Category Archives: Catholic culture

Action Film, Adventure, Catholic culture, Coarse manners, Conspiracy, DO NOT MISS, Docudrama, Father-son relations, Greed, Human spirit, Marital Infidelity, Netflix Streaming, Nudity, Occasional gore, Psychological Drama, Rape, Religious Theme, Revenge, Sex Scenes, Slavery, Suspense, Torture, Vikings, Violent, Wonderful acting

Vikings (2013)

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2014-2015 REVISION:

November 2015: Netflix offers season 3 but only on DVD, no streaming.

The release date for season 4 is not yet settled. Season 3 was at least as good as the previous two seasons with some very clever surprises at the very end of season 3 which makes the audience ever more eager to see season 4.

For more information about the Viking raid on Paris in 845 see the Wikipedia article. On that occasion the French king was Charles the Bald, one of Charlemagne’s grandsons. By the Treaty of Verdun in 843, Charles became king of what was for the most part modern day France.

Now from Amazon Prime you can stream both season 1 and season 2. Season 2 is at least as good as Season 1. Wonderful but violent!

FORMER REVIEW:

Netflix offers Season 1 on DVD. However, I streamed from Amazon for free because we bought Amazon Prime. Jan 2015 – Now you can stream Season 2 from Amazon. Somehow the story just gets better and better. DO NOT MISS all the VIOLENCE!

From Netflix:

Set in medieval Scandinavia, this gritty drama charts the adventures of renowned Viking hero Ragnar Lothbrok as he extends the Norse reach by challenging the rule of an unfit leader who lacks vision.

Merely appreciating the finesse and details that went into making this remarkable TV series just gives me chills.

His ambiguous smile is mostly that of the fox waiting for its opportunity. Eventually you come to accept and even identify that constant smile with the character Ragnar Lothbrok played to dazzling perfection by the Australian-born Travis Fimmel.

Gabriel Byrne as Earl Haraldson is the only actor I recognized. You may remember him as Dr. Paul Weston in the TV series “In Treatment”. Here he is a brooding, vicious bully.

In order to enter Valhalla a Viking must die in battle. Similar to the ancient Greek culture, violence and personal bravery are everything. Whatever riches a Viking can bury will be his in the next life. Hence the need for plunder. In other words, by its nature this film had to be very VIOLENT!

Perhaps some history will set the scene. Roughly speaking as Rome abandoned England in the 400s, she invited in German mercenaries among which were the Angles, Saxons, and Jutes. They liked what they saw and oppressed the original inhabitants, the Celts. After centuries their many dialects would eventually congeal into Anglo Saxon. In the 600s Christianity appeared and the Anglo Saxons converted. In the 800s the Danes, i.e. the Vikings, reached England and were trouble for the Anglo Saxons until that famous year 1066 in which no sooner had Edward Confessor defeated the Danes then the Normans conquered the Anglo Saxons.

In regard to the previous mini-history, in the scenes in which the Vikings speak to the Anglo Saxons, the Vikings speak old Norse and supposedly the “English” speak Anglo Saxon.

Also in regard to that mini-history, probably the most important theme of the series is religion. Ragnar Lothbrok, in attacking his first monastery, brings back as a slave a young Christian monk Athelstan (thoughtfully played by George Blagden). No episode goes by without some discussion, confrontation, or comparison (call it what you like) between the “pagan” religion and the Christian. Odd how violent, vicious, and untrustworthy the Christians are. There are aspects of the Viking religion that may disturb your sleep.

Fighting is really a small part of the story. Interpersonal relations and conflicts are equally important. There is true character development.

And of course you cannot help to notice how these Viking men wore their hair. Let’s hope the costume department got it historically accurate. Needless to say there are many tattoos.

If you can stand the violence, DO NOT MISS !

2013, AIDS, British, Catholic culture, Could Be Sad, DO NOT MISS, Emotional child abuse, Ethical struggles, Feel Good Not For Children, Gay theme, Journalist, Quiet, True Story, Wonderful acting

Philomena (2013)

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From Netflix:

Floundering BBC journalist Martin Sixsmith and aging Irishwoman Philomena Lee form an unlikely bond when they pair up to find the son Philomena was forced to give up for adoption 50 years ago.

