Culture
Vatican cookbook offers rare collection of recipes, history, photos
The remarkable coffee-table collection blended with equal measure of recipes, stories and photos is a culinary and artistic dream for lovers of food, history, culture and art.
Powerful pro-life message of ‘Unplanned’ not for faint of heart
The hard-hitting drama dares moviegoers to confront the reality of what happens when a baby is aborted. Viewers of this emotionally unsparing film need to weigh its informative value with its disturbing elements.
Looking to Easter, poems of life, death and what follows
Beauty and danger run as an undercurrent through people's and animals' lives in the poetry of Jenny George, whose new collection "The Dream of Reason" is reviewed by editor Matthew Gambino.
Intersection of faith, politics explored by theologian, retired pope
Healing and transformation of politics in an age of incivility and polarization are the themes developed by Pope Benedict XVI and Baptist professor Bruce Ashford in two recent books.
‘Jesus: His Life’ recreates and reflects on Gospels
The docudrama, which will debut on History March 25, combines commentary and historical reenactment in a refreshing, accessible retelling of the pivotal moments in Christ's earthly ministry, from the perspective of those who knew him best.
‘Us’ is a frightening look in the mirror at ‘them’
The horror fantasy starring Lupita Nyong'o follows a family terrorized by evil versions of themselves. The film is a "thinking person's creeper," but the viewers will need a strong stomach for the movie's graphic violence.
Complex ‘Captive State’ wraps social commentary in sci-fi drama
After humanity surrendered the earth to invading aliens, a young Chicagoan prepares an uprising, thwarted by surveillance and spies. While the film is ambitious it promises more than it ultimately delivers.
‘Anthem’ video game loads slowly, but rewards the patient
The breathtaking artwork, with its lush landscapes, is as excellent as the original soundtrack. The flight mechanics are a thing of beauty but an excessively slow loading screen is among some flaws.
For teens even at ‘Five Feet Apart,’ love finds a way
The two lead characters in this engaging young-adult romantic drama for whom touch is fatal discover the redeeming power of love in a compassionate, medically correct and morally sound way.
Author explores virtues with deep dives into great books
In "On Reading Well," Karen Swallow Prior shows how classic literature can highlight the best in humanity, through both positive and negative examples drawn from the works of Jane Austen, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Edith Wharton and more.