Culture
Everyone loses in refugee crisis depicted in ‘Stateless’
A film based on the reality of 71 million displaced persons around the world is a mixed bag, but it succeeds in showing how efforts to deal with refugees have failed.
Flannery O’Connor film opening mid-July at virtual theaters
The documentary explores the famed Catholic writer and a discussion focuses on themes of race, faith, the craft of writing, disability and ultimately, grace and redemption.
Author’s ideas on meeting God offer welcome antidote to isolation
Robert Wicks offers in these unsettling days the appealing prospect of talking with a gentle, listening friend about our relationship with God "in all of our life, in every encounter."
In ‘Greyhound,’ Christian faith helps captain navigate peril
The taut World War II drama streaming on Apple+ is a rousing vehicle for Tom Hanks, whose faith-filled Everyman hero commands a secret mission in the North Atlantic.
‘Hamilton’ lives up to hype of highest-caliber musical theater
Because Broadway is closed, the mega-hit musical can now be seen from home via the Disney+ streaming channel. The acclaimed, high-energy show is especially timely.
‘Wasp Network’ lacks sting
A new Netfilx series recreates the underground world of Miami-based activists working for and against Castro's Cuba in the 1990s, but the exciting tale is lost to weak filmmaking.
Book takes scholarly yet accessible look at clerical sex abuse crisis
"Clerical Sexual Misconduct" offers an engrossing read for anyone who cares about cleansing the scourge of abuse from the church and in preventing its resurgence.
Jon Stewart film ‘Irresistible’ skewers politics, media
The TV comedian-turned-writer-director offers clever political satire and a warning about the grip of wealth in the left and right of politics, and appeals for greater civility.
Hijack thriller ‘7500’ stays on autopilot
A terrorist takeover of a commercial flight doesn't add up to white-knuckle suspense, but shows how one man's decisions can affect others' lives.
Spike Lee’s ‘Da 5 Bloods’ is harsh, but heartfelt
The return of five African American veterans to Vietnam makes for a grim, unsparing reflection on race relations, politics, faith and greed.