In ‘The Miracle Club,’ Maggie Smith and Kathy Bates do not expect quick cures at Lourdes, and viewers should not expect a perfect film. But there are some surprises among the clichés.
John Anderson
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Review: In ‘Padre Pio’, Shia LaBeouf may be a saint—but he’s no hero
Abel Ferrara’s Padre Pio is not the hero of his movie.
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Review: Cate Blanchett is the pope of the classical music world in ‘Tár’
“Tár” is about power, guilt and the always tantalizing question of whether the art can or should absolve the artist for being who she is.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
‘Father Stu’ is about redemption. But can the movie redeem itself?
“Father Stu” is intended to be inspirational, but viewers may find any sense of elevation elusive.
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Pedro Almodóvar’s ‘Parallel Mothers’ reveals a Catholic veneration for women and motherhood
For the better part of 40 years Pedro Almodóvar has personified both the cinema of Spain and the country’s conflicted relationship with the church.
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Sidney Poitier made racism ridiculous
Sidney Poitier’s abilities as an actor were subtle, even spiritual. They were about soul. Not his. Ours.
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Nicole Kidman is fascinating as Lucille Ball, but that’s not enough to save ‘Being the Ricardos’
Aaron Sorkin’s take on the “behind-the-scenes” world of “I Love Lucy” depicts Lucille Ball in a most unsympathetic light.
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Review: ‘Belfast,’ a memoir of Protestant boyhood in Troubles-torn Northern Ireland, gives a child’s-eye view of Catholicism
“Belfast” presents itself as a family photo album: Violence may intrude, but it doesn’t crowd out the Christmas pictures.
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Netflix’s ‘Procession’ seeks to treat the trauma of sexual abuse with art
This is not a movie about crime and punishment, but damage and recovery.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
‘Dune’ is another sci-fi Messiah tale. The New Testament references are everywhere.
Frank Herbert’s beloved novel has enough material that should preclude the kind of dead space that inhabits so much of this “Dune.”