Arts

New film recalls faith, sacrifice of Maryknoll chaplain killed in Vietnam

MARYKNOLL, N.Y. – Fifty years after he put himself between a wounded Marine and fatal enemy gunfire, the story of Maryknoll Father Vincent R. Capodanno's faith and sacrifice is being retold in a new movie.

Review: The Emoji Movie

NEW YORK – Tech savvy viewers will especially enjoy the wacky proceedings of "The Emoji Movie" (Columbia). But patrons of all stripes will appreciate the film's themes of loyal friendship and faithful romance.

Review: Dunkirk

NEW YORK – "Wars are not won by evacuations," British Prime Minister Winston Churchill famously observed. As writer-director Christopher Nolan's compelling historical drama Dunkirk (Warner Bros.) demonstrates, however, fine films can be made about them.

Review: Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets

NEW YORK – Despite its ponderous title, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (STX) turns out to be a flashy but lightweight sci-fi adventure likely to divert those grown viewers content to munch their popcorn and enjoy a break from the heat of summer.

Review: Atomic Blonde

NEW YORK – Aspiring to be edgy and stylish, the espionage thriller "Atomic Blonde" (Focus), matches sometimes sadistic brawling with exploitative scenes of aberrant sex. The result is not only degraded but tedious as well.

Review: The Exception

NEW YORK – Historical kitsch applied to World War II espionage doesn't get more gloriously over the top than in "The Exception" (A24).

Review: War for the Planet of the Apes

NEW YORK – Monkey business turns deadly serious in "War for the Planet of the Apes" (Fox), the climactic installment of the rebooted film franchise based on the work of French science-fiction author Pierre Boulle (1912-1994).

'YouCat Bible' is built for the younger generation

There is an old joke among Catholics that if you want to quote something from the Bible, ask a good Protestant.

Art experts solve Renaissance mystery in papal palace

VATICAN CITY – Two works painted by Renaissance master Raphael have been newly identified after art experts restored famous frescoes in the Apostolic Palace of Vatican City.

Boy choristers from Spain called 'messengers of peace, beauty'

WASHINGTON – Since the 13th century, the Escolania de Montserrat has sung daily for pilgrims at Santa Maria de Montserrat Abbey in Catalonia, Spain.

20 years on, Harry Potter still captivates fans, cultivating theological debates

WASHINGTON – Two decades since the publication of its first book, the Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling continues to draw countless readers into its pages, gaining ground among some faithful initially put off by the much-debated themes of magic and witchcraft.

Syriac Christian artist calls paintings of war 'a cry for help'

LANCASTER, England – A huge plume of grey smoke billows into a vivid blue sky as rooftops and buildings buckle into twisted iron and debris and then begin to fall. Beneath the smoke, human wreckage of the blast is visible: faces of victims contorted in pain and others dead, lying in pools of their own blood.