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15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)
Touching movie about courage, friendship, and sacrifice wrapped in a sci-fi package
ReasonForOurHope
Saturday, March 21, 2026
Friday, March 20, 2026
Trailer Time: Spider-Man - Brand New Day
Click here to see the trailer on YouTube
I think of the MCU franchise movies, the Spider-Man series might be one of their best. Tom Holland has given us a fantastic Spider-Man and No Way Home was the best of the series.
I am very curious about this film. Instead of dealing with multiversal madness, it seems to be dealing with more street-level issues, albeit still involving super-villains and ninjas. I love seeing Jon Berthnal's Punisher and will be curious to see if the two actors have chemistry.
There are two shots in this trailer that I really liked. The first was from inside of Peter's mask and you get his strong sense of isolation.
The second was the one where he stops the sword with his web. There is no rational explaination for why I liked it except the 13-year-old in me shouted "Cool!"
I am actually a little surprised that there is still such a focus on MJ and Ned. I thought perhaps Peter was going to get a fresh start, but it seems that this is not the case.
I'm still not sold completely on the concept, since I don't know what the main story is. But this franchise has built up enough good will that I am excited to see it.
Thoughts?
Wednesday, March 18, 2026
Film Review: Is This Thing On?
Sexuality/Nudity Mature
Violence Acceptable
Vulgarity Mature
Anti-Catholic Philosophy Mature
(I know it's been a while since I did a full review. I've done a lot of mini-reviews because sitting down and doing a full review takes a bit more detail and effort. MY time in formation has been eating up a lot of my time that I would normally spend on this blog. I am going to try setting aside more time to make up for that).
Bradley Cooper is a very competent director. I think that if he is given the right script, he could go to good to great. A Star is Born has some great moments, but falls short in the end. In Is This Thing On? he tells the story of a man meandering through life as his marriage falls apart.
The problem is that the movie meanders too much with him.
The movie follows Alex Novak (Will Arnett) as his marriage falls apart with Tess (Laura Dern). Alex moves out of his house to the city. One night, he wanders into a bar, but doesn't have the cash for the cover charge but notices that people who sign up for the comedy club's open mic get in for free. Alex goes up and does a set where he vents about how terrible his life is to tepid laughs. But he finds himself coming back and slowly connecting to the other comedians as he grows in his confidence and skill on stage. Meanwhile, Tess begins to build a life after Alex. Things come to a head when she goes on a date and ends up at that club where she doesn't know that Alex is performing stand-up about the end of their marriage. What happens next is something I will not spoil, but it was not what I was expecting.
One of the things that this movie captures is the awkward family dynamic that happens when a marriage falls apart. As a child of divorce, there was an odd familiarity to the emotional tone of what was happening. I remember splitting time between parents in those early days: one living at home and the other living in an apartment. This film gets that odd balancing act where the children are ping-ponged back and forth and the awkwardness of that persisting relationship between the man and woman.
The best thing about this film by far is Arnett. This is the best I've ever seen him. He is an incredibly gifted comic. But here, you can see his dramatic muscles at work. What works so well is the confluence between his dramatic and comedic sensibilities. He gives a performance that is so raw that every joke and quip belies the pain and sadness welling up in his heart. For that reason, no matter how vulgar he gets or how poor his decisions become, you cannot help but root for him.
Dern is also great in her role. She lets you see her deep unhappiness and apprehension at starting this new life. But I couldn't help be horribly frustrated by her character (not her performance). It is very clear that the separation is not Alex's idea, but Tess'. And as flawed as Alex is, there is nothing that justifies her throwing away her marriage. Dern plays all of her conflicting emotions very well, but despite her complexities, I could not helping judging her more than the filmmakers probably intended. When Alex ends up sleeping with a female comedian, I felt pity for him in his lost wandering. When Tess goes on a first date, I felt like she was betraying Alex. Perhaps this double standard speaks more about me than the film, but my wife had the same impression.
Part of the frustration is how dysfunctional all of the relationships are. Tess and Alex make a big deal about hanging out with their friends, but all of them are so unlikeable that you don't enjoy spending time with them. It seemed to highlight to me how individual marriages need exterior support from the Church, from marriage groups, and from friendships with other devoted, married couples.
Admittedly, though, marriages and relationships are messy. And the movie captures that messiness. But it also captures how when husbands and wives lose graciousness and forgiveness, the bonds of that relationship begin to dissolve.
This could all work very well, if the middle of the movie didn't feel like it was meandering and not going anywhere. I began to want the movie to come to its resolution more quickly. However, the charm of the movie is also in its meandering and exploration of the comedy world. It was fascinating to look behind that curtain and watch the evolution of Alex's comedy bits. It actually takes a great deal of skill to write increasingly funny material.