If I had not already known the story of Philomena I would have finished watching this marvelous film in a really upset and angry mood. Never mind that this outrageously true story has as happy an ending as is possible given the situation.

Judi Dench (Philomena) and Steve Coogan (Martin Sixsmith) play off one another perfectly as in ying versus yang, as in a Catholic believer versus an atheist, as in simple down-to-earth versus a sophisticated Oxford educated journalist. Much of the charm of the story is seeing each of them change over the course of the film: he softens into compassion, she forgives the evil nuns but finally feels the need to let the world know what happened to all those unwed young mothers.

No more will I say. Just enjoy the plot twists. One surprise (this is not a spoiler) is that at one point seemingly simple Philomena shows that she understands in blunt terms quite a bit about contemporary mores. Somehow that fact just did not ring true with me.

As a culture-vulture side note: Peter Hermann (Pete Olsson) is married to Mariska Hargitay (“Law and Order”) who is the daughter of Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. Just remember that for your next game of Trivial Pursuit.

DO NOT MISS!

Addiction, Catholic culture, Crude Talk, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, Flirting, Human spirit, Masturbation, Mostly About Sex, Nudity, Pornographic Scenes, Psychological Drama, Sex Scenes, Wonderful acting

Don Jon (2013)

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From Netflix:

Jon Martello’s romantic exploits are legendary among his friends, but his obsession with online porn saps his enthusiasm for real sex. As he searches for intimacy — or avoids it — Jon meets two women with vital lessons to teach him.

Despite the constant shots of computer pornography, despite the endless stream of vulgar sexual discussions, despite all the swearing, there is a real point to this film. In fact this is the kind of film you could show teenagers in a sex class. Such a film will indeed titillate, but Joseph Gordon-Levitt does an amazing job in portraying a young “dude” that actually turns his life around as he moves away from one-sided sexual satisfaction and toward a real relationship. Repeat: his acting is superb.

He changes with the help of two women: Scarlett Johansson plays a low-class, gum chewing, sexy but domineering woman who starts Don Jon on the road to something better. Julianne Moore picks up where Johansson leaves off and finally makes the difference for Don Jon. This is not a spoiler because the whole point of the film is the process Gordon-Levitt makes with his addiction.

Notice Don Jon’s sister who seems attached at the hip to her smartphone. At one point she is dead on the mark.

As a Catholic I would like to remark that the scenes in the Catholic confession are not far off the mark as far as the impersonal atmosphere is concerned. However, in Catholic theology the confession is bogus and there is no forgiveness if the person confessing is not resolved to avoid the sin in the future. Future avoidance would be the last thing on Don Jon’s mind.

If you can ignore the vulgarity, this is actually a good film.

2013, Based on a Book, Catholic culture, Drama, Latino Culture, Spanish, Violent

Bless Me, Ultima (2013)

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From Netflix:

In a village in New Mexico, the life of young farm boy Antonio is dramatically changed when an old medicine woman joins his household. This affecting coming-of-age tale recounts Antonio’s experiences to reveal the spiritual conflict in his community.

“Bendíceme, Última” is a book written originally in English by Rudolfo Anaya. Wikipedia offers an extensive discussion of this film.

Because I had read the book years ago I suspected that watching the film might be boring. If you let yourself immerse in the period, the culture, and the language, you might find this film a charming experience.

There was much superstition, belief in witches, and misinformation mixed in with the Mexican Catholic culture in that place and era. Superstition always surprises and disappoints me. However, if you read much history you come to see how prevalent superstition has been throughout the ages. Let us not forget the Salem witch trials.

From Netflix I got a copy of this film which offered choices in sound track and subtitles. Whether a purchased copy offers the same choices I do not know. In any case I chose Spanish sound track and subtitles and was really happy with the result. For anyone interested in Spanish, this version offers a very approachable and easily understood spoken Spanish. As is almost always the case the spoken and written scripts are very close but not exactly the same.

One other similar film that comes to mind is “Like Water For Chocolate”.

Consider this style of film “sui generis”. Hopefully you will enjoy it as much as I did.

