(Again, I’m writing here outside of my usual cultural and entertainment wheelhouse. This is the outline for a presentation I gave to the RCIA program at St. Dorothy’s Church in Glendora. I’m sharing it here because I had a number of requests. I qualify this by saying that I am not a theologian and it shows. I’m really just a serious lay person who’s had enough theology to be appropriately in wonder. Secondly, what follows is a summary and not... Read more

It always makes me laugh how mainstream media interviews take so long, but end up actually using so little of what has been said. I remember once doing an hour long on camera interview with ABC GMA and then having only about eight seconds of me end up in the finished piece. So many nerves and mental gymnastics spent for so little. I did an email interview for The Christian Science Monitor earlier this week about the new trend of... Read more

Tonight, August 3rd, we will inaugurate a new ministry to provide communal prayer, retreats, spiritual direction and formation to Catholic professionals in the entertainment industry. We invited 20 people to attend the first meeting and we have 42 who have let us know they are coming. It’s a sign that the Lord’s flock in Hollywood is hungry for the help of the Church in their work. God willing, our new Archbishop Gomez will break from the past and take some... Read more

I resonated with so much of this piece by Joseph Schaeffer. Especially loved this: “Those of us who don’t see a need to redefine the family or male and female sex roles and the like can easily view a classic film and enjoy it for what it is. We don’t feel a burning need to judge the past by the standards of today, since we largely reject those new standards. The modern liberal is absolutely incapable of this. Liberal individualists... Read more

Here’s an exciting event we are going to be putting on just before the Catholic Medical Association conference here in Southern CA this October 22-23. (From the web site) With euthanasia creeping up on the horizon, advancement in biotechnologies and the frightening infusion of Obamacare cash to Planned Parenthood, there has never been a more urgent moment for those who understand and value human dignity to speak powerfully into the culture. Studies have shown that no group is more trusted... Read more

[Here’s another blurb for our upcoming book Little Gems: Better ‘Notes’ on Screenwriting and Storytelling. These are the non-negotiables of proficiency in storytelling for the screen. It isn’t an exhaustive list of screenwriting skills but really just the essentials. I almost included a section on “Layering.” ( I think I need to add “Layering.” If you can do all of these things with competence (and, you know, “Layering”), you are ready for the minor leagues, at least. 1. A Honed... Read more

Please help me get the word out! I’ll be giving my talk on “A Gospel Spirituality for Creative People,” to the new Professional Entertainment Fellowship at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Beverly Hills on July 30th from 7p-9:30p in the Parish Hall. Drinks and nibbles will be provided. Church address is: 504 N. Roxbury Drive, Beverly Hills, California 90210 Presenter: Barbara R. Nicolosi is a screenwriter and professor of cinema. She has been a judge for the Humanitas... Read more

The Way, Way Back Written and directed by Nat Faxon and Jim Rash Starring Steve Carell,Toni Collette, Allison Janney, Maya Rudolph, Sam Rockwell, Liam James (I reviewed this movie back during Sundance. Reprinting the review here as the movie is in theaters now.) I loved this film. It’s the kind of “little gem” project you hope to find at Sundance, but, sadly, all too rarely do. I sat through a lot of smut and sloppy messes at the world’s “premier”... Read more

It’s actually encouraging and discouraging both at the same time. Ever since I wrote this, I have been getting a steady stream of inquiries about the contents of the RCIA program that we use with our Hollywood converts. It’s encouraging how many people want to find a smarter, more cohesive and rigorous program of introduction to Catholicism. It’s discouraging how many people find the offerings at their local parish pathetic, banal and disappointing. For posterity’s sake – and in hopes... Read more

This is what I would do if I won a really big lottery. “A culture can not evolve without honest, powerful storytelling.” (Robert McKee) The Problem: For over a century, the undisputed engine of global storytelling, Hollywood is now in a crisis. The box-office numbers are holding up but the declining number of theater-goers is masked by the constant hikes in ticket prices. The demographic span of the audience that goes into theaters is at its least diverse in Hollywood’s... Read more