There is much to admire inside of Is This Thing On?, but so much of it gets diluted by the material that doesn't work. Like a comedian perfecting a joke, this movie could have used a little more refining.
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Sunday Best: Oscar Game and Predictions 2026
Tonight are the Oscars.
This used to be my yearly Super Bowl. And while the bloom is off the rose, I still watch every year.
Once again, there are not many movies to root for. In fact, if you read my mini review roundup, you know that most of the movies nominated are pretty awful.
What is interesting is that the race is in a constant state of flux. At first it seemed like One Battle After Another had a lock on most of the awards and then Timothée Chalamet was definitely going to win the Best Actor Oscar. But Sinners has gained a lot of momentum and it is a more entertaining movie than either of those other films (except for Frankenstein and F1).
Here are some of my main predictions:
Best Picture: One Battle After Another
Honestly, this is a toss-up between this and Sinners. Rather than being an artistic judgment, I think this is more about who has the momentum of popularity. And while Sinners has won more of the recent awards and has the most overall nominations, Sinners was actually a hit at the box office. I think this is more of a detriment to its chances of winning, since the Oscars likes to give consolation prizes to the movies that Hollywood thinks we should like than the ones that are actually popular. However, I was wrong about Conclave last year, so who knows?
Best Actor: Timothée Chalamet, Marty Supreme
Last year I went with my gut and said Chalamet was going to win, but I was wrong. And here I am doing it again. But as much as I loathed Marty Supreme, his performance is outstanding and it really is the best of the year. Chalamet proves he can do difficult independet films like this and big franchise like Dune. I think he deserves this, but Michael B. Jordan might come away with the upset win.
Best Actress: Jessie Buckley
I haven't seen this movie, but all of the smart money is on her. I also think she is lucky that voting ended before the bomb of The Bride! was released.
Best Supporting Actor/Actress: Sean Penn/Amy Madigan
Penn was awful in One Battle After Another (don't get me wrong, he is a fantastic actor, but he is given nothing interesting to work with in the material), but he will probably win. Madigan's twisted villain made and impression. I didn't recognizer as the lead actress from Field of Dreams, she was so distorted and horrific. I think her award would be well deserved.
Best Director: Paul Thomas Anderson
Anderson is a very skilled director. The problem is that the story he directed was not worth telling. But he showed enough skill and it was popular enough with Hollywood brain trust that I think he will come out ahead here. As someone who thinks that action movies can be the purest form of cinema, I would like to Kosinski win for F1, but that won't happen.
This is also the last chance to enter the Oscar Game. Just fill out the chart below. The winner will get bragging rights and a mention on this blog. And just to keep everything above board, I am publishing my votes for tonight as well.
Good luck and enjoy the Oscars tonight!
Click the link below to play the game.
Link
Link
Here are my choices so far:
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
Trailer Time: Lanterns
CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE TRAILER ON YOUTUBE
I have some thoughts.
I have no issues with a darker take on the Green Lantern storyline. There is the classic "Hard-Traveling Heroes" story from the 1970's. And this version of Hal Jordan looks a lot like the one from the early 1990's, where he was going through a mid-life crisis. This can be fertile ground for some really good storytelling. And the actors look very good in their roles of Hal Jordan and John Stewart.
However...
I am uneasy about what I am seeing.
First of all, I do not like the vulgarity. (This is the reason I am not embedding the trailer here on my blog) Once again James Gunn (who is main person overseeing the DCU) is indulging his darker impulses. When he gives himself guardrails and tells a story that is not for mature audiences, he creates excellent work like Guardians of the Galaxy or Superman. But when he lets those working with him to go dark, it all falls apart. The Suicide Squad was one of the worst movies I have seen. Creature Commandos and Peacemaker are nihilistic pieces of garbage.
My fear is that Lanterns is more Peacemaker than Superman.
This is especially seen in the portrayal of Hal Jordan. He is the quintessential Green Lantern. But in the trailer, he looks like a cynic, which is not part of his character. Hal is a lot of things, but he is not cynical. I don't mind the rivalry between him and John Stewart. In the comics, they started as more rivals than friends. But I get the feeling that John is being set up as the "real" hero who is going to replace the tottering Hal. It feels almost like a Rey/Luke situation.
Again, back the vulgarity, that really does not feel like Hal Jordan. There is a reason that the power we beware is his light, not his darkness.
The fact that Tom King has a hand in this has me very pessimistic. King does not understand the characters he writes about. Instead, he uses characters as vehicles for his themes. He wants to write about trauma, so he uses Wally West and makes him a murderer. Or he wants to write about war crimes so he turns Adam Strange into one.
I have the feeling King wants to write about older, cynical veterans and he is going to use Jordan to do it while ignoring who he is as a person.
Maybe I'm wrong. But I need to see more before making a decision.
Thoughts
Monday, March 9, 2026
New Evangelizers Post: Heaven Begins on Earth
I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com.
