Film Review: Project Hail Mary

  

Sexuality/Nudity No Objection

Violence Acceptable

Vulgarity Acceptable

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Mature

Project Hail Mary feels like a rare movie where the sci-fi spectacle is there to support a story and not vice-verse.  This is a movie about big human themes, wrapped in a sci-fi package.

The movie centers on Ryland Grace (Ryan Gosling), who wakes up on a spaceship several light years away from Earth.  He has partial amnesia and does not remember immediately why he is there or what he is supposed to do.  Through a series of flashbacks we find out that our sun is dying along with several other stars in the galaxy except one.  Eva Stratt (Sandra Huller) is leading an international team to send a team to that star on the spaceship Hail Mary to find out why before it is too late.  When Rylan gets to the new solar system he encounters another alien on a mission that he names Rocky.  Together they learn to communicate and form a friendship as they work together to save both their planets from doom.

.One of the things I really liked about this movie is that it is about something: courage and friendship.

The movie deals with what it means to be brave.  Rylan is someone who is very smart, but he is incredibly nervous and seems to lack the courage necessary for such a mission as his.  What he does, he does more out of necessity and desperation.  Even though he comes to remember that this mission is a one-way trip with no hope of return, his approach to solving the problem does not seem particularly borne from a stout heart.  As the story progresses, Rylan faces his fears little by little so that when the moment of truth comes, he has shaped his character to a place of bravery.

The movie also makes clear that courage must be rooted in love.  There must be something or someone to be brave for.  This is wear the exploration of friendship really takes center stage.  I've always said that part of friendship is speaking the same language.  In the case of the movie, this is literal as Rylan has to figure out a way for he and Rocky to communicate.  But in a deeper sense, friends must see the same truth and so their minds take up the same space.  This creates a special language between them that can only be found between friends.  These inside jokes are the fortifying walls of the relationship that reinforce its strength.  If I said the word "pals" or "golly," to my closest friends, it would have resonance with them and elicit chuckles in ways it wouldn't with others because of this shared language.  We can see this when Rylan and Rocky give each other the "thumbs down" for encouragement or Rocky yells, "Amaze!  Amaze!"

And this friendship is what draws you into the story and gives it its beating heart.  Not only does this movie show an strong example of friendship, but it is a very masculine type of friendship.  Here, the friends do not speak much about how they feel about each other.  Instead, it expressed in action.  It is expressed in the way that they joke with each other.  And it is expressed most in the sacrificial love that each one has.  To be sure, Rocky and Rylan talk deeply about their feelings, but it is done in a way men do, by peeling back the layers to help a friend in need.

I also love how respectful this movie is of faith.  With a title like Project Hail Mary, there could be a lot of jokes made at the expense of the Blessed Virgin.  Instead, the movie leans into this imagery.  In fact, the main character's name means that the Hail Mary is full of "Grace."  At one point Rylan asks Eva if she believes in God and she responds, "It's better than the alternative."  To be clear, this is not a Christian movie that tries to evangelize faith.  But it doesn't need to be.  What impressed me wasn't that it was promoting Christianity, but that it simply treated it with respect.

Visually, the movie is great.  Directors Philip Lord and Christopher Miller used as many practical effects and avoided CGI when possible.  I have no problem with CGI if its used well, but too often is seems rushed and artificial.  There is a tactile reality presented with the puppeteering of Rocky or the tangible sets of the Hail Mary.

The whole movie stands or falls on Gosling's performance and he is great.  There could be a lot of parts where he could go for overly emotional deliveries.  But he understands his character is more reserved and introverted.  This allows him to use his emotion with restraint.  But in doing so, every thing he does has power.  When he lets the damn break and allows himself to hope a little, you can see how that invigorates and hurts him at the same time.  His performance invests you in the central friendship.  Huller is the perfect Yang to Goslings Ying.  She is the lead weight of seriousness and lets his heart and humor fly.

The only issue I have with the film is in the flippant way it treats suicide.  When the astronauts talk about how the mission is a one-way trip, they speak very casually about how they will kill themselves at the end.  One of them says they hope to do it with lethal injection and heroin.  There is never any ethical pushback on this, which I found very odd.  It implied that there were no moral objections to euthanizing the crew.

Other than that though, the movie explores the issues of friendship and hope with real vigor.  You become thoroughly uplifted and invested in the fate of the characters and you know no matter how the story ends, you are going to be moved by what happens to them.

New Evangelizers Post: The School of the Cross

                                        

I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com.  

Recently I was speaking with a priest and said something that has stayed with me. He said, “Priests are trained to go to the school of the cross.”

He said that it is a constant learning experience for priests to come back to the cross of Christ and to learn from Him. On that cross, we learn what it is to be a priest, to be a Christian.

I would imagine that many of us have been going to the school of the cross during this Lent. We have made certain Lenten sacrifices. Perhaps we attended extra liturgical events like the Stations of the Cross. These things we do in order to draw closer to the cross of Christ and to learn from the school of the cross.

