“Midnight’s Children” and the search for identity

May 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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Indian/Canadian director Deepa Mehta's cinematic interpretation of Salmon Rushdie's 1981 Booker Prize-winning novel "Midnight's Children" is a vibrant epic that spans about 30 years and has a cast of thousands. It tells the story of two baby boys who were born precisely at midnight on Aug. 15, 1947, when India gained independence from Great Britain. The nurse, Mary Pereira (Seema Biswas), a Catholic, switched the boys soon after birth, meaning that the child of the poor father would grow up … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, Faith formation, religion, Social justice, Sr Rose Faith and Media, Sr. Rose movies, Women Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

“Francis and the Sultan” documentary released with great timing

March 20, 2013 By 1 Comment
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  When it was announced March 13 that the church had a new pope who had taken the name Francis, the first thing that popped into my head was, "St. Francis was the first one to reach out to Islam." This fact had just recently had been reinforced when I screened a new documentary from Franciscan Media, "In the Footprints of Francis and the Sultan: a Model for Peacemaking." Talk about great timing for the release of this two-part DVD written and produced by Franciscan Sr. Kathleen A. … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, art, Catechesis, Faith and film, Faith formation, Film Reviews, pope francis, religion, Spirituality and Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , 1 Comment

Les Miserables: a conversation about what the movie means

February 2, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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      Here's is a conversation that I had with radio host Sharon DiCicca of Toronto's Radio Maria. Sharon is a wonderful host and producer and I think you will enjoy this show.  HMWN Radio Maria is a Canadian Catholic Radio Station based in Toronto. This is a link to the HMWN Radio Maria Audio Archives: Click here for the audio file: In conversation about the 2012 film"Les Miserables". -- Sharon DiCecco says:  -- -- To love another person is to see the face … [Read more...]

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Three-part PBS documentary shines spotlight on key abolitionists

January 8, 2013 By Leave a Comment
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  "The Abolitionists" American Experience, PBS 10 p.m./9 p.m. Central, Jan. 8, Jan. 15 and Jan. 22 Tonight, a three-part documentary premieres on PBS that tells the story of the abolitionists and the movement they created in the United States to end slavery. The series comes at the right moment by providing the historical context, biographies and background to the passage of the 13th Amendment as shown in the Steven Spielberg's film "Lincoln," now in theaters. Yet Abraham Lincoln's … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, Documentary, Drama, Faith formation, History, Non-violence, religion, Resources, Social justice, Theology, theology of violence Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Do we need the zombie apocalypse?

December 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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  Thanks to my sister who sent me this I discovered that Marc, over at Bad Catholic, has written an authentic and insightful piece on the zombie apocalypse.  It's too good not to share. This is the conclusion but be sure to click through to read the entire post "concerning the zombie apocalypse."   Marc obviously spends more times with the walking dead than I do so read on, on this day when the world did not end. Again. The fact of the Zombie Apocalypse has the … [Read more...]

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‘The Rise of the Guardians’ an inspiring fantasy mash-up

December 3, 2012 By Leave a Comment
North (Alec Baldwin) welcomes Jack Frost (Chris Pine) in this scene from the animated movie "Rise of the Guardians." (CNS/DreamWorks Animation)

Although it took me some time to figure out what was going on and what Dreamworks' handsome, over-long film was trying to say, it became apparent about halfway through that I could easily make connections between the imaginative narrative and Christian beliefs. Seeing "Guardians" bears out the saying "You get out of a film what you bring to it" because you make meaning according to your own lens. The story opens with Jack Frost (the voice of Chris Pine) telling us how he came to be the spirit … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, Commerntary, Fantasy, Grace, National Catholic Reporter, On Faith and Media, Popular Culture, religion, Spirituality and Media, Sr Rose Faith and Media, Theology Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Metaphors and Journeys of Faith in the Life of Pi & Big Fish

November 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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  Tim Burton’s Big Fish (2003) and Ang Lee’s 3D Life of Pi (2012) have a lot in common, and it’s not just the fish or the almost overwhelming cinematography and artistic design that transcend the ordinary. Besides the fact that both films are based on novels, their common bond is the larger than life idea of fish and creation, imaginary worlds, and telling a fantastical story using metaphor, analogy and fable. Both stories share themes about life and death, about faith and … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Drama, Fantasy, Film Reviews, Grace, Reflections on life and grace, religion, Spirituality and Media, Sr Rose Faith and Media Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

“Weaving Life” “Where Do We Go Now?” and a “Girl with a Book” Images of peacemaking in the Middle East

October 18, 2012 By Leave a Comment
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In the last month or so, a narrative film, a documentary and a poster on Facebook came across my desk. The films were sent for review, but the Facebook poster (or image) arrived in my newsfeed this morning, unbidden, a "share" from my youngest sister. "Weaving Life" a documentary on The Life and Death of Peacemaker Dan Terry - is a film from MennoMedia that will air on participating ABC stations beginning Oct. 21 (check local listings). It is the story of Dan Terry, one of 10 humanitarian … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Adult Faith Formation, Analysis, Comedy, Commerntary, Drama, Faith formation, Film Reviews, National Catholic Reporter, Non-violence, Peace, Reflections on life and grace, religion, Social justice, Spirituality and Media, story, Theology, theology of violence, Violence Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , Leave a Comment

Hildegard of Bingen: prayer, supper & movie with a saint

October 6, 2012 By 3 Comments
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Last night Sister Marie surprised us by making supper according to what St. Hildegard of Bingen (1089- 1179) might have served for her community of nuns back in the day – or a slight variation thereof. First Sister Marie told us about the one-day retreat she attended last weekend to prepare for this coming Sunday, October 7, when Pope Benedict VXI will name Hildegard a Doctor of the Church. She spoke about Hildegard’s “viriditas”   because Hildegard knew that if we care for the … [Read more...]

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“Babette’s Feast” and the Goodness of God (celebrating 25 years)

October 3, 2012 By 1 Comment
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In 1995 I returned from two years of graduate study at the University of London's Institute of Education, MA in tow. I proposed that my community begin the Pauline Center for Media Studies in Boston with a good media library. At that time the budget was healthy and almost every Sunday after mass I went to the Barnes & Noble store at Chestnut Hill to savor a great cup of coffee as I browsed their excellent collection. On my second visit I met T.J., a student at Boston College who went on to … [Read more...]

Filed Under: Film History, Film Retreat, Film Reviews, Popular Culture, Reflections on life and grace, religion, Sacraments, Theology, theology of violence Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , , , 1 Comment