On Movies & Media

I don't care to know how "Downton Abbey" really ends, because I can't think of a better ending than this one...

When I think of great big-screen testaments to the challenges of lasting love, three films jump immediately to mind. And they're on my mind today as I peruse a new list of "The Top 25 Films About Marriage" from the Arts and Faith community, which is hosted by Image.

This story is full of the sort of surprises that a reviewer is likely to spoil if he says much. I won't spoil them. And yet, I feel compelled to say that the surprises aren't much to get excited about. They come from the Magic 8 Ball of Hollywood Plot Twists, as arbitrary as they are implausible.

It's a beloved science fiction novel, full of adventure, suspense, terror, and questions about the existence of God and the problem of evil. Would it make a good television series from the makers of "Mad Men"?

These links caught my attention today, for one reason or another. Check back later. I may add more look-worthy links as the day goes on.

"Don't waste my time" — that's the prevailing attitude for most readers on the Internet. But here's the thing: If you don't take time to read, re-read, discuss, and reflect on what you're reading, then you are wasting your time. I know because I'm guilty of this. I can spend hours perusing the Internet, and the next day I won't think about any of it. At all. That was time wasted.

This article by Tyler Sage on Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master," published at The Los Angeles Review of Books, is so refreshing after reading a storm of hasty reactions, wild accusations, and complaints about this "difficult" work of art. It's a thoughtful, patient, studious consideration of this film.

I'm delighted to see people taking notice of Sister Rose Pacatte, who goes about her work with a spirit of curiosity, fearlessness, discernment, and humility. She doesn't write with a sanctimonious, presumptuous, or condescending tone. She writes and speaks, rather, as a friend on the journey, sharing insights and impressions without any heavy-handed piety, without ranting.