Fr. Edward Looney
A classic sports underdog movie is coming to theaters this Christmas. It’s The Boys in the Boat, and it’s a movie inspired by true events as captured in the book The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Olympics by Daniel James...
2023 saw a musical release of the Nativity Story, which I critiqued in a previous review. A different musical, Spirited, released on Apple+, and was enjoyed by audiences in 2022. I recently had the opportunity to reflect about the musical and enjoy it on a dark and...
An Advent pre-game is coming to theaters in November, helping Christians and moviegoers to reflect on the mystery of the incarnation before the Christmas season. Journey to Bethlehem is a unique musical reproduction of the Nativity story, which admits at the end that...
In 2014, a novel by Anthony Doerr captured readers in the 500+ page novel, 16+ hour audiobook All the Light We Cannot See. At the time of its release, I was a seminarian studying for the priesthood at Mundelein Seminary under (now) Bishop Robert Barron. In 2015,...
Very few films have captured the cloistered life. Typically, those who are vowed behind enclosure do not wish to have their life broadcasted to the world. Perhaps the last popular film was Into Great Silence, and if memory serves, it took months, if not several...
Fans of courtroom dramas might enjoy a new film, The Burial, released October 13 on Amazon Prime and is based on a true story of a legal battle between a hometown funeral director and a corporate funeral mogul. Jerry O’Keefe inherited the family chain of funeral...
Amazon Prime has released a new inspiring movie, A Million Miles Away, inspired by Jose Hernandez's life. The opening minutes of the movie tell the early life story of Jose Hernandez, the son of migrant farming parents who were constantly on the move in order to work...
Not every movie causes an emotional experience for a grown man, but I’m willing to bet you might shed a tear of happiness at the end of The Hill,a new movie releasing in theaters on August 25th, 2023. The Hill Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upE1VupKCW8 I...
One of the latest top ten movies on Netflix is Happiness for Beginners, a new release (July 27, 2023) based on the novel of the same title by Katherine Center. The movie opens with the main character’s wedding day, Helen, and immediately the viewer has doubts about...
If you’re looking for a movie that isn’t all hyped up in the culture wars, consider Dreamin’ Wild, just released in theaters on August 4. It’s a true story of two brothers who created a record in their teens that was discovered by a record label thirty years...
A staple of junior high English curriculum is the reading of literature surrounding the Holocaust, or as we should refer to it as, the Shoah. During these formative years, Elie Wiesel’s Night and The Diary of Anne Frank are often fundamental texts used in school. The...
Though most Catholics will never have the opportunity to make a major pilgrimage in their life, there are a handful who will. The most popular Catholic pilgrimage places might be the Holy Land, Rome (and Italy), and France, especially Lourdes. Shrines of Mary’s...
“Shooting Stars,” the new biopic film about NBA legend Lebron James released on the streaming platform Peacock on June 2nd. I’m not an avid NBA watcher. I typically only watch games if my home team the Milwaukee Bucks are in the playoffs. Nevertheless, I would be...
A Father’s Heart, a new documentary from Goya Productions about St. Joseph will be in theatres on May 1st in English and May 2 in Spanish and will certainly reinvigorate a love for the foster father of Jesus among devoted Catholic faithful. I recently had the chance...
Easter Sunday remembers one of the greatest miracles to ever happen on the face of this earth—the second person of the Blessed Trinity, Jesus, defeats death, rises from the dead, and begins appearing first to Mary Magdalene and then the Apostles. Another Easter...
Praise This will be released on the Peacock streaming platform on April 7th. When I've logged in to watch some of my favorite shows, I’ve seen it featured and highlighted on the platform in anticipation. Honestly, it isn’t a movie I would have chosen to watch simply...
In the entertainment industry, Fathom Events helps lesser-known film projects get their day on the big screen. Fathom rents out theaters throughout the country for a few days as a limited-release project. It’s how The Chosen film events have been...
The movie Jesus Revolution is an interesting mashup of talent, with Frasier star Kelsey Grammer and The Chosen’s Jesus character Jonathan Roumie as the leads. Grammer plays a grumpy pastor who experiences a transformation of heart and openness to new ideas while...
911 Lone Star lead actor Rob Lowe stars in Netflix’s latest movie, Dog Gone. It’s one of the first feel-good movies of the year based on a true story of a father and son who search for a boy’s lost dog along the Appalachian Trail. Catholics will enjoy two saintly...
Hallmark, Great American Channel, Lifetime, Hulu, Netflix, and many other companies and networks compete in the Christmas movie market. Each year dozens upon dozens of new films are available for our viewing or streaming desire. The pattern of these movies...
The Emma Donoghue novel The Wonder is the inspiration behind Netflix’s recent release of the same name. Set in 1962, on the heels of the Irish Famine, a young girl named Anna has drawn the attention of the town and other devoted miracle seekers. From her...
Church bells will soon be summoning worshippers on Christmas Eve and Day. All types of believers will fill church pews for one of the holiest days of the Christian year. Some will be regulars, others occasional, and some will be those who attend only on...
The hit, crowdfunded, Christian series The Chosen created by Dallas Jenkins and starring Jonathan Roumie as Jesus, hit theatres on November 18th. You might recall that in 2021, they brought Christmas with the Chosen: The Messengers to the big screen for weeks. This...
OCP released two Marian hymns by Catholic artists Steve Angrisano and Sarah Hart in July 2022. Angrisano’s song, Ave Maria: Mary Sing with Joyful Heart, was inspired by the musical lyrics of Fr. James Quinn, SJ, known for his many hymns in the breviary. Quinn, penned...
I once received a message from a brother priest I had never met but who followed me on social media. He told me that he was in- interested in incorporating Mary more into his priestly ministry and asked for a recommendation. I recommended Fr. Emile Neubert’s Mary and...