August 31, 2009
August 29, 2009
August 27, 2009
DOCUMENTARY: FATHER ALBERIONE--MEDIA APOSTLE
Please pray for a documentary on Blessed James Alberione that is underway.
Blessed Alberione is Founder of the Daughters of St. Paul (media Sisters) and the Pauline Family.
Blessed Alberione is Founder of the Daughters of St. Paul (media Sisters) and the Pauline Family.
Blessed James Alberione, SSP --1884-1971 -- Feastday: November 27
Incidentally, after over 100 years of cinema, cinema has no official patron saint, though some have been proposed to the Church. Perhaps she's just waiting for a saint that was actually a filmmaker? (The internet has no official patron saint either. Fr. Alberione once said: "Someday, we may be getting our newspapers through the phone lines.")
August 26, 2009
MEDIA: HUMAN DIGNITY, DIALOGUE, FRIENDSHIP
3 Keys to Living in a Communications World--Pontifical Council President Offers Tips
VATICAN CITY, AUG. 24, 2009 (from Zenit.org) There are three keys to living in a "culture of communication," according to a Vatican official commenting on insights from Benedict XVI's message for World Communications Day.
Archbishop Claudio Celli spoke with L'Osservatore Romano about the need to use digital technology in ways that promote the dignity of the human being.
Technology has "great possibilities and great limits," the prelate affirmed, adding that the Holy Father is not naïve when he gives it a positive evaluation.
"He [the Pope] does not forget the difficulties and problems that these technologies can create," Archbishop Celli said.
The Vatican official went on to give three keys for using technology well:
The first, he said, is maintaining the value of the human person. In this regard, the archbishop recalled, the Pope "says care must be taken when it comes to words and images that are degrading to the human being; what fuels hatred and intolerance must be shut out, as should that which attacks the beauty and intimacy of human sexuality."
A second element to the age of communications, Archbishop Celli suggested, is dialogue between people of various countries, cultures and religions.
This dialogue, he said, "should not conceal who we are because that would not be respectful of the person with whom we are speaking. It must be an attentive and respectful dialogue that sincerely seeks the truth."
Finally, friendship is an element of the communications age, the prelate stated.
"Our friendships grow in our journey as human beings," he said. "We cannot trivialize the concept of friendship because it is one of the greatest riches that the human being can have."
http://www.zenit.org/article-26674?l=englishArchbishop Claudio Celli spoke with L'Osservatore Romano about the need to use digital technology in ways that promote the dignity of the human being.
Technology has "great possibilities and great limits," the prelate affirmed, adding that the Holy Father is not naïve when he gives it a positive evaluation.
"He [the Pope] does not forget the difficulties and problems that these technologies can create," Archbishop Celli said.
The Vatican official went on to give three keys for using technology well:
The first, he said, is maintaining the value of the human person. In this regard, the archbishop recalled, the Pope "says care must be taken when it comes to words and images that are degrading to the human being; what fuels hatred and intolerance must be shut out, as should that which attacks the beauty and intimacy of human sexuality."
A second element to the age of communications, Archbishop Celli suggested, is dialogue between people of various countries, cultures and religions.
This dialogue, he said, "should not conceal who we are because that would not be respectful of the person with whom we are speaking. It must be an attentive and respectful dialogue that sincerely seeks the truth."
Finally, friendship is an element of the communications age, the prelate stated.
"Our friendships grow in our journey as human beings," he said. "We cannot trivialize the concept of friendship because it is one of the greatest riches that the human being can have."
Sr. Helena's note: Archbishop Foley, the longtime head of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications (as it was called) used to give these three points: human dignity, truth, common good.
August 25, 2009
CELEBRITIES: REAL MEN THANK GOD
Mickey Rourke thanks God and Catholic Faith for 'second chance.'
Priest was his 'best friend.'
8/26/2009
Catholic News Agency (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/)
Speaking to the Bosnian daily 'Avaz,' Rourke said, 'God gave me a second chance in life and I thank Him.'
(Mickey Rourke) 'When you fall people push you down even more. The world is full of materialism and envy. When you are famous and you fall, people don’t want you to come back. It is almost impossible to come back. It’s hard enough the first time, but the second time it’s like you don’t even exist …God gave me a second chance.'
Rome, Italy (CNA) - Famed Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke, who was at the Sarajevo Film Festival last week, told a Bosnian newspaper that he thanks God and his Catholic faith for giving him a “second chance” in life to overcome his addictions, which almost led him to commit suicide. Speaking to the Bosnian daily “Avaz,” Rourke said, “God gave me a second chance in life and I thank Him.” Rourke achieved fame in the 80s with action films and erotic thrillers. At the beginning of the 90s he left film for boxing and fell into heavy drug and alcohol addiction. According to the newspaper, during the most difficult moments of his life, his psychiatrist and his priest were his best friends. “When you fall people push you down even more. The world is full of materialism and envy. When you are famous and you fall, people don’t want you to come back. It is almost impossible to come back. It’s hard enough the first time, but the second time it’s like you don’t even exist …God gave me a second chance, the guy upstairs helped me out,” he said. Several years ago Rourke began his return to the big screen and this year he won his first Golden Globe Award for the film “The Wrestler.” Rourke was also an Oscar favorite. Now, he says, he doesn’t think about Hollywood much. “I don’t care about Hollywood and what the people of Hollywood think. I don’t think about how it works because I simply don’t care. I don’t even dream about it.” In 2005, when he began to land bigger roles in films, he revealed to a magazine that he was meeting often with his pastor in New York and was on the verge of suicide. “If I weren’t Catholic I would have blown my brains out,” he said
8/26/2009
Catholic News Agency (http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/)
Speaking to the Bosnian daily 'Avaz,' Rourke said, 'God gave me a second chance in life and I thank Him.'
(Mickey Rourke) 'When you fall people push you down even more. The world is full of materialism and envy. When you are famous and you fall, people don’t want you to come back. It is almost impossible to come back. It’s hard enough the first time, but the second time it’s like you don’t even exist …God gave me a second chance.'
Rome, Italy (CNA) - Famed Hollywood actor Mickey Rourke, who was at the Sarajevo Film Festival last week, told a Bosnian newspaper that he thanks God and his Catholic faith for giving him a “second chance” in life to overcome his addictions, which almost led him to commit suicide. Speaking to the Bosnian daily “Avaz,” Rourke said, “God gave me a second chance in life and I thank Him.” Rourke achieved fame in the 80s with action films and erotic thrillers. At the beginning of the 90s he left film for boxing and fell into heavy drug and alcohol addiction. According to the newspaper, during the most difficult moments of his life, his psychiatrist and his priest were his best friends. “When you fall people push you down even more. The world is full of materialism and envy. When you are famous and you fall, people don’t want you to come back. It is almost impossible to come back. It’s hard enough the first time, but the second time it’s like you don’t even exist …God gave me a second chance, the guy upstairs helped me out,” he said. Several years ago Rourke began his return to the big screen and this year he won his first Golden Globe Award for the film “The Wrestler.” Rourke was also an Oscar favorite. Now, he says, he doesn’t think about Hollywood much. “I don’t care about Hollywood and what the people of Hollywood think. I don’t think about how it works because I simply don’t care. I don’t even dream about it.” In 2005, when he began to land bigger roles in films, he revealed to a magazine that he was meeting often with his pastor in New York and was on the verge of suicide. “If I weren’t Catholic I would have blown my brains out,” he said
August 19, 2009
MOVIES: OLDIES BUT GOODIES
Last night in Chicago's Grant Park, a bazillion people were enthralled by the old 1939 B & W "Young Mr. Lincoln." Really enrapt, laughing at all the jokes, enjoying the continuous melodramatic soundtrack, etc. Me, too.Were we just movie lovers? Lincoln lovers? History lovers? Nostalgia lovers?
