While there’s very little value in the daytime soaps, the more sophisticated versions that we find on PBS are most entertaining, the latest being Downton Abbey —and I readily admit to being a fan. We can pretend that we’re interested in the history, the décor or the period costumes, but really, it’s the turbulent plot […]
Nicki Minaj, fresh off looking like a fool with Madonna at the Super Bowl, showed up last night on the red carpet at the Grammys with a guy dressed like the pope. This was just a prelude of what was to come. Minaj’s performance began on stage with a mock confessional skit. This was followed […]
I have a love/hate relationship….with Facebook. While I am inclined to keep up to speed by anyone’s standard, it seems that they change the format often enough to confuse me just when I think I’m getting the hang of it. Admittedly, I have always been a sort of ‘geek’. I like technical things and am curious […]
At the Heart of the Gospel, the new book by Christopher West, is the fruit of West’s sabbatical from speaking after controversy broke following a television interview. West’s new book is primarily two things. First, it’s a summary of the main points of West’s lectures and writings over the years. West takes a deep breath, […]
A few years ago, we lost our DVD of Monsters, Inc. (2001, PIXAR) in a basement flood. It was a small disappointment, and every once in a while our kids mentioned how much they would like to see it again, but it was one of those back-burner “wants.” This Christmas season, we bought a copy and […]
The 2012 Sundance Film Festival welcomed the premiere of Filly Brown, the directing debut of Youssef Delara and Michael Olmos. Majo Tonorio (a.k.a. Filly Brown) is an aspiring hip-hop musician from the tough streets of Los Angeles. After pairing up with a talented DJ, Majo cuts a recording with a small-time promoter before catching the […]
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close is the story of a boy who loses his father in the Twin Towers on 9/11. Oskar Schell (Thomas Horn) seems to have Asperger’s syndrome, and his dad (Tom Hanks) was the only one who really understood his brainy but socially awkward and phobia-ridden son. Oskar’s relationship with his mother […]
The whole idea behind edgy, independent films is that by prying themselves from the commercial grip of major studios, filmmakers finally have the freedom to tell the truth. Sometimes this works. Last year’s The Redemption of General Butt Naked and Higher Ground were intense explorations of spiritual life. Both films were challenging in different ways, […]
When a child goes missing, a parent experiences a range of emotions fueled by love and the desire to be reunited with their child. This situation is a nightmare no family wants to experience. Yet, if this unfortunate occurrence does strike a home, the strength and unity among family members can offer hope while searching […]
Countless films depict the descent into an uncontrollable addiction and its consequences, but few aptly convey the challenging ascent to sobriety. Most movies gloss over the complex and strenuous path to recovery and away from addiction. In short, they inappropriately convey the message that it is easy and permanent once someone manages to triumph over […]
For a picture of how low the level of public discourse has sunk in America, look no further than the New York Times. In an editorial following Newt Gingrich’s upset victory in the South Carolina Republican Primary, the Times’ editorialists dealt from the bottom of the deck, playing the race card in an attempt to deflect attention from […]
Kid-Thing (shown at the Sundance Film Festival) examines the relationship between loneliness and hope as Annie (Sydney Aguirre), a 10-year-old only child, who is neglected by her alcoholic father, spends her days trying to entertain herself by creating trouble. Her misbehavior carries a suspenseful edge. Whether she is stealing food from a convenience store, throwing […]
“For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall understand fully, even as I have been fully understood” — 1 Corinthians 13:12. A group of atheists in Colorado are putting up the newest version of their billboard messages, this time proclaiming that “God […]
Catholic League president Bill Donohue points to some instances of bias in today’s New York Times: The reason I read the New York Times every day is because of its comprehensive coverage and tremendous influence on other media outlets. Editorially, at least on cultural issues, the positions of the New York Times are diametrically opposed to the teachings of the […]
EWTN TV host and Catholic author, Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle recently interviewed Dorothy Pilarski about her new book Motherhood Matters. Donna-Marie: Dorothy, the book you’ve seemed to put your heart into has finally been released. What are your thoughts? Dorothy: There is a part of me that still doesn’t believe it’s true. There are moments where […]
“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” No doubt this truism was at the top of Newt Gingrich’s mind as he responded to John King’s lead off question in the CNN Republican debate in South Carolina last week. Marianne Gingrich, the second ex-wife of thrice married Newt, alleged in an interview with ABC News […]
I came to bury Caesar, not to praise him, and wound up praising him. I had my skewers ready and planned to make shish-kabob out of this film. But I cannot. Why was I all set to hate on this film? I thought it was “Just Another Sad Tale of a Dysfunctional Family Where Dad […]
Among America’s amazing pantheon of founders, Patrick Henry stands out for his stirring speeches and fervent commitment to liberty, virtue, and small government. The Virginia planter, lawyer, and politician strongly denounced Great Britain’s political and economic control of the American colonies and played a leading role in the movement for independence. More controversially, Henry’s love […]
Unexpected things happen all the time but certain things have the power to convey a message to the collective psyche of a nation. Less frequently there are events that can alter the course of human affairs on a planetary scale. The killing of Archduke Francis Ferdinand that ushered a century of unspeakable violence was one […]
University of Chicago biologist Jerry Coyne has an interesting post over at his blog “Why Evolution Is True,” which hits on something I care a lot about: science and religion. Specifically whether they go together or not. Coyne mentions two posts from the New York Times blogs, one against naturalism and one in favor of […]
Gabe Lyons has constructed a new vision for Christians, a vision that is sustained by the desire to restore God’s Kingdom on earth. However, as we have seen, his vision is not a complete vision, but rather it is a half-vision inflated and masquerading as a whole one. It is as if a man took a […]
The medieval times of 13th century Christendom present a world so different from our own, jam-packed with unique and intriguing characters whose stories are so little known, yet so well worth knowing. I’d recently written a biography of a man from that time called “great” in his own day, Albert the Great, a man who […]
I hate people, and it turns out that might be a registered trademark. Let me explain. My daughter Kerry talked us into driving down to Lafayette Square [one] Sunday [last month] to get brunch. Lafayette Square is a trendy St. Louis neighborhood where rehabbers live, surrounded by the ghetto on four sides. But once a year all […]
Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an op-ed in today’s New York Times by Sara Ritchey: The Vatican recently announced that it is going to facilitate the process of allowing former Episcopal priests and congregations to enter the Roman Catholic Church as intact groups. “What will life be like for the wives of Roman Catholic priests?” […]
