Arts and Culture

Catholic Movie Reviews - The Perfect Family & Tim Burton's Dark Shadows

May 11, 2012

The Perfect Family has received a lot of coverage in the Catholic media for it's depiction of Catholic women, is it worth your time? Elsewhere Tim Burton's blockbuster Dark Shadows reboot looks to knock The Avengers off the top of the box office.

Pining for religion’s golden age with Ross Douthat's "Bad Religion"

May 10, 2012

Heretics, heresy, lost opportunities and misdirection — Bad Religion has it all. Depending on where and when you first read about Bad Religion — the book, not the band — you might be of the opinion it is a smart, thoughtful take on the United States and the importance of religion. Or you might be pretty sure it is a sloppily assembled defense of some of the most retrograde Christianity imaginable.

Fr. Stan Fortuna’s Renewal tour hits Toronto [w/ audio]

May 10, 2012

TORONTO - The funky former professional jazz musician Fr. Stan Fortuna from New York’s Community of Franciscan Friars of the Renewal will perform two shows in Toronto this month. Fortuna and his Fodera five-string bass will first appear on May 18 at the Poetry Jazz Cafe in Kensington Market. “I’m going to be playing with a young Catholic-Italian pianist, Carmen Spada, and a drummer,” said Fortuna, ordained in 1990. “It’s going to be great, we’re just going to improvise and play some jazz standards and I’ll do some of my stuff too.”

Special Toronto Mass will commemorate church musicians

May 9, 2012

TORONTO - There’s a lot to sing about in the revised Roman Missal, and hundreds of Catholic musicians plan to do just that at Toronto’s Annuciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish on Pentecost Sunday. By late April, the Office of Lay Formation had already signed up more than 200 musicians for a May 27 Mass with Cardinal Thomas Collins. The Mass will celebrate the last year spent preparing for and then implementing new Mass texts musically. Registration for the event will be open right up until the baton drops for the entrance hymn, said Lay Formation executive director Bill Target.

Musical journey brings acclaimed organist Massimo Nosetti to Toronto [w/ audio]

May 7, 2012

TORONTO - Massimo Nosetti has just flown from Italy to Nashville (a.k.a. Music City, U.S.A.), but not to visit the Grand Ole Opry or to practice his country twang to the whine of a slide guitar. Rather, Nosetti’s allegiance lies with “The King of Instruments,” the organ, and he is one of its undisputed champions. Nosetti is a hard man to get a hold of. Because he’s on the first leg of a tour that will take him through the United States and to Toronto for the opening gala of the 2012 Organix music festival, we exchange a number of e-mails, a dozen missed phone calls, and finally, through a rather exasperated Nashville hotel employee, we connect. Most people would be somewhat wearied by both the travel and the exertions of performing, but Nosetti is charming, engaging and excited by his upcoming appearances.

Catholic movie reviews - Marvel's The Avengers

May 4, 2012

This week's big release is expected to set weekend box office records. Is it worth your time? Avenegrs1 [images/stories/movies/2012May/Avenegrs1.jpg] THE AVENGERS By Adam Shaw Catholic News Service NEW YORK - Seemingly destined to haul in wads of cash at the box office, the ensemble adventure "Marvel's The Avengers" (Disney) will not disappoint fans of the comic books on which it's based. But it may prove problematic for the parents of some excited youngsters anxious to ride the juggernaut. The film has a long pedigree that can ultimately be traced back to Stan Lee and Jack Kirby's original comics series from 1963 (Lee serves the screen version as an executive producer).

Mexican 'Cristero' fight relevant to actor Andy Garcia's Cuban heritage

May 3, 2012

WASHINGTON - In the upcoming movie "For Greater Glory," Catholic actor Andy Garcia plays a Mexican Revolution-era general lured out of retirement a decade later to head the insurgent "Cristero" forces doing battle against their own government's severe curbing of religious freedoms, which included the murder of priests, the desecration of churches, and laws designed to reduce the visibility of the Catholic Church in the overwhelmingly Catholic country. It is a battle that the Cuban-born Garcia feels strongly about.

Beatles tune on The Priests' playlist

May 2, 2012

TORONTO - If you were to ask someone to name a popular vocal group comprised of three male voices, it’s arguable that the answer wouldn’t be The Three Tenors, but rather The Priests. The group comprised of three Irish Catholic priests is currently on tour with a new album in hand, and looking forward to their May 4 concert in Toronto. "We are looking forward to bringing the music to as many people as possible, and of course there's a big Irish connection in Toronto as well. So we really are looking forward to it. Again, it's a place that has featured highly in our beginnings in this particular journey as The Priests. Toronto has featured highly and given us great support as well," Fr. Martin O’Hagan told The Catholic Register during a phone call from his Rhode Island hotel.

Jesuits ready for Contact

May 2, 2012

TORONTO - Jesuits are taught to see God in all things. This makes Jesuit photography a little more intense than family snapshots. This year four Canadian Jesuits will show their photographs as part of the 17th annual Contact festival. With more than 1,000 venues spread around Toronto and as many as 1.8 million sets of eyeballs taking in the work of an international lineup of photographers through the month of May, Contact is the largest photography event in the world.

Familiar with controversy, 'Catholic Oscars' honor their heritage

May 1, 2012

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. - At the 19th annual "Catholic Oscars," it wasn't only the honorees who were in the spotlight -- but the controversy that their selection had generated. Catholics in Media Associates -- which presents the awards each year -- is known for having "questionable, even controversial" honorees, said founding member Barbara Gangi, honorary chairwoman of the event. "Even among our own group!" she added.