NEW MEDIA: ACTUAL VIDEO AD WILL BE IN A PRINT MAGAZINE! (Like Harry Potter's Daily Prophet Newspaper!)
By ANDREW VANACORE, AP Business Writer - Wed Aug 19, 2009 4:17PM EDT http://tech.yahoo.com/news/ap/20090819/ap_on_hi_te/us_tec_techbit_cbs_print_video_ad
NEW YORK - An upcoming issue of Entertainment Weekly's print edition will be embedded with a video player that will run ads for CBS shows and Pepsi.
The ad comes in a heavy-paper package resembling the kind of novelty greeting cards that make noises. A roughly two-inch screen starts playing automatically as the page flips open. A speaker is embedded below it.
CBS Corp. and Time Warner Inc.'s Entertainment Weekly billed the video advertisement as the first ever to appear in a print magazine. CBS says the video player insert, made by a Los Angeles company called Americhip Inc., will be able to withstand the binding processes and mail delivery.
Ink-on-paper titles have been trying new formats to boost advertising revenue. Major newspapers have taken the once-taboo step of offering ads on their front pages, while magazines have tucked ads into cover flaps and even distributed video promotions on DVDs.
CBS won't say how much it is paying for the spread, but the idea behind these new experiments is generally to charge a premium for advertising that has more potential to catch readers' attention.
The video inserts will appear in some copies of the fall TV preview issue mailed to subscribers in New York and Los Angeles.
In the ad, characters from CBS's "The Big Bang Theory" talk up EW and give a how-to on navigating the different buttons that bring up more clips.
A menu of additional spots includes a clip from "Two and Half Men," a sneak peek at the new CBS comedy "Accidentally on Purpose" and a preview of the network's fall drama slate. There's also an ad for the Pepsi Max diet soft drink.
August 18, 2009
MOVIES: “500 DAYS OF SUMMER”
YYY 1/2
A young woman who doesn't want to commit. A young man who's smitten. We usually think of it the other way around, but Summer (Zooey Deschanel—some of her best work to date) doesn't believe in "true love" or finding "the one," and Tom (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) does.
"500 Days of Summer" is fresh, young, not-too-edgy, and uses a technique of showing scenes from the 500 days, numbered, but out of order. It works seamlessly and never feels choppy. The whole winsome-but-not-gooey romance is tied together with a soundtrack which often breaks into the story itself because Summer and Tom bond over a shared love of music (Deschanel, also a singer in real life, gets to perform—as she often does in her on-screen roles).
Where do Summer and Tom get their respective, conflicting ideas about love? A brief but important retrospective of their growing-up years tells all. Summer is the child of divorce, Tom is the child of pop culture with its hope-filled dreams. But their stubborn clinging to their fixed ideas blocks them both from facing reality. Although "500 Days" is a light touch (though not quite a romantic comedy), Tom's pain can truly be felt. Tom's advantage is that he's not alone. His buddies and his little sister all help interpret and even narrate his love life for him, with some not-too-shoddy advice. Love isn't just a private thing, it's a social thing. It's heartening to see how much the younger generation "gets right" about love. The disheartening part is the (all too true-to-life) complete trivialization of the body and sex. Even though Tom complains about the casualness of it all, it doesn't slow him down one bit. The emphasis is on the spiritual, finding a soul mate, almost to the point of a kind of "spiritualism" of male/female relationships.
I would have rated this "R" for the several coarse moments. It's true kids see this kind of stuff daily, but it's almost worse when it's portrayed in such a sweet, consequence-neutral manner. I wish I could say: "Fifteen-year-olds and up might actually benefit (with guidance for the objectionable parts and purely 'feelings' criterion for love) from the many age-old truisms and good pieces of advice regarding twenty-first century love relationships." BUT here's the problem: there's two very quick scenes (among other hopelessly dishonest scenes) of the two watching porn (we only see the video jacket). Summer says: "that looks do-able," and they try it behind a thickly clouded shower curtain. Porn is oh-so-quaint-and-harmless. No big deal. For couples. And this generation is so cool and media-jaded that they are completely in control and above-it-all when it comes to porn. Um, not. Porn is more addictive than crack cocaine. We must keep calling the bluff of this lie that is now firmly embedded in mainstream culture. There's a lot of money riding on the normalization of porn. We're supposed to nod like bobbleheads to the lie and not be shocked as we see it seeping in EVERYWHERE. Sorry, no can do. Those who work in porn prevention and recovery say that even so-called "soft porn" is a gateway drug. How unfortunate that this lovely film is marred in this most grotesque way, even though supposedly "everyone's doing it." It's such a shame that this well-crafted, sensitively acted movie is sugar coating dollops of poison.
The ambience of the movie incorporates a huge swath of influences from foreign films, the 60's, jazz, literature, art, architecture—in which we can feel the protagonists sincerely reaching out for meaning, authenticity and beauty. An attempt is made to make the city of Los Angeles a character in the movie, but it doesn't happen. The clichés ring true that the city of L. A. rings hollow (I lived there for five years): soul-less, history-less, community/communion-less. Instead, the city almost stands as a cautionary symbol of what can happen when we don't risk, don't commit, don't suffer in love.
Summer is reminiscent of the genuine-love-phobic Holly (Audrey Hepburn) in "Breakfast at Tiffanys" (a movie that many young people today are re-discovering and "trust"—in their own words!) A line from the movie states: "People DO belong to each other." We don't need movies from 1961 or 2009 to tell us so, but "Breakfast" and "500 Days" certainly reinforce our own conviction that love trumps all.
In the end, "500 Days" is Tom's fated/fatalist/determinist/magic-pixie-dust idea of love versus Summer's serious/troubled/sad/it-never-works-out-so-let's-just-have-fun idea of love. The truth about love is somewhere in between.
"Love consists of a commitment which limits one's freedom—it is a giving of the self, and to give oneself means to limit one's freedom on behalf of the other. This might seem to be something negative or unpleasant, but love makes it a positive, joyful and creative thing. "Freedom exists for the sake of love. Man longs for love more than for freedom—freedom is the means, and love is the end." --JP2G, "Love and Responsibility"
There's no God in the movie. BUT there is an attempt to match earthly events with some kind of cosmic significance. (The primal religious impulse. Which is good, but left to itself it becomes superstition.) I wanted to stand up in the theater and shout: "Yes! Yes! There is a cosmic significance to your relationships--and it starts with the body!" Theology. Of. The. Body. "The body and it alone makes visible the mystery: the spiritual and the divine." TOB #76.
An O. Henry's "The Gift of the Magi"-style exchange of gifts is given and both Summer and Tom are better for it. At the beginning of the movie we were warned that this was not a love story. But it is.
August 3, 2009
August 1, 2009
CATHOLIC CULTURE ONLINE
Fr. Robert Barron Enters Year for Priests with an Online Mission to Spread the Gospel
Chicago, July 31, 2009 – Fr. Robert Barron is one of the world's great and innovative teachers of Catholicism. Chicago's Cardinal George calls him one of the Church's best messengers. He is a prominent theologian, author and sought-after speaker, and now the priest from the Archdiocese of Chicago is using today's technology to evangelize the culture. Barron founded Word On Fire Catholic Ministries, a global media organization, and hopes to attract millions into or back to the Catholic faith.
At the hub of Word On Fire is an interactive website (www.WordOnFire.org) with newly launched features which invite visitors on a journey and into a conversation about faith and life. "Our website is incredibly dynamic," raved Fr. Barron. "Every day, every where, visitors can visit our site to deepen their faith and bring the peace of Christ to their otherwise chaotic worlds."
