Please click here for my review of “Paddington 2” at St. Anthony Messenger. I just loved it (and I don’t gush over movies!) This IS a real family movie except for maybe the very, very young. You’ll also find a shorter review of “The Post” and “Hostiles” Read more
In the Fade (Aus dem Nichts) -SPOILER ALERT- Katja (Diane Kruger) is married to Nuri Sekerci (Numan Acar), a Kurdish man she bought hashish from when she was in college and who has done time in prison for drug trafficking. They live in Hamburg, Germany. Both sets of parents were against the marriage but they went ahead anyway. They now have a beautiful young son, Rocco (Rafael Santana) and Nuri has quit the drug trade and owns his own... Read more
After more than a century of fighting, the crusades reached their height in the year 1220 A.D. The crusaders were now trapped and dying on a field in Egypt and the Muslim army blocking their escape. In order for the crusaders to reach Jerusalem they would have to take the port city of Dalmietta located at the mouth of the Nile River. The conflict between European Christians and Muslims seemed to be unending. Was there any way to resolve the... Read more
Sister Jaguar’s Journey is both a film and a book about the life of Sr. Judy Bisognano. My review was published today over at the Global Sister’s Report Blog. It begins: Judy Bisignano grew up in an abusive home in Des Moines, Iowa. Her father was a good provider, but an alcoholic. Judy’s deepest secret was that her mother beat her, almost every day. When her mother hit her, she would strike back in some way. Her misery led her straight... Read more
I interviewed the director Timothy Reckart yesterday and I am writing a feature article about him and his new film for St. Anthony Messenger in November. I also saw a partial storyboard for the film and a moment of the Annunciation – beautifully done. The film features the voices of Patricia Heaton, Oprah Winfrey, Gina Rodriguez and a host of other actors. Here is the just released trailer; enjoy! Read more
It’s been more than a month since I have posted a review here on Patheos! I’ve been on retreat, attended community meetings in Boston and then participated in the SIGNIS World Congress and the Catholic Media Conference in Quebec with Sr. Nancy Usselmann and Sr Marie Paul Curley. But I’m back and will try to post more regularly. Here’s my review of “The Little Hours” that I wrote for the NCReporter. Don’t let those habits fool you. “The Little... Read more
Red Nose Day – Celebrities, Organizations – All Of Us Can Help End Child Poverty I am pleased to share this good news with you for Red Nose Day! A big thank you to Grace Hill Media and all the work they are doing to promote this good cause: to held end child poverty. Read on…. Some of the biggest names in both film and television, including the cast of the beloved holiday film “Love Actually” are all putting on... Read more
Polina (French title: Polina, danser sa vie) Somewhere in Russia, Polina (Veronika Zhovnytska and Anastasia Shevtsova) studies ballet with a strict teacher, Bojinski (Aleksei Guskov) from a very young age. She grows up near the cooling towers of a nuclear power plant, in stark contrast to the art she is learning. Her parents, especially her father, works very hard so that Polina may some day dance her way into the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. As a teenager Polina auditions... Read more
This morning a friend, a father of a family, posted on social media that mean kids and adults suck. We had a conversation on Messenger where he explained that his child, a preteen, was late for school because she couldn’t stop sobbing. Yesterday the child’s friends, the ones she thought were closest, did something really embarrassing to her. The dad said that it is a heartbreaking situation for his child, and for his wife and him. Sound familiar? Perhaps... Read more
“I have no special talents, I am only passionately curious.” The National Geographic Channel’s first scripted series “Genius,” on the life of Albert Einstein (1879 -1955) premieres this evening, April 25. Season one of “Genius” is a ten-part series filmed in Prague, Czech Republic, where Einstein lived and taught in the early days of his career. A second season of the series has just been announced; the subject will be announced on the final episode of season one. Oscar-winner... Read more
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