Music Review: "Mater Eucharistiae" by Dominican Sisters of Mary Mother of the Eucharist

After the beautiful "Angels and Saints at Ephesus", I couldn't wait to review "Mater Eucharistiae"... and it certainly lives up to the quality and beauty of the Sisters' earlier CD's.

  The hymns truly epitomize the CD title...they focus on Mary and/or the Eucharist.  They bring the listener closer to the Lord.  

Most of it is in Latin, and there are a couple of English hymns.  

Their singing is as beautiful as ever, but this CD stands out for me...it is the most prayer-like of their CD's, yet it delivers the crystal-like quality we've come to expect from the Sisters.  

Many of the hymns were either new or unfamiliar,  but there were a couple of classics like "Te Deum", "Adoro Te" and "Salve Regina".

A beautiful CD!

 

Movie Review: Paranoia - PG13

Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman are two billionaires at war  in the tech industry.

 Iam Hemsworth is Adam Cassidy, who gets caught in the middle of their feud. At first, Adam thinks he has come upon a great opportunity, but he soon finds that he is simply a pawn in their feud.  

There are  a few well-known names such as Ford, Oldman and Richard Dreyfus.  

The story is well written, with a few twists to keep you guessing.  

Adam has to make several choices along the way about loyalty and priorities.  

A real thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat  

Content warning: 1 brief bed scene (no nudity)  
 

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/paranoia-2013/

Book Review: Strange Gods

The First Commandment is probably the one of the ten that we worry about the least. “I am the Lord your God. You shall have no other gods before me.” After all, most of us haven’t spent time worshipping any of the Roman or Egyptian gods recently or paid homage to any pagan spirits. In Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life, Elizabeth Scalia, also known by her internet moniker “The Anchoress,” invites us to take a closer look at this long-neglected commandment and discover the ways we practicing Christians violate it on a daily basis. 

Scalia asks, “Do we stop to think of what it means to have something ‘before God?’ It means to put something ‘first,’ yes, but more fundamentally, it means to put something ‘in front’ of God . . . What is before God, then, is also before us; it stands between God and us; it separates us from him.”

We humans are rather self-interested creatures. We want to be noticed, to be “loved and valued.” We often want the world to revolve around us. In establishing the Ten Commandments, God understood our weakness. He provides the commandments to keep us in right relationship with both Him and others. He “gives commandments meant to save us from ourselves.”

Scalia makes the case that the First Commandment, “if obeyed, renders all of the others quite nearly moot . . . Look at me [God}, and let me love you, and you will have no need of the rest.” Scalia then explores the various idols in our everyday life. These include ourselves, ideas, prosperity, technology, coolness and sex, plans, and the causes we feel passionate about. We can even give in to idolatry when we become too focused on the one “correct” way to do liturgy or pray. In short, “nothing human is exempt from becoming an idol we will place before God.” We must always be vigilant. 

A mere human like the rest of us, Scalia is the first to acknowledge that she suffers from idolatry as much as anyone. With a profound sense of irony, she shares how even the writing of this particular book became an idol. 

After reading Strange Gods, one will never be able to look at the First Commandment in the same way. Scalia has written a thought-provoking tome that should be read by every Christian seeking to follow God’s laws.

Movie Review: The Wolverine - PG13

The Wolverine heads to Japan to say his goodbyes to an old friend who is very ill.  

Not only does the Wolverine have to battle several enemies while in Japan, but he is put at a disadvantage while doing so.

 One theme that is woven throughout the story is the issue of mortality and immortality.  

Hugh Jackman is very good in the role of the Wolverine.

  There is lots of action, and the story is well-written.  I enjoyed the dialogue,  and the way the  characters interact.

  There are a couple of excellent twists at the end that keep the story intriguing.

  Content warnings are violence, some gore and a 'morning after' type scene  (no nudity or sex scenes).

See it...you'll enjoy it.
 

http://www.thewolverinemovie.com/

Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families

Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families

by Patti Maguire Armstrong and Theresa Thomas

New Rochelle, NY: Scepter Publishers, 2013

Patti Maguire Armstrong and Theresa Thomas, who previously paired up to write and compile the wonderful “Stories for the Homeschool Heart,” have now come together to create “Big-Hearted: Inspiring Stories from Everyday Families.”  

What makes a family big-hearted? It is a spirit of generosity with a focus on putting God first. “The families in this book [share] the goal of striving to put God first, of trying to love well.” The authors encourage those who want to have big-hearted families to “sacrifice much. Choose God’s will. Love profusely. Be big-hearted. And then see how our almighty God, who is the same now as always, blesses you again and again.”

Armstrong and Thomas share their own experiences of being part of big-hearted families growing up and then creating their own version of such a family once they married and began to have children. This is not a two women project, however. Many other voices weigh in and share powerful, and sometimes difficult stories, of the struggle to love generously and be open to life. 

Thomas Mahala shares his story of fearing having a child with Down Syndrome. When his 8^th child and first daughter after seven sons was born with an extra chromosome, he struggled to love her, but with time and God’s grace, that love came. Calvin Bader shares he and his wife’s struggle with infertility and how they became foster and adoptive parents. DeeAnn Smith writes of her struggles with alcoholism and what it meant to have the unconditional love of her children as she worked to get well. Jeffery Gross highlights the life of his son who was born with cystic fibrosis and who also suffered from muscular dystrophy. Sherry Antonetti focuses on the adventure of taking a trip with ten children. 

