Zach Sobiech wasn’t expecting a miracle when he went to Lourdes. His family made the trip to France shortly after doctors told Zach that his cancer had moved into his lungs. The 17-year-old songwriter was dying. And while he and his mother, Laura, believed that something might happen when Zach waded into those waters—waters that, since 1858, believers have said were miraculous—they knew that miracles were rare: That God might have other plans for Zach. That’s really the most overt... Read more
Words on Bathroom Walls, a teen romantic drama released to theaters this past weekend, takes on two subjects rarely dealt with—or, at least, dealt with well—in film: schizophrenia and confession. Adam is schizophrenic, which means he’s never alone. Aspects of his mind take on physical form for him: a hippy, well-meaning guru; a tough-as-nails bodyguard; a bathrobe-wearing schlub that, according to Adam, feels pulled out of an ‘80s-circa romcom. But Adam’s mind contains a darker voice, too—one that pulls Adam... Read more
Tom Hanks’ new movie Greyhound takes place during what Winston Churchill called the Battle of the Atlantic, a six-year contest between Allied and German forces to control the ocean linking war-torn Europe and the United States’ bustling factories and resources. But it’s also about a captain—Commander Ernest Krause (played by Hanks), who helms a boat nicknamed Greyhound and leads a handful of Allied destroyers as they shepherd a convoy of merchant vessels through hostile waters. And in a way, it’s... Read more
You wouldn’t think that Andy from Netflix’s The Old Guard would have much to do with good old George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life. George is a decent family man and beloved Bedford Falls citizen. Andy is an immortal warrior who, we’re told, has forgotten more ways to kill than whole armies have ever known. Still, if you ever got them together at a dinner party—and wouldn’t that be something if you did—they’d have more in common than... Read more
Guor Mading Maker was an experienced runner long before he laced up his first pair of track shoes. He’d been running for most of his life. Guor (formerly known as Guor Marial) was born into war. Sudan’s second civil war erupted in 1983, the year before he came into the world, and it raged throughout his entire childhood. When he was 8, Guor’s parents—fearing for his safety in their war-ravaged village—sent Guor off to fend for himself. From that moment... Read more
In the opening minutes of Amazon Prime’s new film, The Vast of Night, the geekily rakish radio D.J. Everett walks through a tiny high school gym in Cayuga, New Mexico, while people pepper him with questions. Can you help fix the electricity? Will you teach me how to use my tape recorder? Can I re-use this reel-to-reel tape to record the game’s play by play? “You read your Bible, Sam?” Everett asks the sports announcer who asks the third question.... Read more
It’s been a strange year for the movie industry, obviously. But while blockbusters have all but disappeared from the horizon, at least for the short term, a number of really interesting films have found their way to the small screen, via video-on-demand. And Scott Teems’ taut, thoughtful The Quarry might just take the early-season prize for 2020’s most spiritually provocative film of the year. (You can rent it through Amazon Prime, Apple, YouTube and a variety of other platforms for... Read more
With most theaters closed, The Other Lamb—an art-house horror film—landed on various video-on-demand services this weekend. It makes for an interesting-if-difficult watch, especially in this strange season of ours. The story takes us into a polygamous cult led by a man we know mostly as “the Shepherd.” He has surrounded himself with women and girls—his own wives and daughters. The Shepherd paints himself as a Messianic figure (played by Michiel Huisman, he even looks like Jesus), and almost everyone... Read more
The movie Wendy hasn’t been as warmly received as director Benh Zeitlin’s breakout film, 2012’s magically weird Beasts of the Southern Wild. Its Rotten Tomatoes rating hovers below 50% right now, and when I asked a fellow film critic how he liked the film, he made a face like I’d forced him to eat chocolate broccoli. I get that. Wendy is a strange tale—a revisionist take on J.M. Barrie’s classic story of Peter Pan that strips out some of its... Read more
I’m no scientist, but I do like science. I’m no pastor, but I do love God. And while I’m no young earth creationist, the Ark Encounter still looks pretty neat. This is not to say the museum/proselytizing center/theme park doesn’t have its share of issues. This full-size ark in Williamstown, Kentucky, is filled with animatronic animals, people and dinosaurs, and naturally it’s packed with controversies, too: The documentary We Believe in Dinosaurs, airing on PBS Monday, Feb. 17, examines most... Read more
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