It has been said that the American dream has to do with home ownership. Being a home owner is the goal of many of our citizens. Yet the housing crisis of 2008 changed the landscape of the dream. Set in…
‘The Martian’ is an ode to science and the will to live
The Martian, based on the novel by Andy Weir, spins a tale of how an astronaut is left for dead on the hostile red planet we know as Mars. Mark Watney (Matt Damon) must find a way to survive for…
‘Straight Outta Compton’ reveals plight of African-American men in U.S.
All musical bio-movies seem to follow the same script. A group or an individual rises from poverty to the heights of fame. Along the way they get taken advantage of by a manager and end up casting said manager aside….
What a pastor learned at Comic Con
Going to Comic Con International is like drinking from a fire hose. There is so much going on and you want to be part of all of it. But like drinking from that fire hose, you eventually end up being…
‘Inside Out’ asserts children are stronger than we think
There is a wonderful line in To Kill a Mockingbird. After Atticus and Jem return from a visit to the Robinson home, where Atticus is called an ugly name, Atticus looks at his son, Jem and says, “There’s a lot…
Does the world need a savior? ‘Avengers: The Age of Ultron’ prompts the question
On the surface, this is nothing more than another comic book movie. But if you pull back that surface you will find something more. There is something deeper. Joss Whedon returns to write and direct this second movie based on…
What is truth? ‘Merchants of Doubt’ grapples with the question
When Jesus encounters Pilate, John’s Gospel tells us that Jesus declares he came into the world to testify to the truth. Pilate replies, “What is truth?” Merchants of Doubt poses this question to us. On the surface it may look…
Like its name, ‘Calvary’ offers view of atonement
By Michael Parnell Calvary begins in a confessional in Ireland. Father James Lavelle (Brendan Gleeson) listens to a man describe how he was raped as child by a priest. The man then tells Father James that he will kill him…
Comic-Con International day four: Conversations
By Michael Parnell One of the things you find at Comic-Con is being in line or on a bus with a total stranger. As I mentioned in an earlier column, people here are generally very kind to each other. But…