“Don’t Look Up” is political satire, a parallel parody about the USA

Last updated on: December 29, 2021 at 11:29 am By Sister Rose

Prolific Oscar-winning writer, Oscar-nominated director and cinematic philosopher Adam McKay’s new film on Netflix, “Don’t Look Up” is political satire, a parallel parody of recent years that becomes a tragic sci-fi parable about bad politicians and government, a movie that is so bad it’s good. There is no chance you won’t get what he is communicating but I wonder if his intended audience will watch it. Meryl Streep plays President Orlean and Jonah Hill her annoying son and inept Chief... Read more

Netflix tackles Colton Underwood in new series “Coming Out Colton”

Last updated on: December 18, 2021 at 5:48 pm By Sister Rose

Colton Underwood, a former NFL practice squad player, became a reality television personality in 2018. He was a contestant on the 14th season of “The Bachelorette” and was eliminated in week 8. Colton was then cast in season 5 of “Bachelor in Paradise” but he left the show in the fourth week. Then in September 2018, Colton starred in the 23rd season of “The Bachelor” as the star. During the show he met Cassie Randolph and they began a relationship... Read more

Women Film Critics Circle Awards announced

Last updated on: December 13, 2021 at 7:36 pm By Sister Rose

WOMEN FILM CRITICS CIRCLE 2021 AWARDS As proud members of this important organization, we are excited to share with you the winners of the Women Film Critics Circle for 2021. Tune in to our podcast episode this coming Saturday for reviews of many of these winners and nominees! (Sr. Rose: I have been a member of the WFCC for about ten years and I have met some fine women critics through our e-list and sometimes at film festivals. Belonging also... Read more

New film “Lady of Heaven” explores story of Mohammed’s daughter Fatima

Last updated on: December 10, 2021 at 11:19 am By Sister Rose

In modern war-torn Mosul, when ISIS begins to establish a new caliphate, the mother (Albane Courtois) of a young boy, Laith (Gabriel Cartade), is killed by an ISIS fighter when he finds a bookmark in her apartment that reads, “Peace be upon you Lady Fatima.” He then tells the young boy to run. An Iraqi soldier finds the boy in the chaos and offers to take him home to his grandmother. Laith is upset and has nightmares following his mother’s killing so the kindly grandmother soothes him by... Read more

Will Smith welcomes us to earth in new Disney+ series

Last updated on: December 9, 2021 at 3:41 pm By Sister Rose

In a new six-part series from NatGeo and Disney+, actor Will Smith accompanies big names in earth’s exploration to some fascinating, mysterious, scary, and beautiful places on earth, some of which we may have never seen before – and neither has Will Smith. One unique aspect of the series is that it is framed by the six senses: sight, sound, smell, taste, touch – and wonder. “Welcome to the Earth” is a six-part follow-up to NatGeo’s 2018 “One Strange Rock”. Both series are directed by Darren Aronofsky... Read more

tick, tick … BOOM! A musical starring Andrew Garfield that will amaze you

Last updated on: November 19, 2021 at 2:42 pm By Sister Rose

It seems only recently that we have seen a rebirth of musicals filmed for theatrical (and streaming) release, either taping a live performance, such as Hamilton and Come from Away, or adapting a musical for film such as the surprising (to me) and inspiring homage to creativity, the late Jonathan Larson’s “tick, tick … BOOM!” Jonathan Larson (Andrew Garfield) relates his inner angst in song amidst his daily life in New York, trying to write a musical while working... Read more

Will Smith’s “King Richard” is about a dad with a plan

Last updated on: November 19, 2021 at 2:30 pm By Sister Rose

This inspiring drama is about how Richard Williams (Will Smith) planned and co-coached, with his then wife Oracene “Brandy” Price (Aunjanue Ellis), their talented daughters Venus (Saniyya Sidney) and Serena (Demi Singleton) to become top champions of women’s tennis. Tennis, a sport with no previous black women champions except for Althea Gibson (1927-2003), begins in the late 1980s when Venus is about nine years-old and Serena is seven. The setting is Compton, CA, and Richard is training and coaching two... Read more

“3212 Un-Redacted” reveals U.S. Army cover-up about soldiers killed in Niger in 2017

Last updated on: November 9, 2021 at 2:50 pm By Sister Rose

3212 Un-Redacted premiers on November 11, 2021, HULU As I write this review of the extraordinary documentary premiering on Hulu November 11, 2021, I am mindful that this is the birthday of the Servant of God, peace activist, and social justice advocate for the poor, Dorothy Day. She knew that American children who practiced hiding under their school desks in case of a nuclear bombing during “duck and cover” Civil Defense drills in the 1950s and 60s would not protect... Read more

It’s Media Literacy Week! Hollywood and Hope: Looking at Social Justice and Human Rights and Social Justice through a Critical Media Literacy Lens

Last updated on: October 27, 2021 at 2:13 pm By Sister Rose

On this tenth anniversary of the celebration of “global media and information literacy week” in the United States as sponsored by NAMLE (the National Association for Media Literacy Education) as “U.S. Media Literacy Week” I am pleased to share the presentation that Bonnie Abaunza and I gave, as moderated by Larissa Peltola, for the NAMLE conference this past summer: Hollywood and Hope: Looking at Social Justice and Human Rights and Social Justice through a Critical Media Literacy Lens ... Read more

“The Starling” when grief and love make a home

Last updated on: September 29, 2021 at 1:28 pm By Sister Rose

Lilly (Melissa McCarthy) works at a grocery store as a distracted stock person. She seems peculiarly focused on making sure the display of blue snowball snack cakes looks nice and stays upright. The manager, Travis (Timothy Olyphant) reminds Lilly again that there’s work to do. But now Lilly is in a hurry to leave to visit her husband Jack (Chris O’Dowd) who is in a mental health facility. It soon becomes evident that Jack is unable to cope with guilt... Read more