“Wake Up Dead Man” leaves us with an important question once the mystery has been solved: What sort of church do we want, led by what kind of shepherds?
John Dougherty
John Dougherty is the director of mission and ministry at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pa.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
Holiday watch: ‘Household Saints,’ a film about food, family and faith
“Household Saints” is a story about how culture, and especially faith, evolve through the different generations of an immigrant family.
Posted inFilm
The dark, indelible Catholic imagination in Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’
The most surprising thing about Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” is that he hadn’t already made it.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
Hitchcock’s ‘I Confess’: a classic Catholic noir about the seal of confession
While considered a minor work in Hitchcock’s filmography and the annals of film noir, “I Confess” is Hitchcock’s most explicitly Catholic film.
Posted inTelevision
HBO’s ‘Task’ is tense, exciting, dark—and the most Catholic TV show of the season
The most Catholic TV show of 2025 is a gritty crime drama set outside of Philadelphia. HBO’s “Task,” which recently concluded its seven-episode run, was a tale of cops and robbers, with a gang of vicious bikers thrown in for good measure. It was, as you might expect, tense and exciting and often very dark. […]
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‘The Night of the Hunter’: a horror movie without special effects
In ”The Night of the Hunter,” the world is frightening and it’s often the most innocent who suffer. But grace persists.
Posted inFilm
‘Mr. Scorsese’ on Apple TV+: portrait of a Catholic paradox
“Mr. Scorsese,” the new five-episode “film portrait” on Apple TV+, examines the many contradictory facets of director Martin Scorsese’s artistic persona.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
In ‘Dark Waters,’ the truth will set you free—but at a cost
The truth makes demands of us. In ”Dark Waters,” that discomfort is enough of a reason to turn a blind eye.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
Watching ‘Taxi Driver’ after the assassination of Charlie Kirk
“Taxi Driver” is one of the best portraits of a uniquely American kind of alienation.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
In ‘St. Vincent,’ anyone can be a saint. Even Bill Murray.
Vincent almost gleefully repels everyone he meets. But as the semi-ironic title of Theodore Melfi’s “St. Vincent” implies, there’s more to him than a first impression might suggest.