DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 17, 2026

Daimajin (1966) In feudal Japan during the Sengoku period, a remote village is rocked by tremors. Believing this to be the escape attempts of Arakatsuma the Daimajin (giant demon god), villagers from the area gather to perform an ancient pacification ritual. Alas, while everyone is distracted, the evil Samanosuke assassinates Lord Tadakiyo and establishes his cruel rule over the region. There are loose ends, however, as Tadakiyo's two children are secreted away to the Daimajin's hidden temple where they spend their time praying to the gigantic stone statue of Arakatsuma to punish Samanosuke. The god of the mountain takes his sweet time getting around to it, though, waiting until the kids are almost twenty and the villagers have suffered mightily. However, once Arakatsuma has had enough, his spirit enters the giant statue and he goes all kaiju on Samanosuke's stronghold. Like the Daimajin itself, the film takes a little while to get going, but the characters and spiritual musings make Daiei Films' answer to Godzilla worth the wait.

“Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him" says the Catechism, quoting the early Church Father Evagrius Ponticus, "for he desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer.” The Catechism has to remind of us this, because, let's face it, sometimes it feels like our prayers fall on deaf ears, often for a long, long time. One of the reasons the Saints have suggested this might happen is that we might need time to purify our intentions and shift our priorities to humility and trust rather than get immediate answers, which can sometimes foster presumption or instill a superficial faith. Another reason is that what we're asking for might not be the best thing for us at the moment, not in terms of our immediate needs, but for our eternal salvation. Whatever the reason, whenever prayers seem unanswered, the Church encourages us to persevere, examine ourselves for any wrong motives, and pray with trust and abandonment.

Rock & Rule (1983) Aging rock star Mok Swagger has discovered a ritual which will simultaneously grant him immortality and unleash a demon that will destroy the world, but he needs the perfect voice to set the forces in motion. That voice turns out to belong to Angel, the lead singer in a small struggling band. Once Mok hears Angel sing, he tries to sway her to abandon her bandmates and join his group. Angel refuses, so Mok just kidnaps her instead. Angel's pals attempt a rescue, but the ritual proceeds as planned and a rather large demon enters our dimension. Music opened the portal to evil, but can it also defeat it? The movie turned out to be too weird for MGM, so they basically abandoned it, which is a shame because this is another one of those off-kilter animated oddities from the '80s that is irresistible to cult movie lovers. Even if you don't find the story all that great, you still get music from Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Cheap Trick.

I'm not sure about opening a portal to some Hell dimension, but certain music can invoke Heaven. The Church recognizes Gregorian chant as especially suited to the Roman liturgy because its serene, flowing, non-rhythmic character creates a sense of solemnity, dignity, and otherworldliness. That's not just the Church's opinion either. Neuroscientist Alan Watkins notes that research proves the musical structure of chant actually has a significant positive physiological impact on the human mind and body. Studies show that hearing Gregorian chant lowers your blood pressure, increases levels of DHEA, and reduces anxiety and depression. Other studies suggest that Gregorian chant can even aid in communications between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, possibly even creating new neural brain pathways in listeners. Basically, not only does Gregorian chant glorify God and sanctify the faithful, it's just plain good for you.