Culture
Imago Arts: Philadelphia’s new urban music and arts studio
Anja Eltgroth sat in dim candlelight and held up the rosary she created out of abandoned roses. “This is the beginning of the Imago Arts studio,” she said. “This rosary is a symbol of how Christ can take anything and make of it something more beautiful than we can imagine.” Discarded Valentine’s Day roses make […]
Exhibit highlights Tanner’s artistry, religious subject matter
The two paintings look vaguely similar, as they should. The larger is well known and often reproduced. It is Henry Ossawa Tanner’s L’Annunciation, painted in 1898. In it Mary, who is neither blond-haired or blue- eyed, is listening gravely and intently as the Angel Gabriel tells her of her sublime destiny to be the Mother […]
Capsule movie reviews
By Catholic News Service NEW YORK (CNS) — The following are capsule reviews of movies recently reviewed by Catholic News Service. “Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close” (Warner Bros.) Devastated by the sudden loss of his devoted father (Tom Hanks), a victim of the terrorist attacks of 9/11, an introverted grade schooler (Thomas Horn) sets out […]
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 […]