Depending on your faith levels, your mileage will vary, but 'Fatima' is a handsomely filmed and respectful retelling of a true story, one that sees people still flocking to the site each year, over 100 years later, to try and see what those children saw. - Jake Watt Read Jake's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-fatima-a-respectful-retelling-of-a-miraculous-story
Faith-based films are a very iffy genre. You can rarely fault the film makers for having their hearts in the right place, but on the other hand, many of those films are unwatchable. Many mainstream viewers dismiss Christian films, or any film they don't agree with, without seeing the work- or they review the beliefs and politics behind the film instead of the film itself, turning to personal insults of critics and audiences who give a film a chance (totally speaking from personal experience). Some Christians do likewise with films that offend their faith. "Fatima" is not a perfect film, but the story of the three children who saw the Virgin Mary in 1917 Portugal is obviously a lasting one. Lucia (Stephaine Gil) and her cousins Jacinta (Alejandra Howard) and Francisco (Jorge Lamelas) are living during the Great War. Lucia and her mother (Lucia Moniz) await news about their brother and son, who is off fighting in a distant land. The town is overseen by a non-believing mayor (Goran Visnjic), who solemnly reads the names out loud in the town square of the area men who are killed or missing. The three children encounter an angel (Ivone Fernandes-Jesus), who tells them to pray for peace and to expect another visitation. While tending to their sheep, they encounter a mysterious woman (Joana Ribeiro) only they can see, and who visits them monthly. She tells them to pray for peace, stop insulting God, and gives Lucia three secret messages about the future which she shouldn't share with anyone. The children's story is bookended by a non-believing professor (Harvey Keitel) interviewing an adult Sister Lucia (Sonia Braga), a nun who still believes what she saw decades earlier. I don't think you need to be Catholic to get something out of the film. So many parallels can be made between World War I-era Portugal and today. The film makers are very even-handed in their portrayals of Christians and non-Christians. The town mayor's wife is a believer. The local priest (Joaquim de Almeida) is skeptical, as is Lucia's own mother- who prays and serves God to make sure her son's name is never announced in the town square, but doesn't believe Lucia's story to the point of physical violence. As word gets out about the mysterious sightings, crowds gather and beg for healing, ripping up Lucia's father's (Marco D'Almeida) crops to make an offering to "The Lady of the Rosary." Lucia, and her cousins, begin to doubt what they saw as adults berate their stories as lies, but their faith in God makes them return to the field for their sightings and visions, culminating in the Miracle of the Sun. Gil and Moniz are outstanding as Lucia and her mother. I wanted to get more from the Keitel/Braga scenes, but they trail off and aren't necessary to the central story. The film was shot in Portugal with an international cast, but there is an awkwardness with the English dialogue. Gil and Moniz are saddled with one too many scenes of domestic strife, but I did appreciate how Visnjic is not portrayed as an evil, villainous atheist. He's following orders from the government, while dealing with his wife and local issues. There are some intense scenes, using special effects to achieve the children's visions, but without turning this into a Marvel Cinematic Universe movie. I was tearing up a little bit when Ribeiro would speak, telling the children everything they needed to do to bring peace to the world. If we thought God was insulted back then, I can't begin to comprehend what is thought about today's culture- and I probably don't want to know. Despite the awkward moments, "Fatima" is a rewarding experience. Faith-based and conservative films are on the rise as audiences are turning away from mainstream Hollywood and popular culture. Social media and smart phones are addicting, it's nice to break free and wake up.
Sent to Mexico to help take care of aging Father Benito, young Father Amaro faces a moral challenge when he meets a 16-year-old girl who he starts an affair with. Likewise, the girl's mother had been having an affair with Father Benito. Father Amaro must choose between a holy or sinful life.
Movie Star Rating : 6.6 Read More
Paradise Found is a biography about the painter Paul Gauguin. Focusing on his personal conflict between citizen life and his family life and the art scene in Frane. In an incredible imagery montage Gauguin manages to make a successful living in the South Pacific, while being in opposition to France.
Movie Star Rating : 6.5 Read More
A classic of the silent age, this film tells the story of the doomed but ultimately canonized 15th-century teenage warrior. On trial for claiming she'd spoken to God, Jeanne d'Arc is subjected to inhumane treatment and scare tactics at the hands of church court officials. Initially bullied into changing her story, Jeanne eventually opts for what she sees as the truth. Her punishment, a famously brutal execution, earns her perpetual martyrdom.
Movie Star Rating : 8 Read More
The story of Saul Alinsky, the father of community organizing, and the rise of his Cultural Marxism in the Catholic Church and America.
Movie Star Rating : 0 Read More
When Queen Elizabeth's reign is threatened by ruthless familial betrayal and Spain's invading army, she and her shrewd adviser must act to safeguard the lives of her people.
Movie Star Rating : 6.7 Read More
Four corrupted fascist libertines round up 9 teenage boys and girls and subject them to 120 days of sadistic physical, mental and sexual torture.
Movie Star Rating : 6.4 Read More
Au revoir les enfants tells a heartbreaking story of friendship and devastating loss concerning two boys living in Nazi-occupied France. At a provincial Catholic boarding school, the precocious youths enjoy true camaraderie—until a secret is revealed. Based on events from writer-director Malle’s own childhood, the film is a subtle, precisely observed tale of courage, cowardice, and tragic awakening.
Movie Star Rating : 7.5 Read More
Boy Kills World 2023 - Movies (May 2nd)
Godzilla Minus One 2023 - Movies (May 1st)
Arcadian 2024 - Movies (May 1st)
Down the Rabbit Hole 2024 - Movies (May 1st)
A Million Days 2023 - Movies (May 1st)
Resurrected 2023 - Movies (May 1st)
This Never Happened 2024 - Movies (May 1st)
Justice League Crisis on Infinite Earths Part Two 2024 - Movies (May 1st)
The Peasants 2023 - Movies (May 1st)
Sick Girl 2023 - Movies (Apr 30th)
The Portable Door 2023 - Movies (Apr 30th)
Great White Fight Club 2023 - Movies (Apr 30th)
Three Dates to Forever 2023 - Movies (Apr 30th)
Candid About Love 2023 - Movies (Apr 30th)
The Fall Guy 2024 - Movies (Apr 30th)
The Long Game 2023 - Movies (Apr 30th)
Cabrini 2024 - Movies (Apr 30th)
Madame Web 2024 - Movies (Apr 29th)
Honeymoonish 2024 - Movies (Apr 29th)
Priscilla 2023 - Movies (Apr 29th)
Romance at the Vineyard 2023 - Movies (Apr 29th)
Alarm for Cobra 11- The Motorway Police - (May 2nd)
Animal Control - (May 2nd)
The ReidOut - (May 2nd)
Deadline- White House - (May 2nd)
The Beat with Ari Melber - (May 2nd)
Dimension 20 - (May 2nd)
Tucker on X - (May 2nd)
MSNBC Reports Andrea Mitchell Reports - (May 2nd)
The Bold and the Beautiful - (May 1st)
The Price Is Right - (May 1st)
Love Triangle - (May 1st)
The Green Veil - (May 1st)
Coke Studio - (May 1st)
The Repair Shop - (May 1st)
Roadkill Garage - (May 1st)
Behind the Music - (May 1st)
Catfish- The TV Show - (May 1st)
The Young and the Restless - (May 1st)
Garden Rescue - (May 1st)
My 600-lb Life- Where Are They Now? - (May 1st)