Meryl Streep once again captivates audiences in her newest film, “Florence Foster Jenkins.” Based on the real life New York socialite’s life and singing, um (cough), career, the film, while charming and fascinating, raises some serious questions about honesty and tough love.

How bad do you want it? This question drove Brandon Burlsworth (Christopher Severio) to something Greater. Despite no natural talent on the football field, Brandon wanted more than anything to play for the Arkansas Razorbacks. Coach after coach told him he would never make it but Brandon proved them all wrong and became known as the greatest walk-on in college football history.

The 1880 novel by Lew Wallace, gets re-told for a new generation in "Ben-Hur." Did I mention that the chariot race is completely awesome?

In "Captain Fantastic," Ben Cash (Viggo Mortensen) lives off the grid in the forests of the Pacific Northwest. He and his wife decided to raise their six children away from the influences of the world, providing a physical, moral, and intellectual education rarely seen today. Ben and Leslie (Trin Miller) want their kids to be philosopher kings. Intellectual debate happens around the campfire at night after daytime hours filled with rigorous physical training and hunting.

Back in 1991, I spent one week in Charleston, SC, on loan from my community in Alexandria, VA, to help out in the Pauline Book & Media Center there while other Sisters were away on vacation. Having always been a history buff, I took the opportunity to visit Fort Sumter on the weekend.  The narrative provided during the boat trip  mentioned the 1989 film, Glory, the story of which took place on nearby Morris Island. That night, I rented Glory and loved the film so much that it launc...

Louisa, caretaker and companion to the the embittered and sarcastic Will (a young quadriplegic), eventually gets under his skin with her perpetually cheery, optimistic and endearing demeanor, coupled with her highly original fashion choices. The dialogue and gentle sparring is genuinely witty and charming. The plot machinations are funny. At one point, while the "superior" Will is trying to school Lou about life, Lou comes back at him with a knowing description of how the type of upwardly mobile...

Writer-director Rodrigo Garcia imagines one possible scenario that might have happened to Jesus as he wandered at the tail end of his 40 days of fasting and praying. And wander he does, and then more wandering, and even more wandering. The landscape is bare, rocky, dusty, hot, and seemingly endless, not a nice place to get stuck in. It is here that Yeshua (Ewan McGregor) kneels in the dirt and mutters, “Father, where are you?” We see a broken Jesus. His ratty robes and grungy face do little to...

"The Dark Horse," the true story of New Zealand speed chess champion, Genesis Potini (Cliff Curtis), radiates compassion and mercy. Potini suffers with bipolar disorder. The opening scene sets the tone for the whole film. Gen, as he is called, wanders the rain-soaked streets wrapped in a patchwork quilt. He’s drawn to a pawn shop by the chess set in the window. The people in the shop show him compassion as he’s obviously mentally disturbed but they don’t quite know what to do with him.

"Risen" is a drama set in Biblical times centering around the mystery of Jesus’ Resurrection. It is the story of Clavius, a fictional Roman tribune brilliantly portrayed by Joseph Fiennes, who is tasked by Pontius Pilate (Peter Firth) first with overseeing Jesus’ Crucifixion, then sealing Jesus’ tomb, and finally hunting for Jesus’ body after the Resurrection to prevent the Jewish disciples proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah. The outer story of Clavius’s search for Christ provides the framewo...

"Room" showcases the best and worst of humanity in a compelling story adapted by Emma Donoghue from her own novel. Brie Larson, in an Oscar-worthy performance, is Ma, a young woman abducted when she was 17 and kept in a 10 x 10 foot square shed ever since. Jacob Tremblay is Jack, the son Ma bears after being repeatedly raped by her captor. Their story is as horrible and inspiring as any.