Editors’ Note: This article is part of the Patheos Public Square. This month we’re asking: Has Hollywood Become Our National Conscience? Read other perspectives here. While some decry the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences as an exclusive club deserving an #OscarsSoWhite label, others see it pushing a liberal agenda through every ribbon displayed at the annual Academy Awards. Given the conservative nature of the economic decision-making in Hollywood, the truth resides somewhere in between. Filmmakers may see themselves... Read more

Spotlight is a throwback to the golden age of seventies cinema. It is a whip smart tribute to investigative journalism, rooted in character and grounded in a world where the most special effect is human emotion. Spotlight follows the tireless efforts of a team of reporters from The Boston Globe to uncover the sexual abuse perpetrated by far too many Roman Catholic priests. The most disturbing revelations in this true story involve the systematic cover up by Cardinal Bernard Law... Read more

Heartache is an interesting condition. It is usually associated with romance, when break ups lead to heartbreak.   So what should we call a situation where you find yourself rooting so hard for someone else’s happiness, that their trials and tribulations make your heart ache? Room is both harrowing and heroic.   It places a heavy burden upon its characters and thanks to superb acting, writing and directing, transfers that weight to the audience.   Emma Donoghue adapted her award-winning novel to what... Read more

Do you like sports movies?   I cry every time I watch Field of Dreams. The rousing underdog stories of Rudy or The Rookie almost feel too good to be true. The cynic in us may resist, but once you actually meet Jimmy, the guy who sank the winning shot in Hoosiers, your perspective shifts.   These aren’t just tall tales, manufactured by Hollywood.  These can be modest, “everyday” heroes who challenge us to practice, to press on, to never give up.... Read more

What does courage look like? Does it come with confidence, the swagger of certainty?   Or does it spring from something more fragile, vulnerable, and costly? Selma offers a feature length portrait of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that rises above clichés that drag so many bio-pics down. Far from a stodgy hagiography, Selma is enormously entertaining and remarkably resonant. King’s marches may look clear and strong in archival footage but what kinds of confusion and doubt preceded them? Selma takes... Read more