THE B-MOVIE CATECHISM 
DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 23, 2026
Crimes of the Future (2022) At some point in the not too far off future, biotechnology has advanced to the point that most humans no longer feel sensations like hurt or discomfort. These advances have also kickstarted evolutionary changes in the human body, which for some reason doesn't sit well with the government. To help crack down on illegal evolution, the National Organ Registry goes to performance artist Tenser to help infiltrate the evolutionist underground. Tenser, you see, suffers from Accelerated Evolution Syndrome, which causes him to grow extraneous organs and makes him one of the rare individuals to feel pain. Because of this, people pay to watch Tenser undergo surgery to remove his extra organs while still awake. This gives Tenser cred with the underground, so they accept him into their ranks. The thing is, Tenser starts to accept them as well. What's Tenser to do; turn the underground in, or join the cause? David Cronenberg's return to weirdness isn't up there with his best, but his fans will find much to appreciate. As Pope St. John Paul II noted in a 1996 address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, "Today, almost half a century after the publication of the Encyclical [Humani Generis], new knowledge has led to the recognition that the theory of evolution is more than a hypothesis... The convergence... of the results of lines of work conducted independently of one another constitutes by itself a significant argument in favor of the theory." Evolution is, in fact, taught without reservation in Catholic schools and universities as a likely part of God's natural order. But what about the notion that we might still be evolving? There's no official statement on that idea, but since microevolution has always been a part of the overall theory, it's probably safe to assume the Church would accept the idea of continuing evolution to some degree as long as it is understood within a framework that includes God's creative role and His special creation of the soul.Now Showing at a Blog Near You: For Aleteia this week, I hang out with The Sheep Detectives. No movie about a bunch of sheep trying to solve a murder has any right being this good. Definitely in my top five of the year so far.
Chiller (1985) Millionaire industrialist Miles Creighton isn't too fond about dying, so he arranges to have himself cryogenically frozen. After about ten years, though, the machine he's in malfunctions and Miles must be revived. Fortunately, during Miles' long nap, they've invented a procedure to fix his fatal condition. Unfortunately, they can't do anything about Miles' missing soul, which apparently didn't exit the freezer with him. Now a conscienceless monster, Miles sets about purposely ruining the lives of his employees by jettisoning anyone he feels is hampering profits. He also commits a few murders on the side. It's a Wes Craven made-for-TV film, so the movie is probably trying to say something about the perceived heartlessness of Reagan-era capitalism, but nothing Craven does can save this movie from being a complete bore.Since the Church opposes the creation of human persons outside of the conjugal love of a husband and wife, the cryogenic freezing of embryos is right out. But what about the freezing of adults in hopes of reviving them later? Well, Justo Aznar, director of the Bioethics Observatory of the Catholic University of Valencia, notes that current cryogenic technology would kill a living person, so the person being frozen is required to be dead before the procedure takes place. Obviously, the killing part is right out. As for the preserving of the corpse for later, that goes against the Church's teachings on the proper handling of the body after death. Finally, there's the fact that the soul leaves the body after death, returning only for the final resurrection. So, the whole procedure is a pipe dream to begin with. Based on that, it's safe to assume the Church opposes cryogenics.Dust Devil (1992) As a traditional Namibian healer named Joe warns us of Dust Devils, demons who materialize from the desert winds and roam the highways looking to kill those who have given up on life, we join one such creature as he burns down a woman's house and dumps her corpse in the back of a car. The Dust Devil then hitches a ride with his next intended victim, Wendy Robinson, a forlorn woman who has just left her husband after being falsely accused of infidelity. However, after Wendy overcomes her despair and decides against ending her own life, the Dust Devil decides to just hang out with her for a while rather than doing the thing he usually does. Meanwhile, thanks to the trail of bodies the Dust Devil has left behind, the police are now tracking him, aided by Joe and his magic stick. Richard Stanley's follow-up to his cult favorite Hardware is just as stylish and moody as its predecessor, coming across a little like if Sergio Leone had made a horror movie. It's ridiculously hard to find, but worth it if you can.Aquinas was no fan of despair because it basically arises from the false belief that God is withholding his grace. Interestingly, despair seems to be a favorite tactic of the devil when it comes to attacking Saints. For example, St. Thérèse of Lisieux wrote how she endured intense temptations to despair, especially when she was near death, feeling like heaven was nothing but a "night of nothingness" and that her faith was illusory. For 50 years, as her letters noted, St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta was deeply tempted by feelings of spiritual desolation and abandonment. She spoke of feeling “forsaken,” like Jesus on the Cross, and feared becoming “a Judas to Jesus.” Heck, St. John of the Cross wrote a whole book about his struggles, Dark Night of the Soul, in which he describes those times when God seemingly removes consolations, leading to aridity, confusion, and a sense of abandonment. However, as he explained, such times can lead to a deeper union with God because it's during them when the soul must walk by faith alone.
DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 8, 2026
The Four Skulls of Jonathan Drake (1959) The titular professor decides to visit his 60-year-old brother Kenneth after seeing visions of floating skulls, but never gets to as the brother dies after finding a shrunken head right before Jonathan gets there. The cause of death appears to be cardiac arrest, which is weird because Kenneth's the latest in a long line of Drakes to die at age 60 in the same manner. Perhaps odder is that his corpse is later decapitated. Jonathan soon discovers that his ancestor Capt. Wilfred Drake traveled to Ecuador in 1873 and ended up massacring a Jivaro tribe, causing the local witch doctor to curse any male in the Drake bloodline to die at 60. That may not sound that bad if you're 20, but as the years pass, it begins to sound way too soon. Anyway, Jonathan must discover who's carrying out the curse and stop him before he loses his own head. Nothing spectacular, but fits the bill if you're looking for something a little different than the usual late '50s monsters and mutants.While not on the same massive scale as the Aztecs, the Incas, including those in Ecuador, also engaged in human sacrifice and enslaved their neighbors. So, when Pizarro and pals showed up and started putting an end to such things, they found eager allies amongst many of the other indigenous peoples in the region. Unfortunately, the Spanish also engaged in some abuses of their own, and it was for those that popes starting with John Paul II began to issue apologies for any role that the Church may have contributed to such actions. In 2023, the Vatican issued the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery which formally rejected any 15th-century papal bulls that attempted to justify European claims over non-Christian lands and peoples, noting that such beliefs “did not adequately reflect the equal dignity and rights of indigenous peoples”.The Sea Serpent (1985) Banned from piloting anymore ships because the courts didn't believe his tale of a shrieking sea serpent sinking his boat, Captain Pedro Fontan (played by Timothy Bottoms, who in no way looks like any Pedro I've ever met) seeks out the only other witness who can verify his claims. The hard part is she's currently locked away in an asylum. As the constantly screaming monster munches on a few more people, Pedro frees the falsely committed woman and assembles a small crew to track the beast down and destroy it once and for all. Overall, this is pretty standard stuff for a low-budget quickie from Spain, but the effects for the titular monster itself are so outlandish, like Reptilicus-level outlandish, that it instantly gains at least one star from fans of this kind of thing.What we know for sure about St. Senan is that he was born in Munster, Ireland, was a soldier before becoming a monk, and was named Abbot at St. Natalis at Kilmanagh in Ossory. When it comes to the Saints, though, their stories rarely stop with the verifiable facts. There is a legend referenced in the late eighth century Calendar of Oengus about St. Senan's confrontation with a sea serpent named the Cathach. This was a horrible creature with a spiked back, scales, a fish-like tail, clawed feet, and a spiraling nose which took to terrorizing the locals, gobbling up people and animals alike. With some timely aid from St. Michael the Archangel, St. Senan confronted the Cathach, made the sign of the cross, chained the beast, and banished it to Doolough Lake. True? Who knows. Cool? Definitely.
DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 24, 2026
Godzilla Raids Again (1955) The Big G died in his first movie, but not to worry, there's a backup. While attempting to rescue a fellow pilot who has crashed on Iwato Island, Shoichi Tsukioka discovers a second Godzilla fighting another giant monster soon to be named Anguirus. Shoichi alerts the authorities, who try to lure the beasts away from any cities by turning off all the lights and sending up flares in the opposite direction. Alas, some idiot thieves attempt a robbery during the blackout and the explosion they set off brings the two monsters straight to Osaka. Godzilla makes swift work of Anguirus, which is helpful, but that still leaves Japan with the problem of finding some way to put the rampaging King of the Monsters on ice. There is no such thing as an unenjoyable Godzilla movie, but this first sequel is a hug step down from the excellent original, with its only claim to fame being it started the trend of introducing a new kaiju in each film for Godzilla to battle.When the same guys who altered the original Godzilla for American release got ahold of Godzilla Raids Again, they made even more drastic changes, going so far as to change the name of the movie to Gigantis, The Fire Monster in hopes of convincing audiences it was a brand new monster. Producer Paul Schreibman later admitted regretting the decision, as it turned out viewers weren't fooled and would have preferred to have been given the real thing. It's like with the Bible. A study by LifeWay Research indicates that the overwhelming majority of readers prefer word-for-word translations that prioritize fidelity to the original text over those that use dynamic equivalence to paraphrase Scripture. This is because the more literal versions preserve nuances, word connections, and ambiguities in the original Hebrew/Greek while the paraphrases leave too much room for biased interpretation. In Godzilla movies and Bibles, always stay as close to the original source material as possible.Conquest of Space (1955) Aboard the Wheel, an enormous space station orbiting the Earth, Colonel Merritt is busy training astronauts for an expedition to the moon. Unexpectedly, Earth's government instructs Merritt to ready a small crew to land on Mars instead. Merritt assembles three men, including his own son with whom he has a strained relationship, and blasts off for the red planet. They soon discover they have a stowaway in Sgt. Mahoney, who was deemed too old to tag along but refuses to be separated from Merritt, whom he idolizes. The sergeant's hero worship is quickly tested, though, when Merritt succumbs to space fatigue and begins to sabotage the mission under the misguided belief that their efforts to reach Mars violates the edicts of God. With things turning deadly and no chance of returning to Earth for at least a year, do the men have any hope of ever seeing home again? While not on the level as other George Pal productions like War of the Worlds or The Time Machine, Conquest of Space gets points for trying to be The Martian of its day.Merritt's problem is that, in his madness, he has misinterpreted those parts of the Bible that state how God gave dominion of the Earth to mankind to mean that everything else outside our planet's atmosphere is God's only and therefore off limits. Merritt is mostly correct that the "dominion" granted to humanity is explicitly tied to this particular planet as it's the one God created as both humanity's home and the stage for the drama of salvation. However, Merritt's error is that this dominion doesn't preclude traveling to other planets, assuming our actions there are guided by the same rules of responsible stewardship which are supposed to govern how we treat the Earth. As Archbishop Ettore Balestrero noted in an interview, "The Church’s central message is that we must not turn space into a jungle … Space must be explored with responsibility, solidarity, and respect for subsidiarity, for the benefit of present and future generations … We must prevent it from becoming a theater of uncontrolled competition, or worse, conflict." Merritt definitely flubbed that part.
DAILY CALL SHEET: MAY 5, 2026
Firestarter (1984) Looking to earn a few bucks, college students Andy and Vicky volunteer to take an experimental drug. The concoction drives many of the other test subjects insane, but Andy and Vicky develop strange mental powers, get married, and have a little girl named Charlie who has the ability to start fires with her mind. This is too good a potential weapon to let hang out in an elementary school, so the secret government organization The Shop eventually comes after Charlie and her family. To gain Charlie's trust while she's in captivity, an assassin named Rainbird poses as a friendly janitor and fills her head full of lies. Will The Shop's scheme work to woo the little girl work, or will Charlie figure out she's being duped and rain hellfire on them all. A bit dated and definitely slow in places, but the performances carry it to the finish line, especially that of the venerable George C. Scott as the cunning custodian with murderous intentions. Also, fans of Stranger Things will quickly notice this movie's DNA running all through the show.Obviously, lying to a child so you can turn her into a WMD is morally wrong, but are their times you can skate by with a little fib. Strictly speaking, no. According to the Church, lying is "per se malum" meaning it cannot rightly be done even the end result sought is a good one. Of course, as with many such teachings, there are nuances. Playing along with childhood fantasies such as some holiday traditions is usually given a pass as long as the child is told the truth when they ask. And, of course, if a small child asks an age-inappropriate question like where do babies come from, it's perfectly fine to redirect, put off the answer, or not give the full truth. In certain contexts, ambiguity is not considered lying. As it turns out, with both parenting and religion, verbal dexterity can be a huge asset. Night of the Ghouls (1959) Tor Johnson, Criswell, and many of the other Ed Wood irregulars return in this semi-sequel to Bride Of The Monster. Setting up operation in the same house where mad scientist Bela Lugosi met his fate in the previous film, conman Dr. Acula holds fake seances to pilfer the purses of the easily duped. However, once a real lady ghost dressed all in black starts murdering people in the woods near the house while a possibly real lady ghost all in white stands there and shrieks, the bumbling Officer Kelton and ghostbusting Detective Bradford are assigned to look into things. Look, it's Ed Wood, so you know exactly what to expect regarding the budget, the acting, and anything else involving general filmmaking skills. That being said, this is probably Wood's most competent outing, so take that for what it's worth.Okay, so you don't go to Ed Wood for logic, but the simple fact is, there are no ghouls in Night of the Ghouls, at least not in its original sense. Based on Middle-Eastern folklore, a ghoul is a supernatural being who feeds on the flesh of the dead. Basically, they're what we now think of as zombies thanks to George Romero, who really should have called his film Night of the Living Ghouls. But, I digress. The idea of ghouls brings to mind Ad Resurgendum cum Christo ("To Rise with Christ"), the Church's instructions on the proper handling the dead. The rules and restrictions within the short document are meant to emphasize hope in the resurrection, protect the faith against secular or superstitious attitudes, and generally ensure the deceased are remembered and prayed for in a fitting way. Unsurprisingly, eating the bodies is not allowed.
DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 17, 2026
Daimajin (1966) In feudal Japan during the Sengoku period, a remote village is rocked by tremors. Believing this to be the escape attempts of Arakatsuma the Daimajin (giant demon god), villagers from the area gather to perform an ancient pacification ritual. Alas, while everyone is distracted, the evil Samanosuke assassinates Lord Tadakiyo and establishes his cruel rule over the region. There are loose ends, however, as Tadakiyo's two children are secreted away to the Daimajin's hidden temple where they spend their time praying to the gigantic stone statue of Arakatsuma to punish Samanosuke. The god of the mountain takes his sweet time getting around to it, though, waiting until the kids are almost twenty and the villagers have suffered mightily. However, once Arakatsuma has had enough, his spirit enters the giant statue and he goes all kaiju on Samanosuke's stronghold. Like the Daimajin itself, the film takes a little while to get going, but the characters and spiritual musings make Daiei Films' answer to Godzilla worth the wait.“Do not be troubled if you do not immediately receive from God what you ask him" says the Catechism, quoting the early Church Father Evagrius Ponticus, "for he desires to do something even greater for you, while you cling to him in prayer.” The Catechism has to remind of us this, because, let's face it, sometimes it feels like our prayers fall on deaf ears, often for a long, long time. One of the reasons the Saints have suggested this might happen is that we might need time to purify our intentions and shift our priorities to humility and trust rather than get immediate answers, which can sometimes foster presumption or instill a superficial faith. Another reason is that what we're asking for might not be the best thing for us at the moment, not in terms of our immediate needs, but for our eternal salvation. Whatever the reason, whenever prayers seem unanswered, the Church encourages us to persevere, examine ourselves for any wrong motives, and pray with trust and abandonment.Rock & Rule (1983) Aging rock star Mok Swagger has discovered a ritual which will simultaneously grant him immortality and unleash a demon that will destroy the world, but he needs the perfect voice to set the forces in motion. That voice turns out to belong to Angel, the lead singer in a small struggling band. Once Mok hears Angel sing, he tries to sway her to abandon her bandmates and join his group. Angel refuses, so Mok just kidnaps her instead. Angel's pals attempt a rescue, but the ritual proceeds as planned and a rather large demon enters our dimension. Music opened the portal to evil, but can it also defeat it? The movie turned out to be too weird for MGM, so they basically abandoned it, which is a shame because this is another one of those off-kilter animated oddities from the '80s that is irresistible to cult movie lovers. Even if you don't find the story all that great, you still get music from Debbie Harry, Lou Reed, Iggy Pop, Earth, Wind & Fire, and Cheap Trick.I'm not sure about opening a portal to some Hell dimension, but certain music can invoke Heaven. The Church recognizes Gregorian chant as especially suited to the Roman liturgy because its serene, flowing, non-rhythmic character creates a sense of solemnity, dignity, and otherworldliness. That's not just the Church's opinion either. Neuroscientist Alan Watkins notes that research proves the musical structure of chant actually has a significant positive physiological impact on the human mind and body. Studies show that hearing Gregorian chant lowers your blood pressure, increases levels of DHEA, and reduces anxiety and depression. Other studies suggest that Gregorian chant can even aid in communications between the right and left hemispheres of the brain, possibly even creating new neural brain pathways in listeners. Basically, not only does Gregorian chant glorify God and sanctify the faithful, it's just plain good for you.
DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 14, 2025
Edge of Sanity (1989) Little Henry Jekyll receives a severe beating after spying on his father having a rendezvous with a prostitute. This leads the lad to develop sadomasochistic tendencies which he keeps repressed until, as an adult, he accidentally ingests too much of a new anesthetic he's concocted from ether and cocaine. How could such a mix of ingredients possibly go wrong? Anyway, now when night falls, Henry hits his bong and prowls the back alleys of London as Jack "the Ripper" Hyde, doing horrible things to working girls and generally indulging in every desire he's kept bottled up for most of his life. Eventually, Henry's wife begins to suspect something might be going on. This is a prime example of a mesmerizing performance trapped within an otherwise not-so-great trashy movie. Just goes to show, if you want crazy, it's hard to go wrong with Anthony Perkins.In the years before Robert Louis Stevenson wrote Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, he was an avowed atheist, having rejected the religion of his youth. However, as often happens when a little age and experience settle in, those sentiments didn't last. Writing to his father in 1878, he exclaimed, "Christianity is among other things, a very wise, noble and strange doctrine of life ... You see, I speak of it as a doctrine of life, and as a wisdom for this world ... I have a good heart, and believe in myself and my fellow-men and the God who made us all ... There is a fine text in the Bible, I don't know where, to the effect that all things work together for good for those who love the Lord. Strange as it may seem to you, everything has been, in one way or the other, bringing me nearer to what I think you would like me to be. 'Tis a strange world, indeed, but there is a manifest God for those who care to look for him."Cat's Eye (1985) A big orange cat named General meanders through two Stephen King tales on his way to save a little girl from a breath-stealing gnome that lives inside her bedroom wall. One story involves a man who has had an affair with a gangster's wife being forced by the enraged cuckold to walk along the narrow ledge of an Atlantic City high-rise. If he makes it all the way around, he can go free. If not, splat. Mobsters play a part in the other story as well, only this time they run a clinic with a 100% success rate in helping people quit smoking. The catch is that if you deviate from their plan and try to sneak a few drags, the escalating consequences for each offense include electro-shock, sexual assault, and death. Cancer-stick addict Dick Morrison doesn't believe these threats… at first. Director Lewis Teague keeps the proceedings much lighter in tone than his previous King adaptation Cujo (who gets a brief cameo), resulting in an enjoyable and fondly remembered horror romp.The Catechism reminds us that "the virtue of temperance disposes us to avoid every kind of excess: the abuse of food, alcohol, tobacco, or medicine." So, it's the abuse of tobacco that's a sin, not its moderate use. That's likely good news to all those Catholic apologists out there who like to end their day with a sniffer of bourbon and a cigar. However, there are other Church teachings to consider, such as the one against forming addictions that enslave the will or waste resources/time that should be directed toward higher goods, as well as the one against doing things that run a high risk of causing grave harm to one's health. With the increasing medical evidence regarding the severe health and addiction risks of cigarettes, some Catholics have begun to see even their moderate use as imprudent. That's why Pope St. John Paul II banned smoking inside Vatican City and Pope Francis banned the sale of cigarettes within its walls.
DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 11, 2026
Mister Frost (1990) After gleefully admitting he has 24 bodies buried in his garden, the mysterious Mister Frost (no first name on record) is arrested and confined to a mental institution for the rest of his life. Following two years of complete silence, Frost finally opens up to new doctor Sarah Day, nonchalantly informing her that he is, in fact, Satan himself, and that he plans to have the good doctor murder him. Day dismisses Frost's ramblings as delusions (he is in an asylum after all), but unexplainable occurrences begin to happen with Frost as their apparent cause. Soon, Sarah must decide if Frost really is insane, or if she needs to give the Devil his due and end his life. This is a nice little film that manages to keep the suspense of its premise going for the most part. Let's be honest, though, the main attraction here is watching Jeff Goldblum play the Devil. That alone is worth tracking the film down.As could be expected, Jeff Goldblum’s take on Satan is a bit offbeat. While we often hear that the devil’s greatest trick is how he convinced the world he doesn’t exist, Goldblum’s fallen angel is far too much of a narcissist to allow that sort of ignorance to go on for too long. With too many atheists cluttering the modern era, the titular Mr. Frost thinks it’s time to remind the world just who it is that 2 Corinthians calls “the god of this age [who] has blinded the minds of the unbelievers.” The two notions don't have to be mutually exclusive. A strategic narcissist can take both approaches; hide when it helps foster general disbelief, then take the spotlight for a bit of cultural cache with the doubters. Basically, Satan will do whatever helps his agenda, which is dragging as many people away from God as possible. Disbelief helps with the masses; but open defiance or subtle influence can work better on certain individuals.Grosse Pointe Blank (1997) Struck with a bad case of emerging conscience, professional hitman Martin Blank returns to his home town of Gross Pointe to perform one last job. Reluctant to begin his assignment, Martin decides to attend his ten-year high-school reunion and look up his old sweetheart Debi, the girl he ditched on prom night to join the army and start on his path to becoming an assassin. Things get complicated when competing hitmen and psychotic NSA agents show up, all gunning (literally) for Martin. Just how is a well-meaning sociopath supposed to find redemption and rekindle a lost love when he has to kill every other person in the area? Gross Pointe Blank was a modest success when released, but with its winning cast, sharp writing, dark-dark humor, and outstanding alternative 80's soundtrack, the film has deservedly developed a growing cult over the years.As part of its understanding of the Fifth Commandment, the Church condemns the secret, treacherous, or extrajudicial assassination of any political or public figure. This includes any legitimate ruler, even if they're unjust or oppressive. As usual, though, there are some qualifiers. The Church allows for the rare, proportionate use of lethal force when it is the only way to stop an unjust aggressor, and the intention is to protect life, not just to kill. In that sense, targeting individuals, even legitimate leaders, can be morally permissible. However, the assassination can't be preemptive and it must be only as a last resort. Obviously none of these exceptions apply to private assassinations, especially not those for profit.
DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 5, 2026
The Thing from Another World (1951) Scientists and soldiers stationed at the North Pole investigate reports of a crashed aircraft only to discover a flying saucer and its frozen occupant. Everyone is excited at the find of the century, but only until the visitor thaws out and proves to be literally bloodthirsty. To make matters worse, severe weather has cut the outpost off from any chance of reinforcements. It's up to a few overwhelmingly outmatched humans to find a way to stop an alien invasion that could end all life on the planet. Those coming to this film straight from John Carpenter's remake or John W. Campbell Jr.'s original novella may experience some disappointment in the changes made to the story. Taken on its own merits, though, The Thing from Another World is inarguably one of the best sci-fi films of the 50s, chock-full of producer (and sometimes shadow director) Howard Hawks' patented lightning-paced dialog and straight-to-the-point action.John Carpenter continuously idolizes Howard Hawks in interviews, praising his concise storytelling, genre versatility, and modern American sensibilities. One thing Carpenter cribs from Hawks again and again is the tight-knit group-under siege scenario which allows for intense group dynamics and highlighting each character's individual competence. You know, thinking about being under siege, you'd think with Christians making up approximately 31–32.5% of the world's population, they wouldn't feel like they were under attack all the time. However, you'd be mistaken. Groups like Open Doors World Watch and Pew Research Center consistently name Christianity as the most persecuted religious group in the world. They estimate that roughly 1 in 7 Christians worldwide face high or extreme levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. Anecdotally, the other 6 in 7 just face constant ridicule and lies. So, regardless of their numbers, Christians feel under siege because they are.Colossus: The Forbin Project (1970) The brilliant Dr. Forbin has developed the supreme defense system, a computer system buried within the Rocky Mountains that independently controls all allied nuclear weapons. It's meant to function as the ultimate deterrent as it will function and retaliate even if an enemy destroys every human in charge. Once Colossus is turned on, though, it immediately detects a similar system named Guardian tucked away in Russia and the two A.I.s decide to start talking to one another. Before long, they conclude it would be best to merge and take control of the world. When the Americans and the Soviets try to sever their link, the computers launch a couple of nukes to show who's in charge. As Colossus/Guardian broadcasts a message promising planetary peace in exchange for total obedience, the scientific community struggles to find any way to preserve mankind's freedom. Arguably more prescient today than when it was released, if Colossus: The Forbin Project isn't at the top of the list of early 70s sci-fi flicks that relied on intelligence over action to keep audiences enthralled, it's pretty darn close.In 1983, the U.S. Catholic Bishops issued a pastoral letter called The Challenge of Peace in which they reluctantly accepted the idea of nuclear deterrence s a regrettable necessity in the face of Soviet threats, but with strict conditions. No matter whether its nuclear weapons or something like Colossus, the deterrent must serve only to discourage nuclear attack by others, it must aim for sufficiency rather than superiority, and it must be a temporary measure leading to progressive disarmament. By the time Pope Francis came along, though, thinking on the subject had evolved. Following Francis' lead, many in the Church these days teach that not only is the use of nuclear weapons wrong, but even the mere possession of them is immoral, and that reliance on them as nuclear deterrence is no longer morally justifiable as a long-term strategy. This teaching is not binding as infallible dogma yet, but it is to be considered authoritative under the ordinary magisterium.
