Comment countSilence was one of the most provocative, moving bits of cinema I saw last year. It’s complex and murky and inspiring and troubling and beautiful–all of which, in a way, reflects how I interact with faith itself. Perhaps, when we attempt to understand and embrace the transcendent, it can be no other way.
The movie is arguably one of Martin Scorsese’s most overtly religious works. But as many have noted, almost every movie that Scorsese has ever done is about, in some way, faith.
Scor..

Comment countAndrew Garfield and Yōsuke Kubozuka in Silence, photo courtesy Paramount PicturesWhen Academy Award nominees earlier this week, plenty of Oscar’s snubs made headlines. No Amy Adams? No Sully? Where’s Hugh Grant?
But the Academy reserved its biggest oversight for one of Hollywood’s most acclaimed directors: Martin Scorsese.
Silence, the film that Scorsese spent 26 years planning and making, earned just a single nomination—for Rodrigo Prieto’s gorgeous cinematography. Nothing for Andr..

Comment countMorgan Freeman from National Geographic’s The Story of GodFor two seasons, National Geographic’s The Story of God With Morgan Freeman has taken us behind the curtain to see the world’s religions, both great and small, at work. This Monday in the second season finale, Freeman and his crew tackle the biggest question of all: Is there a reason for all this religion? In other words, is there a God?
But proof of God, as Oxford Theoretical Physicist Ard Louis says on the show, is impossib..

Comment countMorgan Freeman from National Geographic’s The Story of God.What is heaven? What is hell? And how do they impact how we live right now?
“Heaven and Hell,” the latest episode of The Story of God With Morgan Freeman (airing Jan. 23) grapples with those questions. They’re questions that have fascinated me, too. They always have, ever since I was a little boy.
In the episode, Freeman and others take an interfaith trip through the Good Place and Bad Place. The show takes us to a cave in T..

Actor Liam Neeson plays the apostate Jesuit priest Fr. Ferreira in Martin Scorsese’s new film “Silence.” I interviewed Neeson by phone on Jan. 18. It was a short interview (about twelve minutes). You can read my interview with Matt Malek, an executive producer on the film and my review at Sister Rose Movies and at the National Catholic Reporter.NCR: Have you seen the film?
Neeson: Yes, twice in fact.
What did you think of it?
When you’ve worked on a film and see it for the first time, there’s a ..

By Wesley Baines
Who is in charge of the universe?
Big questions like these are the currency that National Geographic’s beloved documentary, “The Story of God” deals in, and it has yet to shortchange its viewers.
For those unfamiliar with this groundbreaking series, viewers are invited to join Freeman as he travels the world, exploring the nature of faith and religion.
With the inaugural episode of the show’s second season, airing on January 16th, these questions continue, as narrated by the div..

Comment countNational Geographic’s fascinating series The Story of God With Morgan Freeman kicks off its second season Jan. 16. The first episode is titled “The Chosen One,” and it focuses on those whom, in a variety of religions, believe that they’ve been picked to do special work.
Some of these folks have daunting tasks to fulfill. The show begins with 9-year-old Jalue Dorjee, a soccer-loving, Pokemon playing kid from Minnesota who was told he’s the reincarnation of a famous Tibetan lama. That..

Patriots DayMost people will remember April 15, 2013, when brothers Tamerlan (Themo Melikidze) and Dzhokhar (Alex Wolff) Tsarnaev set off two homemade bombs at the finish line of the Boston Marathon. It was Patriots’ Day in Massachusetts, the day of the Boston Marathon, held annually to commemorate the first two battles of the Revolutionary War: Concord and Lexington.
Click here to continue reading at St. Anthony Messenger, February, 2017 (scroll down).
P.S. I am adding this today, January 12:
I..

Sister Elizabeth “Liz” Thoman, CHM died on December 22, 2019. She was a media literacy education pioneer, advocate, and educator.
Here is a link to her obituary: Sr. Elizabeth Thoman, Media Literacy Leader Dies
Here is a link to my essay about her, written in gratitude for her life, work, and influence on my life:
Sister Elizabeth Thoman Altered the Course of My Life
To RSVP for the Memorial Service, click here (or copy and paste): cml@medialit.org
If you come, bring a memory to share! Or you ca..

If you live outside of a major entertainment hub like New York City or Los Angeles, chances are that this weekend might be your first opportunity to see the much-anticipated “Silence,” which is generating a lot of Oscar buzz. Based on an acclaimed novel by the same name, “Silence,” directed by Martin Scorsese, follows two Jesuit priests who endure persecution and violence when they travel to 17th-century Japan to spread Christianity and locate their mentor.
Check out this exclusive clip from the..