“I was and remain a man of honor.” Tommaso Buscetta (Pierfrancesco Favino) claimed to be an honorable man. But what he meant by that may mean something different than you think. The Traitor is the story of how in the 1980s, he (and some others) began to bring down the Cosa Nostra (aka Sicilian Mafia)…. [Read More]
Burden – Only Love Can Replace Hate
Jesus told us “But I say to you that listen, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you” (Luke 6:27f, NRSV). We revere those words, but probably in our heart of hearts we say, “yeah, right.” In Andrew Heckler’s film Burden, we see… [Read More]
Papillon – From Savagery to Resurrection
Perhaps that is why when he finally found that new life and wrote his autobiographical books, they became bestsellers and prompted film adaptations. The riveting story of the absolute savagery and inhumanity within that prison setting eventually shifts to a story to hope and fulfillment.
The Captain – Responding to Authority
The power of authority is at the center of The Captain, a German film from Robert Schwentke. But the authority in the film is based in a lie.
I, Tonya – Whose Truth?
When I saw this film at AFI Fest, it played to a packed house. It wasn’t one of the films I was especially looking forward to. But I found it enjoyable in the absurd humor and the idiocy of the characters.
The Zookeeper’s Wife – Providing Sanctuary
The Zabinskis’ decision to harbor as many Jews as they could was a courageous act—and a very illegal one. They were well aware of the threat that the Germans represented—both to the Jews and to those who harbored them.
Queen of Katwe – Inspiring, but . . .
Disney knows how to do inspirational stories. The latest is Queen of Katwe about a Ugandan chess prodigy who finds a way out of the slums of Kampala through the dedication of a man who reached out to impoverished children by teaching them the gam
Lion – A Story of Being Lost and Found
In Lion a child faces perhaps the most frightening of all prosepects—being separated from his family and far from home. That he manages to find a new family in a faraway land may seem like a rescue (and it is), but what of the family he lost?
Denial – Does Truth Matter?
Is the truth just an annoyance that gets in the way of what we’d like to say and believe? Standing for the truth is the core of Denial, a true story courtroom drama about a professor who is sued by a Holocaust denier for libel.
