Film Flash: Pressure

 

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

Fascinating, well-acted film about an obscure part of the D-Day invasion.  

Sunday Best: Catholic Skywalker 14-Year Anniversary

     

(5/31/26: Feast of the Visitation)

Once again, this milestone snuck up on me.

Over the course of 14 years I've made 2,953 posts to this blog.  I'm sure there are many who would call this a waste of time.  Other would call it an incredible waste of time (apologies for stealing a Conan O'Brien joke).  But I have found a great sense of satisfaction from my writings here.  

I hope I have been insightful, witty, and interesting.  If I have failed in this department, I do apologize.  I do write with you, Dear Reader, in mind.  You take the time to read this blog when you could be doing anything else, so I want to honor that sacrifice of time that you make by giving you something worthwhile to read.  

Much has happened in the last 14 years.  Since beginning this blog:

-my mother and both of my remaining grandparents passed away (God rest their souls)

-my father-in-law  and mother-in-law passed away (God rest their souls)

-one of my best friends passed away from cancer (God rest his soul)

-my wife and I weathered some rough employment situations

-I broke my back and had surgery 4 times.

-I became a godfather twice

-I was asked to write for NewEvangelizers.Com

-I've produced 15 more movies

-I've written, directed, and produced two plays and one musical.

-I got a second Master's Degree

-I finished my third year of Diaconate Formation.

This last one has taken up a good deal of my time this past year, the result of this is that I have written less here this year than in years past.  I hope to be able to find the proper balance to keep writing, if that is God's will.

And there may be new possibilities on the horizon.

All of this occurring during the tumultuous times we've lived through like COVID.

Through it all, I tried to write here regularly.  And now after 14 years, I've produced:

-398 Film Reviews

-126 Essays

-Nearly 350 New Evangelizers Articles

-14 Years of the Best and Worst of Movies, TV, and Comics.

Together we raised money for charity.  We've prayed together.  And hopefully we also laughed together.

Thank you again, Dear Reader, for taking this journey with me.  I pray that we will continue to walk this path of faith, film, and philosophy for many years to come.

God Bless You All!

Catholic Skywalker - 2026

Film Review: Mortal Kombat II

  

Sexuality/Nudity Mature

Violence Mature

Vulgarity Mature

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Acceptable

Sometimes a movie doesn't try to me more than it is and that is okay.

And sometimes a movie sequel takes audience feedback and uses it to improve.  And that's even better.

This is the case with Mortal Kombat II.

The previous film in the franchise came out during the weird post-COVID era when movies were being platformed on streaming and in theaters.  For that reason, I never got a real handle on how popular that movie was.  In my original review I remember thinking that the final act was too gory and that they made a massive mistake in ruining their best character, Kano (Josh Lawson).  Many other people found the main character Cole (Lewis Tan) a bit generic, but I had not problem with him.

To my great surprise, the sequel is an improvement on the first.

This time the movie centers on two characters.  The first is Johnny Cage (Karl Urban), a washed-up 1990's action star full of regret and cynicism.  But for some reason, he has been chosen to participate in the final Mortal Kombat for the fate of earth realm against the forces of Shao Kahn (Martyn Ford).  He wants nothing to do with all of this mystical violence, but is reluctantly drawn into the fray.  The other main character is Kitana (Adeline Rudolph), whose father was killed by Shao Kahn in the previous Mortal Kombat and now so now has become's Kahn's adopted heir.  However, she secretly works as a double agent for Raiden (Tadanobu Asano) to help the heroes of Earth survive.  So Cole, Johnny Cage, Sonya Blade (Jessica McNamee), Jax Briggs (Mehcad Brooks), and Liu Kang (Ludi Lin) must face off against Kahn's forces, including Kitana, her bodyguard Jade (Tati Gabrielle), and some resurected characters from the first film.

Like I said, this movie doesn't try to be more than it is.  It isn't trying to be a deep meditation on heroism and violence.  It just wants to offer you a good time.  

And a good time is what I had.

The main reason for this was because of Johnny Cage and (the resurrected) Kano.  Urban is fantastic in everything he does and this is no exception.  There is a weariness to him that boarders on exacerbation.  He is not ready, not prepared, and is constantly overwhelmed by the craziness around him.  I like that they made Cage and older person in this movie.  It taps into that feeling that we get as we age where the world we knew sort of passes us by and the modern world is strange and unfamiliar.  I feel this way whenever my students try to explain the latest TikTok trend and my old brain cannot comprehend.  The movie actually plays into this early where Johnny is sitting alone at his table at a comic con while social media influencers are mobbed by fans.  It doesn't make sense to him and it doesn't make sense to me.  Because of this, he delivers some great one liners and gives the movie a nice touch of cynical humor at everything.  But he is not a one-note comic relief.  Part of his journey it to rediscover his self-worth and heroism that is buried under all of that wasted potential.  There is an actual heart beating in this character that you root for to come out and win the day.