Resources can be found in a variety of formats from articles and books, to CDs and DVDs, as well as YouTube videos, radio sermons and television programs. Visitors to the Word On Fire website can take a virtual pilgrimage with Fr. Barron as he films his most ambitious venture, The CATHOLICISM Project. A landmark epic series about the Catholic faith, The CATHOLICISM Project takes visitors to Rome, the Holy Land, Mexico, France, Poland, Germany and Spain.
"People spend a mammoth amount of time at their computers every day," stated Barron. "And just as Christ took the message of the Gospel to the people of his time, we have harnessed the use of emerging technologies to go out into the four corners of the globe."
The mission of Word On Fire is to draw people into the Body of Christ, which is the Church, and thereby gives them access to all the gifts that Jesus wants his people to enjoy. Word On Fire places an emphasis on the use of innovative communication technologies and contemporary forms of media. The website is a one-stop shop where visitors can learn about and be inspired by the Catholic faith.
"We have designed an interactive site where people can gain knowledge about the faith from not only our content, but they can also learn from one another," said Fr. Barron. "New content is being developed and produced every day and we invite people to visit WordOnFire.org and explore everything it has to offer."
The website was originally launched in 1999 and currently draws over 300,000 visitors each year from every continent.
Fr. Barron is available for interviews. Please contact Christine Schicker with The Maximus Group at 404-610-8871.
July 30, 2009
CHICAGO CHRISTIAN FILMMAKER DIES AT 29 (ACT ONE ALUM)
For Immediate Release
July 22, 2009
Hollywood Above the Line
Act One Mourns the Loss of Kerry Brown,
WP 2000
Please join us in praying for the repose of the soul of Kerry Brown, an Act One alum from the Summer Writing Program, 2000 and for his family.
Wake and funeral services were held last Friday in Chicago at the Gatlings Chapel, 10133 S Halsted, IL followed by the burial at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Chicago.
Brian Bird, part of the Act One Faculty and Mentor to Kerry remembers his friend in the following message.
When I received the email Sunday morning, July 12, I felt the universe tear a little bit. Just two weeks earlier, I had spent hours on the phone with my friend Kerry Brown, going scene by scene through his director's cut of his first independent film, "Leaders." We talked about pacing and how to cut around some not insignificant sound and continuity problems and moments where his actors felt they knew better than him how to play those moments -- which clearly they didn't. But mostly I told him how proud I was of him for not giving up on his 9-year dream to direct a film he first conceived in Act One as a member of the Class of 2000. It was a script I mentored him through way back then, and then again a year ago when he found an angel to put up enough money for him to make it more than a student film.
Kerry was a frail young man physically. He had suffered from a relentless pulmonary condition and congestive heart failure for a long time. But he was not frail of spirit or optimism. He was a spiritual lion. A devourer of scripture. Conan the Interceder. Because of his physical condition, he was not always able to work, so during his sick days and all those midnight oil hours, he wrote scripts. Several completed screenplays. Epics like his script about the rise and fall of Atlantis, and another battle royale between heaven and hell after the fall of Lucifer to earth. He learned the challenges of trying break through the iron gates of Hollywood from a Chicago vantage point. Sometimes his dream dimmed during his post-Act One years because nothing seemed to be working for him. He experienced what we all experience no matter what our level of achievement. That Hollywood is not called "Show Friendship," it's called "Show Business." That it's junior high with money. That you have to start out with the understanding that getting a film made is nearly always impossible. And that the only way anybody ever gets one made is by chipping away little by little at the impossibility until one day they wake up and they are saying, "Action."
"Leaders" is not a perfect film. Kerry was beset by all the problems any filmmaker is hit with, no matter what the budget. Production issues. Location issues. Weather issues. Actor issues. But there is a raw power to this little film because it bubbled up out of his heart as a young African-American man raised in marginal circumstances in a big American city. He had an unmistakably good eye for composing his shots and moving the camera. And there is an autobiographical thread here as his hero, "Hope," tries to survive the tides of sex, drugs and violence of life in the projects while clinging precariously to his faith in God. He did not shy away from the profane, or the sacred, so this is not a vanilla film. It's red. Red on white.
I told Kerry I wasn't sure if there would be a buyer for his film because it's a little too raw for a faith-based church marketing campaign. And it's a little too faithful for the schizophrenic home video distributors who can't decide whether they are in or out of the faith business. But I told him I would try to help him find somebody to take "Leaders" to market when it was ready for prime time. He didn't flinch at my long list of notes or that there was still a lot of impossibility at which we would have to chip away.
However, he did tell me that he might have to work with his editor, Joel Kapity, from a hospital bed. He was never quite sure when the lungs would fill or the fluid would build up around his heart. He said it with such a gleam in his voice, I thought he was joking. And then I received the email from his mother, Jayne Johnson, on Sunday, with the very sad news that Kerry had passed away on Thursday. His heart had finally given out at just days after his 29th birthday.
I don't know now how to compute why God takes some, and leaves others who don't deserve to stick around. Or exactly how to resolve the idea of a young man who fought great odds in his life to reach a dream that at least by the world's measure of success he didn't live to see finished. Or what becomes of his very personal little film. Perhaps the digital age will preserve Kerry Brown's eye in democratic cyberspace for a thousand years. But I do know this. He blessed my life more than I'm sure I blessed his. And I'll always be thankful for the way he signed off all our calls or emails: "I love you, Mentor."
Perhaps it is Show Friendship after all.
www.actoneprogram.com
July 29, 2009
July 19, 2009
MOVIES: “HARRY POTTER AND THE HALF-BLOOD PRINCE”
The amazing half-blood death-eating princess actress HELENA Bonham-Carter!The Harry Potter juggernaut continues to delight with "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." This installment gets off to a slow start with lots of tangents and a lack of momentum. (This might be because it's an adaptation. Readers always say there is so much in the books that's left out in the movies.) But we don't much care because we know it's going to be good. The actors portraying the three main characters, Harry, Hermione, and Ron, continue to endear and manage to look like they're still in high school. We feel the screws tightening as Lord Voldemort's evil attacks mount and gain strength. Hogwarts School is now subject to tight security. But friendship and young love can flower anywhere and does.
Some of the funniest moments and sweetest touches are the budding romances. Young people should see HBP just for these parts! Too bad every romantic comedy doesn't charm like this. There are mispairings, jealousies, longings and general lovelornness. Ron Weasley eats too many chocolates infused with a love potion intended for Harry. Two girls fight over a recuperating Ron in his sick bed. All of this while being schooled in the intricacies of how to be a powerful wizard without ever resorting to the dark arts, black magic, wrongdoing, evil. Of course, here's "the rub" when it comes to HP.
As Christians, we know that NO magic is good magic or so-called "white magic," or "natural" magic like Wicca. Sorcery is not make-believe. It's real, comes from "below," and is never to be used, even for "the good." Thus, many Christians have shunned the HP books and movies all together. Other Christians maintain that lots of classic fairytales and folk stories contain witches, spells, etc., and that we just need to make sure children and youth know they must never dabble in it themselves. I'm somewhere in the middle on this, because HP presents the use of magic BY young people in such a modern and compelling way, that it seems to me extra precautions need to be taken. However, if I were a parent, I would definitely accompany my child through this cultural phenomenon (allowing them to read/watch), not because it's "inevitable," but because I would want my kids to be equipped to reach the culture, their peers with the Gospel, and that would mean engaging WITH the culture. J. K. Rowling says that she is a Christian, and she has certainly embedded Christian virtues in HP: obedience, love, kindness, truth, loyalty to friends and family, heroism, sacrifice, bravery, etc.
