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APRIL 3, 2008
BOOK REVIEW: Priest shares Dachau memoirs
There has been a spate of memoirs written in the past few years that first became very famous because of their supposed realism and gritty truth telling. And then they became even more famous because it turned out the authors made up whole parts of their memoirs.
FILM REVIEW: 'Under the Same Moon' disappoints
The life of an immigrant is not easy — this is generally acknowledged by most people throughout history. All the same, “Under the Same Moon (La Misma Luna)” (Fox Searchlight/Weinstein) sets out to capture the hardships of an immigrant’s life (In Spanish. Subtitles). But, unfortunately, it is an unimaginative and cliché film.
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MARCH 20, 2008
FILM REVIEW: Sanctity of life in ‘Who-ville’
Although there have been many attempts to bring the magical world of Dr. Seuss to the big screen, none so far have been as successful as the funny and sweet “Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears a Who!” (20th Century Fox).
BOOK REVIEW: Holy Cross fathers ground prayer in action
Considering the atmosphere out of which the religious order was founded, it’s easy to see why the Congregation of Holy Cross would take as its motto, “Hail, the Cross, our only hope.”
Concert to celebrate Pope John Paul II
It’s no secret that Pope John Paul II was a great lover of the arts. As a young man, he was drawn to the theater and he also composed poetry throughout his life.
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MARCH 6, 2008
FILM REVIEW: 'Vantage Point' offers narrow view
If you’re looking for an exciting, but not engaging, hour and a half of undeveloped characters chasing one another around with a terrorism theme casually thrown in, then “Vantage Point” (Original Films/Columbia) is your picture.
BOOK REVIEW: Sr. Dorothy's ’greatest gift’
With a focus on almsgiving, Lent brings the poor to the minds of Catholics. And while many will donate money to charitable causes or volunteer their time working in a soup kitchen, the cry of the poor calls some men and women to a much more radical response.
Mesa film festival features Polish Catholic moviemaker
MESA — A good film makes viewers better human beings, said Polish Catholic filmmaker Krzysztof Zanussi, whose films were featured last month at the fifth annual Mesa Community College International Film Festival.
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FEBRUARY 21, 2008
FILMS REVIEW: Oscar nominees fall short ethically
If, by some cosmic twist of fate, morality decided the Best Picture of the Year from the 2008 nominees, there would be no winner.
BOOK REVIEW: Everyday preparation for Easter
Stations of the Cross on Fridays, fish frys, extra devotions and confession times — the rhythms of Lent can be felt at many parishes right now. But many Catholics find it difficult to keep Lent at the forefront of their hearts and minds when confronted with they busy-ness of their lives and the seeming indifference of the world around them.
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FEBRUARY 7, 2008
FILM REVIEW: Oscar-nominated movies take on moral issues
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the nominees for this year’s Oscars Jan. 22 — including the five films nominated for Best Picture. Two of those films in particular, “Atonement” (Focus) and “Juno” (Fox Searchlight), take on important moral issues.
BOOK REVIEW: In truth: An honest approach to abortion
Difficult, murky and complicated are words often used to frame the abortion debate. But many times people use these words to complicate abortion so as not to confront what it really is. At least that’s what Peter Kreeft argues in his book “Three Approaches to Abortion: A thoughtful and compassionate guide to today’s most controversial issue.”
FILM FESTIVAL: Mesa film festival to feature Polish Catholic moviemaker
In Europe, Krzysztof Zanussi is well-known for his part in “The Cinema of Moral Anxiety,” a group of Polish filmmakers who take on weighty content. This month, Valley moviegoers will get a sampling of his work.
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JANUARY 17, 2008
FILM REVIEW: 'There Will Be Blood' illustrates viciousness of envy
Daniel-Day Lewis has acted in only 10 films over the past two decades. He was nominated for Best Actor by the Academy Awards for three of those films and won the award once.
BOOK REVIEW: How to 'Make Room for God': local author shares spiritual insights
It’s nothing new for a Christian author to lament the materialism of Western culture or describe Americans as over-worked and under-appreciative of what’s truly important.
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JANUARY 3, 2008
Priest offers guidance to new Bible readers
Eating healthy, hitting the gym and giving up nasty habits are just a few of the resolutions many people made this week with the ringing in of the New Year.
The hope is that Catholics also took the New Year as an opportunity to commit more fully to their spiritual lives — whether by daily Mass attendance, praying the rosary, or reading the Bible more often.
For anyone looking to be better versed in all things scriptural, Fr. Timothy P. Schehr has written a book that’s sure to help.
'Kite Runner' falls short of potential
In a post-9/11 world, most Americans are familiar with Afghanistan and the Taliban, but the history of their relationship to each other is a lesser-known story.
“The Kite Runner” (DreamWorks SKG) tells that story through the friendship of two young Afghani men from different backgrounds. The friendship that brought them together eventually tears them apart.
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DECEMBER 20, 2007
Catholics speak out against 'The Golden Compass'
One of the most publicized “family films” this Christmas season is nicely wrapped, but contains a dark gift many Catholics are calling dangerous. “The Golden Compass” (New Line Cinema) is the film adaptation of award-winning British author Philip Pullman’s book of the same name. The book is the first of the “His Dark Materials” trilogy, which promotes atheism and is rife with an anti-Catholic and anti-Christian bias.
John the Baptist: A model of sanctity
John the Baptist gets a bit more attention during Advent than at other times of the year. In fact, half of the Sundays in Advent have Gospel readings that prominently feature the “voice crying out in the wilderness.”
‘Come all ye faithful’: Concert raises funds, Christmas cheer
Getting ready for Christmas can take some time and preparation, particularly if you’re in the choir at either St. Mary’s Basilica or St. Maria Goretti Parish in Scottsdale.
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