He was called “the Conscience of the Nation.” He was the advisor and friend of Presidents of both parties from Dwight Eisenhower to Ronald Reagan. He served (and eventually chaired) the U.S. Civil Rights Commission. And around the Notre Dame campus (where he was President for 35 years) he was Father Ted. Father Theodore Hesburgh… [Read More]
The Disaster Artist: The Lost (and Found) American Dream
The Disaster Artist tells the story of Greg Sistero (Dave Franco), an aspiring actor who dreams of Hollywood stardom. His whole world changes, however, when he joins forces with the mysterious (and untalented) Tommy Wiseau (James Franco) with the hopes of spurring one another on to fame and fortune. As the two struggle to find… [Read More]
Ethel & Ernest – Extraordinary Ordinariness
“There was nothing extraordinary about my Mum and Dad. Nothing dramatic. . .. But they were my parents and I wanted to remember them by doing a picture book.” British author and illustrator Raymond Briggs told his parent’s very ordinary story in a graphic novel, Ethel & Ernest, which has now been made into an… [Read More]
Maudie – Validation of a Life
“The whole of life, already framed, right there.” It’s hard to assign Maudie to any one genre. Certainly it qualifies as biography. But it is also a bit of art history. It’s an inspirational story of finding success and happiness against terrible odds. And at its heart it is a love story—but not the kind… [Read More]
A Quiet Passion – Emily Dickinson and Spiritual Contemplation
While watching A Quiet Passion I was struck by how well Emily Dickinson (Cynthia Nixon) would fit in with today’s “spiritual but not religious” sentiment.
I Saw the Light – Hank Williams’s Demons and Darkness
Hank Williams has been inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, the Songwriting Hall of Fame, and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. There are so many songs associated with him that it’s hard to believe that he died when he was only 29.
Janis: Little Girl Blue – Janis Joplin Searching for Love
Early in Janis: Little Girl Blue, we hear Janis Joplin talking about ambition and reducing it to the need to be loved. That need was a driving force in her life, her career, and even in her terrible struggles. Even forty-five years after her death, she continues to be an icon of rock and roll…. [Read More]