DAILY CALL SHEET: APRIL 3, 2026
Jabberwocky (1977) During the Middle Ages, the territories of King Bruno the Questionable are being terrorized by the titular monster, but this is of no concern to Dennis Cooper, who has just been disinherited by his father. Dennis only cares about getting to a city so he can get a job which will allow him to marry his beloved Griselda Fishfinger, not that she's in any way interested in such an arrangement. Dennis makes the trip to town, which leads to a series of misadventures and brings him to the attention of the princess, who mistakes him for a knight, as well as a cult who mistake him for Satan. Eventually, despite his overwhelming cowardice, Dennis ends up coming face to face with the Jabberwocky. Terry Gilliam's first solo outing as director has its moments, but it's a bit too rough around the edges and nowhere near the level of his films which would follow.Although many scholars have made valiant attempts, Lewis Carroll's poem, Jabberwocky, purposely defies deep interpretation. In fact, Lewis would likely scoff at such efforts. His intention was to pen pure balderdash just for the linguistic fun of it. He would laugh at the notion of trying to find meaning in nonsense. Of course, some people carried this notion too far, declaring life itself nonsense, and therefore devoid of meaning. Albert Camus noted, "“The absurd is born of this confrontation between the human need [for meaning] and the unreasonable silence of the world.” Naturally, the Church disagrees with this sentiment. She teaches that true meaning comes from orienting our entire life toward God—through worship, love of neighbor, living one’s vocation faithfully, and ultimately aiming for eternal communion with the Trinity. Without this relationship, human life can feel meaningless, but it doesn't have to.Now Showing at a Blog Near You: Just in time for the Triduum, Scorsese' saints series takes up Mary. My latest for Aleteia at the link.
DAILY CALL SHEET: MARCH 27, 2026
Bloody Moon (1981) Released after five years in an asylum for murdering a young girl, the slightly disfigured Miguel is sent to live with his seriously over affectionate sister, Manuela. As if that wasn't icky enough, Manuela runs a boarding school full of teen (sort of) girls, one of whom Miguel starts creeping on, though he still prefers the company of his sibling. Naturally, a series of killings occur, with the obvious suspect being the facially-scarred guy who's killed before. But is there more going on than meets the eye at Europe's International Youth-Club Boarding School of Languages? Besides the need for a shorter school name, that is? With nearly 200 movies to his credit, most of them scuzzy to some degree or another, it's no surprise that director Jess Franco's stab at the slasher genre would have a bit of a sleazy feel as well. Jess is gonna Jess, I guess.In the Bible, the authors of books like Joel and Revelation used the bloody color which the Moon takes on during a total lunar eclipse as a sign of divine judgment, a.k.a. the "great and terrible day of the Lord". In recent decades, end of times enthusiasts, the kind that like to sell books and rack up views on social media, have linked these verses to the phenomena of blood tetrads, rare astronomical events consisting of four consecutive total lunar eclipses spaced roughly six months apart. They claim such events are a sign the end is near. The main problem with this is that blood tetrads are entirely predictable natural events, with the next scheduled to occur between 2032 and 2033. Thankfully, Catholics are not obligated in any form or fashion to believe in any private revelation or prophecy. I would imagine that especially goes for ones that have a scientifically determined timetable.Cutting Class (1989) The local D.A. is going hunting and leaving his daughter Paula at home by herself. Bad timing as her former boyfriend Brian, who has been locked away in an institution for a while for supposedly murdering his own father, is finally being released and returning to class. Naturally, Paula's current boyfriend Dwight isn't too pleased with this development, especially once a number of murders occur around the school. Is Brian up to his alleged old tricks, or is someone else wielding the weapons this time? Released in the waning days of the original slasher cycle, there's not a lot new in Cutting Class. The movie's main problem, though, is that it's meant to be a comedy rather than horror, but it takes way too long to let its viewers know that. Some might say it never does, making the whole thing just seem stupid. Still, Brad Pitt fans are gonna watch it anyway just to see what he was up to as a teenager.Part of hermeneutics (the science and art of biblical interpretation) is figuring out which genre the individual books of the Bible fall into. Through inductive analysis of the text and knowledge of ancient literary conventions, the main genres in Scripture include: historical narratives (books like Kings, Chronicles, and Acts), law (most of Exodus and Deuteronomy), poetry (the Psalms and Song of Solomon obviously), wisdom literature (Job, Proverbs, and such), prophecy (all the prophets, of course), apocalyptic (Daniel and Revelation), gospels (self-explanatory), and epistles/letters (no explanation needed). Not understanding which genre an individual book belongs to can lead to errors in interpretation, such as mistaking poetry for history, or thinking some apocalyptic symbols are to be taken literally. If you take some time before reading a particular biblical text to identify what its genre is, it helps you to correctly identify what the author is trying to communicate.
