The life of Bartolome de Las Casas suggests that, for Christians living in privileged nations such as the United States, poverty in solidarity with the poor is a requirement of discipleship; the necessity of such solidarity is demonstrated by the United States Catholic bishops’ conference’s inability to grasp the true nature of its country’s relationship to Haiti.

I don’t envy anyone who sets out to make an H.P. Lovecraft film. When people think of unfilmable — or at best, extremely difficult to film — authors, such luminaries as James Joyce, Kurt Vonnegut, and Thomas Pynchon usually top the list. However, I contend that Lovecraft is up there as well, and three reasons […]

    As the mid-west experiences record flooding, I recall the time four years ago when my own house was flooded. A culvert became blocked, sending the local creek down my road and through my home. While my children waited safely upstairs, the downstairs swam with a foot of brown water. Within three hours, the water receded […]

Oh come on, you look like you’re going to the dentist. Keep an open mind. You might even enjoy it. Yeah. Two hours of French people singing and dancing for no apparent reason. I think the world would be a better place if everyone sang and danced for no apparent reason. Just remember your part […]

Read within the context of his first two encyclicals, DEUS CARITAS EST and SPE SALVI, Pope Benedict XVI’s third encyclical, CARITAS IN VERITATE, presents a unified philosophical and theological vision that grounds authentic human development in the fundamental Christian virtues of hope and love.

The news broke yesterday that At the Movies will end production this summer: The demise of “At the Movies” was a blow to the legions of armchair reviewers it spawned in its many incarnations, some of whom went on to professional careers in criticism. “It’s impossible to overestimate the impact of what Gene and Roger […]

If you’re in or around New York, make your way to Lincoln Center (Walter Reade Theater, more precisely) for New Directors/New Films. The Filmlinc blog has a nifty guide to this weekend’s must-see films.

Ramin Bahrani and Werner Herzog deliver a minor masterpiece of subversive wit and visual beauty.

A critical review by James K. A. Smith of Francis Beckwith’s RETURN TO ROME.