DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 14, 2025

Edge of Sanity (1989) Little Henry Jekyll receives a severe beating after spying on his father having a rendezvous with a prostitute. This leads the lad to develop sadomasochistic tendencies which he keeps repressed until, as an adult, he accidentally ingests too much of a new anesthetic he's concocted from ether and cocaine. How could such a mix of ingredients possibly go wrong? Anyway, now when night falls, Henry hits his bong and prowls the back alleys of London as Jack "the Ripper" Hyde, doing horrible things to working girls and generally indulging in every desire he's kept bottled up for most of his life. Eventually, Henry's wife begins to suspect something might be going on. This is a prime example of a mesmerizing performance trapped within an otherwise not-so-great trashy movie. Just goes to show, if you want crazy, it's hard to go wrong with Anthony Perkins.

In the years before Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he was an avowed atheist, having rejected the religion of his youth. However, as often happens when a little age and experience settle in, those sentiments didn't last. Writing to his father in 1878, he exclaimed, "Christianity is among other things, a very wise, noble and strange doctrine of life ... You see, I speak of it as a doctrine of life, and as a wisdom for this world ... I have a good heart, and believe in myself and my fellow-men and the God who made us all ... There is a fine text in the Bible, I don't know where, to the effect that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord. Strange as it may seem to you, everything has been, in one way or the other, bringing me nearer to what I think you would like me to be. 'Tis a strange world, indeed, but there is a manifest God for those who care to look for him."

Cat's Eye (1985) A big orange cat named General meanders through two Stephen King tales on his way to save a little girl from a breath-stealing gnome that lives inside her bedroom wall. One story involves a man who has had an affair with a gangster's wife being forced by the enraged cuckold to walk along the narrow ledge of an Atlantic City high-rise. If he makes it all the way around, he can go free. If not, splat. Mobsters play a part in the other story as well, only this time they run a clinic with a 100% success rate in helping people quit smoking. The catch is that if you deviate from their plan and try to sneak a few drags, the escalating consequences for each offense include electro-shock, sexual assault, and death. Cancer-stick addict Dick Morrison doesn't believe these threats… at first. Director Lewis Teague keeps the proceedings much lighter in tone than his previous King adaptation Cujo (who gets a brief cameo), resulting in an enjoyable and fondly remembered horror romp.

The Catechism reminds us that "the virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine." So, it's the abuse of tobacco that's a sin, not its moderate use. That's likely good news to all those Catholic apologists out there who like to end their day with a sniffer of bourbon and a cigar. However, there are other Church teachings to consider, such as the one against forming addictions that enslave the will or waste resources/time that should be directed toward higher goods, as well as the one against doing things that run a high risk of causing grave harm to one's health. With the increasing medical evidence regarding the severe health and addiction risks of cigarettes, some Catholics have begun to see even their moderate use as imprudent. That's why Pope St. John Paul II banned smoking inside Vatican City and Pope Francis banned the sale of cigarettes within its walls.

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 11, 2026

Mister Frost (1990) After gleefully admitting he has 24 bodies buried in his garden, the mysterious Mister Frost (no first name on record) is arrested and confined to a mental institution for the rest of his life. Following two years of complete silence, Frost finally opens up to new doctor Sarah Day, nonchalantly informing her that he is, in fact, Satan himself, and that he plans to have the good doctor murder him. Day dismisses Frost's ramblings as delusions (he is in an asylum after all), but unexplainable occurrences begin to happen with Frost as their apparent cause. Soon, Sarah must decide if Frost really is insane, or if she needs to give the Devil his due and end his life. This is a nice little film that manages to keep the suspense of its premise going for the most part. Let's be honest, though, the main attraction here is watching Jeff Goldblum play the Devil. That alone is worth tracking the film down.

As could be expected, Jeff Goldblum’s take on Satan is a bit offbeat. While we often hear that the devil’s greatest trick is how he convinced the world he doesn’t exist, Goldblum’s fallen angel is far too much of a narcissist to allow that sort of ignorance to go on for too long. With too many atheists cluttering the modern era, the titular Mr. Frost thinks it’s time to remind the world just who it is that 2 Corinthians calls “the god of this age [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.” The two notions don't have to be mutually exclusive. A strategic narcissist can take both approaches; hide when it helps foster general disbelief, then take the spotlight for a bit of cultural cache with the doubters. Basically, Satan will do whatever helps his agenda, which is dragging as many people away from God as possible. Disbelief helps with the masses; but open defiance or subtle influence can work better on certain individuals.

Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) Struck with a bad case of emerging conscience, professional hitman Martin Blank returns to his home town of Gross Pointe to perform one last job. Reluctant to begin his assignment, Martin decides to attend his ten-year high-school reunion and look up his old sweetheart Debi, the girl he ditched on prom night to join the army and start on his path to becoming an assassin. Things get complicated when competing hitmen and psychotic NSA agents show up, all gunning (literally) for Martin. Just how is a well-meaning sociopath supposed to find redemption and rekindle a lost love when he has to kill every other person in the area? Gross Pointe Blank was a modest success when released, but with its winning cast, sharp writing, dark-dark humor, and outstanding alternative 80's soundtrack, the film has deservedly developed a growing cult over the years.

As part of its understanding of the Fifth Commandment, the Church condemns the secret, treacherous, or extrajudicial assassination of any political or public figure. This includes any legitimate ruler, even if they're unjust or oppressive. As usual, though, there are some qualifiers. The Church allows for the rare, proportionate use of lethal force when it is the only way to stop an unjust aggressor, and the intention is to protect life, not just to kill. In that sense, targeting individuals, even legitimate leaders, can be morally permissible. However, the assassination can't be preemptive and it must be only as a last resort. Obviously none of these exceptions apply to private assassinations, especially not those for profit.

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 5, 2026

The Thing from Another World (1951) Scientists and soldiers stationed at the North Pole investigate reports of a crashed aircraft only to discover a flying saucer and its frozen occupant. Everyone is excited at the find of the century, but only until the visitor thaws out and proves to be literally bloodthirsty. To make matters worse, severe weather has cut the outpost off from any chance of reinforcements. It's up to a few overwhelmingly outmatched humans to find a way to stop an alien invasion that could end all life on the planet. Those coming to this film straight from John Carpenter's remake or John W. Campbell Jr.'s original novella may experience some disappointment in the changes made to the story. Taken on its own merits, though, The Thing from Another World is inarguably one of the best sci-fi films of the 50s, chock-full of producer (and sometimes shadow director) Howard Hawks' patented lightning-paced dialog and straight-to-the-point action.

John Carpenter continuously idolizes Howard Hawks in interviews, praising his concise storytelling, genre versatility, and modern American sensibilities. One thing Carpenter cribs from Hawks again and again is the tight-knit group-under siege scenario which allows for intense group dynamics and highlighting each character's individual competence. You know, thinking about being under siege, you'd think with Christians making up approximately 31–32.5% of the world's population, they wouldn't feel like they were under attack all the time. However, you'd be mistaken. Groups like Open Doors World Watch and Pew Research Center consistently name Christianity as the most persecuted religious group in the world. They estimate that roughly 1 in 7 Christians worldwide face high or extreme levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Anecdotally, the other 6 in 7 just face constant ridicule and lies. So, regardless of their numbers, Christians feel under siege because they are.

Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) The brilliant Dr. Forbin has developed the supreme defense system, a computer system buried within the Rocky Mountains that independently controls all allied nuclear weapons. It's meant to function as the ultimate deterrent as it will function and retaliate even if an enemy destroys every human in charge. Once Colossus is turned on, though, it immediately detects a similar system named Guardian tucked away in Russia and the two A.I.s decide to start talking to one another. Before long, they conclude it would be best to merge and take control of the world. When the Americans and the Soviets try to sever their link, the computers launch a couple of nukes to show who's in charge. As Colossus/Guardian broadcasts a message promising planetary peace in exchange for total obedience, the scientific community struggles to find any way to preserve mankind's freedom. Arguably more prescient today than when it was released, if Colossus: The Forbin Project isn't at the top of the list of early 70s sci-fi flicks that relied on intelligence over action to keep audiences enthralled, it's pretty darn close.

In 1983, the U.S. Catholic Bishops issued a pastoral letter called The Challenge of Peace in which they reluctantly accepted the idea of nuclear deterrence s a regrettable necessity in the face of Soviet threats, but with strict conditions. No matter whether its nuclear weapons or something like Colossus, the deterrent must serve only to discourage nuclear attack by others, it must aim for sufficiency rather than superiority, and it must be a temporary measure leading to progressive disarmament. By the time Pope Francis came along, though, thinking on the subject had evolved. Following Francis' lead, many in the Church these days teach that not only is the use of nuclear weapons wrong, but even the mere possession of them is immoral, and that reliance on them as nuclear deterrence is no longer morally justifiable as a long-term strategy. This teaching is not binding as infallible dogma yet, but it is to be considered authoritative under the ordinary magisterium.

DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 3, 2026

Jabberwocky (1977) During the Middle Ages, the territories of King Bruno the Questionable are being terrorized by the titular monster, but this is of no concern to Dennis Cooper, who has just been disinherited by his father. Dennis only cares about getting to a city so he can get a job which will allow him to marry his beloved Griselda Fishfinger, not that she's in any way interested in such an arrangement. Dennis makes the trip to town, which leads to a series of misadventures and brings him to the attention of the princess, who mistakes him for a knight, as well as a cult who mistake him for Satan. Eventually, despite his overwhelming cowardice, Dennis ends up coming face to face with the Jabberwocky. Terry Gilliam's first solo outing as director has its moments, but it's a bit too rough around the edges and nowhere near the level of his films which would follow.

