After more than a century of fighting, the crusades reached their height in the year 1220 A.D. The crusaders were now trapped and dying on a field in Egypt and the Muslim army blocking their escape. In order for the crusaders to reach Jerusalem they would have to take the port city of Dalmietta located at the mouth of the Nile River. The conflict between European Christians and Muslims seemed to be unending. Was there any way to resolve the... Read more
Sister Jaguar’s Journey is both a film and a book about the life of Sr. Judy Bisognano. My review was published today over at the Global Sister’s Report Blog. It begins: Judy Bisignano grew up in an abusive home in Des Moines, Iowa. Her father was a good provider, but an alcoholic. Judy’s deepest secret was that her mother beat her, almost every day. When her mother hit her, she would strike back in some way. Her misery led her straight... Read more
I interviewed the director Timothy Reckart yesterday and I am writing a feature article about him and his new film for St. Anthony Messenger in November. I also saw a partial storyboard for the film and a moment of the Annunciation – beautifully done. The film features the voices of Patricia Heaton, Oprah Winfrey, Gina Rodriguez and a host of other actors. Here is the just released trailer; enjoy! Read more
It’s been more than a month since I have posted a review here on Patheos! I’ve been on retreat, attended community meetings in Boston and then participated in the SIGNIS World Congress and the Catholic Media Conference in Quebec with Sr. Nancy Usselmann and Sr Marie Paul Curley. But I’m back and will try to post more regularly. Here’s my review of “The Little Hours” that I wrote for the NCReporter. Don’t let those habits fool you. “The Little... Read more
Red Nose Day – Celebrities, Organizations – All Of Us Can Help End Child Poverty I am pleased to share this good news with you for Red Nose Day! A big thank you to Grace Hill Media and all the work they are doing to promote this good cause: to held end child poverty. Read on…. Some of the biggest names in both film and television, including the cast of the beloved holiday film “Love Actually” are all putting on... Read more
Polina (French title: Polina, danser sa vie) Somewhere in Russia, Polina (Veronika Zhovnytska and Anastasia Shevtsova) studies ballet with a strict teacher, Bojinski (Aleksei Guskov) from a very young age. She grows up near the cooling towers of a nuclear power plant, in stark contrast to the art she is learning. Her parents, especially her father, works very hard so that Polina may some day dance her way into the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. As a teenager Polina auditions... Read more
This morning a friend, a father of a family, posted on social media that mean kids and adults suck. We had a conversation on Messenger where he explained that his child, a preteen, was late for school because she couldn’t stop sobbing. Yesterday the child’s friends, the ones she thought were closest, did something really embarrassing to her. The dad said that it is a heartbreaking situation for his child, and for his wife and him. Sound familiar? Perhaps... Read more
“I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious.” The National Geographic Channel’s first scripted series “Genius,” on the life of Albert Einstein (1879 -1955) premieres this evening, April 25. Season one of “Genius” is a ten-part series filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, where Einstein lived and taught in the early days of his career. A second season of the series has just been announced; the subject will be announced on the final episode of season one. Oscar-winner... Read more
In the early 1900s, an estimated 1.5 million Armenians lived within the borders of the dying Ottoman Empire, led by what is now modern Turkey. The Ottomans had annexed a large portion of Armenia as far back as 1555 but allowed the people to generally govern themselves, until political entanglements within the empire and European complexities and alliances of World War I led to untold tragedy. In 1915, when the Ottomans perceived that the ethnic Armenians within their borders supported... Read more
Six-year-old Mary Adler (Mckenna Grace) doesn’t want to go to school, but her uncle, Frank (Chris Evans), insists. Their neighbor Roberta (Octavia Spencer) scolds Frank when he returns from taking his niece to school. She’s afraid that something might go wrong for Mary, who has never gone to school before. The reason is that Mary is a prodigy in mathematics, as was her mother, who committed suicide when her daughter was only a baby. In class, Mary cannot resist showing... Read more
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