Movie Review: ‘Greenland’ January 21, 2021By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, News, World News A steady focus on the believable characters who populate it elevates director Ric Roman Waugh’s engaging film above the status of a disaster movie. But the positive values displayed along the path of the quest for survival he and screenwriter Chris Sparling chart are offset by the disturbing nature of the mayhem they unleash.
Movie Review: ‘Promising Young Woman’ December 29, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, News This black comedy-tinged drama wastes its opportunity to make morally legitimate points about a genuine social evil.
Movie Review: ‘Soul’ December 29, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, News “Soul” a blend of drama and comedy, while often funny, fails to make a similar impact as past Pixar hits like “Up” and “Inside Out.”
Movie Review: ‘Half Brothers’ December 10, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, News, World News Though director Luke Greenfield’s odd-couple road trip movie produces the occasional laugh, it’s effectively undercut by the fact that neither of its lead characters is a believable figure.
Movie Review: ‘Come Play’ November 4, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, News, World News If the monster movie “Come Play” (Focus) is only reasonably effective in frightening its audience, it is at least refreshingly free of objectionable material, including gore.
Movie Review: ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’ October 22, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, News, World News Aaron Sorkin skillfully evokes the tensions of a troubled era that has unfortunate parallels to our own unsettled times.
Movie Review: ‘Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton’ October 7, 2020By John Mulderig Filed Under: Feature, Movie & Television Reviews, News, World News The moving documentary “Pray: The Story of Patrick Peyton” (ArtAffects) lucidly chronicles its subject’s life and feels imbued with his warm and fervent spirit.
Movie Review: ‘Antebellum’ September 24, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, World News Far-fetched and ham-fisted, the grim fantasy “Antebellum” (Lionsgate) is marked by an outlook on timely racial issues that lacks both balance and a humane spirit.
Movie Review: ‘Mulan’ September 16, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, World News The film is sprawling and picturesque. And, as scripted by Rick Jaffa, Amanda Silver, Lauren Hynek and Elizabeth Martin, it salutes courage, solidarity and devotion to family while also showcasing the conversion of one of its villains.
Movie Review: ‘The Burnt Orange Heresy ‘ August 12, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, Movie & Television Reviews, World News There’s Arianism, Nestorianism, semi-Pelagianism and now there’s “The Burnt Orange Heresy” (Sony).
Good films about the ‘Good War’: A viewer’s guide to WWII movies July 30, 2020By John Mulderig Catholic News Service Filed Under: Feature, Movie & Television Reviews, News, World News Catholic News Service provides capsule reviews about movies on the Second World War.
Just what is the truth about Norma McCorvey? May 27, 2020By John Mulderig Filed Under: Movie & Television Reviews, World News While McCorvey’s real outlook and motivation remain elusive, two things can be said with certainty: first, that she was a complicated person and second, that everyone interviewed for filmmaker Nick Sweeney’s profile of McCorvey has an agenda of his or her own.