When I heard about the new movie, "Everything, Everything," it was advertised as “from the studio that brought you "Me Before You."” As that was a pro-euthanasia film, I was hoping "Everything, Everything" wasn’t more of the same, reinforcing the culture of death, as St. John Paul II put it. Thankfully, it is not.

What marks a person of virtue? What qualities make up that person’s character? How do those qualities show themselves in daily living? "The Circle" doesn’t really answer these questions but it does raise questions about how we make choices.

“A Quiet Passion,” the poetic biopic of Emily Dickinson is as unsung as its protagonist. Her quiet, unassuming life was both a solace and a source of angst for her whose soul expanded far beyond the social conventions of New England in the late 19th century.

Seeing refugees flee their war-torn countries such as in Syria, we realize this tragic displacement of peoples happens over and over again through history. Many flee, but many are massacred simply for being who they are. Why, in the case of the Armenian Genocide, did it take one hundred years before the story was told? "The Promise" is a step toward correcting the silence.

"The Zookeeper's Wife," the latest film from director Niki Caro ("Whale Rider"), is perhaps one of the most unknown historical dramas that took place during World War II and forms part of the canon of Holocaust films. The drama is a bit uneven but the story is quite inspiring.

The movie, "The Shack," based on the best-selling novel by William P. Young, provides a cinematic retreat for the audience. In two hours it invites the viewer to go deep, to examine one’s life, relationships, and struggles with faith. As Tim McGraw, who plays Mack’s friend and pastor, Willie, in the film, says, this story “impacts viscerally.” One cannot but be moved by such a profoundly impactful film. The movie draws each viewer into the emotion-laden experience of the characters...

Marriage is an institution in crisis in our society right now. Our young people need examples of people who remain faithful to their love and their marriage vows through all life throws at them: in good times and in bad, as the vows say. “A United Kingdom” is a film that provides such an example in an inspiring true story.

Based on the non-fiction book, "A Long Way Home," by Saroo Brierley with Larry Buttrose, the Oscar-nominated film, “Lion” tells the heartrending story of 5-year-old, Saroo (Sunny Pawar), who accidentally becomes lost on a train in India and ends up 1,500 kilometers from his home.

Sometimes science fiction offers a creative reflection on what is truly important in life—living each moment as a gift. In the Oscar-nominated film, "Arrival," Louise (Amy Adams) shares her special gift of communication, not only through language, which she teaches as a linguist, but also through the spiritual depths of human emotions.

Lasse Hallström, the Swedish director known for thought-provoking films such as “The Hundred Foot Journey,” “Chocolat,” “The Shipping News,” and “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” once again provides theater-goers with some food for thought in “A Dog’s Purpose.” Of course, the food tastes better out of the trash and bacon from under the table is just the best.