stories...what's not to love? Follow her on Facebook and Instagram so you don't miss any of her lighthearted, good-natured, hilarious content. One more fun connection I have to this film is that one of the producers ( Ken Carpenter of Nook Lane Entertainment ) also produced a film I had a principal role in last year entitled Surprised by Oxford ! It hasn't released yet, but the trailer looks AMAZING . Ok, so now that I've built up a little suspense and anticipation, let me tell you a little bit about the film... It's called Roll With It and it's about a widow who waits tables at Biscuit Barrel (Cracker Barrel's little-known rival, no doubt) and finds herself entering a karaoke competition to save her house from foreclosure by a man who pooped in her sandbox. That's all I'm gonna say. (Trust me...it will all make sense when you watch the movie.) Check out the official trailer below.