Many of our favorite characters re-appear. Snape (still looking like Trent Reznor twenty years on) is still a bit of a mystery, and we are introduced to all kinds of new gadgets, devices and creatures in Rowling's enchanted world. More and more layers of information and backstory are dispensed. There are some truly Tolkien-esque moments when Dumbledore seems more like Gandalf than himself.
There is a real apprenticeship going on with Dumbledore and Harry. Harry is "the chosen one" (chosen to defeat Voldemort's evil), but he is still young and has a lot to learn. The HP series teaches that none of us can go it alone. Each one plays their part, however humble. Everyone has a strength and a gift that the others need. The professors at Hogwarts know that evil is tricky and that constant vigilance is needed, but they also have to know and trust who is on their staff. They truly form their students to use their consciences and abilities well in difficult situations. HP teaches that love is greater than fear: Harry's mother sacrificed her life for Harry, and he stands ready to make the same kind of sacrifice. Harry is not afraid of his nemesis, Voldemort, or to say his name, as some of the adults are. Truly, our worst enemies are ourselves. As Dumbledore tells the students: YOU yourself can be the worst weapon of those who seek your harm.
Whenever I watch an HP movie, I reflect that there is a REAL spiritual warfare going on around us at all moments: angels, devils, sin, grace, death, eternity, heaven, hell, etc. Do we teach young people this reality in their religious education? Do we stress it? If not, it seems to me we do them a great disservice. They're clearly interested and up for the challenge.
July 3, 2009
MOVIES: "PUBLIC ENEMIES"
YYY First off, if you don't like loud noises or violence, don't even go to the cinema NEXT DOOR to "Public Enemies." "Public Enemies" is a gun fest. A shoot fest. A machine-gun shoot-fest. If you have a good, strong heart, you'll be fine.
"Public Enemies" is not, however a gore-fest. You'd think it would be with all that shooting. The only thing I didn't buy in PE was the constant point blank, direct-line-of-vision shooting-with-no-barriers and no one even gets nicked? C'mon! Everything else I bought.
Johnny Depp, with his guy-liner and first becoming hairdo in a long time (on- or off-screen), captivates in that slow, smoking way of his. He's got a bit of a drawl and even looks a little like a very young Elvis. His character is somehow sympathetic (excuse: horrible childhood; charm: he's nicer to the gals than the guys, is calm, cool, collected and witty), but not out-and-out glamorized. Because he comes off as totally sane, we can forget he's a cold-blooded killer. And I do mean cold. HUGE body count, LOTS of innocent bystanders (this might be another thing I don't buy. Really?) Although he's not a Robin Hood,* he's kind of desperate, so we start to see the cops and FBI as the enemy, too. Dillinger being played by America's box office offbeat male sweetheart doesn't hurt to get us on Dillinger's side either.
Dillinger's total confidence in himself and a carefree future (he was so close), combined with his criminal genius makes him outshine the often bungling law enforcement. But let's remember that the lawmen think twice before THEY shoot. They are a bit like lambs led to the slaughter in some scenes. A young J. Edgar Hoover (the always astonishing Billy Crudup--another chameleon like Depp) is building up the FBI and his own career. Agent Melvin Purvis (Christian Bale) is the "star" FBI guy, who knows and has what it takes to bring the lawless down. John Dillinger is the prize for both of them. Purvis brings in a crack team from Texas and Oklahoma to do the job. In a sense, these hardened outlaws CREATED a lean, mean "scientific" FBI machine. Both Dillinger and Purvis seem to have the same character trait, or flaw, of pushing too hard, pushing others too hard and never being able to "let go." Dillinger committed a kind of suicide by the risks he took. It was reported that Purvis actually committed suicide in 1960, but that's under question.
What's even more sinister than watching one reckless individual? Watching the birth of the mob: syndicated, systemic, "coast to coast," organized crime, that is so tough it doesn't even need guns, just phones. Dillinger and his ilk are passe. At 31, Dillinger is already an old-fashioned crook. Perhaps the mob crime boss was Dillinger's real nemesis--if the FBI hadn't gunned Dillinger down, perhaps he would have done away with him (inter-state laws being passed on account of Dillinger were redounding on the mafia).
Dillinger's love interest, Billie Frechette (Marion Cotillard), is portrayed as a rather innocent coat check girl. In real life, she associated with criminals even before Dillinger, but she was no Bonnie (of Bonnie and Clyde). What does she see in Dillinger? Someone who truly loved her. He never lied to her. It's almost as though their love story happened on an island. She wasn't part of his bloody sprees, and they love each other in a vacuum that has nothing to do with "that other part" of his life. There's definitely a woman's touch in the story here (one of the screenwriters is a woman). He was her hero, and indeed, Dillinger was a hero to many Depression-era Americans. But as members of today's mob admit, the Feds will always get you, it's just a matter of when.
"Public Enemies" speaks to the contradictory American spirit: so proud of our rule of law AND our scofflaws. We want "just the facts, Ma'am," and are pragmatists, BUT we love to escape into unrealistically optimistic fantasy worlds. Maybe it's just part of being human.
Set in Chicago (I watched it being filmed!) by Chicagoan, Michael Mann, a notoriously meticulous director, PE is a solid period piece, and I was eager to see it because:
1) I love Chicago.
2) I love Johnny Depp's acting.
3) To see what "they'd do with it."
But I don't really care about John Dillinger or criminals in general. They just don't do anything for me except turn me off.
In the end, Dillinger and his gang, like the much-feted "Sopranos," are just a bunch of thugs, out for illicit personal gain and an eventually easy life. The really exciting man is the working man, doing the right thing. The honest thing. The hard thing. Every day. (See "A Bronx Tale," "Norma Rae," "On the Waterfront," "The Great Debaters.")
OTHER STUFF:
--Populous, authentic-looking cast! (Found out later why: the cops are real cops, the reporters are real also--cast by "detailist" Mann himself!)
--Don't ya just love the dapper FBI--fighting crime in those gorgeous suits and hats? Far cry from S.W.A.T. gear.
--Johnny Depp is such a great actor. Such a chameleon. Great actors can act with just their eyes. Depp can act with just his irises.
Set in Chicago (I watched it being filmed!) by Chicagoan, Michael Mann, a notoriously meticulous director, PE is a solid period piece, and I was eager to see it because:
1) I love Chicago.
2) I love Johnny Depp's acting.
3) To see what "they'd do with it."
But I don't really care about John Dillinger or criminals in general. They just don't do anything for me except turn me off.
In the end, Dillinger and his gang, like the much-feted "Sopranos," are just a bunch of thugs, out for illicit personal gain and an eventually easy life. The really exciting man is the working man, doing the right thing. The honest thing. The hard thing. Every day. (See "A Bronx Tale," "Norma Rae," "On the Waterfront," "The Great Debaters.")
OTHER STUFF:
--Populous, authentic-looking cast! (Found out later why: the cops are real cops, the reporters are real also--cast by "detailist" Mann himself!)
--Don't ya just love the dapper FBI--fighting crime in those gorgeous suits and hats? Far cry from S.W.A.T. gear.
--Johnny Depp is such a great actor. Such a chameleon. Great actors can act with just their eyes. Depp can act with just his irises.
--Remember "The Untouchables" TV series with Robert Stack? Wasn't that in B & W in the 70's?
--Southern blues, gutbucket and jazz soundtrack. Nice.
--Some accents, instead of sounding like those old-time American radio broadcasts, just sounded British.
--Johnny Depp and John Dillinger have the same initials. (Like Jim Caviezel and Jesus Christ.)
--Go to http://www.imdb.com/ to catch all the cameos and itty-bitty parts. Did you see Diana Krall? Channing Tatum? LeeLee Sobieski?