“I’d rather laugh with the sinners than cry with the saints.”
For some reason that line from Billy Joel’s song “Only the Good Die Young” kept coming to my head. And it kept coming back to me because I can’t help but feel like that is how the world sees holiness. To be holy is to leave in pain and penance, to deny yourself of every comfort and pleasure so that one day God will pay you back in heaven.
But this is not the message of our Lord and this is not the witness we have in the saints.
To be sure, Jesus promises heaven to those who live a life of holiness. But too often we can reduce this promise to something transactional: “If I do what God asks me to do, then God owes me heaven as my reward.” But real Christian life is nothing like this.
When Jesus speaks to us about Eternal Life, the afterlife is part of what He means. But Pope Benedict XVI made clear that “’Eternal Life’ is life itself, real life, which can also be lived in the present age.” (Jesus of Nazareth, Vol 1)
In other words, you don’t have to wait to die to go to heaven; heaven begins now.
Take a look at the lives of the saints. I have studied the lives of many of these holy men and women. And what I’m about to say, I say not just as a believer, but as a student of history: You will never find anyone in history who suffered more than the saints. Many of them died painful martyr deaths. Many endured painful diseases like cancer, leprosy, and tuberculosis. And many endure heartbreak at the loss of loved ones or the rejection they felt from family members. As I said, no one in human history suffered more than the saints. Which is why this next truth is so very odd:
No one in history was happier than the saints. When you read their writings and enter into their stories, you encounter a joy that is beyond compare. In Acts of the Apostles, Peter and John are scourged for preaching about Jesus. When they are released, they rejoice that they had been found worthy to suffer for His name.
This seems so counter-intuitive to our world. The world says that we should do everything we can to avoid pain and suffering. Today, we have every single material and physical pleasure available to us. And yet if we are honest, fewer and fewer of us are truly happy.
In the Beatitudes from the Gospel of Matthew, the word “Blessed” could also be translated as “Happy.” “Happy are the poor in spirit… Happy are the clean of heart… Happy are the merciful…” One of the reasons we don’t usually us that translation is that happiness is sometimes boiled down to a simple emotional state: a feeling that comes and goes.
But the happiness of the saints is not a transitory thing. That is because they are beginning to experience heaven on earth.
I know someone at my work was recently diagnosed with cancer. Any of us who have experienced this or had loved ones experience this, knows how devastating this is. And she spoke to me about the heartache and tears that she went through in those early days. But I’ve had the privilege of spending more time with her, talking with her and praying with her. Perhaps in my arrogance I thought that I could somehow comfort her. But every time I end a meeting with her, I’m the one who is more uplifted. Her suffering is very real and tangible. But so is her faith, her peace, and her love. That is because she has a happiness deeper than a sentiment or feeling. There is a joy in the center of her soul that cannot be taken away. This is the same joy that we see in the saints we celebrate today. And this is what Jesus is saying in the Beatitudes.
In the Beatitudes, Jesus says that heaven is waiting for us. But He is saying more than that. He’s saying heaven is here in our hearts. Heaven is here in our souls.
What makes heaven heaven? I mean, what is it that really makes it the paradise that we all yearn for?
The answer is simple: God. In heaven, we are with God.
Sunday, March 1, 2026
Sunday Best: Movies of My Life - Updated 2025
I usually don't participate in Facebook lists (especially since I am not on Facebook), but this one intrigued me.
The challenge is to go through your life and list the best movie from each year of your life. You can have a tie once per decade.
I found this idea challenging and interesting. What I found the most interesting is how little interest I had in most of the movies that came out just before I was born, but I have a strong affection for movies from my early childhood. I wonder if that is common to most people who do this?
Anyway, here is my list. For the sake of anonymity, I have started my list with the decade of my birth rather than my birth year (maybe).
*These are changes from what I said at the time where the best movies of the year
*2012 used to be Les Miserables
*2023 use to be Mission: Impossible - Dead Reckoning Part 1.
A few observations on my own list:
-5 movies directed by Steven Spielberg
-4 movies directed by Christopher Nolan
-3 movies directed by Peter Jackson
-3 movies directed by George Lucas
-3 movies directed by Kenneth Branagh
-only 4 movies are comedies (not to be confused with drama-dies)
-only 9 are tragedies (in the sense that they do not have a "happy ending")
-4 of the 9 Star Wars Saga movies are represented
-12 of the movies are superhero films (this counts Joker as well), 6 DC, 6 Marvel. 4 of them are about Superman, 3 have Bruce Wayne as a character
-2 movies based on Shakespeare plays
-4 movies not in English
-only 1 Western
-only 2 Musicals
-only 1 Animated movie
-4 movies involve time travel
-only 4 of the movies have a woman as the lead.
-7 Harrison Ford movies
-19 are sequels/prequels
Thoughts?
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