I wondered on Facebook about Dexter’s theology in last night’s episode (season premiere) as well as all last year – which I missed (by choice). But for some unexamined reason I am drawn to Dexters murderous psychopathology. Given that I recently took a vow of non-violence I am thinking in expanded ways about what I watch. One of my nieces responded to my query about Dexter’s theology with a link to this excellent article “Dexter’s Theology: Shedding Blood in God’s... Read more
This is my #1 anticipated film with The Hobbit a close second. Les Miz opens in December. Read more
“Half the Sky” 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central Oct. 1 and Oct. 2 PBS Almost every review I have read of the book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide (by Nicholas D. Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, 2009, Knopf) begins by saying that “a Chinese proverb says that women hold up half the sky,” and I can see no better opening to a review of this Independent Lens PBS documentary that is at once compelling, overwhelming, hopeful and life-changing.... Read more
Jamie (Maggie Gyllenhaal) is a single mom in urban Pittsburgh, struggling to support her 7-year-old daughter, Malia (Emily Alyn Lind). At Malia’s new school, Jamie learns that while some teachers are very effective, not every teacher or administrator has the best interests of students at heart. There is no extra help for Malia, whose teacher is the highest paid but with the lowest job performance for the past several years. Overall, the school is failing. Jamie tries to enroll Malia... Read more
Samantha Crawford (Lynn Collins) is a children’s author. She and her husband live on a Tennessee ranch where she has her own horse and life good. But when her husband is killed Sam loses the will to live. She is relentless in trying to identify her husband’s killer to the point that the detective (Bruce McGill) doesn’t want to hear from her any longer. Through two children that Sam meets and befriends she reunites with her best childhood friend, Joe (Michael... Read more
In the scheme of family, church, and world events, this Sunday’s Primetime Emmy Awards show sinks to the bottom of most people’s priority list. But if you are a hard-working writer, actor, producer, technician or assistant from all categories, awards matter. Especially to writers. This Sunday is also the commissioning service for catechists and catechetical leaders at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. I mention it here because of the media link. Five catechists who took the Advanced Media Literacy catechist... Read more
A few summers ago, I had taken to driving to St. John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., for Sunday vigil Mass. Most Sunday liturgies in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles are so well-attended and run at an hour or more, and I have MS and heat can provoke symptoms. St. John’s was the only chapel or church within miles that had air conditioning. The priest who celebrated Mass most of the time was from Africa. He was a gentle... Read more
This low-budget documentary is about five years, and five cameras, in the life of a Palestinian man, Emad Burna. He bought his first camera to record the birth of his youngest son in 2005. Over the next five years he goes through five cameras as each is destroyed by violence resulting from conflicts over new Israeli settlements that encroach, along with a wall, Burna’s village of Bil’in. The film kind of goes along at first, setting the scene and creating... Read more
I hated this movie. It’s not a bad movie, I just hated it. And I do not say this lightly. The only people who might appreciate this film are sociologists, anthropologists, educators, psychiatrists and psychologists. There is no other reason to see this that I can fathom, except for the clinical. Sure, it’s important because it shines a mirror on how Americans don’t think. But from beginning to end the story builds up and is relentless in its march... Read more
I was not there last night, where new kinds of Bronx cheers must have been heard when Cardinal Dolan of New York and Stephen Colbert of Comedy Central’s “Colbert Report” met at Fordham University. Their host was Rev. James Martin, SJ, a lover of good humor and author of “Between Heaven and Mirth.” Here are a couple of paragraphs from Jim’s post at “America” magazine this morning and a link to the whole thing. Jim also explains... Read more
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