2022 was a great year at the movies – to the point that it is really hard to choose, never mind guess what the Academy voters might do. And because this is my ballot, I get to have second and sometimes third choices! These films have great themes that offer lots to talk about (and reasons to see more than once!), including some not nominated. My Film of the Year is “The Banshees of Inisherin.” My review sheds light... Read more
Hi everyone, I have been a member of this auspicious international group of 80 women film critics for a few years now and am very proud of our awards this year. If you are looking for a list of films to see in the coming months as they make their way to streaming platforms, this list of winners makes a thoughtful starting point. Click here for the WFCC Facebook page and link to the WFCC blog. Women Film Critics Circle... Read more
Twenty-five years after her death, a beautiful new documentary on the life of St Mother Teresa of Kolkata, India, that some are calling “definitive”, will have a two-day release in select theaters in the US on Monday, October 3 and Tuesday, October 4. The film follows the life of Mother Teresa across five continents and combines archival footage from the Missionaries of Charity, the religious congregation of sisters that Mother Teresa founded to serve the poor, with some dramatised portions... Read more
This new animated “relaxed heist” movie from Dreamworks is a Noah’s car of animal characters in need of coverting from their wily ways. The gang uses every means to steal and stockpile what doesn’t belong to them – and sometimes they do it just for the rush of a good car chase. Their motto is, “We might be bad but we are so good at it!” “The Bad Guys” is entertaining, if not a tad too long and over complicated.... Read more
Nektarios (Aris Servetalis) is a priest in Alexandria, Egypt in the late 1800s. He was born in Turkey, however, and this lack of Greek citizenship becomes an obstacle and source of suffering during his entire life. The people of Egypt revere him because he is kind, gentle and helps the poor. This makes other priests jealous, and they fear he will be elected the next metropolitan archbishop of Alexandria and Cairo. They slander him and he is expelled from Egypt... Read more
A little over twenty years ago The Disney Channel launched one of its first ever animated original series: The Proud Family. It featured an African American family with tween Penny as the main character. It ran from 2001 to 2005. On February 23, 2022, Disney + picks up the story of the Proud family only this time “Louder and Prouder.” Penny Proud (voiced by Kyla Pratt) is now 14 and is very smart, sassy (in a good way), who wants... Read more
My review for “Dog” will come out in a couple of weeks in St Anthony Messenger, but I wanted to let you know that it is an entertaining and inspiring film, with mature themes. And that’s ok. It is just that PTSD (Lulu the dog) and former Ranger Briggs (Channing Tatum) and TBI (traumatic brain injury) require some explanation for younger readers. War, especially one that didn’t need to happen, has lasting consequences for both human and canine soldiers. There are... Read more
New from America Media (America Magazine) and appearing on America’s YouTube Channel is a 15-minute documentary telling the story of how “This historic Catholic parish fought to stay open and won.” The parish is St. Adalbert/Our Lady of the Blessed Sacrament in the Fairfax neighborhood of Cleveland, OH, that was slated to be closed along with 52 others in 2010 as part of a diocesan restructuring plan. But parishioners of St. Adalbert/O.L.B.S., along with 13 others decided to appeal this... Read more
Today a publicist who sends me many films to review, sent me the following information c/o Sony. I normally don’t write about a film until I have at least seen a trailer but all Sony sent was this one photo. I am sharing this information as the film sounds like it will be interesting and inspiring but until I see the film I won’t know for sure. It is slated for a Good Friday release, April 15, 2022. “Father Stu”... Read more
A couple of weeks ago I had the honor and pleasure of being interviewed for a podcast by Katrina Carlson, the wife of Ken Carlson, the director who made the documentary, “The Heart of Nuba” and co-host Jefferson Denim. They named the Podcast (that you can watch here or listen to on various podcasting platforms such as Apple): Sr. Rose Pacatte: Embracing Humanity at the Crossroads of Media and the Margins. You can also watch it from their website... Read more
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