Faith and Film
Zero Dark Thirty

If you’ve read my reviews before, you know that I don’t do well with ultra-violent movies… I psyched myself up for the new two-hour 40 minute film by Bigelow and Boal. I’m happy to report that I’m very glad I did. I found “Zero Dark Thirty” to be an amazing experience… I was concerned that Zero Dark Thirty would be excessively violent. Yes, there is violence, but I don’t think it’s excessive, considering the subject matter of the film. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
Silver Linings Playbook, Les Miserables

“Silver Linings Playbook” has the Catholic sensibility that director David O. Russell displayed in “The Fighter,” one of my favorite movies of recent years. I don’t think “Silver Linings Playbook” is quite as good as The Fighter, but it sure comes close. “Les Miserables” makes the transition to the screen with mixed results. It’s such a great story, rich in theological themes, with a wonderful score, and all that survives. Reviews by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
Anna Karenina

Director Joe Wright and actress Keira Knightly have teamed together on two lush romantic movies: “Pride and Prejudice” (2005) and “Atonement” (2007.) Once more, they collaborate on the adaptation of a romantic movie based on a famous novel: Leo Tolstoy’s “Anna Karenina.” This time Wright has decided to try a unique approach to the adaptation. Read review by Tom Condon, OP.

Faith and Film
Lincoln, Life of Pi

“Lincoln”: Perhaps the greatest challenge for Steven Spielberg in making Lincoln was casting the lead role. Who could portray such an iconic figure: brilliant, honest, compassionate, tragic Civil War president? Daniel Day-Lewis rises to the challenge. “Life of Pi”: I’m always glad to find movies with spiritual themes, so I was happy to hear about “Life of Pi,” the new film by Oscar-winning director Ang Lee, based on the 2001 novel by Yann Martel. Reviews by Tom Condon, OP.

Faith and Film
High praise for Flight, Skyfall

As impressive as the flying scenes are, “Flight” is more concerned with the inner turbulence of pilot “Whip” Whitaker (Denzel Washington in an Oscar-worthy performance) whose life is spinning out of control. “Flight” is a strong, powerful film with excellent performances. “Skyfall” is the new, eagerly anticipated James Bond movie. It’s been four years since the last Bond movie and 50 years since the first Bond movie, “Dr. No.” “Skyfall” is the third movie with Daniel Craig as Bond. In every respect, it is worth the wait. Reviews by Tom Condon, OP.

Faith and Film
Argo

“Argo,” my first movie of the fall season, is a great success. It’s a suspenseful, and at times surprisingly funny, movie that tells an previously unknown story behind a historical event. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
Moonrise Kingdom

The latest film from the quirky independent filmmaker Wes Anderson (“The Royal Tannenbaums,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”), “Moonrise Kingdom” takes us back to a small New England town in the summer of 1965. “Moonrise Kingdom” is beautiful to look at, with a cast of likeable actors, yet when I left the theater, I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to make of it. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

Most summer movies are targeted to young audiences who are out of school, looking for something to do with their free time. So if the latest superheroes action movie isn’t exactly your cup of tea, it’s good to know that there are at least a few films targeted to “more mature” audiences. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
The Avengers

If you pay any attention to entertainment news, you’ve no doubt heard that the opening weekend of the latest comic book movie, “The Avengers,” was the highest grossing weekend in movie history. In its first two weeks, “The Avengers” has made over $300 million dollars. After seeing the film, its huge success seems a sad commentary on the state of movies today. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins has already become a phenomenon in the publishing world, having reached millions of young adult readers. Now the first movie has been released, and it, too, has become a big hit… I’d heard of The Hunger Games, but have not read the books, and knew little about them. But the movie’s success and positive buzz made we want to see it. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
Undefeated

“Undefeated” is this year’s Oscar winner for best documentary. It recounts the 2009 football season of Manassas High School, located in an impoverished Memphis neighborhood. It had been many years since Manassas had had a winning football team, and it had never won a playoff game. This was about to change. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
A Separation

“A Separation” just won the Oscar for best foreign language film. It is the first Iranian film to be so honored. This domestic drama has received widespread critical acclaim for its unique glimpse at family life in Iran. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy

“Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy,” the new movie based on John Le Carre’s 1973 novel, could hardly be more different than “Mission: Impossible” and James Bond. In Le Carre’s world, espionage takes place in dreary buildings carried out by decidedly non-glamorous looking people… The plot is so intricate that I’m not really sure exactly what happened in the film. But from the beginning, I was so drawn into the world of the Cold War 40 years ago that I was as engrossed as if I were reading a good novel. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
The Artist

The talk of the film year has been the amazing story of a black and white silent film which won the Grand Prize at the Cannes Film Festival last May and opened in late 2011 to critical acclaim in the United States. Now it has won a Golden Globe, and, with 10 Oscar nominations, seems the movie to beat for best picture. It’s been over 80 years since a silent film won the Oscar for best picture, and 18 since a black and white film won. “The Artist” could well make history at the Oscars this year. Read review by Tom Condon, OP

Faith and Film
The Iron Lady

Meryl Streep’s performance in “Iron Lady” is remarkable in that we see her not only as an old woman, but as a young member of Parliament, and as Britain’s first female prime minister. Unfortunately, the movie is not nearly as good as Streep’s performance. Read review by Tom Condon, OP