Tuesday, September 27, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 27, 2022

The Munsters (2022) It's like Sid & Marty Kroft made a big(ish) budget prequel to the show. A bit long, but as corny and kid friendly as the original. TIL: Christian marriage requires totality, unity, indissolubility, fidelity, and openness to fruitfulness. The Munsters qualify.

And then there’s this…



Monday, September 26, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 26, 2022

Allegoria (2022) Horror anthology explores the fears/insecurities of aspiring artists. Having served time in art school, I can confirm these characters. TIL: Not that you could tell from some of today's works, but Exodus 31 implies God is the original source of all creative arts.

Now Showing at a Blog Near You: Over at uCatholic they have a clip of Bill Conti explaining how the score he wrote for the Rocky films was inspired by... Catholic Mass? Yep. Who knew?

Saturday, September 24, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 24, 2022

Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972) Tom Smothers abandons corporate lunacy for tap dancing and magic. Kind of DePalma's weird meandering middle-aged version of The Graduate. TIL: Bro. John Hamman, the magical Marianist, created more than 100 card magic tricks, many still used today.

One Sheet Words of Wisdom: Get to Know Your Rabbit (1972) "The magician and the politician have much in common: they both have to draw our attention away from what they are really doing." - Ben Okri

Now Showing at a Blog Near You: A few days back I shared Deacon SDG's notes on the positives of Amazon's Rings of Power. For balance, here's Darwin Catholic doing a fair job of summing up a lot of the show's negatives.

Friday, September 23, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 23, 2022

Moonage Daydream (2022) Not a documentary in the traditional sense; more like a hot mud bath full of Bowie you sink into after dropping a tab of acid. TIL: A lifelong dabbler in spirituality, Bowie reportedly began reconsidering organized religion after his cancer diagnosis.

Grave Robbers (1989) Brainless teens raise a dead heretic and only a blessed axe and the rosary can stop him. Another loopy Mexican gem from Rubén Galindo Jr. TIL: Over 75% of Mexico still claims Catholicism as their religion, the second-largest Catholic population in the world.

Monday, September 19, 2022

NOW SHOWING AT A BLOG NEAR YOU

Steven Greydanus has some things to say on The Rings of Power: Season 1 at the halfway mark. My opinion? I'd say the writing on the show definitely needs some work, but overall I agree with the good Deacon (what, it happens more than you might think) on the positives of the series so far.

Over at Think Christian, JR. Forasteros has a pretty excellent take on the power of Hope as displayed in Netflix's adaptation of Gaiman's The Sandman and the Harrowing of Hell.

And finally, sorry Netflix, when even a secular outlet like Decider rolls its eyes at your latest anti-religious drivel, maybe it's time to just go back to showing old movies people actually want to watch. "The Catholic School' Netflix Review: Stream It or Skip It?"

Friday, September 16, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 16, 2022

All-American Murder (1991) College weirdo has just one day to prove he's not a murderous psycho. If nothing else, worth it for Christopher Walken's dialog. TIL: In the Genesis creation story, the word day (yō·wm) can mean 24 hours or a long indefinite time. Take your pick.

Mamba (1988) Woman's embittered Ex imprisons her in a house with a souped-up venomous snake. Trudie Styler gives it her all, but it's all just a bit too average. TIL: Snakes are mentioned over 80 times in the Bible and not one of them is positive. Make of that what you will.

Monday, September 12, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 12, 2022

Best of the Best (1989) Ragtag American Tae Kwon Do team vies for glory and honor. Every cliché conceivable, but extra stars for being so darn enjoyable. TIL: As the Patron Saint of Athletes and Soldiers, St. Sebastian usually gets the calls from martial artists as well.

The Intruder (1981) Caped emissary of Howard Turt offers self-actualization to dreary small town Canada. Mesmerizing in a "what the hell is this" kind of way. TIL: Maslow's self-actualization is an obsession with self-concern. Christianity asks us to focus on the needs of others.

Split Second (1992) Ruther Hauer tracks a heart-eating killer in future flooded London. Hauer's Hauer, and the recognizable faces help keep things lively. TIL: The well-known image of the pierced Sacred Heart represents Christ's long-suffering love and compassion for humanity.

Saturday, September 03, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 3, 2022

Chimes at Midnight (1965) Shakespeare's Falstaff lumbers about opining about the old days. Excellent, as expected, but did Welles really LOSE weight for this part? TIL: Some scholars see Falstaff's tragic rejection as analogous to the Reformation's disregard for the common man.

Dad Rock Diary: Rick Derringer - All American Boy (1973) Standard 70's rock that inspires neither deep love nor intense hate. That album cover on the other hand... Laudable Lyrics: Don't get scared when you see yourself, just thank the Lord that you ain't nobody else.

Thursday, September 01, 2022

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 1, 2022

Evil Dead Trap (1988) News crew investigates a snuff film only to become part of one. Japanese gorefest homages Argento and Raimi, but remains its own crazed thing. TIL: Scripture suggests the thing that leads most people into a trap is the words that come out of their own mouth.

And then there’s this. I dread my savaging by the purists, but I have to say Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is off to a promising start. My latest for Aleteia.