Movie Review: ‘Mary’ December 6, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews The life of the Blessed Mother, from before her birth to the flight into Egypt, is recounted with varying levels of artistic adeptness in the uneven biography “Mary” (Netflix). Though the result is not always satisfying, the production overall is both reverent and engaging.
Movie Review: ‘Moana 2’ November 29, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews The high-spirited Oceanaian princess who gave her name to a 2016 animated feature returns for further adventures in “Moana 2” (Disney).
Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon November 27, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television as well as notes on TV programming for the same week.
Movie Review: ‘Gladiator II’ November 25, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Nearly a quarter-century after its predecessor premiered, “Gladiator II” (Paramount) takes moviegoers back into the ancient arena. The result is a spectacular but sterile historical epic whose unsparing depiction of life-or-death combat greatly circumscribes its appropriate audience.
Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon November 20, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television as well as notes on TV programming for the same week.
Movie Review: ‘Here’ November 20, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Lady of letters Gertrude Stein once famously observed of Oakland, Calif., the city in which she was raised, “There is no there there.” As it turns out, there’s not much there to the drama “Here” (TriStar), either.
Movie Review: ‘Wicked’ November 19, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Considered purely from an artistic viewpoint, the lavish musical “Wicked” (Universal) represents a confluence of the best both Broadway and Hollywood have to offer. On a moral level, however, the film’s content, while largely free of overtly problematic material, nonetheless demands careful assessment.
Movie Review: ‘Red One’ November 18, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews The attempt to put Santa Claus in the middle of a lot of frenetic brawling and then wrap the whole thing up with a climactic sleigh chase leads to a hopelessly unbalanced tone in this ill-conceived holiday offering.
Movie Review: ‘Heretic’ November 13, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Co-writers and directors Scott Beck and Bryan Woods’ chiller “Heretic” (A24) probes the nature of faith.
Home viewing roundup: What’s available to stream and what’s on horizon November 13, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Capsule reviews of theatrical movies available now for streaming or scheduled for broadcast on network or cable television as well as notes on TV programming for the same week.
Movie Review: ‘The Best Christmas Pageant Ever’ November 12, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Gentle and family-oriented, “The Best Christmas Pageant Ever” (Lionsgate) offers top-flight holiday entertainment for a wide range of age groups. In adapting author Barbara Robinson’s 1972 children’s novel, helmer Dallas Jenkins blends wry humor and touching drama while also successfully conveying some valuable insights.
Movie Review: ‘The Carpenter’ November 4, 2024By John Mulderig OSV News Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews Designed to present a portion of the Gospel narrative to fans of mixed martial arts fighting and heavy metal music, the biblical drama “The Carpenter” (Purdie) adds a whole new meaning to the term muscular Christianity.