2011, Acceptable for children, Catholic culture, Comedy, Could Be Sad, Italian, Satire, Slapstick

We Have A Pope (2011)

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From Netflix:

The pope has died, and the congress of cardinals has chosen his successor. But what happens if the newly elected pontiff doesn’t want the job? This comedy follows the Vatican’s travails as it strives to make one cardinal accept his destiny.

You need not be Catholic to enjoy this funny and sad romp through Rome, but it might help. Especially that is true because the film makes a bit of fun of various aspects of the Catholic church.

Basically, the newly elected pope does not want the job and he escapes in street clothes into the busy Roman life while his Secretary of State desperately searches for him hoping to convince him to remain as pope.

You might recognize the actor Nanni Moretti who directed this film. He plays the psychoanalyst which the Secretary of State hires to help the newly elected pope in his time of indecision. Needless to say, this is all tongue in cheek. At one point the psychoanalyst divides the cardinals into volleyball teams and stages a tournament. If you want to see Nanni Moretti in a wonderful film, try “The Son’s Room”. “We Have a Pope” is, on the other hand, a mere diversion which at times can be very funny.

In Italian with subtitles.

2012, Based on true facts, Biographical, Catholic culture, Drama, Explicit sex, Explicit sexual discussion, FilmReview, Flirting, Jewish Culture, Love Story, Medical Theme, Mostly About Sex, Nudity, Polio, Sex therapist

The Sessions (2012)

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From NetFlix:

After spending years in an iron lung, a man decides he wants to explore his sexuality for the first time, and hires a surrogate to aid the goal. Through their intensifying relationship, this indie drama illustrates the many forms love can take.

To quote from Wikipedia:

[This film] is based on an essay by Mark O’Brien, a poet paralyzed from the neck down due to polio, who hired a sex surrogate to lose his virginity.

To my way of thinking, Helen Hunt offered a daring and completely appropriate portrayal as a sex therapist. At times her performance (completely naked) seemed almost clinical, and indeed that is just what her performance should have been. For an actress aged 49, Helen Hunt physically is almost too perfect.

What adds emotion to the film is the fact that she actually fell in love with her client. In fact four women are in some way involved with Mark. More than that I will not say.

William H. Macy’s role as a Catholic priest annoyed me. At the very least he is in desperate need of a haircut. Although I might have objected to the intrusion of Catholicism into the plot, I can easily imagine what solace religion and a strong faith would bring to a mentally healthy man trapped in an iron lung. To do what his did (seek help from a sex therapist) took real guts.

While this film might not be for everyone (nudity? Tsk, tsk), I enjoyed the film and can honestly say it is unique in the annals of filmdom.

1994, British, Catholic culture, Child Molestation, Drama, Explicit sex, Gay theme, Religious Theme

Priest (1994)

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From NetFlix:

Director Antonia Bird’s film centers on Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache), a devout Catholic priest who struggles with a love for his church and congregation — and his secret life as a homosexual with a gay lover (Robert Carlyle). After hearing the confession of a young girl in his parish, who tells him her father is sexually abusing her, the priest is torn between the laws of the church and his need to choose one life over the other.

When this film appeared in 1994 the reviews were a mixture of praise and condemnation. Here the thesis is that the Catholic church is out-of-date and needs to change. No matter your opinion in this case, from an artistic standpoint many viewers, myself included, found the film often preachy, overly melodramatic, and driven by a prejudiced agenda. Still, the film held my attention throughout.

Three separate issues run through the film: Father Matthew Thomas (Tom Wilkinson) is living with the housekeeper, Father Greg Pilkington (Linus Roache) is gay, and a parishoner is sexually abusing his young daughter. With this last item the problem is that due to the “seal of confession” Father Greg feels he cannot tell anyone.

Some sex scenes between Father Greg and his male lover Graham (Robert Carlyle) are explicit.

In watching an old film it can be fun seeing actors that you know from films and TV closer to the present:

  • Linus Roache played Michael Cutter in both “Law and Order” and “Law and Order SVU”.
  • Tom Wilkinson has a huge acting resume. You may recall him as Graham Dashwood in “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel”
  • Robert Carlyle also has a long resume. You may remember his as Gaz in the 1997 film “The Full Monty”.

My strongest reaction to this film was: “Here we are 19 years after the film was made and there have been no changes in the Catholic church”. Surprise!