But the real scene-stealer is Kano.  Every time he comes onto the screen Lawson knocks it out of the park.  He plays his character with such an odd enthusiasm that is both evil and innocent.  I laughed more at his scenes than I do in most theatrical comedies.  When he is resurrected, it is asked why isn't a mind-controlled zombie like the others.  Quan Chi (Damon Herriman), the necromancer, says that Kano had so little soul in his life that there was nothing there to control.  Hearing this, Kano beams with pride and shouts, "Loophole!"  In the hands of another actor, almost all of this would have fallen flat.  But Lawson knocks it out of the park with every line.  I'm not kidding when I saw he is at the top of my list of Best Supporting Actor this year.  Comedic performances are almost always overlooked but Lawson carries every scene.

The other performances are decent, straightforward, and earnest, but most don't really stand out.  This is unfortunate because the other half of the emotional engine of this movie is Rudolph's Kitana, and she isn't able to get you as invested as Urban.  She isn't even able to get to the level of charisma of the original Liu Kang (Robin Shou) from the very first Mortal Kombat, who had a similar roll to fill in that story: the earnest chosen one. Hiroyuki Sandada returns as Hanzo/Scorpion, and he brings some much-needed gravitas to the nearly cartoonish entertainment.  CJ Bloomfield also has a surprisingly good turn as the monstrous Baraka whose fight with Johnny Cage is a highlight of the film.

Director Simon McQuoid should be commended for taking what he did in the first film and improving on it.  The fight sequences are generally better and world-building is better than the original.  The script by Jeremy Slater delivers a more straightforward story than the first, but he has a few twists and turns that I did not see coming.  I remember at one character death, my wife sitting next to me actually gasped in shock.  In a traditionally by-the-numbers sequel like this, that isn't an easy thing to do.  But Slater seems to get the characters and gives them each a moment to shine.

Like the original, the movie is a bit too gory, but it did not bother me as much in this film as in the last.  The vulgarity is through the roof, especially with Cage and Kano, but it is done with great comedic effect.  As I said before the movie's biggest problem is that it divides the weight of the narrative between Johnny and Kitana, but only one really succeeds in doing the heavy lifting.

If the violence and vulgarity are things that offend you, I would avoid this movie.  But even so, there are some good messages about heroism and redemption.  As milquetoast as most of the other heroes are, there is something admirable about their heroism.  Cole tells Johnny early on that he is stepping up to fight even though he knows he may never see his family again.  Johnny has to slowly learn this lesson over the course of the movie through failure after failure.  But in the end, he discovers that the most important part of being a hero is simply standing up to the danger.  I know that sounds overly simple and cheesy, but for this movie it works.

The movie is primed to become a trilogy.  I don't know if that is in the cards.  But with the characters that we have established in this movie, and if the series continues to improve, I am definitely in for another round of Mortal Kombat.

Film Flash: The Breadwinner

 

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

A sanitized, overly simple, family-friendly Mr. Mom held together by Bargatze's stand-up humor and relatability.

Memorial Day 2026

 

    

(repost from 2019)

Today is the day that we honor those who fought and died for our country.  I doubt that I can add any deep, universal insight into the meaning of this day that has not already been given by those more eloquent.

I do have some friends who are cautious about the elevated status we give those in the armed forces.  They worry about the glorification of war or that it trains citizens to put too much trust in their government agents.  There are some arguments to be had there.  To be sure, while war may make soldiers into martyrs, it does not always turn soldiers into saints.

But in this moment I will not speak for them.  I will speak for myself and why this day is especially reverent for me.

Some answered the call to fight for our nation.
I did not.

Some left spouses and children to enter into violent conflict for their country.
I did not.

Some lost their innocence, their friends, or their health in the crucible of war.
I did not.

Some gave every last measure of devotion down to their lives for our country's freedom.
I did not.

I write this not as some kind of admission of guilt.  Being a soldier is not my calling.

But some did answer the call.  Some paid a price higher than I have had to pay.  I am in this present moment enjoying the fruits of their sacrifice.

Winning and preserving freedom is a bloody business.  I do not want to be in a blissful bubble where I treat my freedom too casually, not remembering that it was purchased at a price of blood.

Today as we rest from our labors, let us remember the fallen martyrs of our freedom.

Let us pray for them and for our country.

