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What if the Soviets beat the US to the moon? Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Cory Sticha, and Joanne Mercier discuss this AppleTV+ series, how the alternate history unspools, and the moral choices it creates for the protagonists over its 3 seasons so far.
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Few would claim The Last Starfighter is one of the great scifi movies of all time. But Dom Bettinelli, David Handlos, and Thomas Sanjurjo all agree that it’s a great fun movie with a hero you want to root for and some incredibly groundbreaking effects for its day.
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What is the gray moral area that a CIA agent lives in? Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Chip Hines, and Thomas Sanjurjo discuss this Netflix blockbuster in which an assassin has boundaries he won’t cross and must risk is life for it.
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Another Batman. Andrew Hermiz, David Handlos, and Irving Nestor discuss the latest Batman movie, starring Robert Pattinson, and the way this film reinterprets the Caped Crusader once again.
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Close Encounters launched the UFO craze of the late 70s and Jimmy Akin, Dom Bettinelli, Thomas Salerno, and Mike Denz discuss the cultural impact, the idea of alien contact, and the connections to reported real world UFO encounters.
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Who was the real Father Stu behind the movie character? Dom Bettinelli, Fr. Cory Sticha, and Joanne Mercier discuss Fr. Cory’s memories of Father Stu, plus how the biopic depicts priestly life and formation and its reminder of the beauty of redemptive suffering.
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The story of St. Thomas More came to the big screen in a classic 1996 film. Dom Bettinelli, Mike Creavey, and Mike Denz discuss the movie and how it portrays the great saint of conscience in public service, including how his example still applies today.
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Bookending their look at the Blade Runner films, Thomas Sanjurjo, Thomas Salerno, and Jack Baruzzini discuss the sequel and its continued exploration of what it means to be human, including whether replicants and AIs can have souls.
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The first summer blockbuster, Jaws has had wide impact on our cultures, our attitudes about sharks and open water, and on films in general. Dom Bettinelli, Mike Denz, and Thomas Salerno discuss this Spielberg classic.
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Madness! Dom Bettinelli and Fr. Chip Hines have their instant hot take on the new MCU movie, including discussion of Messiah complexes, finding happiness, and whether audience superhero fatigue is on the horizon.
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Rounding out their discussion of Coppola’s trilogy, Dom Bettinelli, Andrew Hermiz, and Mike Creavey talk about why this installment doesn’t measure up to the others; the Vatican conspiracy plotline and its connection to history; and the theme of redemption and contrition or lack thereof.
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Coffee and Cinema returns! Dom Bettinelli and Fr. Chip Hines are back with their quick, on-the-spot review of the Mark Wahlberg movie, Father Stu, and they discuss the authenticity of the vocational journey it depicts as well as some of the more controversial aspects of the film.
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The 1995 Tom Hanks movie highlights NASA’s finest hour and Dom Bettinelli, Shelly Kelly, Joanne Mercier, and Mike Denz discuss how the movie matches up to what really happened and delve into behind-the-scenes and real-life details of the 1970 Apollo accident.
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Star Wars changed everything about SciFi at the movies. Thomas Sanjurjo, David Handlos, and Dom Bettinelli look at the distinct eras and genres of science fiction movies from the 1950s to 1977 and then the non-space-opera SciFi afterward.
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Christopher Nolan’s 2014 film Interstellar presents a vision of a future where humanity struggles to survive. Dom Bettinelli, Jack Baruzzini, and Mike Creavey discuss the themes of fatherhood; a materialist view of love; and the morality of fighting off extinction at all costs.
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The original Blade Runner is a beloved blend of cyberpunk and noir detective story. Thomas Sanjurjo, Jack Baruzzini, and Thomas Salerno delve deep into this groundbreaking film, its themes of life and death and hope and despair, and the several versions released over the years.
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Swing into one of the biggest MCU hits with Fr. Andrew, Andrew H., Mike, and Thomas for a huge discussion about Spider-Man: No Way Home, including how incredibly fun it is and honors all the many characters it brings in, both villains and heroes, but also gives a deep message about heroism, brotherhood, redemption, and sacrifice, making those themes a crucial part of Peter Parker’s MCU origin story and sets him up for what comes next.
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Lost Skeleton is a lovingly crafted homage to the old sci-fi B movies of the 50s, and Dom Bettinelli, Jimmy Akin, and David Handlos have a blast discussing the hilarious script full of quotable lines, the nods to old-style filmmaking, and just how much fun this film will be for the whole family.
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Hawkeye seemed like an unlikely candidate for his own series, but as Dom Bettinelli, Mike Denz, and David Handlos discuss, the fun Christmas-set series gave us the next generation of Hawkeye and Black Widow; brought back the best part of the Netflix Marvel series; and showed us what a good dad Clint is.
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As Amazon’s adaption of Robert Jordan’s epic series debuts, Dom Bettinelli, Shelly Kelley, Thomas Sanjurjo, and Fr. Cory Sticha discuss how it varies and stays true to the books; where the philosophies present in the story draw from both Eastern and Western spirituality; and spoiler-free thoughts on where it will go from here.
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