Lately, I've been thinking about how busy we all are these days. Too busy to do housework, to cook, to plan, to communicate. Too busy to read. Too busy to pray. Too busy. I share this because I've been so "too busy" that it's taken me literally months to share this fabulous (and very brief) … [Read more...] about 3 Minutes with Donna-Marie Cooper O’Boyle
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Lisa Hendey & Friends – Live with Scott Weeman
This week on my new podcast project Lisa Hendey and friends, I'm happy to share a conversation with a young man who has become both a role model and a friend. Scott Weeman is the Founder of Catholic in Recovery and the author of the great new book The Twelve Steps and the Sacraments. Whether you are … [Read more...] about Lisa Hendey & Friends – Live with Scott Weeman
Lisa Hendey & Friends – Live with Maria Morera Johnson
As an avid podcast listener, I've been hankering for a return the world of audio conversations. What always trips me up is the amount of time it takes to accomplish "post-production" on podcasts. So I've decided to forego complications and simply try to record a weekly Facebook Live conversation … [Read more...] about Lisa Hendey & Friends – Live with Maria Morera Johnson
Coco
Immediately after my screening of Coco on the Disney lot a few weeks ago, I informally "interviewed" two members of its target demographic: children. I had noticed them come into the theater with their mom, a journalist who was also there for the screener. He, approximately seven, sported a Coco … [Read more...] about Coco
Coco, Día de los Muertos, and Remembering the Departed
In anticipation of the nationwide release of Disney/Pixar's Coco this week, I wanted to dive more deeply into the connection of an important component of the film, Día de los Muertos, to our Catholic practice of remembering and praying for deceased loved ones. To be clear, Coco is NOT a "Catholic … [Read more...] about Coco, Día de los Muertos, and Remembering the Departed
The Man Who Invented Christmas
While the title of this film may include "Christmas", in my mind The Man Who Invented Christmas is the perfect movie to watch for Thanksgiving in anticipation of Advent and Christmas. Opening nationwide in theaters this week and inspired by a book by Les Standiford, this charming biopic reminds us … [Read more...] about The Man Who Invented Christmas
Director Timothy Reckart on Character Development in The Star
How do you take the greatest story ever told and stay true to it, even when one of the main characters never says a single word in the source material? This was the question I was anxious to tackle with Academy Award-nominated animator Timothy Reckart when I met him last week. Reckart, who serves … [Read more...] about Director Timothy Reckart on Character Development in The Star
The Star
For many of us of a certain age, our family Christmas season officially began with the showing of A Charlie Brown Christmas or Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer. In those pre-on-demand days, my family would use the TV Guide to plan ahead and mark our calendars. This year's release of The Star, opening … [Read more...] about The Star
Prayers Against the Powers of Darkness
If you pay attention to current events, it's very easy to see how one could become overwhelmed and feel defeated by the power of evil in our world. It seems that every week, we are faced with a new tragedy and that all too often death comes at the hands of humans who themselves are lost to … [Read more...] about Prayers Against the Powers of Darkness
The Long Road Home
Update: This series debuted on Tuesday, November 7, 2017. Episode One, "Black Sunday", may be viewed online here. Beginning tonight on National Geographic, The Long Road Home recounts in dramatic fashion the events of "Black Sunday", April 4, 2004. On that fateful day, the 1st Cavalry Division … [Read more...] about The Long Road Home
My Squirt Gun Battle on the Roof of CatholicTV
"Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice!" Philippians 4:4 I've been involved in lots of fun and innovative facets of the New Evangelization, but very few of them can top my recent experience of being interviewed high atop the roof at the CatholicTV studios in Watertown, … [Read more...] about My Squirt Gun Battle on the Roof of CatholicTV
On Wings of Eagles
On Wings of Eagles is a classic "rest of the story" drama which carries us beyond missionary Eric Liddell's turn on the 1924 Paris Olympics gold medal podium and into the tragedies war-torn China. As a Chariots of Fire groupie and one who included Liddell's legacy in a book, I was anxious to see how … [Read more...] about On Wings of Eagles
I’ll Push You
On my personal bucket list is to take a pilgrimage along the Camino de Santiago. So it's perhaps not surprising that I jump at any opportunity to screen a film which will carry me--even if only virtually--along the ancient Way of St. James. My favorite takes on this spiritual journey have included … [Read more...] about I’ll Push You
The Florida Project
It's been well over a month since I screened The Florida Project and three weeks since I shared my interviews with the cast here. And yet unless you are part of the small world who pays attention to Oscar buzz, it's unlikely that this film is on your radar. Now playing in select theaters nationwide, … [Read more...] about The Florida Project
Same Kind of Different As Me
Because real life can often be so topsy-turvy, I love movies that find their basis in the messiness and insanity and pain and joy of true stories. Such is the case for Same Kind of Different As Me, opening nationwide this weekend. Based on the New York Times bestseller by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, … [Read more...] about Same Kind of Different As Me
The Mountain Between Us
Based on the book by Charles Martin, The Mountain Between Us is a love story wrapped up in a survivalist adventure. Idris Elba and Kate Winslet are compliments to a vast pallet that's compellingly captured by director Hany Abu-Assad's cinematographic vision. I could have done without the explicit … [Read more...] about The Mountain Between Us
