DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 22, 2025

Frankenstein Meets the Space Monster (1965) Believe it or not, Mars needs women, again. This time around it's because an atomic war killed all the females on Mars except for the planet's Princess, and one woman can only be expected to do so much. On their way to steal all of Earth's female breeding stock, the Martians, buttheads that they are, decide to shoot down a Terran android astronaut named Frank and then melt half his face off. Afterwards, while the now disfigured Frank terrorizes Puerto Rico and picks a fight with a messed up mutant, the Martians look for girls in bikinis. Sure, it ain't great, but you can't say it skimps on the ingredients one looks for in a Saturday B-movie matinee.

TIL: Who taught the Martians women exist only for sex and you can just snatch them up when it's time to breed? Guess the Martian sexual revolution was a complete failure too, huh? The Church teaches that sex has a dual purpose: procreation yes, but also union. As Pope Paul VI pointed out, the unitive purpose of sex is emphasized as a means of fostering love, intimacy, and mutual self-giving (between spouses within the sacrament of marriage, of course). Going further, Pope John Paul II’s Theology of the Body notes that sex can be a physical sign of the “communion of persons,” mirroring the love within the Trinity and expressing the spouses’ commitment to each other. Do better, Martians.

Goldfinger (1964) Supremely evil bullion dealer Auric Goldfinger is up to something no good involving Fort Knox and Her Majesty's Secret Service wants Agent 007 to find out what it is. Armed with his usual assortment of gadgets, Bond tussles with dapper henchman Oddjob, attempts to charm mercenary pilot Pussy Galore, and tries to avoid getting cut in half with a laser. All in all, it's just another day on the job for the world's top super spy. Though it's pretty close, Goldfinger likely isn't the best of the classic James Bond movies, but when it comes to highlighting the expected tropes (catchy theme song, questionably named Bond girls, over the top archvillains, etc.), Goldfinger is the standard.

TIL: It's always weird how a piece of metal could become so valuable to mankind, but here we are. In fact, gold seems to always had meaning to various cultures beyond just wealth. For the ancient Egyptians, it represented the flesh of gods like Ra. The Incas, Mesopotamians, and ancient Chinese all used it in their rituals as well. Even the Jews and Christians recognized its symbolic value as a representation of God's divine nature, holiness, and eternal glory. The Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold, the Temple was covered in it, and Heaven was described as a city with streets made from the stuff. It's still an earthly thing though, so Psalm 119 is sure to remind us to love God's commandments more than the finest gold.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 12, 2025

 

The Long Walk (2025) Sometime after a civil war has caused the U.S. to slip into fascism and economic collapse, teenaged boys from across the country volunteer for an annual state-sponsored competition in which participants must walk at a predetermined pace without stopping or face immediate execution. The last one still walking (and therefore alive) is the winner, who is then showered with wealth and celebrated as a symbol of dogged American determination. This grueling take on Stephen King's allegory about the sacrifice of youth to endless wars and the rat race in general is one of the better adaptations of the author's work in some time. However, a character decision at the very end of the movie, likely written to reflect the filmmakers' own bleak world view, is completely misguided and nearly ruins the whole thing.

TIL: Unlike The Hunger Games, in which teens are forced to participate, those who take part in The Long Walk voluntarily submit their names for inclusion in hopes of escaping impoverishment. This leads to one of the many interesting philosophical discussions in the film (it is a movie entirely about people walking and talking after all) in which some of the boys wonder if their participation makes them just as guilty as those in power who sponsor the contest. Despite the mitigating circumstances of abject poverty, the Church might say yes. As the Catechism notes, one cannot cooperate with an intrinsically evil act without sufficient proportionate reason. By participating in a death-driven game, one risks causing scandal (leading others to sin or weakening their moral resolve) and undermining the Church’s witness to life.

Now Showing at a Blog Near You: For Aleteia this week I take a look at 'Triumph of the Heart', one of the few faith-focused films I can honestly recommend for everyone. This imaginative take on the last days of Maximilian Kolbe is very well done.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 6, 2025

 

Dr. Strange (1978) Extra-dimensional sorceress Morgan Le Fay possesses a young lady named Clea and orders her to kill Earth's Sorcerer Supreme, Tom. Weakened by his near death at Clea's hands, the wizened wizard looks for a potential successor, and surprisingly finds him in Clea's psychiatrist, Stephen Strange. Le Fay knows she must take out this new threat, but she also finds Strange's porn-stache and white man's afro oddly appealing. Will Strange succumb to Le Fay's wiles or face her in battle on the astral plane. A must-see for comics fans in the 70s desperate for live-action fare, but let's not kid ourselves, there's good reason this pilot movie never went to series.

TIL: It's pretty clear in Church teaching that magic in the real world can never be used for good, even if the goal is well intentioned like trying to cure an illness or help a loved one. This is because magic is an effort to gain power apart from God by attempting to control or manipulate hidden forces. And, since these forces are outside of God, they can open a person to demonic influence or deception, not something to be recommended. Ah, but what about things like prayer and sacramentals (holy water, blessings, medals, etc.), why aren't they considered magic? Simply because any supernatural help that might come from their use is entirely at the discretion of God and not through human mastery.

Now Showing at a Blog Near You: Review: My latest for Aleteia takes a look at Light of the World, the new animated feature which gives a glimpse into the ministry of Jesus through the eyes of John, the youngest Apostle.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 2, 2025

Deathstalker (1983) Musclebound barbarian Deathstalker (who names their kid that?) is tasked by a witch to locate three magic items that will grant their bearer ultimate authority over everyone. However, the evil sorcerer Munkar, who already has one of the items in his possession, convinces Deathstalker to participate in a Mortal Kombat-style tournament to determine who will become the ruler of all. With its ogres, imps and magic weapons, this silly Conan cash-in has just about everything it needs to appeal to anyone who rolled a d20 back in the day. Unfortunately, the fact that every male character-even the hero-has creepy rapist tendencies dampens the fun a bit. What was with Roger Corman and that during the '80s, anyway?

TIL: When the Catholic Church claims that Scripture, tradition and the magisterium grant it authority, she’s able to do so by what the Catechism calls motives of credibility. As it notes, “So ‘that the submission of our faith might nevertheless be in accordance with reason, God willed that external proofs of his Revelation should be joined to the internal helps of the Holy Spirit.’ Thus the miracles of Christ and the saints, prophecies, the Church’s growth and holiness, and her fruitfulness and stability ‘are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all’; they are ‘motives of credibility’ (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is ‘by no means a blind impulse of the mind.’” In short, the Church doesn't just have authority because she says so. There are proofs.

Bigfoot (1970) A number of women are reported to have been kidnapped by what appears to be a tribe of bigfoot/human hybrids (also known as guys in gorilla suits), but the police are skeptical and don't put too much effort into the case. As a result, it's left to the local motorcycle club and a professional acquirer of freak show exhibits (nice work if you can get it, I guess) to mount a rescue. However, it turns out the women have been taken to provide mates for an actual Bigfoot, and the big guy's not too eager to let his new ladies go without a fight. Bigfoot's a cheap, slipshod production with too much filler, but at least John Carradine seems to be having a lot of fun.

TIL: Arranged marriages are not inherently evil and therefore not expressly forbidden by the Church. However, they are only valid if both spouses give their free and full consent to the union. If either party is forced or coerced into marriage, the sacrament is considered invalid. This applies even to cultures where arranged marriages are common (which apparently includes tribes of bigfoot/human hybrids). While the Church recognizes the cultural value of family involvement in an impending marriage, if one of the intended spouses is not entering the marriage freely and without reservation, it really doesn't matter what the rest of the family wants.