Although many scholars have made valiant attempts, Lewis Carroll's poem, Jabberwocky, purposely defies deep interpretation. In fact, Lewis would likely scoff at such efforts. His intention was to pen pure balderdash just for the linguistic fun of it. He would laugh at the notion of trying to find meaning in nonsense. Of course, some people carried this notion too far, declaring life itself nonsense, and therefore devoid of meaning. Albert Camus noted, "“The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need [for meaning] and the unreasonable silence of the world.” Naturally, the Church disagrees with this sentiment. She teaches that true meaning comes from orienting our entire life toward God—through worship, love of neighbor, living one’s vocation faithfully, and ultimately aiming for eternal communion with the Trinity. Without this relationship, human life can feel meaningless, but it doesn't have to.

Now Showing at a Blog Near You: Just in time for the Triduum, Scorsese' saints series takes up Mary. My latest for Aleteia at the link.

DAILY CALL SHEET: MARCH 27, 2026

Bloody Moon (1981) Released after five years in an asylum for murdering a young girl, the slightly disfigured Miguel is sent to live with his seriously over affectionate sister, Manuela. As if that wasn't icky enough, Manuela runs a boarding school full of teen (sort of) girls, one of whom Miguel starts creeping on, though he still prefers the company of his sibling. Naturally, a series of killings occur, with the obvious suspect being the facially-scarred guy who's killed before. But is there more going on than meets the eye at Europe's International Youth-Club Boarding School of Languages? Besides the need for a shorter school name, that is? With nearly 200 movies to his credit, most of them scuzzy to some degree or another, it's no surprise that director Jess Franco's stab at the slasher genre would have a bit of a sleazy feel as well. Jess is gonna Jess, I guess.

In the Bible, the authors of books like Joel and Revelation used the bloody color which the Moon takes on during a total lunar eclipse as a sign of divine judgment, a.k.a. the "great and terrible day of the Lord". In recent decades, end of times enthusiasts, the kind that like to sell books and rack up views on social media, have linked these verses to the phenomena of blood tetrads, rare astronomical events consisting of four consecutive total lunar eclipses spaced roughly six months apart. They claim such events are a sign the end is near. The main problem with this is that blood tetrads are entirely predictable natural events, with the next scheduled to occur between 2032 and 2033. Thankfully, Catholics are not obligated in any form or fashion to believe in any private revelation or prophecy. I would imagine that especially goes for ones that have a scientifically determined timetable.

Cutting Class (1989) The local D.A. is going hunting and leaving his daughter Paula at home by herself. Bad timing as her former boyfriend Brian, who has been locked away in an institution for a while for supposedly murdering his own father, is finally being released and returning to class. Naturally, Paula's current boyfriend Dwight isn't too pleased with this development, especially once a number of murders occur around the school. Is Brian up to his alleged old tricks, or is someone else wielding the weapons this time? Released in the waning days of the original slasher cycle, there's not a lot new in Cutting Class. The movie's main problem, though, is that it's meant to be a comedy rather than horror, but it takes way too long to let its viewers know that. Some might say it never does, making the whole thing just seem stupid. Still, Brad Pitt fans are gonna watch it anyway just to see what he was up to as a teenager.

Part of hermeneutics (the science and art of biblical interpretation) is figuring out which genre the individual books of the Bible fall into. Through inductive analysis of the text and knowledge of ancient literary conventions, the main genres in Scripture include: historical narratives (books like Kings, Chronicles, and Acts), law (most of Exodus and Deuteronomy), poetry (the Psalms and Song of Solomon obviously), wisdom literature (Job, Proverbs, and such), prophecy (all the prophets, of course), apocalyptic (Daniel and Revelation), gospels (self-explanatory), and epistles/letters (no explanation needed). Not understanding which genre an individual book belongs to can lead to errors in interpretation, such as mistaking poetry for history, or thinking some apocalyptic symbols are to be taken literally. If you take some time before reading a particular biblical text to identify what its genre is, it helps you to correctly identify what the author is trying to communicate.

DAILY CALL SHEET: MARCH 20, 2026

The Barbarians (1987) Renowned body building twins Peter and David Paul, better known by their stage name The Barbarian Brothers, star in this film about (wait for it) twin barbarian brothers separated while young and trained by Kadar, the man who slaughtered their village, to fight each other to the death once they come of age. However, for obvious reasons, the pair recognize each other and set out after Kadar instead. This leads to a series of adventures, including one of the more ridiculous scenes in B-movie history wherein the twins are sentenced to death by hanging, but manage to snap the nooses with their enormous neck muscles. Ludicrous as far as Conan rip-offs go, but the Barbarian Bros are so good natured it's hard not to like.

