Reviews New Zealand Catholic

VALLEY OF FAITH — Sisters of Mercy in Pawarenga 1927–1990 (Available at St Mary’s Convent, New Street, Auckland, ph. 360 8009); $25. Reviewed by BEATE MATTHIES. The cover picture Tangiwai...

HISTORIC CHURCHES — A Guide to Over 60 Early New Zealand Churches by Linda Burgess, photography by Robert Burgess (Penguin Random House New Zealand, to be published September 1);...

ON THIS ROCK — 75 Years of St Peter’s College, Mountain Road by Matt Elliot, 2015 (Available from St Peter’s College, (09) 524-8108, admin@st-peters.school.nz); $35, plus postage (if required)....

by JOSEPH MCALEER NEW YORK (CNS) — Thomas Hardy’s 1874 novel about romantic entanglements in the English countryside returns to the big screen in Far from the Madding Crowd (Fox). In...

Reviewed by PAT LYTHE. TE RONGOPAI 1814, TAKOTO TE PAI — Bicentenary Reflections on Christian Beginnings and Developments in Aotearoa New Zealand edited by Allan Davidson, Stuart Lange, Peter Lineham,...

War films typically come in two kinds: straightforward action shows that depict heroism or have a satisfactory outcome, and those where conflicting motives produce uncertain outcomes.  History also judges specific wars  into those that had...

WORSHIP — A History of New Zealand Church Design by Bill McKay (photography by Jane Ussher) (Penguin, Random House, 2015); $85. Reviewed by TERESA WACKROW. In September this year...

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...

by NANCY ROBERTS When Christopher Hitchens died of esophageal cancer at the age of 62 in 2011, he was famous as a left-wing polemicist who argued passionately for atheism. Author...

GOD KNOWS WHERE THEY COME FROM! — Four Faith Stories from Hokitika (Craigs Design & Print Limited, Invercargill, 2014; www.craigprint.co.nz); $29.90. Reviewed by Bishop PATRICK DUNN. This is a fascinating...

CANON LAW IN ACTION by Brendan Daly (St Paul’s Publications, 2015); $36 (incl. postage). Reviewed by PATRICIA HANNAN. Msgr Brendan Daly is the principal of Good Shepherd College and a...

by NEVIL GIBSON Distinct comedy styles are usually based on genres rather than those of individuals who specialise on a smaller palette. A few examples are the droll and self-effacing concoctions...

by PETER GRACE New Zealand author Jean Watson was in her 50s when she started a life in India, helping orphans. She and New Zealand author Joy Cowley travelled together to India...

by NEVIL GIBSON Nearly 800,000 long-distance trips were made by New Zealanders last year. They travelled to Asia, Europe and across the Pacific on flights lasting at least nine hours. In-flight entertainment (IFE) systems have become a...

by NEVIL GIBSON Like heaven and Earth or black and white, the borderlands between the United States and Mexico depict opposites — the contrast between the rule of law and the...

by NEVIL GIBSON Last year’s hiatus of local films is about to end. Their absence was a huge contrast to 2014 when cinemagoers bought $2 million worth of tickets to...

One place I go looking for ideas for this column is the several boxes of CDs which have survived recent downsizing efforts in our house and are now residing...

by SAM HARRIS “Society,” wrote Pope St John Paul II at the beginning of his 1996 Letter to Artists, “needs artists ... to probe the true nature of man, his...

by NEVIL GIBSON At their best, fly-on-the-wall documentaries reveal more about their subjects than they would admit, while also reinforcing their own self-beliefs. Kiwi husband and wife team Christopher Pryor and Miriam...

HENARE WIREMU TARATOA — Noble Warrior by Patricia Brooks (Published by the author, available from 4 Briannell Valley Rd, Pyes Pa (patriciabrooks@xtra.co.nz)); $15 (including postage). Reviewed by GEMMA SINNOTT. is a...

It’s difficult to turn great works of literature into great films. But that doesn’t stop many from trying, particularly when themes still resonate in modern times. One is the subordination...

“Help me out / My friends and I, we’ve got a lot of problems ... While you’re doing fine, there’s some people and I/ Who have a really tough time getting through...

Hollywood ’s most honoured actress, Meryl Streep, has more than met her match with France’s Catherine Frot in their latest roles. Probably more by accident than design, both of their latest films are about the same person. Many dozens of  successful French films...

Dave Baxter used to be in a metal band. He wanted a change, “wanted to write music that you can walk along the street humming to”, so he taught himself to sing, started...

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...

AN INNER MUSIC — Living a life in God by Craig Larkin, SM (Fitzbeck Publishing, 2016; available from good bookshops, or the Society of Mary); $35. Reviewed by LYNDSAY FREER.  In this most...

LAUDATO SI’ — An Encyclical Letter on Ecology and Climate by Pope Francis (St Paul’s Publications, Australia, 2015); $14.99. Reviewed by SUSAN SMITH. Recently I was talking with a parishioner...

by NEVIL GIBSON A top 10 list of the best films about business is unlikely to have any from the past year or so. In fact, such a list of...

by NEVIL GIBSON Two films in the past few years about a legendary American businessman Steve Jobs would normally be considered excessive. But Apple Computer cofounder is no ordinary man. He...

The movies’ fascination with gadgets and those who invent them has not overlooked the importance of theory and ideas. Back in 2001, the success of A Beautiful Mind, in which Russell Crowe was cast as...