Culture
Blessed Mirth
The old Baltimore Catechism set us straight right off the bat in first grade. The answer to question number four: “God made me to know Him, to love Him and to serve Him in this world and to be happy with Him forever in heaven.” In plain words, life is serious stuff; the happiness comes […]
Movie Review: “There Be Dragons”
You probably didn’t get to see “There Be Dragons” during its short theatrical release in spring 2011. Now it’s about to be released on DVD $22.98 (Amazon $15.99), and it might be worth taking a look. From a Catholic standpoint, it tells the story of St. Josemaria Escriva (1902-75) the sometimes controversial founder of the […]
What to put (or not) on your Christmas gift list
Books Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life, by Father James Martin; Harper One $25.99 Click here to read review by Lou Baldwin * * * Black & White: The Confrontation Between Reverend Fred L. Shuttlesworth and Eugene ‘Bull’ Connor, by Larry Dane Brimner. Boyds […]
Book review: Between Heaven and Mirth
Between Heaven and Mirth: Why Joy, Humor, and Laughter Are at the Heart of the Spiritual Life by Father James Martin; Harper One $25.99 The old Baltimore Catechism set us straight right off the bat in first grade. The answer to question number four: “God made me to know Him, to love Him and to […]
How to fully live lay vocation
Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation Michael Novak and William E. Simon Jr. Encounter Books (New York, 2011). 191 pp., $21.95. “Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation” is an accessible but far from cliché book about the crucial roles that laypeople play in the Catholic Church. While the number […]
Videogame review – Spiderman: Edge of Time
NEW YORK (CNS) — Superhero games have undergone something of a renaissance in recent years. Once mere cash-ins with terrible gameplay and hideous graphics, 2009 introduced the expansive “Batman: Arkham Asylum,” and 2010 brought the enjoyable web-’em-up “Spiderman: Shattered Dimensions.”
Catholic News Service Movie Review: Tower Heist
NEW YORK (CNS) — Workers at a luxury Manhattan apartment building plan to rob a felonious financier in the action-comedy “Tower Heist” (Universal). What could have been a crowd-pleasing caper is marred by a steady stream of crude language. Though it features some amusing moments courtesy of a talented ensemble, the topical romp is also […]
Book outlines opportunities for lay people to engage with their faith
Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation, Michael Novak and William E. Simon Jr., Encounter Books (New York, 2011). 191 pp., $21.95. “Living the Call: An Introduction to the Lay Vocation” is an accessible but far from cliché book about the crucial roles that laypeople play in the Catholic Church. While the number […]
Movie Review: “The Way”
“The Way” opens in theaters today, Friday, Oct. 7. Check your local theater for show times. NEW YORK (CNS) — A thinking person’s road movie, “The Way” (Producers Distribution Agency /ARC) follows a quartet of central characters along the ancient pilgrimage route from France to the Spanish shrine of Santiago de Compostela, even as it conducts […]
Ratings for recent films
NEW YORK (CNS) Here is a list of recent films that Catholic News Service has rated on the basis of moral suitability. The first symbol after each title is the Catholic News Service classification. The second symbol is the rating of the Motion Picture Association of America. CNS classifications: A-I general patronage; A-II adults and […]