New film celebrates historic Black Catholic parish reopening in Cleveland

Last updated on: January 27, 2022 at 3:13 pm By Sister Rose

New from America Media (America Magazine) and appearing on America’s YouTube Channel is a 15-minute documentary telling the story of how “This historic Catholic parish fought to stay open and won.” The parish is St. Adalbert/Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland, OH, that was slated to be closed along with 52 others in 2010 as part of a diocesan restructuring plan. But parishioners of St. Adalbert/O.L.B.S., along with 13 others decided to appeal this... Read more

Mel Gibson’s girlfriend directs new Sony acquired film “Father Stu” stars Gibson and Mark Wahlberg

Last updated on: January 25, 2022 at 4:22 pm By Sister Rose

Today a publicist who sends me many films to review, sent me the following information c/o Sony. I normally don’t write about a film until I have at least seen a trailer but all Sony sent was this one photo. I am sharing this information as the film sounds like it will be interesting and inspiring but until I see the film I won’t know for sure. It is slated for a Good Friday release, April 15, 2022. “Father Stu”... Read more

Sr. Rose Pacatte: Embracing Humanity at the Crossroads of Media and the Margins podcast interview

Last updated on: January 25, 2022 at 12:19 pm By Sister Rose

A couple of weeks ago I had the honor and pleasure of being interviewed for a podcast by Katrina Carlson, the wife of Ken Carlson, the director who made the documentary, “The Heart of Nuba” and co-host Jefferson Denim. They named the Podcast (that you can watch here or listen to on various podcasting platforms such as Apple): Sr. Rose Pacatte: Embracing Humanity at the Crossroads of Media and the Margins. You can also watch it from their website... Read more

“Don’t Look Up” is political satire, a parallel parody about the USA

Last updated on: December 29, 2021 at 11:29 am By Sister Rose

Prolific Oscar-winning writer, Oscar-nominated director and cinematic philosopher Adam McKay’s new film on Netflix, “Don’t Look Up” is political satire, a parallel parody of recent years that becomes a tragic sci-fi parable about bad politicians and government, a movie that is so bad it’s good. There is no chance you won’t get what he is communicating but I wonder if his intended audience will watch it. Meryl Streep plays President Orlean and Jonah Hill her annoying son and inept Chief... Read more

Netflix tackles Colton Underwood in new series “Coming Out Colton”

Last updated on: December 18, 2021 at 5:48 pm By Sister Rose

Colton Underwood, a former NFL practice squad player, became a reality television personality in 2018. He was a contestant on the 14th season of “The Bachelorette” and was eliminated in week 8. Colton was then cast in season 5 of “Bachelor in Paradise” but he left the show in the fourth week. Then in September 2018, Colton starred in the 23rd season of “The Bachelor” as the star. During the show he met Cassie Randolph and they began a relationship... Read more

Women Film Critics Circle Awards announced

Last updated on: December 13, 2021 at 7:36 pm By Sister Rose

WOMEN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE 2021 AWARDS As proud members of this important organization, we are excited to share with you the winners of the Women Film Critics Circle for 2021. Tune in to our podcast episode this coming Saturday for reviews of many of these winners and nominees! (Sr. Rose: I have been a member of the WFCC for about ten years and I have met some fine women critics through our e-list and sometimes at film festivals. Belonging also... Read more

New film “Lady of Heaven” explores story of Mohammed’s daughter Fatima

Last updated on: December 10, 2021 at 11:19 am By Sister Rose

In modern war-torn Mosul, when ISIS begins to establish a new caliphate, the mother (Albane Courtois) of a young boy, Laith (Gabriel Cartade), is killed by an ISIS fighter when he finds a bookmark in her apartment that reads, “Peace be upon you Lady Fatima.” He then tells the young boy to run. An Iraqi soldier finds the boy in the chaos and offers to take him home to his grandmother. Laith is upset and has nightmares following his mother’s killing so the kindly grandmother soothes him by... Read more

Will Smith welcomes us to earth in new Disney+ series

Last updated on: December 9, 2021 at 3:41 pm By Sister Rose

In a new six-part series from NatGeo and Disney+, actor Will Smith accompanies big names in earth’s exploration to some fascinating, mysterious, scary, and beautiful places on earth, some of which we may have never seen before – and neither has Will Smith. One unique aspect of the series is that it is framed by the six senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch – and wonder. “Welcome to the Earth” is a six-part follow-up to NatGeo’s 2018 “One Strange Rock”. Both series are directed by Darren Aronofsky... Read more

tick, tick … BOOM! A musical starring Andrew Garfield that will amaze you

Last updated on: November 19, 2021 at 2:42 pm By Sister Rose

It seems only recently that we have seen a rebirth of musicals filmed for theatrical (and streaming) release, either taping a live performance, such as Hamilton and Come from Away, or adapting a musical for film such as the surprising (to me) and inspiring homage to creativity, the late Jonathan Larson’s “tick, tick … BOOM!” Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) relates his inner angst in song amidst his daily life in New York, trying to write a musical while working... Read more

Will Smith’s “King Richard” is about a dad with a plan

Last updated on: November 19, 2021 at 2:30 pm By Sister Rose

This inspiring drama is about how Richard Williams (Will Smith) planned and co-coached, with his then wife Oracene “Brandy” Price (Aunjanue Ellis), their talented daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) to become top champions of women’s tennis. Tennis, a sport with no previous black women champions except for Althea Gibson (1927-2003), begins in the late 1980s when Venus is about nine years-old and Serena is seven. The setting is Compton, CA, and Richard is training and coaching two... Read more