Film Flash: Star Wars - The Mandalorian and Grogu

 

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

Fun, 1980's-style Star Wars adventure.  If you liked the show, you'll enjoy the movie

Film Review: The Sheep Detectives

 

Sexuality/Nudity Acceptable

Violence Acceptable

Vulgarity Acceptable

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Acceptable

This movie is a surprise in a good way.  It's a children's movie with a surprisingly dark center that is both funny and touching.

The Sheep Detectives follows the lives of the sheep in the care of George (Hugh Jackman), who loves and cares for his flock.  The smartest of the sheep is Lily (Julia-Louis Dreyfus) who is able to figure out the ending to the mystery stories that George reads to the sheep at the end of every day.  Most of the sheep live simple, pleasant lives.  One of them, Sebastian (Bryan Cranston) lives a more solitary and foreboding existence mostly away from the community.  When George is murdered, Lily takes it upon herself with the help of her friend Mopple (Chris O'Dowd) to go into the local town and solve the murder.  Seeing as how the town's only policeman, Tim (Nicholas Braun), seems a bit of a fool, Lily and her friend have their work cut out for them.

First of all, what the movie gets right is that it plays out like a traditional British murder/mystery.  Lily knows the tropes and so does the audience.  In that sense, the story is a bit meta, but not in a way that overwhelms to the narrative.  Fans of the genre will enjoy watching Lily apply what she has learned to the evidence.  The colorful list of suspects is a hodge-podge of small-town personalities that could be the source of potential dangers.  Behind every polite smile could be a dagger.

The second thing the movie does really well is that it hits the proper emotional beats.  Part of the movie is Lily's journey to heroism.  In the story, sheep have the ability to force themselves to forget things that they don't want to remember (except for Mopple who does not have this ability).  At first Lily and all the sheep want to forget George because it is too painful to remember him.  But as Lily goes deeper into the mystery, she learns things that cause her even more fear, stress, and pain.  The temptation to bury those memories becomes overwhelming and it only takes a heroic act of the will and her love of George and her friends that pushes her onward.

The third thing that surprised me was that they allowed their characters to have depth and growth.  It seems silly that you should find such a strong character arc in CGI sheep.  But they do the same thing with the human characters.  Tim the cop could have easily been a one-note stereotype of an idiot.  But unexpectedly, he develops as a character.  He isn't the smartest, but he knows he's not the smartest and works to think through the problem for the sake of justice.  This puts him in some precarious moral and relational dilemma's where he, like Lily, has to learn to trust himself.

Director Kyle Balda shots the film beautifully, making you yearn for the pastoral peace found in Geroge's pasture.  Some of the shots are downright beautiful, almost too beautiful for a movie like this.  There is one particularly, where George is carrying Sebastian on his shoulders that is such a moving homage to Jesus the Good Shepherd that hit just the right note.  Balda also knows how to use the visuals to bring about his emotional moments.  There is one scene where the sheep enter an unfamiliar barn and with some simple visual items shot in just the right way, the sense of danger and terror hit very hard.

The Church and Christianity are brought up, but the movie's attitude towards them seems more ambivalent than antagonistic.  George is not a churchgoer, but he does make a dramatic entrance one day and give a large sum of money to Reverend Hillcoate (Kobna Holdbrook-Smith).  The clergyman isn't a saint, but the movie also doesn't paint him as an outright villain the way they did in last year's Wonka.  There is also a funny line where Sebastian tries to explain who God is to the other sheep which is a little irreverent but not insulting.  My only caution is that since this is a movie aimed at children, parents might want to be aware that it does not portray the faith with reverence, though it doesn't explicitly attack it either.

That also gets to one of my criticisms of the movie: it's a children's movie that is also a murder mystery.  There is something about the darkness of the subject and the innocence of the target audience that doesn't quite jibe with me.  Because of this, the movie is almost in almost a no man's land of who it's made for.

The performances are fine, but they are broad in the way that you would expect from most children's movies.  Cranston does bring a great deal of gravitas to the character of Sebastian with some fantastic voice work.  Everyone else does their level-best I'm sure, but because the sheep are photo-realistic, it has the same problem as The Lion King remake had with range of emotion.

Thematically, there are some beautiful messages about love, courage, loyalty, and memory.  There is also a nice sub-plot about overcoming prejudices that is a bit on the nose, but it works in a movie like this.  And while the explicitly Christian elements are not very strong, there is a lot of Christological imagery, especially in how the sheep see George.

I was charmed by the characters and drawn into the mystery.  I would be happy to see another adventure of The Sheep Detectives.  If you are looking for a fun time at the movies, you can count on these sheep.