There is a story that St. Maximillian Kolbe had a vision when he was young. He was presented a crown of glory and a crown of thorns. He was told to choose one or the other. Maximillian chose the crown of the thorns. He wanted to have the same crown that Jesus had in this world. He was learning from the school of the cross.

Those who know his story mostly know about how it ends. But Maximillian spent his whole life at the school of the cross. He traveled the world spreading the good news. He founded radio stations to broadcast the Gospel as far and wide as he could. He dedicated his life day after day to God. He picked up his cross and died to himself every day. This is part of the lesson from the school of the cross: if you die to yourself every day, then your final day is just another day that you have to die.

The school of the cross helps remove the sting of death. We see this in Maximillian’s story. I always find it fascinating that all of his great evangelical work is often forgotten. He is remembered most for the thing he did when he was reduced to just a number. Maximillian was sent to Auschwitz. One day, the commandant chose ten men from his barracks to be placed into a room and deprived of food and water until they died. One of the condemned men fell to his knees begging to be spared because he had a wife and child. Maximillian stepped forward and requested to be taken to death in this man’s place. When the commandant asked if Maximillian knew the man whose place he was taking, the priest said no. But Maximillian said that the man had a wife and child, but he did not. Maximillian was taken and locked away with the other without food or water. Normally, the prisoners in this situation would be howling like beasts by the second day. But the guards who witnessed this said that they only heard prayers and singing from that cell. After ten days, Maximillian and few others were still clinging to life. The guards took them and injected them with carbolic acid to kill them.

Maximillian Kolbe learned from the school of the cross. He spent his whole life giving his life away so that he could do it in that final moment. At the school of the cross, he learned that real love is sacrifice.

Pope Benedict XVI made this point clear when writing about Jesus. Our redemption from the cross is not about the blood that was shed per se. If that were so, then it would make God the Father a blood God who desired violence to satisfy His vengeance. But Pope Benedict XVI said that the reason Christ goes to the cross is because it is the only way we would ever truly know who God is: God is love.

And love is expressed in complete self-donation. Jesus on the cross shows us that He is willing to pay any price just to have a chance that we would choose to be with Him forever. And in that love learn how we are supposed to love each other. We are to give our lives away.

You can read the whole article here.

Sunday Game: Thoughts on Oscars 2026 and Oscar Game Winner

   

So this year we have another Oscars in the history books. 

Below are my thoughts on the night.

THE GOOD

1. Bring Back Conan

 I have always been a huge fan of Conan O'Brien.  I love his sense of silly, self-deprecating humor.  He had me smiling during his entire opening monologue.  Even his digs against those on the opposite side of the political spectrum seemed all in good fun.  I especially liked how he tried to "memify" Leonardo DiCaprio and made fun of how young people don't watch the Oscars anymore.

2. K-Pop Demon Hunters

The Oscars honored one of the rare breakout hits of the year with Best Animated Feature and Best Song, both of which were well-deserved.  In a show where most people have not seen the movies that won awards, it was nice to have something to root for and win.

3. Rob Reiner Tribute

I thought Billy Crystal not only euligized Reiner well (despite his deviation into divisive politics), but he was able to point out the great cannon of films he made.  And then the representation of actors on stage paying tribute to him was very nice to see.

 

THE BAD

1.  The Show Still Drags

I know it is a cliche at this point, but the show goes on way too long.  And I always find it very mean when they cut off some winners and not others.  At least there were fewer meaningless time-filler numbers.

2. Too Much Politics

Oscar ratings have cratered.  One of the reasons is that half of the audience in the US feels targeted and insulted.  This is not a statement of agreement or disagreement with the political positions espoused, but it is an observation about the show's tone.  The regular viewing audience is really not interested in hearing a political message out of entertainers.

3. Who Saw The Best Picture?

With One Battle After Another, we once again run into the problem of very few people having seen the Best Picture.  Last year,  Anora was number 85 on the list of top Box Office draws for 2024, making just a little over $14 million.  This year's Best Picture winner was better at number 30, at $71.5 million.  But compare both of those with 2023's Best Picture Oppenheimer at number 5 and $325 million.

I was not a big fan of Sinners but it was a legitimate hit at number 7 and $280 million at the box office.

Even the critically panned (though a movie I enjoyed) Tron: Ares made more money than One Battle After Another.

So those are my thoughts.  What are yours?

And now, the moment you've been waiting for... the winners of this year's CATHOLIC SKYWALKER OSCAR GAME.

With no clear frontrunner in most of the major categories, scores were generally lower this year, with the lowest score being  -2.9

In third place with a combined score of 3.2... Justin R!

In second place, with a score of 4.2... Catholic Lois Lane!

And in first place with a score of 17.4... me.

I posted my predictions and choices, so everyone can see that things are above board.

This year, I seeing as many of the nominated movies improved my chances.  I bet heavily on One Battle After Another and Sinners.

