Inspirational media for today's Catholics
Seemingly destined to haul in wads of cash at the box office, the ensemble adventure "Marvel's The Avengers" (Disney) will not disappoint fans of the comic books on which it's based. But it may prove problematic for the parents of some excited youngsters anxious to ride the juggernaut. The film has a long pedigree that can ultimately be traced back to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original comics series from 1963 (Lee serves the screen version as an executive … [Read more...]
A more appropriate title for "The Perfect Family" (Variance) would be, "The Year's Most Virulently Anti-Catholic Movie." Staged by newcomer Anne Renton (director) and screenwriters Paula Goldberg and Claire V. Riley, this dramedy ridicules just about every aspect of the Catholic Church, its teachings and members, offering broad caricatures of clergy, religious and laity to score negative points. The film's opening scene sets the perplexing and often sacrilegious … [Read more...]
We have it on the authority of Victorian librettist W.S. Gilbert that "it is, it is a glorious thing/to be a pirate king." If the rollicking 3-D animated comedy "The Pirates! Band of Misfits" (Columbia) is to be believed, being the captain of even a motley shipload of 19th-century buccaneers isn't such a bad lot either. That's the role fate has assigned to the luxuriantly bearded central character in this historical fantasy, voiced by Hugh Grant. Despite many … [Read more...]
With its huge onscreen casualty count, the wildly violent action flick "Safe" (Lionsgate) turns out to be anything but. This is essentially a mayhem-ridden vehicle for take-no-prisoners he-man Jason Statham. Statham plays downtrodden cage fighter Luke Wright, whose life has been blighted by the Russian mafia after he cost them big-time by throwing a fight. At the direction of crime overlord Emile Docheski (Sandor Tecsy), they've not only killed Luke's wife, but … [Read more...]
The macabre musings of Edgar Allan Poe have been adapted for the screen numerous times. In the latest instance, Baltimore's most famous literary son is not only the central character -- he's also credited with being the progenitor of the horror movie genre. While the makers of "The Raven" (Relativity) articulate the latter idea near the end of the proceedings, and only in passing, they're clearly banking on it animating their tale. Instead, casting Poe as the … [Read more...]
An impoverished presentation of marriage is the principal, but not the only, problematic aspect of director and co-writer Nicholas Stoller's "The Five-Year Engagement" (Universal). His romantic comedy tracks San Francisco sous chef Tom Solomon (Jason Segel) and his English fiancee Violet Barnes' (Emily Blunt) as they struggle to get themselves down the aisle. After a bumpy proposal, the happy couple announces their engagement, only for Violet to be offered her dream … [Read more...]
Love Story, Drama, Humor at the Heart of Inspiring Film; Expands to More Than 200 New Screens Across the Nation NASHVILLE – April 11, 2012 – While pundits call OCTOBER BABY controversial, the surprise hit with a dramatic, humorous love story at its heart continues to win over audiences nationwide. Entering its fourth weekend in theaters after debuting as the No. 8 movie in the country, OCTOBER BABY expands to 223 new screens. “We’re thrilled by the … [Read more...]
Talk about a fish out of water story! A sheik wants to bring his favorite Scottish pastime to the Arabian desert in "Salmon Fishing in the Yemen" (CBS). This charming blend of comedy and drama -- based on the novel by Paul Torday -- insists nothing is impossible, not even re-creating a bonnie loch in the middle of the Middle East. Directed by Lasse Hallstrom ("Dear John," "The Shipping News") and written for the screen by Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire"), … [Read more...]
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