The Cathoholic

Wall Street: The Money Never Sleeps

The new Wall Street: The Money Never Sleeps with Michael Douglas has some great moments, but mostly grabs our attention because we're in the midst of an economic crisis beyond the comprehension of ordinary mortals. When I saw the sequel to Wall Street, I was struck by the return to the theme of fatherless young men on the move, looking for an icon to imulate. I wrote about the film for Headline Bistro, noting that director Oliver Stone initially had been surprised to learn that his first film about Wall Street -- a movie he made to repudiate filthy rich investment bankers -- actually served as a recruiting vehicle for these same banks. Young men wanted to work at these banks, and the "greed is good" argument of the film's character didn't put them off. But there's something more that Stone has missed with these movies. The films are supposed to serve as an argument for tightened regulation of a greedy financial industry, but even if additional regulations are imposed on Wall Street, they can't save the industry from the problem of human freedom and sin. Stone has one solution for greed, but it's not the only one.

Never Let Me Go

When Kazuo Ishiguro's novel, Never Let Me Go, was published in 2005, i consumed it in one sitting. The story about a seemingly idyllic British boarding school, charged with the education of human clones, was absolutely enthralling. Like Ishiguro's novel, The Remains of the Day, Never Let Me Go is also sturctured to slowly reveal an evil reality cloaked in what appears to be humdrum daily rituals. Now the film version of Never Let Me Go is in U.S. theaters for a limited engagement and should not be missed. My commentary addressing some of the moral and cultural issues raised by Ishiguro appeared today on Headline Bistro. I applauded Carrie Mulligan's performance as "Kathy H.", the narrator and a central character. As usual, Mulligan is suburb.I note in my commentary:

For some of us, Kathy’s struggle exposes the moral contradictions inherent in our present use of contemporary reproductive technologies: methods of assisting fertility or curing diseases that are predicated on the destruction of human life. Kathy’s plight reveals the tragic limits of good intentions and the seductive power of scientific breakthroughs that give us power over life and death. Reflecting on Hailsham’s failed mission, we may find ourselves re-examining the culture’s incremental tolerance of attacks against nascent human life, from legal abortion to the laboratory creation of embryos destroyed during research.  Once moral absolutes are discarded, utilitarian equations, which employ a cost-benefit analysis to establish the value of individual lives, seem too fragile, or adaptable, to prevent future abuses of reproductive technologies.

Ishiguro acknowledges this grim truth, though he doesn’t belabor it. Indeed, some will reach very different conclusions about the moral dynamics at play here. After all, many desperate patients and their families have already accepted the necessity of employing embryo-destructive research to advance future cures. But Kathy’s story will move some complacent bystanders to grapple directly with the first of many difficult questions: Now that human cloning is achievable will it inevitably become desirable?

Go see the movie, and after you do, get the book. Kathy H. will haunt you.

Winter's Bone

Winter's Bone, an indie film that takes place in southwestern Missouri, is now in theaters and well worth watching. Here's my commentary on the film in National Review Online. The story unfolds in a poor rural area decimated by the crystal meth plague. But the movie is also  a meditation on human endurance and it has special relevance for anyone living with problems that have no immediate resolution.

The Street Stops Here (documentary)

On March 31st, PBS will be airing a  documentary, "The Street Stops Here," about St.Anthony, a Catholic high school in Jersey City that educates inner-city teenagers, some of whom become top basketball players. Their strong work ethic and team spirit come together through the  dynamic influence of their coach, Bob Hurley, Sr.. I heard about the film today and plan to take a look at it soon.The Street Stops Here is based on Hurley, the central figure in the book,  “The Miracle of St. Anthony.” (Update: The film is not based on the book, but takes a fresh look at Coach Bob Hurley, Sr, a new team, and a new season).

It's a slightly strange coincidence, but today the New York Times published a story about a nun at Xavier University who helps to keep their basketball team focused on academics, and obtaining their diploma

The Times front page story begins:
"

( page of 4 )

By some measures, the success of the Xavier men's basketball team rests not with a sharpshooting guard or a ball-hawking forward. Rather, it rests largely with a 5-foot-4, white-haired 77-year-old nun not afraid to rap on dormitory doors or to call players before dawn to ask about missed classes or late assignments.

Xavier, a Jesuit university in Cincinnati, is entering the NCAA tournament seeded sixth in the West Region with a 24-8 record. But Sister Rose Ann Fleming is a perfect 77-0. Since she became the academic adviser for Xavier athletics in 1985, every men's basketball player who has played as a senior has left with a diploma."

UPDATE: Here's my review in the National Catholic Register of The  Street Stops Here. It airs tomorrow, March 31st. check local listings.

The Oscars Celebrate Marriage

This past year, I've been struck by the number of movies that celebrate traditional marriage, rather than attack it. With the Oscars coming up, it's surprising to see how many nominated films and acting performances embrace married love: Up, Julie and Julia, and The Blind Side all celebrate married love. Other films inject a note of caution regarding modern values and practices that shifted away from tradition, like the excellent, An Education, another Oscar contender.  Here's my commentary on the subject for the National Catholic Register. Now let's sort out our Oscar predictions!

UPDATE: Speaking of marriage and that "note of caution" that leads many individuals to refuse the ultimate leap of faith, here's an article I wrote for Touchstone that looks a trend among baby boomer parents. Many discourage their twentysomething kids from diving into marriage. Why? Read the story!

Shusaku Endo's Silence: Film Planned

Thrilled to learn that filmmaker Martin Scorsese will shoot a film adaption of  Shusaku Endo's "Silence." Silence is an incredible historical novel about the brutal 17th-century persecutions of Japanese Christians. Endo is a kind of Japanese version of Graham Green, the British novelist and Catholic convert whose tortured characters in classics like "The Power and the Glory" and "The End of the Affair" struggled to resolve conflicts between the demands of their faith and the moral dilemmas posed by human existence. I lived in Japan for four years and read most of Endo's novels.

I especially recommend his collection of short stories, "The Sea and Poison." Based on historical accounts of Japanese war crimes during the Second World War, it weaves together the individual stories of women and men appointed to a Japanese medical team, which is ordered to perform illicit experiments on American POWs. Another memorable work is "The Samurai," an historical novel about a Japanese samurai who accompanies a Christian missionary on a trip to the New World. 

After I returned to the United States, and heard that Endo had died, I wrote an article about him for Crisis magazine.

Review of Eastwood's Gran Torino

Inside Catholic just published my review of this entertaining and deeply thought-provoking film.