Mission: Impossible–Ghost Protocol is a perfect action-thriller flick. It’s slaying at the box office, too, which shows that audiences are paying attention. Tom Cruise is back, he’s still got it (in spades), and really pulls and keeps the whole project together. He doesn’t swagger, but he leads his MI team with “hunches,” bravery and physical […]
When I heard that Meryl Streep would portray Margaret Thatcher in an upcoming film, I was immediately interested, assuming that The Iron Lady would examine the legacy of the Conservative heroine. I was wrong. In 1976, Margaret Thatcher, then the leader of the British Conservative Party, was dubbed by the Soviets “The Iron Lady” for […]
War Horse is an epic film about the love between a young English boy named Albert and his horse Joey against the backdrop of World War I. The film stars Hollywood newcomer Jeremy Irvine, who was discovered by director Steven Spielberg. “I wanted a fresh face. We were right in the middle of the search […]
Independent films with their fresh ideas, story lines, production methods, and authentic performances have always captured my attention. The ability of the writers, directors, and actors to imbue much of their own personal vision, unrestricted to the agreement of big producers and distributors, into every aspect of the work is thrilling. Talent is put forth […]
Henry Russell, Ph.D. is a classics educator, headmaster of St. Augustine’s Homeschool Enrichment Program (founded with his wife Crystal), and president of the SS Peter and Paul Educational Foundation. He is known particularly for The Catholic Shakespeare Audio Series. His writings have been published in various journals. ========= Stan Williams: What do you make of […]
To celebrate the DVD release of *Dolphin Tale, Grace Hill Media, a company that promotes quality entertainment for faith-based audiences, has graciously provided five DVDs to be given away to Catholic Lane readers. Details are provided at the end of this article. As a freelance writer who reviews family movies, I often have the opportunity […]
Hugo is Martin Scorsese’s engaging adaptation of the children’s book by the same name. What’s it about? It’s an elaborate introduction to a slice of film history. The all-British cast plays out the story set in a 1930’s train station in Paris. At first, the story seems to be a tale of a misfortunate orphan-urchin […]
The Greatest Miracle, an animated look at the source and summit of our faith, Holy Mass, opens today in 63 cities. It is a film that has me feeling quite conflicted. On the one hand, the concept of using film to explore what is going on spiritually in Mass is a wonderful idea. There are […]
[wp_carousel]ID[/wp_carousel] For some people, the journey towards God begins through relationships with people. Mitch Albom, a Detroit Free Press sportswriter who wandered far from his Jewish roots, experienced God through two very different men: one a Jewish rabbi and the other an African American pastor of a poor, inner-city Detroit church. The story is dramatized […]
Imagine you are a Catholic priest in your 30s. Suddenly, at your mother’s deathbed, your world is turned completely upside-down. This was Polish Father Romuald Waszkinel experience when he learned that his real name is Yaacov (Jacob) Weksler and that his birth mother was a Jew. His Jewish Mother, Batia, had given him to Polish […]
Beautiful Irish Catholic actress and mother Roma Downey has produced a new series of DVDs for children called Little Angels. I recently interviewed Roma about the new series, her favorite charity and her devotion to the Blessed Mother. To celebrate the release of Little Angels, Grace Hill Media, a company that promotes quality entertainment for faith-based […]
When most people think of Roma Downey, they think of angels due to her long-standing role as Monica in Touched by an Angel. It will probably come as no surprise that she is the executive producer of an exciting new DVD series for children called Little Angels. She took a few minutes out of her […]
Catholics have long enjoyed the work of papal videographer Alberto Michelini. Now, under a special arrangement with the Vatican, a four DVD set on the life of Blessed John Paul II has been made available. It contains five hours of dramatic documentary footage, organized by topic into ten films that are each 30 minutes in […]
The Mighty Macs is the kind of film that makes you want to cheer from your seats. It’s a Cinderella in basketball sneakers story of an underdog earning the crown. The film is based on the true story of the 1971-72 Immaculata University women’s basketball team. This small — under 800 students — Catholic women’s […]
As I walked into the theater for a screening of Snowmen, the film’s publicist handed me materials and remarked that there was no sex and no explosions, “just cute kids in snow.” She was right, but that doesn’t fully explain why this movie is good. Goodness cannot be defined by what it is not. In […]
Lately it seems that many of my friends are either returning from a pilgrimage to a holy site in Europe or planning one. I long to make a pilgrimage too, but since it’s not in the budget right now, I’ll have to settle for living vicariously. Fortunately, a new movie titled The Way, starring Martin […]
Imagine for a minute you are the mayor of a small town. Your country, which has been occupied by a foreign power for many years, has been liberated by a second foreign power. But, your liberators have decided to stay. You have traded one occupier for another. The foreign government demands your allegiance and cooperation in […]
I received a press release yesterday about a new film project. In part it read: Paramount Pictures and New Regency Productions jointly announced today that Academy Award nominated director Darren Aronofsky will direct the feature film Noah, with Academy Award nominated screenwriter John Logan (Gladiator, The Aviator) coming aboard to re-write the script by Aronofsky & […]
Robert Guillaume, 83 years young, provides the unique voice of Rafiki in Disney’s classic film The Lion King. Mr. Guillaume’s 50-plus year career includes accolades in both theater and TV. He won two Emmys (for Soap and Benson) and received a Tony nomination for his role in Guys and Dolls. I recently interviewed the charming […]
I attended the opening night of Courageous with some trepidation. I had seen Fireproof, made by the same filmmakers, and I had not cared for it. Fireproof was just “okay” and I gave it an “A for Effort,” but, to my mind, the Christian message was too on-the-nose. But, last Friday night, some friends wanted […]
There are all kind of theories floating around about what life must have been like between Adam and Eve and the animals in the pre-fall Garden of Eden, but I wonder if it looked quite a bit like what I saw at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium last week. This impressive facility is the real-world setting […]
Like many of my generation, my knowledge of Kung Fu and Shaolin priests was formed almost entirely by David Carradine’s portrayal of Kwai Chang Caine in the iconic television series “Kung Fu,” which aired 1972-1975. Caine was so cool. He made self-control look attractive. As a biracial fugitive in the American West, Caine tried to […]
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The family-friendly movie Dolphin Tale is one of the best films I have seen in a long time. I laughed, I cried, and I didn’t want it to end. The story centers on Winter (a real dolphin who plays herself), who was caught in a crab trap on the Florida coast and rescued by young […]