When grading purely on predictions, the order of the top three winners remains the same (Me = 12.9, Catholic Lois Lane = 2.2, Justin R = 1.2)

When it came to scoring purely on choice, I still won (4.5), But the Garden Stater came in 2nd (2.5), and Catholic Lois Lane and Justin R tied for third (2). 

Thank you to everyone who played this year.  Good luck in next year's game!

Film Flash: Project Hail Mary

 

 

15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)

Touching movie about courage, friendship, and sacrifice wrapped in a sci-fi package

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?

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 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

Here are my choices so far:

BEST PICTURE - MY CHOICE	F1 (Apple); Chad Oman, Brad Pitt, Dede Gardner, Jeremy Kleiner, Joseph Kosinski and Jerry Bruckheimer, Producers
BEST PICTURE - MY PREDICTION	One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.); Adam Somner, Sara Murphy and Paul Thomas Anderson, Producers
BEST DIRECTOR - MY CHOICE	Sinners (Warner Bros.), Ryan Coogler
BEST DIRECTOR - MY PREDICTION	One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.), Paul Thomas Anderson
BEST ACTOR - MY CHOICE	Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme (A24)
BEST ACTOR - MY PREDICTION	Timothée Chalamet in Marty Supreme (A24)
BEST ACTRESS - MY CHOICE	Kate Hudson in Song Sung Blue (Focus Features)
BEST ACTRESS - MY PREDICTION	Jessie Buckley in Hamnet (Focus Features)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MY CHOICE	Jacob Elordi in Frankenstein (Netflix)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR - MY PREDICTION	Sean Penn in One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MY CHOICE	Amy Madigan in Weapons (Warner Bros.)
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS - MY PREDICTION	Amy Madigan in Weapons (Warner Bros.)
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - MY CHOICE	Frankenstein (Netflix); Written for the Screen by Guillermo del Toro
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY - MY PREDICTION	One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.); Written by Paul Thomas Anderson
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - MY CHOICE	Sinners (Warner Bros.); Written by Ryan Coogler
BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY - MY PREDICTION	Sinners (Warner Bros.); Written by Ryan Coogler
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MY CHOICE	Frankenstein (Netflix); Alexandre Desplat
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE - MY PREDICTION	Sinners (Warner Bros.); Ludwig Goransson
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MY CHOICE	“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix); Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park
BEST ORIGINAL SONG - MY PREDICTION	“Golden” from KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix); Music and Lyric by EJAE, Mark Sonnenblick, Joong Gyu Kwak, Yu Han Lee, Hee Dong Nam, Jeong Hoon Seon and Teddy Park
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM - MY CHOICE	KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix); Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM - MY PREDICTION	KPop Demon Hunters (Netflix); Maggie Kang, Chris Appelhans and Michelle L.M. Wong
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - MY CHOICE	Train Dreams (Netflix), Adolpho Veloso
BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY - MY PREDICTION	Sinners (Warner Bros.), Autumn Durald Arkapaw
BEST COSTUME DESIGN - MY CHOICE	Frankenstein (Netflix); Kate Hawley
BEST COSTUME DESIGN - MY PREDICTION	Frankenstein (Netflix); Kate Hawley
BEST FILM EDITING - MY CHOICE	F1 (Apple); Stephen Mirrione
BEST FILM EDITING - MY PREDICTION	One Battle After Another (Warner Bros.); Andy Jurgensen
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING - MY CHOICE	Frankenstein (Netflix); Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING - MY PREDICTION	Frankenstein (Netflix); Mike Hill, Jordan Samuel and Cliona Furey
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - MY CHOICE	Frankenstein (Netflix); Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN - MY PREDICTION	Frankenstein (Netflix); Production Design: Tamara Deverell; Set Decoration: Shane Vieau
BEST SOUND - MY CHOICE	F1 (Apple) Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
BEST SOUND - MY PREDICTION	F1 (Apple) Gareth John, Al Nelson, Gwendolyn Yates Whittle, Gary A. Rizzo and Juan Peralta
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - MY CHOICE	Avatar: Fire and Ash (Walt Disney); Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS - MY PREDICTION	Avatar: Fire and Ash (Walt Disney); Joe Letteri, Richard Baneham, Eric Saindon and Daniel Barrett
BEST CASTING - MY PREDICTION	Marty Supreme (A24); Jennifer Venditti
BEST CASTING - MY CHOICE	Sinners (Warner Bros.); Francine Maisler
BEST INTERNATIONAL FEATURE FILM - MY PREDICTION	Norway, Sentimental Value
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE - MY PREDICTION	The Perfect Neighbor (Netflix); Geeta Gandbhir, Alisa Payne, Nikon Kwantu and Sam Bisbee
BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT - MY PREDICTION	All the Empty Rooms (Netflix); Joshua Seftel and Conall Jones
BEST ANIMATED SHORT FILM- MY PREDICTION	Butterfly (Sacrebleu Productions); Florence Miailhe and Ron Dyens
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM- MY PREDICTION	A Friend of Dorothy; Lee Knight and James Dean