‘Do You Believe?’ is mainstream … Sunday school

Last updated on: March 19, 2015 at 3:21 pm By Sister Rose

Following up on their success with last year’s triumphalist “God’s Not Dead,” screenwriters Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon have written “Do You Believe?”, an interconnected drama for Christians that features 12 lives colliding in a life-changing event. It is nighttime in downtown Detroit. A man, Malachi (Delroy Lindo), is carrying a large cross when he confronts a man in a car at an intersection. He asks: “Do you believe in the cross of Christ?” The man, Matthew (Ted McGinley), says... Read more

‘Jerusalem’ 3D in IMAX and Dead Sea Scrolls exhibition open in LA

Last updated on: March 15, 2015 at 1:15 pm By Sister Rose

The California Science Center at Exposition Park near downtown Los Angeles is hosting interconnected multimedia events: the new 45-minute IMAX film “Jerusalem” and an exhibition of the Dead Sea Scrolls contextualized by historic and remarkably preserved artifacts from the Holy Land. The film, narrated by Oscar-nominated actor Benedict Cumberbatch, is a soaring examination of the beauty of the Old City of Jerusalem and its importance for half of the world’s population: Jews, Christians and Muslims. The city was chosen as... Read more

Movies that foster reflection, spiritual growth for Lent’s journey

Last updated on: March 15, 2015 at 12:58 pm By Sister Rose

On Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18, Pope Francis outlined a program for Lent in his homily, using for his inspiration the readings of the day from Book of Joel, Paul’s Second Letter to the Corinthians, and the Gospel of Matthew. Some of the themes correlate well with films that tell stories that foster reflection, conversation and spiritual growth. Lent is a journey that calls for prayer, fasting and confessing of sin. Emilio Estevez’s 2010 film “The Way” tells about Tom (Martin... Read more

Cerulean blue makes a comeback in ‘Cinderella’

Last updated on: March 10, 2015 at 7:10 pm By Sister Rose

OK, so I got distracted. Remember the brilliant scene from “The Devil Wears Prada” when fashion editor Miranda Priestly (Meryl Streep) gives a lecture to fashion magazine newcomer Andy (Anne Hathaway) about the pile of stuff that her lumpy take-yourself-too-seriously-to-care-what-you-put-on-your-back cerulean blue seater came from? Here’s the clip if you don’t recall: Anyway, was I was watching these stunningly colorful previews from Disney and director Kenneth Branagh’s new “Cinderella” coming out this Friday, I thought, on my! She is wearing... Read more

Catholics in Media to honor “St. Vincent” and “Rectify” on April 26

Last updated on: March 9, 2015 at 4:36 pm By Sister Rose

I am having a hard time posting the image so it looks good, but just click on it and all will be made clear! Final Flyer_22nd Annual CIMA Awards Read more

Animals take it all in family-friendly ‘Russell Madness’

Last updated on: March 7, 2015 at 2:22 pm By Sister Rose

“Russell Madness” will be released direct to DVD on Tuesday, March 10. The film comes from the kid and family friendly imagination of Robert Vince and Anna McRoberts who brought us the “Air Bud” and “Buddies” franchise. Russell, a talking dog, lives in a pet store in Portland OR with other puppies. Russell is very cute but no one wants to adopt him because he has a bad habit of peeing on anyone who picks him up. He doesn’t mean... Read more

‘Big Eyes’ – good but could have been a TV movie

Last updated on: February 28, 2015 at 5:27 pm By Sister Rose

Artist Margaret Ulbrich (Amy Adams) and her daughter head for San Francisco after her marriage fails. Margaret is just beginning her painting career, which features waiflike children with big eyes. As Margaret struggles to support her daughter, she attracts the attention of another artist, a smooth operator named Walter Keane (Christoph Waltz). They soon marry. Keane convinces her to sign his name to her paintings because they will sell more. They become wealthy because Walter’s idea to make prints of... Read more

‘Still Alice’ struggling, not suffering

Last updated on: February 28, 2015 at 5:10 pm By Sister Rose

Dr. Alice Howland (Julianne Moore) is a 50- year-old linguistics professor at Columbia University. She is married to John (Alec Baldwin), and they have three grown children. Lydia (Kristen Stewart), their youngest child, has a contentious relationship with her mother because she has chosen acting over a college education. Alice begins to notice that she’s forgetting the little things until one day she goes for a run and gets lost. She goes to the doctor and is diagnosed with a... Read more

“The Drop Box”

Last updated on: February 28, 2015 at 4:05 pm By Sister Rose

In June 2011 an article by John M. Glionna ran in the Los Angeles Times about a Christian pastor, Lee Jong-rak, who had built a depository, or “drop box” outside his home for desperate mothers to leave their unwanted babies. Lee and his wife, Chun-ja, had seen so many discarded babies around South Korea’s capitol city Seoul, that they wanted to do something to save their lives. Thus they founded an orphanage at his church for about twenty children. And... Read more

‘Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, and Forgery’ CNN 6-part series begins Sunday March 1

Last updated on: February 27, 2015 at 7:13 pm By Sister Rose

A new docudrama series premieres this Sunday on CNN: “Finding Jesus: Faith, Fact, and Forgery” that focuses on “six holy objects that tell the remarkable story of the Gospels.” The series is based on a book by the same title by David Gibson and Michael McKinley (St. Martin’s Press, 2015). I was able to preview the first episode on The Shroud of Turin and the Sudarium (it is the final chapter in the book.) While the Shroud is well known,... Read more