--There's really not much of a story-line. JD holds up a few banks and gets killed. But the ending is terribly ironic: life imitating art. The gangster watches a gangster movie and then goes out and lives it. And at this point, he even looks like Clark Gable (with little moustache), and you can see Billie's resemblance to Myrna Loy also.
--Wonderfully shot in lots of close-up, extreme close-up and some mid-range and long range. Reminiscent of "The Insider," but without being in the constant "extreme closeupness of the foreheadless people."
--But if the real Dillinger loved Billie so much--what was he doing with Polly? (They were lovers.)
--Southern blues, gutbucket and jazz soundtrack. Nice.
--Some accents, instead of sounding like those old-time American radio broadcasts, just sounded British.
--Johnny Depp and John Dillinger have the same initials. (Like Jim Caviezel and Jesus Christ.)
--Go to http://www.imdb.com/ to catch all the cameos and itty-bitty parts. Did you see Diana Krall? Channing Tatum? LeeLee Sobieski?
--There's really not much of a story-line. JD holds up a few banks and gets killed. But the ending is terribly ironic: life imitating art. The gangster watches a gangster movie and then goes out and lives it. And at this point, he even looks like Clark Gable (with little moustache), and you can see Billie's resemblance to Myrna Loy also.
--Wonderfully shot in lots of close-up, extreme close-up and some mid-range and long range. Reminiscent of "The Insider," but without being in the constant "extreme closeupness of the foreheadless people."
--But if the real Dillinger loved Billie so much--what was he doing with Polly? (They were lovers.)
--I still don't get why the FBI shot Dillinger up and didn't arrest him? Did they just lose it in the heat of the moment?
__________________
*Actually, wouldn't he be just the opposite from a Robin Hood? Stealing little people's hard-earned money for himself? People that might be just scraping by?
__________________
*Actually, wouldn't he be just the opposite from a Robin Hood? Stealing little people's hard-earned money for himself? People that might be just scraping by?
July 2, 2009
June 29, 2009
PRIESTS' FAVORITE MOVIES AND BOOKS ON PRIESTHOOD
 |
| "Gran Torino" |
So, what movies and books about priests/priesthood do PRIESTS (and seminarians) like best?
Well, we asked 'em and here's what we came up with (many polled were from the Chicagoland area).
The National Catholic Register recently ran an article of the "Top 10 Priest Movies" (gleaned from their "Top 100 Catholic Movies" list from an online poll of 1,000 people). http://www.ncregister.com/daily/top_10_priest_movies/, but we asked the man of the cloth on the streets himself. The NCR article is also strict about it being an American movie, the movie being about a priest (rather than bishop or pope), and having the priest be the main character. Our responses below are much more varied! (Great gift ideas!)
1. Romero* (1989)
2. On the Waterfront* (older priests especially inspired by this) (1954)
2. On the Waterfront* (older priests especially inspired by this) (1954)
3. The Mission* (1986)
4. Diary of a Country Priest (1951)
5. Becket* (1964) (Protestant pastors also inspired by this to go into the ministry!)
6. Blackrobe* (1991) (Canadian film, historical fiction of Jesuit missionaries in 1600's)
7. Scarlet and the Black (1983)
8. Exorcism of Emily Rose* (2005) (based on a true story, priest is a real hero)
9. Keys of the Kingdom (1944)
10. Keeping the Faith* (2000)
Other feature films priests recommended:
--"True Confessions"* (1981) (some nudity, deals with how priests are tempted to get caught up in Church politics, deals with the true nature of priesthood and tough choices to be made)
--"The Cardinal" (1963) (some priests said too "cardboard" and "pollyanna," but good historical snapshot)
--"Ninth Day" (2004) (priests in Dachau, the book is "Priestblock 25487")
--"Molokai: The Story of Fr. Damien" (1999)
--"Monsieur Vincent"* (1948) (French, award-winning film on St. Vincent de Paul)
--"Beyond the Gates" (aka "Shooting Dogs" 2005) (true story of a priest in Rwanda)
--"The Prisoner" (1955) (based on either Hungary's Cardinal Mindszenty or Croatian Cardinal Stepinac--tortured by Nazis)
--"Father Brown" (G. K. Chesterton's mysteries)
Priest not main character, but good priest parts:
--"Men with Guns"* (1997)
--"Gran Torino"* (2008)
Documentaries:
--"Fishers of Men"* (inspiring vocation film by the amazing "Grassroots Films")
--"With God in Russia"* (true story of Polish-American Fr. Walter Ciszek, SJ)
--"Road of Hope--The Spiritual Journey of Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan"*
*Sr. Helena highly recommends:
--"JESUS" (2-hr Gospel of Luke), "Gospel of John," "The Passion of the Christ" (Jesus, our high priest!)
--"Diary of a City Priest" (2001) (film adaptation different from the book; the unglamorous life of a parish priest in a poor, inner city neighborhood; should be required seminary viewing!)
--"The Father Clements Story" (1987) African-American priest adopts kids to set an example
--"Hoodlum Priest" (1961) (surprisingly good, gritty drama of ex-con priest, based on true story)
--"Saving Grace" (1985) (pope gets locked out of Vatican)
--"Gran Torino" (2008)
--"Gospa" (1995) Medjugorje Franciscan played by Martin Sheen
--"Open City" (1945) (Italian, Rossellini, Nazis torture a priest in WWII occupied Rome)
--"Little Flowers of St. Francis" (1950) (Italian, Rossellini, St. Francis and his first followers)
--"Into Great Silence" (2005) 3-hr "silent" movie about Carthusian monks (the Church's most austere order) who live in silence, except for prayers
--"Of Gods and Men" (2011) The Trappist martyrs of Algeria
--"The Rite" (2011) Some theological inaccuracies, but Anthony Hopkins does a great job playing a priest-exorcist
--"Keeping the Faith" (2000) A young priest and young rabbi are friends
--"Of Gods and Men" (2011) The Trappist martyrs of Algeria
--"The Rite" (2011) Some theological inaccuracies, but Anthony Hopkins does a great job playing a priest-exorcist
--"Keeping the Faith" (2000) A young priest and young rabbi are friends
--"The Priest and the Devil" (French, B & W) The Cure of Ars
--John Paul II movies--take your pick!
Are YOU a priest or seminarian? Don't see YOUR favorite "priest movie" here? Comment!
Priests/seminarians favorite BOOKS on priests/priesthood:
--"You Are a Priest Forever" by Fr. Groeschel
--"Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church"
--"Quickening the Fire in Our Midst: The Challenge of Diocesan Priestly Spirituality" by George Aschenbrenner, SJ
--"Reclaiming Our Priestly Character," by Fr. David Toups
--"Gift and Mystery"* by John Paul II
--"The Keys of the Kingdom" by A. J. Cronin
--"The Power and the Glory" by Graham Greene
--"Silence"* by Shusaku Endo
--"Father Brown"* mysteries by G. K. Chesterton
--"The Unchanging Heart of the Priesthood" by Fr. Thomas Acklin, OSB
--"The Priest Is Not His Own" by Fulton Sheen (one priest says it makes him depressed, another seminarian LOVES it)
Sr. Helena recommends (even though she hasn't read some of them):
--"In Defense of the Priesthood" by St. John Fisher, bishop & martyr (written to refute his contemporary, Martin Luther! One of Fisher's only extant writings!)
