CNN’s ‘Redemption Project with Van Jones’ is compelling and profound

May 8, 2019 By Sister Rose

CNN’s new original series, The Redemption Project with Van Jones, premiered at Easter and concludes in June. Be sure not to miss any of the remaining episodes airing on Sunday evenings at 9 PM Et/PT. You can catch past episodes on CNN mobile apps. This series, week after week, is an adventure is restorative justice through asking, giving and receiving forgiveness, opportunities for perpetrators of crimes to take responsibility for their actions. Restorative justice is the opposite of punitive justice... Read more

‘Non-Fiction’ shows people lost in a publishing limbo (Doubles vies)

May 4, 2019 By Sister Rose

I would like to introduce you to a film by the writer-director Richard Linklater of France: Oliver Assayas. This is so at least in his new film “Non-Fiction.” Why, you ask? Because he, the screenwriter, just cannot stop talking. After the first ten minutes of the film I thought I was listening to Ethan Hawke and Julie Delpy talking and talking as they do in Linklater’s “Before” trilogy, hoping they would actually do something other than pose and re-pose at... Read more

‘Photograph’ is an endearing romance

May 2, 2019 By Sister Rose

Photo courtesy of (c) Amazon StudiosRafi (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) lives in Mumbai with several other young men working to support themselves and send money back home. Rafi is particularly focused on earning enough to pay off debts and buy back the family home in his village. One day he takes a photo of Miloni (Sanya Malhotra), a young woman who is visiting the tourist attraction where he has stationed himself to take pictures and develop them on the spot for money.... Read more

Knock Down The House: a doc about four women of the 2018 election

May 2, 2019 By Sister Rose

This documentary premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January of this year and is now available on Netflix. It documents the primary campaigns of four female Democratic candidates who decide to run for the seats in Congress: Amy Vilela of Nevada, Cori Bush of Missouri, Paula Jean Swearengin of West Virginia, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York. Each of these candidates was chosen through the efforts of two organizations made up of people who supported Bernie Sanders in the... Read more

Ugly Dolls: self-confidence, positive body image and kindness

May 2, 2019 By Sister Rose

A factory produces different kinds of felt dolls, and all of them must pass through quality control inspection. When a doll is deemed imperfect, it is sent to a hidden and remote inlet along the shoreline called Uglyville. There, Ox (voice of Blake Shelton) is the paternal figure watching over the community of misfit dolls, who enjoy life. They do not see their imperfections or compare themselves to anyone else. Moxy (voice of Kelly Clarkson) is a happy doll... Read more

Red Joan: the indefatigable Judy Dench is the spy who never got cold

April 19, 2019 By Sister Rose

In other words, Soviet spy Joan Stanley (Dench and Sophie Cookson as the young Joan), doesn’t get caught until she’s too old to go to prison. She lives out her years in comfort as an OAP (old age pensioner in the UK or senior citizen as we say in the US). But when the British government finally catches up with her and arrests her on 29 breaches of the Official Secrets Act, Joan turns to her astonished lawyer son, Nick,... Read more

‘The Curse of La Llorona’ gives horror films a bad name

April 16, 2019 By Sister Rose

This latest attempt at a spook-fest from the team behind Warner Bros.’ Conjuring-Annabellefranchise is meaningless drivel. All the elements of a horror film are there: the paranormal inserting itself into nature and creating chaos, social and community isolation, unexplained apparitions, loss of control, psychological and physical vulnerability, evil vs good. But the story lacks credibility even though based on an old Mexican legend meant to scare kids into good behavior. There is some relief but no real redemption, just a... Read more

‘Breakthrough’ inspires with a BK rating (bring kleenex)

April 16, 2019 By Sister Rose

FILM REVIEW In April 2018 I had the honor of visiting the production set for the new film “Breakthrough” that will open nationwide tomorrow, April 17. There I met the real Joyce Smith, played by Chrissy Metz and her son John played by Marcel Ruiz. You can read more about the film and the story behind it in a feature article I wrote for the April 2019 issue of St. Anthony Messenger (see below.) The film is based on the... Read more

‘The Public’ takes a stand in the Cincinnati library

April 5, 2019 By Sister Rose

Emilio Estevez, writer and director, stars in “The Public” – Universal Pictures Stuart Goodson (Emilio Estevez) is a librarian at the public library in downtown Cincinnati. He works with Myra (Jena Malone) who wants to be transferred to a more interesting part of the library. Homeless people who live on the streets make themselves at home in the library during the day, making use of computers and restrooms. Winters are especially difficult for them. The librarians maintain a professional... Read more

‘Unplanned’ the story of Abby Johnson who walked away from Planned Parenthood after 8 years

March 28, 2019 By Sister Rose

Ashley Bratcher plays Abby Johnson, a former worker at Planned Parenthood, in the new film “Unplanned” (Provided photo) “Unplanned” is a new film from Chuck Konzelman and Cary Solomon, both known for the Evangelical paranoia, audience-bait trilogy “God’s Not Dead.” They have teamed up again for a true-life story. This time it actually works as a feature film, though I wouldn’t call it entertainment exactly. “Unplanned” is the story of Abby Johnson, a former volunteer, then clinic director... Read more