How do we buff up our spiritual muscle so we’re prepared for those time when it seems like the secular throng is trying to slip the noose over our necks? Tara Little, writing in the Arkansas Catholic, suggests something that may not come readily to mind when you’re thinking about bulking up; fasting. Ms. Little likens fasting to “a matter of stretching ‘the spiritual muscle’ the same way one exercises his or her body.” In the article, Msgr. James Mancini concurs, noting that by fasting we recognize "that the Spirit and the flesh are in battle with each other... The appetites are not wrong, God gave them to us for a purpose, but they definitely need discipline… Once we do start denying the flesh, we're able to sense Christ's influence much more [because] it's in our spirit that we're able to relate to him." 

Ravenous (1999) After accidentally ingesting a bit of blood following a scuffle during the Mexican-American War, soldier John Boyd mysteriously gains super-strength to defeat his enemy captors. Following his escape, Boyd is then transferred to a sparsely-manned remote outpost where he learns the legend of the Wendigo, a curse that turns anyone who eats human flesh into something akin to Wolverine (sans claws), but at the cost of eternal irresistible hunger for more flesh. As word of the curse spreads, it isn't long before everyone in the area is looking for a bite to eat, but there's only so many people to go around. Criminally unappreciated horror-comedy full of snarky critiques of the excesses of manifest destiny will leave you hungry for more.

I can't vouch for the mystical effects of eating regular human flesh, but the Church has some opinions on the benefits of eating that of Jesus. The Catechism lists a number of "fruits" of taking Holy Communion. These include an intimate union with Christ, a renewal of the life of grace, the wiping away of venial sins and the strength to resist them in the future, a deepening of love for neighbors, and a foretaste of heaven and the promise of resurrection. These effects aren't always immediate like in Ravenous, but gradual over time. Also, they only show up if the4 Eucharist was received worthily. Receiving Communion in a state of mortal sin can actually have the opposite results.

DAILY CALL SHEET: MARCH 6, 2026

The Reptile (1966) Back in Victorian England, young newlyweds Harry and Valerie move to the village of Clagmoor Heath, where it becomes obvious the neighbors don't want them around. The local crazy guy, Mad Pete, tries to warn the couple to flee, but he's soon killed horribly by something with large poisonous fangs. He's not the last. Harry and the local tavern keeper look into the murders, an investigation that brings them to the doorstep of the surly Dr. Franklyn, his standoffish daughter Anna, and their weird manservant from Malaysia, home to an ancient cult of snake worshipers. Could it be this trio has something to do with the large reptilian creature running around biting people? Another attempt by Hammer Studios to step outside the classic monster line-up they copied from Universal, full of their usual panache and Gothic sensibilities. Worth a look.

While there weren't actually any weird secret snake cults in Maylasia, some Hindu communities did sometimes incorporate Naga elements in their worship. Nagas were believed to be semi-divine beings, often manifesting as hooded serpents, who were symbols of fertility and protectors of treasures. Believers would protect the Nagas' groves and perform rituals, and in return it was expected they would grant blessings and avert curses. Obviously, the Church views divinization of serpents or nature spirits as completely incompatible with monotheistic Christian faith and doesn't try to hide that teaching. However, the Church tries to promote harmony through joint environmental efforts such as helping preserve the sacred groves. Some groups such as the Sisters of Our Lady of Missions run clinics that treat snake bites.

Tentacles (1977) Soundwaves from an underwater drilling operation are ticking off the local giant octopus, causing the irritated beast to eat everybody he can get his tentacles on. You might think this would cause the tourist trap of Solana Beach to call off its annual boat race, but nobody wants to give up all that out-of-town money. After the octopus racks up a body count large enough for several Jaws movies, the local marine expert and his trained killer whales decide to take things into their own flippers. This has a number of one-time headliners like John Huston, Shelley Winters, Claude Akins, and Henry Fonda taking up screen space, but it doesn't help much. Still, there are a few well done scenes and it's always welcome anytime composer Stelvio Cipriani recycles his excellent main theme from The Great Kidnapping.

Sadly for octopus fans, the eight-armed inklings get no mention in the Bible. That doesn't really mean anything other than the ancient Jews didn't interact with a lot of octopuses. However, the cephalopods do start showing up in medieval bestiaries where the use of their many tentacles to ensnare prey was sometimes compared to the use of fraud and deceit to trap the innocent, and in some manuscripts prepared by monks where their arms were used as pointers to emphasize long or noteworthy sections. Louis Charbonneau-Lassay's The Bestiary of Christ from the late 1800s mentions a monastery in Bosnia where octopuses adorn its cornices, perhaps as a remnant from the building's pre-Christian use. Alas, if anybody has ever found the place, they've never shared where. A 2,000-year-old institution like the Church is gonna have its mysteries.