--"Letter for Year for Priests" Pope Benedict XVI (lots of Cure d'Ars quotes)
--"The Meaning of the Priesthood" by Cardinal Avery Dulles
--"Theology of the Priesthood" by Jean Galot
--"Joy of the Priesthood" by Fr. Stephen Rossetti
--"Behold Your Mother, Priests Speak About Mary" by Fr. Stephen Rossetti
--"Priests for the Third Millennium" by Archbishop Timothy Dolan
--"Priestly Celibacy" by Paul VI
--"Priestblock 25487" (priests in Dachau)
--"With God in Russia" and "He Leadeth Me" by Fr. Walter Ciszek, SJ
--"Alter Christus--St. Paul Speaks to Priests"
--"Virgin Mary and the Priesthood" by Pierre Philippe
--"Priesthood, Manhood and Theology of the Body" Fr. Thomas Loya www.tinyurl.com/FatherLoyaPriesthoodBook
--"Priesthood, Manhood and Theology of the Body" Fr. Thomas Loya www.tinyurl.com/FatherLoyaPriesthoodBook
--Anything on or by St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the Cure of Ars (now patron of all priests, not just parish priests)
Books on Women and the Catholic Priesthood:
--"Women and the Catholic Priesthood" by Sr. Sara Butler
--"Priesthood of the Heart" (Alba House)
For more books on priesthood:
http://www.albahouse.org/ (Publishing House of Society of St. Paul)
http://www.ignatius.com/ (Ignatius Press)
Are YOU a priest or seminarian? Don't see YOUR favorite book on priesthood here? Comment!
June 28, 2009
National Shrine of St. Paul named in St. Paul, MN
| By Maria Wiering | ||
| Tuesday, 16 June 2009 | ||
 As the Year of St. Paul draws to a close on June 29, the Cathedral of St. Paul is announcing its new designation as National Shrine of the Apostle Paul.The Cathedral is among about 100 U.S. Catholic churches that have been honored with the designation — and it's the only one dedicated to St. Paul the Apostle, said Msgr. Anthony Sherman, executive director of the U.S. bishops' Secretariat for Divine Worship. The designation comes from the Holy See and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops at the request of Archbishop John Nienstedt. The title 'shrine' recognizes the Cathedral's national importance and designates it as a pilgrimage destination for groups from across the United States, said Father Joseph Johnson, the Cathedral's rector. Already, visitors from beyond the archdiocese — Catholic and non-Catholic alike — tour the Cathedral when they visit St. Paul. Parish groups from around the Midwest have organized pilgrimages to the building, Father Johnson added. The shrine designation may result in more pilgrims, he said. Today, the USCCB wants a national shrine to be a place that can accommodate national pilgrimages — in this case pilgrimages intended to increase devotion to the Apostle Paul, Father Johnson said. Becoming a shrine
"We're hoping that . . . this shrine in particular might be an impetus for evangelization, that people will get the spirit of St. Paul and begin to want to try and reach out and proclaim the message of Christ," he added. The USCCB granted the designation on March 25, but it is now just being announced by the archdiocese. The shrine designation will add another layer to the many roles the Cathedral already plays in the community, Father Johnson said. It is a parish serving about 3,000 households; it is the mother church for the archdiocese; and it is a civic monument because of its impressive architecture and history. Because the Cathedral often hosts group pilgrimages, it has already played a role on the national scene, Father Johnson said. However, the designation will increase its "national spiritual significance," he added. To be considered for a shrine designation, a parish must complete a questionnaire and provide extensive information about itself, which is confirmed through a visit of a bishop on the Committee for Divine Worship. For the Cathedral, about 16 months passed from the beginning of the application process until the designation, Father Johnson said. National shrines are designated in the United States because of a specific devotion to a saint or the Blessed Virgin Mary, Msgr. Sherman said. This devotion draws more people to the church, he added. In the application process, the challenge lies in ascertaining whether or not a shrine designation might be able to make a unique contribution on the national level, Msgr. Sherman said. Increased devotionThe Cathedral began the application process when the Year of St. Paul was announced, Father Johnson said. He felt the Cathedral had a particular responsibility to heed the jubilee year's call to greater devotion to the Apostle Paul. He also thinks the national shrine designation honors the vision of the Cathedral's founder, Father Lucien Galtier, the first priest to establish a parish in the area in 1840. Because of his devotion to the saint, he named the log chapel he built after St. Paul, which led to the name of the city. "Father Galtier looked to the person of Paul when he arrived in this wilderness, and it's interesting that now the universal church has said we're all going to do that," Father Johnson said. Because of the shrine designation, the Cathedral will continue some of the programming it began during the jubilee year, including its First Saturday series, which featured speakers, prayer and reflection. It already offers several weekly tours. The new shrine has also established the Archconfraternity of the Apostle Paul to help people feel connected to the shrine, Father Johnson said. Members serve as the spiritual apostolate of the National Shrine of the Apostle Paul in five particular ways:
The designation as a national shrine does not affect its designation as the Cathedral for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Father Johnson said, since it hosts the chair, or "cathedra," of the archbishop. 'Cathedral' and 'shrine' are unrelated designations, he added. The design for the shrine's insignia was taken from a carved medallion in the bronze grails behind the sanctuary which features a sword and a wreath, both symbols of Paul's martyrdom. | ||
END OF THE PAULINE YEAR (never can say goodbye)
Keeping a Light on for Pauline Pilgrims
Archpriest Comments on Closing of Year of St. Paul
"The Pauline Year is coming to an end," the 83-year-old cardinal said, "but the great ferment of pastoral initiatives, catechesis, and cultural events is destined to continue, and to find a large following at both the local and the continental level.""The Pauline Door [...] will remain open, and the Pauline flame lit by the Holy Father at the beginning of this year will continue to burn in the quadriporticus," he added, "reminding all the pilgrims who continue to arrive from every corner of the globe of the richness and profundity of the Word of God transmitted to us by the Apostle of the Gentiles."Cardinal Montezemolo reported that tens of thousands of pilgrims visited the Pauline basilica in the last year, and that on May 1 of this year, the basilica saw more than 18,000 pilgrims. In recent weeks, he added, "we have certainly seen more than 10,000 a day."Pilgrims who visited were able to see Paul's tomb, he added, which hadn't been possible before."
"An opening was made in the ancient fifth century brickwork surrounding Paul's tomb under the main altar, so that pilgrims could see one side of the great marble sarcophagus, which has never been opened and which has held the mortal remains of the apostle for the last 20 centuries." Apostle's messageThe archpriest recalled that the jubilee was about more about than visiting the basilica. He noted that one of the year's main objectives was to "increase people's knowledge of, and invite them to meditate upon, the valuable message left to us by the Apostle of the Gentiles in his writings, which are often difficult and little known or poorly interpreted."
Another objective, he added, was "to create various programs in the ecumenical dimension, which means working to an ever greater degree with non-Catholic Christian communities on various initiatives of prayer, study and culture."Reflecting on the activity of the last year, Cardinal Montezemolo noted "the celebration of the second millennium of the birth of the Apostle of the Gentiles was perceived and experienced as a fresh stimulus, a further reason to work toward evangelization.""This was also felt in the Orthodox Churches and in many other Christian communities, and has become a shared commitment on the path to recreating unity among Christians," he added.Recalling the highlights of the Pauline year, the cardinal noted Benedict XVI's catechetical addresses on the Apostle of the Gentiles, which were delivered at the weekly Wednesday audiences from last July 2 through Feb. 4.Another highlight, he said, was the opening Mass of the synod of bishops on the Word of God, which took place at St. Paul Outside the Walls. He noted that at this meeting of bishops, St. Paul was the most mentioned figure, after Jesus Christ.
June 27, 2009
MEDIA WORKSHOPS
PRESENTER:Sr. Helena Burns, fsp, is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul, an international congregation founded to communicate God's Word through the media.
She is finishing her M.A. in Media Literacy, has a B.A. in theology and philosophy from St. John's University, NYC, studied screenwriting at UCLA, and holds a Certificate in Pastoral Youth Ministry. She is the movie reviewer for
“The Catholic New World,” Chicago’s Archdiocesan newspaper.
