Directed by David O. Russell. 2013. Casting actors is an art. The casting director has to balance an understanding of the film's stor...

Ours is a complex age, contemporary wisdom advises. Everyone is so busy and there are so many people bustling about, doing different things...

Traditionalists are seldom lacking reasons they prefer the older form of the Roman Rite: the lectors, the extraordinary ministers of commun...

In celebration today I humbly present a small, choice sampling of my favorite polyphonic pieces for the Nativity. I've taken a few libe...

Directed by Jeremiah S. Chechik.  Written by John Hughes.  1989. Christmas Vacation is one of the most American of Christmas movies, and...

Directed by Terry Zwigoff. 2003. Bad Santa  is a refreshing reactionary Christmas movie. Instead of setting in us the typical frosty New...

With apologies to J. R. R. Tolkien . Out with the schola and toss out the chant!      Graduals down and hymnals up! There's no trad...

Directed by Mike Nichols. 2013. Is it inevitable that any story touching on love or romance or sex eventually gets sold in tarted-up packa...

It's curious that the discipline which forever insists that it relates to absolutely everything, which lectures about Vitruvius and A...

Directed by Mike Newell. 2012. Critics often observe that great technique can redeem humble subject matter with examples  The Magic Flut...