By Shawn Reeves Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity/May 22 Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8:4-5,6-7,8-9; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15 Of all the things we humans find satisfying, I would wager that relationships are on the top of most of our lists. Food, sports, entertainment, accomplishment — they all have their rewards, but none seem to harness […]
Continue reading
Tom Hanks stars in a scene from the movie "A Hologram for the King." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS photo/Lionsgate)
By Catholic News Service The simple joys of a stable career and a second chance at love are celebrated in this adaptation of Dave Eggers’ 2012 novel, which stars Tom Hanks as a U.S. businessman trying to persuade the King of Saudi Arabia to invest in a holographic teleconferencing system. Following the pattern set in […]
Continue reading
Julia Roberts and George Clooney star in a scene from the movie "Money Monster." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS photo/Sony)
By Catholic News Service The flamboyant host (George Clooney) of a TV investment show gets his comeuppance when an angry viewer (Jack O’Connell) who was ruined by following his bum advice takes him hostage on air in this entertaining but evanescent thriller from director Jodie Foster. The intruder demands to know why the much-hyped stock […]
Continue reading
Ewan McGregor stars as Jesus in a scene from the movie "Last Days in the Desert." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS photo/Broad Green Pictures)
By Catholic News Service Toward the end of his 40 days of fasting and prayer in the desert, Jesus (Ewan McGregor) — here called by his Hebrew name, Yeshua — spends time with a family of wilderness dwellers, becoming emotionally invested in the conflict between the father (Ciaran Hinds) and his teen son (Tye Sheridan) […]
Continue reading
Jeremy Renner, Elizabeth Olsen, Chris Evans and Sebastian Stan star in a scene from the movie "Marvel's Captain America: Civil War." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS/Disney)
This turbulent comics-based adventure is more an ensemble piece featuring the whole Avengers crew of superheroes than an outing primarily focused on the titular good guy (Chris Evans). Yet, as the group splits over whether to submit to United Nations supervision — public concerns have been raised over the collateral damage their crusades tend to […]
Continue reading
Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele star in a scene from the movie "Keanu." The Catholic News Service classification is O -- morally offensive. (CNS/Warner Bros.)
By Catholic News Service Satirical action-comedy starring Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele as nerdy African-Americans who must pose as murderous thugs — and mingle with drug-slinging Los Angeles gangsters — to recover the purloined kitten of the title. As honed on their Comedy Central television series, Key and Peele’s brand of socially aware humor frequently […]
Continue reading
Ratchet, center, voiced by James Arnold Taylor, appears in the animated movie "Ratchet & Clank." The Catholic News Service classification is A-I -- general patronage. (CNS/Gramercy Pictures)
By Catholic News Service Busy 3-D visuals fail to mask the flat tone and by-the-numbers storytelling of this animated sci-fi adventure from co-directors Kevin Munroe and Jericca Cleland. After failing in his effort to join a team of glamorous intergalactic peacekeepers (their leader voiced by Jim Ward), a catlike mechanic (voice of James Arnold Taylor) […]
Continue reading
Ayden Bivek, Kate Hudson and Aasif Mandvi star in a scene from the movie "Mother's Day." The Catholic News Service classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. (CNS photo/Open Road)
By Catholic News Service Set in Atlanta, this sprawling ensemble comedy takes on, among other themes, divorce (Jennifer Aniston and Timothy Olyphant), marital secrets (Kate Hudson and Aasif Mandvi), parental prejudice (Margo Martindale and Robert Pine) and life after loss (Jason Sudeikis). Considerable focus and aplomb would be required to keep an audience engaged with […]
Continue reading
By Shawn Reeves Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord/May 8 Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47:2-3,6-7,8-9; Ephesians 1:17-23 or Hebrews 9:24-28; 10:19-23; Luke 24:46-53 For those of a certain age, images of kings and knights pervaded the literature and imaginations of our childhood. Popular cinema had been fascinated with the notion of the noble monarch, […]
Continue reading
Carrie Gershon and Aaron Paul star in a scene from the movie "Eye in the Sky." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III -- adults. (CNS/Bleecker Street)
By Catholic News Service Moral quandaries are superbly explored in this suspenseful military drama, which examines a sprawling topic, the war on terrorism, by keeping its focus fixed on the potential consequences of a single operation on an individual life. A British colonel (Helen Mirren) prepares a drone attack intended to kill a radicalized British […]
Continue reading