Sr. Helena has been giving media workshops to youth and adults all over the U.S. and Canada since the 90’s, and believes that media can be a primary tool for sharing God's love and salvation.
Sr. Helena Burns, fsp Pauline Books & Media 172 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60601 hburns@paulinemedia.com http://www.hellburns.blogspot.com/ http://www.pauline.org/
facebook: Helena Burns twitter: SrHelenaBurns
MEDIA LITERACY:
Sr. Helena has been giving media workshops to youth and adults all over the U.S. and Canada since the 90’s, and believes that media can be a primary tool for sharing God's love and salvation.
Sr. Helena Burns, fsp Pauline Books & Media 172 N. Michigan Ave. Chicago, IL 60601 hburns@paulinemedia.com http://www.hellburns.blogspot.com/ http://www.pauline.org/
facebook: Helena Burns twitter: SrHelenaBurns
MEDIA LITERACY:
INTRODUCTION TO MEDIA LITERACY
What does it mean to live in a media culture? What are the promises and challenges
of today’s media content and technologies? How can you be a "media smart" family?
What is the Church’s official position regarding media?Learn the basics of media literacy and how they can help discern and enhance all your media experiences.
MEDIA IS A FAITH THANG
(MEDIA IS A FAMILY THING for parenting or family/intergenerational catechesis)
Learn the basics of media literacy and how they can help you effectively communicate
about media with your kids, teens, and as a family.
GOD AND THE MEDIA (GOD ON "E"!)
Where is God in a wired world?
PHILOSOPHY 101: DISCOVERING THE POWERFUL PHILOSOPHIES BEHIND THE MEDIA
Ever wonder where the media gets its strength? Ideas have names...and consequences!
MEDIA AND YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE (teens)
Develop your personal philosophy of life as you meet the philosophers
who helped create the world we live in. (Great for Confirmation!)
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE MEDIA
John Paul II insisted on the dignity of the human person, and human rights is THE issue of our times. But what exactly is the human "person"? The foundation of human dignity and rights rests on "person." The basics of Catholic social teaching will be covered.
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING (teens)
Whether you're telling your story for the film, TV or computer screen--crafting character and story are the heart of your masterpiece! Learn the basics.
A MEDIA SPIRITUALITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Do you feel “in control” or “out of control” in your use of media?
Are you overwhelmed with media content and technology? Do you find it a challenge to put your faith-life and media-life together? Do you feel the need for an integrated media spirituality? Fear not! A media spirituality already exists! Blessed James Alberione, SSP, a priest, filmmaker, author and founder of ten congregations, has developed a profound media spirituality in the spirit of St. Paul the Apostle.
of today’s media content and technologies? How can you be a "media smart" family?
What is the Church’s official position regarding media?Learn the basics of media literacy and how they can help discern and enhance all your media experiences.
MEDIA IS A FAITH THANG
(MEDIA IS A FAMILY THING for parenting or family/intergenerational catechesis)
Learn the basics of media literacy and how they can help you effectively communicate
about media with your kids, teens, and as a family.
GOD AND THE MEDIA (GOD ON "E"!)
Where is God in a wired world?
PHILOSOPHY 101: DISCOVERING THE POWERFUL PHILOSOPHIES BEHIND THE MEDIA
Ever wonder where the media gets its strength? Ideas have names...and consequences!
MEDIA AND YOUR PHILOSOPHY OF LIFE (teens)
Develop your personal philosophy of life as you meet the philosophers
who helped create the world we live in. (Great for Confirmation!)
SOCIAL JUSTICE AND THE MEDIA
John Paul II insisted on the dignity of the human person, and human rights is THE issue of our times. But what exactly is the human "person"? The foundation of human dignity and rights rests on "person." The basics of Catholic social teaching will be covered.
INTRODUCTION TO SCREENWRITING (teens)
Whether you're telling your story for the film, TV or computer screen--crafting character and story are the heart of your masterpiece! Learn the basics.
A MEDIA SPIRITUALITY FOR THE 21ST CENTURY
Do you feel “in control” or “out of control” in your use of media?
Are you overwhelmed with media content and technology? Do you find it a challenge to put your faith-life and media-life together? Do you feel the need for an integrated media spirituality? Fear not! A media spirituality already exists! Blessed James Alberione, SSP, a priest, filmmaker, author and founder of ten congregations, has developed a profound media spirituality in the spirit of St. Paul the Apostle.
LECTIO DIVINA—CINEMA DIVINA?
Our world loves movies. How can we use film to illuminate God's story?Not only are movies full of biblical themes, but we can use film as a springboard for meditation, prayer, and reflection on the liturgy. Lectio divina (sacred reading) can become “cinema divina."
THE MEDIA AND THE TRUTH
How can we decipher the truth in the myriad media messages we receive daily, especially in the news?
INTERNET SAFETY
In this age of Google, we now have the world at our fingertips! Along with this incredible gift
comes incredible responsibility. Along with the light, there’s a dark side.
Is it possible to for kids, teens and adults to be truly “safe” online? What about porn?
LEARNING NEW MEDIA
Need a quick tutorial on Facebook or Twitter? Want to know what the big deal is with social networking? Want to know where the future of media is heading? Get a handle while gaining confidence and insight.
FINDING TRUE LOVE IN THE MEDIA
What is true love? Can it be found in the media? We’ll use Pope John Paul II’s revolutionary “Theology of the Body” and Pope Benedict’s “God Is Love."
RELIGIOUS VOCATIONS AND THE MEDIA
What is the heart of a vocation to the religious life and/or priesthood?
How do you know if you’re called? Are there some clues in the media?
FAITH AND MEDIA WEEK
Create a “Faith and Media Week” for your parish or school! Custom-fit workshops for your parish or school. Book/media exhibits and bookfairs can also be included, as well as movie nights, etc.
TESTIMONIALS:
"The media presentations helped our teens experience the theme of hope."
--Paul and Tracy La Scala, Confirmation Coordinators, St. John Neumann, Irvine, CA
"The format was great for adult formation...a very comfortable environment in which to learn."
--Tish Petricca, Adult Education Director, St. Matthew, Schaumburg, IL
"Christianity has to be where the new generation is...."
--teen student, Toronto, ON, CANADA
"Excellent! A dynamic, engaging presentation that wowed the teens and parents...fun and thought-provoking."
--Mary Ann Snyder, DRE, St. Robert, Ada, MI
"I enjoyed your presentation very much. Usually I would fall asleep, but you have found a way to get to people."
--teen student, Toronto, ON, CANADA
“Fresh, relevant and informative. Brings the teaching of JPII to life is an easy to understand way for teens and adults.”
--Mike Zak, youth minister, St. Patrick's Church, St. Charles, IL
All workshops are highly interactive and can be adapted for teens and adults.
Each workshop uses TV, film, music video and other media clips.
For catechists: Ready-to-use handouts!
MISSION STATEMENT:
The Pauline Center for Media Studies was founded in 1993 to promote media literacy education in view of integrating human and Christian values in today's entertainment and information media culture.
"Glory to God and peace to people of good will." --Luke 2:14
FEES:
One hour: $200
Two hours: $250
Three hours (“full day”) or more: $500
Other expenses: (if distance) gas and lodging.
EQUIPMENT:
Almost all equipment is provided by the presenter. A large screen is usually the only on-site requirement (in a room that can be completely darkened).
RESOURCES FOR SALE
An exhibit of the finest topic-related media resources can be provided on request. Please provide two tables for display.
(OTHER TALKS)
PHILOSOPHY:
FAITH AND REASON--FRIENDS OR FOES?
Let's wrestle with this centuries-old riddle! What is the relationship between Faith and Reason?
Faith and Science? How can we and our youth respond to the "New Atheism"?
