J.R.R. Tolkien’s fantasy world was in many ways a direct reflection of his understanding of reality.
TV
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Review: ‘The Rings of Power’ will make you want to read Tolkien’s books again
The new “Lord of the Rings” prequel series is a confident, well-conceived and often gorgeous addition to the previously adapted work of J.R.R. Tolkien.
Posted inPolitics & Society, Television
What does the Catholic Church say about psychedelics?
Psychedelics have been seen as far worse than alcohol and cigarettes, but are they really?
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
How ‘House of the Dragon’ can learn from the mistakes of ‘Game of Thrones’—and the Catholic Church
Pope Francis has not weighed in on the new show. (As he doesn’t watch television, this is not unexpected.) But on his behalf, we have a couple of notes we’d like to share from a Catholic perspective.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Nathan Fielder’s comedy is hilarious. But that doesn’t give him a pass to toy with people’s lives.
Rather than using jokes to make a larger point, Nathan Fielder’s “The Rehearsal” derives its humor from making fun of ordinary people.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘Better Call Saul’ is a story about the liberating power of confessing your sins
For six years, “Better Call Saul” has given the story equivalent of a graduate-level seminar on morality, and the series finale is both satisfying and surprising.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Review: Netflix’s ‘The Sandman’ invites us into gratitude, wonder and the depths of our dreams
Until recently, “The Sandman”—Neil Gaiman’s magnum opus about the eternal being who oversees the universe of dreaming—has remained an impossible quest.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Reading the news is torture enough. Watching TV shouldn’t be.
Watching the same character fall short of redemption, or meaningful contrition, over and over again, dozens of times, is torture.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
‘Ms. Marvel’ isn’t just a superhero story. It’s an exploration of Pakistani-American religion and culture.
When it came to bringing Kamala Khan to the screen, Marvel has made all the right choices.
Posted inArts & Culture, Television
Time travel and trauma: Netflix’s ‘Russian Doll’ is an exercise in therapy
“Russian Doll” is kind of a Jewish “Fleabag” meets time travel, a mind-bending exploration of trauma that reads like an exercise in self-therapy.