This will be a brief entry because I don't have much time but I saw No country for Old Men yesterday. It was an afternoon showing in the  suburbs; I think it was senior citizen day. On the way out of the theater I overheard an older woman saying to her husband (I think): "Next time I get to pick the movie!" Another woman said, "I have no idea what that movie was about." And then the two older ladies in front of me were commenting and one said to the other, "Well that movie really sucked." I … [Read more...]

Champions of Faith: Baseball is one of the best documentaries in recent years. On November 4, 2007 it won a CIMA (Catholics in Media) Award for documentary film. I just received an email with a link to a special offer for bulk orders of this wonderful DVD (excellent for middle-school kids through adults of all ages). What a meaningful Christmas gift this will make for you, your family and friends - for anyone teaching Confirmation classes, too. Instead of a gift card this Christmas, why not … [Read more...]

Happy Thanksgiving everyone. Several years ago a few folks who love theology, spirituality, and film, started a yahoo group called Cine&Media. In typical technology overload fashion, I forgot my password and the list and languished a bit for lack of management. However, my technology-enduced brain cloud lifted and I remembered! If you are interested in joining out group (you can sign up for a daily digest or individual emails when people post), please do the following: Go yo … [Read more...]

Jeffrey Overstreet, moderator; Rev. Peter Malone, Claudia Puig, Eleonora Granata, Jonathan Bock, panelists. On Sunday, October 28, 2007, Catholics in Media Associates (CIMA; www.CatholicsInMedia.org) and Open Call (http://home.catholicweb.com/OpenCall/) sponsored an panel discussion event during the City of Angels Film Festival (www.cityofangelsfilmfest.org) at the Directors Guild of America in Hollywood. The event was a panel conversation entitled: "Where's the Love? The Movie Critic vs. the … [Read more...]

"Lars and the Real Girl" is my favorite film of the year so far. Written by Nancy Oliver (who also penned several episodes of Six Feet Under) and directed by Craig Gillespie (Mr. Woodcock), Lars is a complete surprise. Lars (Ryan Gosling) moves back home but lives in the garage while his brother and sister-in-law (Emily Mortimer) live in the family house. Lars, dreadfully shy, insists on living alone. Their father has died, and we discover that their mother died when giving birth to Lars. Lars … [Read more...]

Robert Redford's new film is a study in how media and politics reinforce the other and the tragic results of journalism's failure to ask questions in the current war. Parallel to this storyline skillfully played by Tom Cruise as the arrogant and ambitious senator and Meryl Streep as the veteran journalist in an hour-long conversation, are two more. One of these is a storyline about a political science professor played by Redford, who is trying to get a student to become involved in the bigger … [Read more...]

Primo Levi’s Journey – (not rated) Primo Levi (1919 - 1987) was an Italian Jew, a writer and scientist, who spent about a year in Auschwitz before liberation by Russian troops. He survived but before he could reach his home in Milan, Italy, he made a journey of 1,000 miles to get there. This unique documentary re-traces Levi's eight-month journey through Russia, Poland, and Romania. These months coincided with the brief truce between the end of World War II and the … [Read more...]