Reviews New Zealand Catholic

HOW TO DEFEND THE FAITH WITHOUT RAISING YOUR VOICE by Austen Ivereigh and Kathryn Jean Lopez (Our Sunday Visitor, 2015). 192pp. Reviewed by PAT McCARTHY. It’s a situation we’ve...

THE GIFT OF GRIEF — One son’s story following the death of his father by Andrew Stringfellow (Redemptorist Publications, 2015, Supplied by Pleroma Christian Supplies); $25.00; reviewed by DELIA...

Sectarian politics in Northern Ireland were so extreme that when travelling overseas it was customary for politicians from opposing factions to accompany each other to ensure their mutual safety. That...

A few years ago, the lack of non-white faces in the Hollywood Oscar nominations was a matter of major controversy. This year, a film with only black faces, Moonlight, was the winner.African-American themes also featured...

The rewriting of history by filmmakers is an occupational hazard for audiences. Most aren’t as egregious as some of Hollywood’s biggest distortions, such as Mel Gibson’s William Wallace in...

“Jesus, Jesus, I’m still looking for answers / Though I know that I won’t find them here tonight / But Jesus, Jesus, could you call me if you have...

MARY’S WAY — the power of entrusting your child to God, by Judy Landrieu Klein, (Ave Maria Press, 2016, Supplied by Pleroma Christian Supplies); $36.99. Reviewed by SHANNON ROBERTS Mary’s...

THE INVISIBLE BESTSELLER: Searching for the Bible in America by Kenneth A. Briggs. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing (Grand Rapids, Michigan, 2016). 239 pp., US$25. Reviewed by EUGENE J. FISHER...

It’s hard to believe Warren Beatty has been one of Hollywood’s fixtures for nearly six decades since he first appeared opposite Natalie Wood in Splendour in the Grass (1961). Just...

AROUND THE TABLE: Retelling the Story of the Eucharist Through the Eyes of Jesus’ First Followers by R. Scott Hurd. (Ave Maria Press, Notre Dame, Indiana, 2017). 160 pp.,...

The Partition of India in 1947 rates as one of the momentous events of the 20th century. The figures alone show the scale: 14 million displaced and one million...

The first live band my oldest child experienced was Avalanche City at Parachute Festival some years ago. She was fresh into the world and we stood in the back...

Courtroom dramas demand a full quota of theatrics and two compelling sides of an argument. The defamation case brought in 1996 by British author David Irving against an American academic,...

“Man, you’re like a Dave Dobbyn evangelist,” said a friend to me some years ago as I raved to him about Dobbyn’s just-released album Available Light. Well, I’ve loved...

The New Zealand Catholic Bishops Conference has published a new booklet on liturgical policy for Christian funerals and guidelines for tangihana. The 36-page booklet is entitled For Those Who Believe:...

FOUNTAIN OF GRACE – celebrating 150 years of the Icon of Love by Jim McManus, CSsR, (Redemptorist Publications, 2015, Supplied by Pleroma Christian Supplies); $27.50. Reviewed by Fr MERVYN...

Poland, nuns and winter are a surefire mix of ingredients for an excellent film, if recent experience is any guide. A couple of years ago, Ida proved a big hit...

“This music makes me sad: can you put something else on?” asked the sous chef.  Funny how the same piece of music can produce different responses in different people. I was head waiter in...

Ever since Japanese Catholic writer Shusaku Endo published his 1966 novel Silence, film-makers and others have been fascinated by its themes of religious doubt, martyrdom and apostasy. Although set in...

Reviewed by BRIAN WELTER (CNS)  Peter Seewald’s interview of Pope Benedict, which follows from previous interviews and works including Salt of the Earth, offers readers a journey through the theological life of the retired pope. This...

When the annual awards season comes around, the question of too few films made by women usually arises. A lack of ethnic diversity in the movie industry is another complaint.  The recent Oscars show these criticisms,...

“Raise your glass and we’ll have a cheer / My dear acquaintance, a happy new year,” sings Peggy Lee on her Winter Wonderland collection. In writing this piece I was surprised to discover so...

“Christmas . . . all the treasure and the trash,” sings Australian musical icon Paul Kelly in his song How to Make Gravy. Go and look it up online now,...

“I remember all of it … Let me take you back,” said musician and producer John Simon at the start of the Last Waltz 40th Anniversary Concert at the...

The more challenging end of the science fiction spectrum should offer as much reward for the mind as for the senses.  In the past few years, some of the most creative work...

In Keeping the Vow, author Fr D. Paul Sullins, a sociologist and a former Episcopal priest, presents his research on a tiny but fascinating subcategory of American Catholic priests — married Catholic priests who...

Most film productions have their share of drama behind the scenes. Often these are bigger than what finally appears on the screen. For obvious reasons, the big studios go out of their way...

by Pat Lythe On the Saturday of Labour weekend, an assembly of people, mainly Catholics, gathered at the Little Sisters of the Poor in Herne Bay, Auckland, to witness the launch of Jocelyn Franklin’s...

Few  would argue that the big open skies and arid landscapes of Texas have produced some of the best classic and modern westerns. As far back as the 1950s and...

On our fridge sits a daily desk calendar with quotes from Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. Retired prayerfully and peacefully to a former convent in a corner of the Vatican with his books, piano and...