Culture

Needless profanity mars magical ‘The House With a Clock in Its Walls’

The film adaptation of the first in a series of books written by John Bellairs in the 1970s, long preceding the Harry Potter juggernaut, lacks the latter's sense of adventure even as its jokes work.

‘A Simple Favor’ breaks taboos just to lure jaded viewers

While the film's plot is ingenious, it treats incest, patricide and fratricide like attractions at a sideshow, as though there were entertainment value in witnessing despicable acts.

‘The Predator’ loses both its prey and its way

The latest film in the worn-out franchise features explosions, gore and profanity, along with a cartoonish, predictable plot.

Troubled family ties, shaky ethics paint a gritty ‘White Boy Rick’

Set in 1980s working-class Detroit, the fact-based film critiques hypocritical police and excessively harsh sentencing, while the main character fails to face the moral consequences of his criminal actions.

‘Unbroken’ sequel charts hero’s hard path to redemption

The story of Louis Zamperini continues after his return from a POW camp to forgiveness of his captors and a newfound Christian faith, in "Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption."

History of papacy needs to be read with critical eye

The abundance of scholarship and detail in this work gives the reader an education that should move them to do further study.

New fall series: Coming back from the past doesn’t always pay off

New TV shows mostly tend to fall into one of three categories: How did this ever get on the air? Not bad, but viewers have seen this kind of thing often. Looks promising.

Toothless and tasteless, ‘The Nun’ leaves Catholic viewers saying ‘no fangs’

Although less blasphemous than other occult films, the big-budget horror flick relies on tired tricks and religious misconceptions to tell an old tale.

Sociologists refute stereotypes about religious views toward science

The relationship between the two disciplines is more complex -- and even friendlier -- than imagined, according to a new five-year study.

The wages of net neutrality’s repeal can be fatal

It is not too big of a leap to say that the end of net neutrality is both lethal and fatal. Ask the California wildfire fighters.