Recovering the Magic in Onward Sam Keyes May 14, 2020 Commentary, Movies, Reviews & Culture, Roman Catholic Church By Sam Keyes Pixar’s new Onward, made available early on Disney Plus thanks to the pandemic, is a wonderful movie. Of course I was going to say that. It is the gentle apotheosis of so much fantasy nerd cultu... Read More...
Justice, Mercy and The Irishman Joey Royal February 20, 2020 Anglican Church of Canada, Commentary, Contributors, Movies, Reviews & Culture The world of The Irishman is a deeply moral one, with a strong sense of retribution and justice, but without much hope of reconciliation or redemption for its central characters.
The Ordinary Life as Subversive Hannah Matis January 28, 2020 Commentary, Contributors, Movies, The Episcopal Church One of the greatest strengths of Little Women is that it is a story of very different sisters, and thus becomes a kind of fable of the very different paths a woman may choose.
Katherine Hepburn and Zeal Sarah Cornwell November 14, 2019 Ethics, Movies, Reviews & Culture This is the fourth post in a series in which I explore what classic film actresses in iconic roles can teach us — and, more particularly, my fast-growing daughter — about the seven classic virtues. These posts ... Read More...
Sympathy for the Devil: The Joker, the Loneliness Epidemic and the Mission of the Church Guest Contributor October 18, 2019 Anglican Church of Canada, Movies, Reviews & Culture As a film, The Joker is exceptionally good at portraying this sin-ravaged world — a bleak, decadent civilization where the bonds of mutual care have come entirely undone.
Jesus Reimagined in Modern South Africa Benjamin Guyer October 11, 2019 Contributors, Movies, Reviews & Culture, The Episcopal Church Christians have long struggled with seeing Jesus as Jewish. Yes, Christ becomes more relatable once “incarnated” in a specific cultural context.
Springsteen, Belonging, and Religion in Blinded by the Light Neil Dhingra September 11, 2019 Commentary, Movies, Music, Reviews & Culture, Roman Catholic Church To be sure, Springsteenism is an ambiguous religiosity. Springsteen, as Roops pronounces, “knows everything you’ve ever felt … and he can describe it better for you.” His music allows one to see the depth and profundity in ordinary life — to see even father-son conflict as “something as old as time,” as Manzoor says, and to respond with empathy. Springsteen himself is a role model of uncommon decency.
St. Dominic & The Florida Project Matt Boulter August 12, 2019 Commentary, Movies, Reviews & Culture, The Episcopal Church These are gut-wrenchingly difficult communities to consider. And yet their characters, or at least their real-world counterparts, are my neighbors, whom I am called to love and to serve. St. Dominic would have me ask, “What about them is good, true and beautiful?”