Light-hearted stories balance heart-wrenching ones, but each of the families featured in the pages of “Big-Hearted” have something to teach all of us about the power of love and the importance of putting God first in our family life.

Movie Review: The Lone Ranger - PG13

Many of us know the story of the Lone Ranger and Tonto...as a kid, I enjoyed Clayton Moore's Lone Ranger.  This version provides the history of the Lone Ranger and his association with Tonto.  

During most of the story, I was concerned with Armie Hammer's Lone Ranger being too weak, but he eventually realizes the necessity of achieving justice.  

There is plenty of action, some of it pretty implausible.  The last 20 or 30 minutes has too much destruction...it distracts from the story.

  I expected Johnny Depp's Tonto to outshine Armie Hammer's Lone Ranger, but they were careful to not to bury the character of the Lone Ranger...they kept him the main focus of the story.  

Content warning: the outlaw they are pursuing is a cannibal, and that is insinuated in one scene.   

Overall, a pretty entertaining version of the Lone Ranger story.

http://disney.go.com/the-lone-ranger/

Movie Review: White House Down - PG13

John Cale (Channing Tatum) was turned down after his interview with the Secret Service, and doesn't know how to break the news to his daughter, who is also on a White House tour with him when a mercenary group takes over the White House.   Because he is there and caught in the middle, it is now up to Cale to rescue  both his daughter and President Sawyer (Jamie Foxx).  

The story is pretty well written, with a couple of unexpected twists making it more than just an action movie.  

The last 20 or 30 minutes puts a somewhat negative end to it, with too many explosions and a very implausible scene with someone waving off an Air Force mission by waving a flag.

 It was pretty entertaining for an action movie, but the ending could have been better. 
 

http://www.whitehousedown.com/

Movie Review: Now You See Me - PG13

A group of magicians known as the "Four Horsemen"  pull off heists against corrupt businessmen and share the proceeds with their audience.  The FBI is pursuing them, but the Four are always a step ahead.

 The acting is good, especially Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine.

The story is well written and engaging. The illusions are very cool;  they are entertaining, and they are pertinent to the story.  

Very entertaining and engaging.Worth seeing!
 

http://www.nowyouseememovie.com/

Book Review: Pray for Me

Pray for Me: The Life and Spiritual Vision of Pope Francis

by Dr. Robert Moynihan

New York: Image, 2013

Pray for Me: The Life and Spiritual Vision of Pope Francis, First Pope from the Americas, was published a mere six weeks after the election of Pope Francis. As a writer, I can only imagine what a monumental task that must have been for Dr. Robert Moynihan, but the founder and editor of Inside the Vatican, widely known as one of the world’s leading Vatican analysts, was clearly up to the challenge.

The title of this ambitious work, Pray for Me, comes from the “first request made by this pope to all of us, a simple request, from his heart: ‘Pray for Me.’” The purpose of the book is to answer three questions – Who is this man? What does he believe? and What will he do as leader of the Church?

Moynihan answers the first two questions by offering a short biography and exploration of Pope Francis’ primary spiritual influences.  The portrait that develops is one of a very human man whose life took him in various directions. Perhaps one of the most charming anecdotes was of the future pope at age twelve, writing a love letter to a young girl telling her if she didn’t marry him he would become a priest! He studied chemistry and then went on to earn a degree in philosophy and theology and was ordained a priest when he was nearly 34 years old. In 1992, he was named as a Bishop of Buenos Aires; 1997, Coadjutor Archbishop; and 1998, Archbishop of Buenos Aires.  The five spiritual influences Moynihan examines are the prophet Jonah from the Old Testament; Mary, the mother of Christ; Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuits; Don Luigi Giussani, founder of the Communion and Liberation movement; and St. Francis. The last question is more speculative but some conclusions can be drawn from looking at his leadership as Archbishop in Buenos Aires.

Pray for Me also offers a news-type discussion of the first two weeks of the new pontificate – what Pope Francis did and said on a day-by-day basis from the time of the election on March 13^th through Easter. While much of this is still relatively fresh in the reader’s mind, this section will become more valuable as time passes and memory fades as a historical record of the early days of this papacy. 

The third section of the book is titled “In His Own Words,” and provides excerpts from Pope Francis’ homilies and addresses given over the years on topics such as God, Mary, Creation, Morality, Children, Youth, Culture, Politics, Religion and Sin.

Pray for Me is a wonderful introduction to the life and thought of Pope Francis, highly recommended to anyone eager to learn more about our new pontiff. 

Movie Review: Man of Steel - PG13

 
The writing was quality, and creative.  We've all heard or seen the Superman story many times, but they found a way to tell it in a new and fresh manner.  

The casting was spot on - Henry Cavill seemed very natural and at ease in such a prominent role.  I am not a huge Russell Crow, but he was excellent as Superman's birth father.    Laurence Fishburne was pretty commanding as Perry White.  Kevin Costner was good in his roll, but I didn't care for the way his character insisted Clark hide his true self...it seemed to have an unintended affect on Clark's confidence and self-esteem.

  Although it is an action-oriented movie, I liked the character interaction.  They reflected the written  relationship pretty realistically and naturally.  

My only problem  was that in the last 20 minutes/half hour, the destruction was waaaay over-done.   That part got pretty intense, and came across as pretty unbelievable.  

Overall, a very good movie that I enjoyed a lot.  

SEE IT!

http://manofsteel.warnerbros.com