JOHN PAUL II’S PHILOSOPHY
Before he was pope, Karol Wojtyla was a poet, actor, playwright, athlete and…philosopher.
(The only thing that stopped Cardinal Wojtyla from teaching philosophy at the university level
was his election to the papacy.) How does JP2G’s philosophy continue to influence the Church?
What is phenomenology? Why did he insist so much on the dignity of the human person?
THEOLOGY OF THE BODY:
INTRODUCTION TO THEOLOGY OF THE BODY
Join the revolution! What does it mean to BE a body--not HAVE a body?
THEOLOGY OF THE BODY AND WOMAN'S IDENTITY IN CHRIST
Covers "The Dignity and Vocation of Woman," Mary, feminism, women and the Catholic priesthoood.
THEOLOGY OF THE BODY, VOCATIONAL DISCERNMENT AND CELIBACY
Covers religious life, priesthood and single life.
June 26, 2009
MOVIES: “MY SISTER’S KEEPER”
"My Sister's Keeper," much-loved novelist Jodi Picoult's first book-into-movie, is about death and familial love. It looks death straight in the eye and comes up blank. As it should. The film's conclusion is that we don't know much about death or the afterlife, but we do know about love.
I was immediately grabbed by the book's premise when it came out, meant to read it, and never did: A very determined mother is impregnated with a daughter who is specifically designed by medical science to be compatible "spare parts" for her sick older daughter (leukemia). At eleven years old, the younger daughter sues for control over her own body. Sound like creepy sci-fi? It's not at all portrayed that way. As these technologies become commonplace (think: Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick's twins, recently carried and birthed by a surrogate mother; Octomom; the widespread use of IVF; sperm and egg "donation"; frozen embryos; etc.), emotional, home-y narratives will accompany these decisions/choices/actions, and thus, these stories will become just "normal."
As is well known, the Catholic Church sees the above-mentioned "solutions" as disrespectful of human dignity. Anything that treats human beings as objects, things, products, tools, "rights," possessions, etc., is not in keeping with that dignity. (Certain technologies to aid fertility ARE approved, as long as it's within the context of the nuptial act, aiding the natural process. Contrary to popular belief, the Church wants you to have sex, and is very back-to-nature, crunchy granola.)
"My Sister's Keeper" is really a bio-ethical drama, but I've never heard anyone put it in that context which is kind of scary in itself. It's also a legal drama—what are the little girl's rights, if any? While watching the film, one is acutely aware that this is simply the state of the question/problem FOR NOW. Things are only going to get weirder.
Lots of great ponder-this statements and questions surrounding the issue are posed by characters:
"I'm important, too!" –the younger daughter, Anna
"We went against nature. It's our fault. Anna's reaction was bound to happen. If we force her to give her kidney, will she look at us from now on as though we used her? Maybe we just wanted what we wanted."—Dad
"I was engineered." –Anna
Mom to Anna: "You don't have a choice [to give kidney to sister]." Anna: "I do have a choice!"
"Who stands up for Anna?" –Lawyer
The action starts off with a bang—Anna's voice-over brings us up to speed in just a few minutes: how she came to exist and why, and then off she goes to the lawyer. But MSK is an uneven ensemble piece. In the beginning, we hear the thoughts of each character, but that stops abruptly and we switch to Anna's thoughts alone and we think she's the main character, but, no—suddenly it's Kate for a long stretch, including visual meditations of her illness and a budding romance with a fellow teen cancer patient. Perhaps this asymmetry is intentional—to defy expectations and remind us of the unevenness of life. And death. However, each family member, even the devoted, ditzy aunt, has their moment, gets their say by the end.
The conclusion-twist, although altogether a probability, clever, generous and heroic, felt like a bit of a cop-out (much like the miscarriage in abortion movie "Citizen Ruth"). Why NOT follow the real question through to the end? Actually, we know such cases have already happened (families having a child for the therapeutic purpose of healing another child). What ARE the rights of these too-young-to-speak-for-themselves-de-facto donors? Should this ever be done? (Starting from babyhood, Anna has been through many painful procedures with side effects that compromise and jeopardize her health.) Picoult sets her dilemma in the State of California, so she refers to CA law, and also federal law and precedents which I assume are real.
What side does Picoult come down? Hard to tell—if she's even taking sides. Is she trying to "accomplish something" through her literature? Picoult is a graduate of Princeton, does extensive research on her books, is the mother of three teens, and tends toward what is being called "child-peril lit." She does mention in a New York Times Magazine interview that she feels she is somewhat superstitious and hopes that by dragging these possible family disasters out into the light, maybe somehow they won't happen to her family.
This film is quite well done (director Nick Cassavetes, "The Notebook"), and only treads the edge, but never falls into the chasm of sentimentality. This is not to say that you won't be sniffling.
The actors are all outstanding and really mesh: Cameron Diaz (the control-freak, blinded-by-smotherlove Mom--we ALL know women like this, who have complete confidence that they alone know what's best for every member of their family), Jason Patric (the strong, often silent, makepeace fireman Dad), Anna (the strong-willed-as-her-mother fighter, who also loves her sister, literally "to pieces"), Evan Ellingson (the lost-in-the-shuffle middle child), Sofia Vassilieva (the dying-to-live but otherwise typical teen who bounces from highs to lows, from consoling her family to needing their consolation), Alec Baldwin (the slick personal injury lawyer doing one good thing in his life), and Joan Cusack (the judge, but why can't we have a Joan Cusack movie? A series of Joan Cusack movies? All Joan all the time? Why don't we see more of this consistent-bullseye, scrumptious actress with her thick as pea soup Chicago accent? OK, I'm done.)
MSK is like one of those really good "Lifetime" movies. There's not a lot of humor, but the overall tone of the movie is gentle, light, touching. The lack of laugh-out-loud-laughter feels right. Too many movies seem insecure by trying to make us laugh too hard, too often.
The everyone-talking-at-once, rollicking extended family dynamic feels unscripted. Watch the scene where Dad tries to take Kate (the sick older daughter) to the beach. Ugly to watch, but boy, is it true to life! (People clapped for the Dad in my theater.)
In the courtroom, Anna's lawyer comes close to asking: "Where does our 'culture of absolute choice' end?" We pretend it ends when my rights crash into yours, but that happens early on in many cases, and I'm afraid we've learned to deny, justify or just force our way.
OTHER STUFF:
--Abigail Breslin--forever our little Miss Sunshine!--is still totally natural and fluid and "her-age" and tripping the light fantastic. A pox upon Hollywood if they ever destroy her. Amen.
--Director Nick Cassavettes' daughter was born with a congenital heart condition, so he knows of what he directs.
--Bittersweet old and new soundtrack which includes Don Ho! Remember him, my FOFs?! (fellow old farts)
--Way too many fade-to-blacks
--Seamless flashbacks
--People in my theater were laughing at the wrong times, which made me wonder if they were just nervous because they would do the same thing to Anna if they had a Kate?
--When hip Mom (Cameron Diaz) calls the hospice lady "broad," and "sister," it felt like false notes—the words of a much older woman
--The full attention on Kate (and hardly anyone else) felt long and drawn out
--The "culture of absolute choice" and "doing what I want with my own body" comes back to butt-bite when the designated-designer-donor-daughter uses the same rhetoric!
--Just exactly was Jesse (the son) doing in Hollywood late at night?
--Problematic theology: Anna thinks souls pre-exist, floating around in heaven looking for bodies on earth....
--Wouldn't Anna's relationship with parents be MUCH more strained?
--There's no God in the movie. But there's lots of genuine sacrificial love.
Speaking of "The Insider":
"The word 'God' was not there but the Reality was; when someone lays down his life for another, God is present."
-- Fr. Bud Keiser, CSP (1929-2000)
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