Dr. Frankenstein has harnessed the divine power to create life, without sparing a thought to the responsibility that entails.
John Dougherty
John Dougherty is the director of mission and ministry at St. Joseph’s Preparatory School in Philadelphia, Pa.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
The only horror movie ever recommended by the Vatican
“Nosferatu” is a potent portrait of evil, both supernatural and mundane.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
‘A Ghost Story’ reminds us how difficult it is to let go
Ghost stories speak to how deeply we love, but also to a desire to prolong our lives however we can.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Catholic Movie Club: ‘All That Breathes’ and the closeness of humanity and the environment
“All That Breathes” links environmental degradation with the degradation of human beings.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Review: In ‘Super/Man,’ Christopher Reeve shows us how heroic vulnerability is
The documentary “Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story” shows us how the man beneath the cape embraced off-screen heroism by accepting his own vulnerable humanity.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Wim Wenders’s ‘Perfect Days’ finds joy in the most mundane of tasks
A public toilet cleaner who lives alone, Hirayama has discovered deep meaning and beauty in a life that others would demean or reject.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Where is God in school shootings? ‘Mass’ doesn’t offer easy answers.
By focusing on parental grief, “Mass” grounds us in human tragedy even as it touches on the political and social implications of the epidemic of school shootings in the United States.
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Remembering James Earl Jones: the voice of God, a father and a compelling villain
James Earl Jones, who died this week, was a prominent figure on stage and screen. He also possessed a voice—and a presence—that has become iconic in American culture.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Lessons from ‘Lady Bird’: Angst, love and the prayerful art of paying attention
We often don’t recognize our influences until much later. It’s the things we’re closest to that we have the most trouble seeing clearly.
Posted inArts & Culture, Catholic Movie Club
Why the cult classic ‘Newsies’ is a perfect Labor Day movie
“Newsies” is the rare family-friendly musical that also serves as thematically appropriate Labor Day viewing.