(REVIEW) “Hulk Hogan: Real American” succeeds not because it answers questions, but because it refuses to. It presents Hogan as a deeply contradictory figure: A man who inspired millions while struggling to live up to his own ideals, a public hero whose private life was often marked by pain and failure and a Christian who spent much of his life in and out of the ring.
Read More(REVIEW) Netflix’s new four-part docuseries “Trust Me: The False Prophet” gives viewers never-before-seen access to the inner workings of a high-control religion and cult. It’s a fascinating true story of danger, moral conviction, sacrifice, redemption and justice. Cult psychology expert and former mainstream Mormon, Christine Marie and her filmmaker husband, Tolga Katas, move to the area to support the FLDS community and document their lives.
Read More(REVIEW) The film is an example of how Hollywood uses Christian metaphysical assumptions when dealing with non-Christian faiths — all while denying Christianity and promoting these same pre-Christian religions. “Lee Cronin’s The Mummy” has nothing remotely to do with Egyptian mythology. But that doesn’t mean it has nothing to say about our modern relationship with faith.
Read MoreIs country superstar Ella Langley a person of faith? Indeed, the Alabama native — who grew up in a small town in Alabama — professes her love for Jesus.
(REVIEW) This concert marked the first world premiere in the Sistine Chapel. Yet, what lingered most was not the sense of history being made, but the work itself: A meditation on divine presence. In a space accustomed to silence rather than sound, “Angels Unawares” felt less like an interruption and more like a natural extension of the place.
Read More(REVIEW) What will the legendary filmmaker Martin Scorsese add to these depictions of Mary that we haven’t seen before? Frankly, not much.
Read More(ANALYSIS) “Solo Mio,” a low-budget romantic comedy starring Kevin James, blends classic rom-com tropes with overt Catholic elements, raising questions about whether it’s faith-based or mainstream. Its strong box office return highlights growing interest in profitable, faith-friendly films as Hollywood shifts away from big-budget franchises toward niche genres.
Read MoreIn Wales, hymn singing is not just for church services. It is part of the national culture, a unique choral tradition. You can hear them sung in pubs, concerts, choral competitions and even rugby games.
Read More(REVIEW) “The House of David” Season Two improves on its strengths while refining its flaws, delivering a compelling biblical epic about power, faith and leadership. Despite some uneven pacing and character development, it offers a timely, countercultural vision of heroism grounded in moral responsibility.
Read MoreVery few superheroes wear their faith on their sleeves like Daredevil. But the Season 2 opener for Disney+ series “Daredevil: Born Again” has pulled back on those elements. If that reflects the rest of the season, it will be to the show’s detriment.
Read MoreEven Chuck Norris’s granddaughter bought into the memes that described her Papa as indestructible. He was, as she wrote recently, the man who “counted to infinity twice, the man who got bit by a cobra and the cobra died.” Chuck Norris didn’t do pushups, she added; he “would push the earth down.”
Read MoreWhen “The Faithful: Women of the Bible” trusts the Bible’s voice, it does a great job of giving voice to the women that it portrays. Unfortunately, far too often, the filmmakers shout their own voices too loud for you to hear the real women they claim to be elevating.
Read More(REVIEW) In 1954, the Oscar-winning composer Erich Wolfgang Korngold staged a European homecoming with a new operetta. How this came to pass — and how his planned comeback failed to materialize — is even more convoluted than the piece’s farcical plot. Korngold, a Jewish refugee from Vienna, first came to Hollywood to adapt Felix Mendelssohn’s music for Max Reinhardt’s 1935 film of “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”
Read MoreThe movie has all the beats you want: Likeable characters, a clear villain, good pacing, decent scares and a clear social fear it’s tapping into. It also has the typical horror contrivances where characters have to be extremely obtuse or be insanely unlucky to keep them from getting out of the situation almost immediately.
Read More(REVIEW) “Midwinter Break” is a film that, from its synopsis, seems quaint and charming, but beneath this charm, the tensions and conflicts run deep. It’s a meditative movie on the nature of faith and relationships that’s sure to have an impact — particularly for those who believe their lives need a major change.
Read More(ANALYSIS) “KPop Demon Hunters,” a global hit, has sparked debate among Christians over whether its themes are spiritually dangerous. The controversy reflects deeper cultural shifts in Korea and the U.S., where declining organized religion and rising spirituality are widening divides between traditional beliefs and a newer ethos.
Read More(ANALYSIS) “Write what you know,” is advice given to many who feel inspired to take up the pen — or, these days, sit at a computer. When it comes to writing about religion, though, including the Catholic Church, it’s amazing how little some writers know (including those who are Catholic themselves). This is evident, where scenes depict liturgies or other expressions of faith and get them wrong.
Read More(ANALYSIS) The actor visited many churches. Research with believers immediately bled into the screenplay he wrote for “The Apostle,” which Duvall directed and financed. The movie earned him another Academy Award acting nomination, one of seven during a career that ended on Feb. 15, when the 95-year-old screen legend died at home on his Virginia horse farm.
Read More(ANALYSIS) This year’s nominees’ bias toward personal faith over organized religion reflects the move our own society is making in that direction. It remains, however, to be seen whether that spirituality will evolve to meet the challenges of hyper-individualism, or if organized religion will simply outlast it. The Academy Awards will be handed out March 15 in Los Angeles.
Read MoreLewis’s 1945 novel “That Hideous Strength” was marketed as fiction, but it read like more like a prophecy. Lewis’ warning at the time cuts deep for modern-day readers. The danger is not artificial intelligence itself. The danger, Lewis argues, is what happens when humans regard tech tools as oracles. It’s about what happens when humanity stops kneeling before God and starts bowing to its own tools.
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