DAILY CALL SHEET: MARCH 20, 2026
The Barbarians (1987) Renowned body building twins Peter and David Paul, better known by their stage name The Barbarian Brothers, star in this film about (wait for it) twin barbarian brothers separated while young and trained by Kadar, the man who slaughtered their village, to fight each other to the death once they come of age. However, for obvious reasons, the pair recognize each other and set out after Kadar instead. This leads to a series of adventures, including one of the more ridiculous scenes in B-movie history wherein the twins are sentenced to death by hanging, but manage to snap the nooses with their enormous neck muscles. Ludicrous as far as Conan rip-offs go, but the Barbarian Bros are so good natured it's hard not to like.How do we buff up our spiritual muscle so we’re prepared for those time when it seems like the secular throng is trying to slip the noose over our necks? Tara Little, writing in the Arkansas Catholic, suggests something that may not come readily to mind when you’re thinking about bulking up; fasting. Ms. Little likens fasting to “a matter of stretching ‘the spiritual muscle’ the same way one exercises his or her body.” In the article, Msgr. James Mancini concurs, noting that by fasting we recognize "that the Spirit and the flesh are in battle with each other... The appetites are not wrong, God gave them to us for a purpose, but they definitely need discipline… Once we do start denying the flesh, we're able to sense Christ's influence much more [because] it's in our spirit that we're able to relate to him." Ravenous (1999) After accidentally ingesting a bit of blood following a scuffle during the Mexican-American War, soldier John Boyd mysteriously gains super-strength to defeat his enemy captors. Following his escape, Boyd is then transferred to a sparsely-manned remote outpost where he learns the legend of the Wendigo, a curse that turns anyone who eats human flesh into something akin to Wolverine (sans claws), but at the cost of eternal irresistible hunger for more flesh. As word of the curse spreads, it isn't long before everyone in the area is looking for a bite to eat, but there's only so many people to go around. Criminally unappreciated horror-comedy full of snarky critiques of the excesses of manifest destiny will leave you hungry for more.I can't vouch for the mystical effects of eating regular human flesh, but the Church has some opinions on the benefits of eating that of Jesus. The Catechism lists a number of "fruits" of taking Holy Communion. These include an intimate union with Christ, a renewal of the life of grace, the wiping away of venial sins and the strength to resist them in the future, a deepening of love for neighbors, and a foretaste of heaven and the promise of resurrection. These effects aren't always immediate like in Ravenous, but gradual over time. Also, they only show up if the4 Eucharist was received worthily. Receiving Communion in a state of mortal sin can actually have the opposite results.
DAILY CALL SHEET: MARCH 6, 2026
The Reptile (1966) Back in Victorian England, young newlyweds Harry and Valerie move to the village of Clagmoor Heath, where it becomes obvious the neighbors don't want them around. The local crazy guy, Mad Pete, tries to warn the couple to flee, but he's soon killed horribly by something with large poisonous fangs. He's not the last. Harry and the local tavern keeper look into the murders, an investigation that brings them to the doorstep of the surly Dr. Franklyn, his standoffish daughter Anna, and their weird manservant from Malaysia, home to an ancient cult of snake worshipers. Could it be this trio has something to do with the large reptilian creature running around biting people? Another attempt by Hammer Studios to step outside the classic monster line-up they copied from Universal, full of their usual panache and Gothic sensibilities. Worth a look.While there weren't actually any weird secret snake cults in Maylasia, some Hindu communities did sometimes incorporate Naga elements in their worship. Nagas were believed to be semi-divine beings, often manifesting as hooded serpents, who were symbols of fertility and protectors of treasures. Believers would protect the Nagas' groves and perform rituals, and in return it was expected they would grant blessings and avert curses. Obviously, the Church views divinization of serpents or nature spirits as completely incompatible with monotheistic Christian faith and doesn't try to hide that teaching. However, the Church tries to promote harmony through joint environmental efforts such as helping preserve the sacred groves. Some groups such as the Sisters of Our Lady of Missions run clinics that treat snake bites.Tentacles (1977) Soundwaves from an underwater drilling operation are ticking off the local giant octopus, causing the irritated beast to eat everybody he can get his tentacles on. You might think this would cause the tourist trap of Solana Beach to call off its annual boat race, but nobody wants to give up all that out-of-town money. After the octopus racks up a body count large enough for several Jaws movies, the local marine expert and his trained killer whales decide to take things into their own flippers. This has a number of one-time headliners like John Huston, Shelley Winters, Claude Akins, and Henry Fonda taking up screen space, but it doesn't help much. Still, there are a few well done scenes and it's always welcome anytime composer Stelvio Cipriani recycles his excellent main theme from The Great Kidnapping.Sadly for octopus fans, the eight-armed inklings get no mention in the Bible. That doesn't really mean anything other than the ancient Jews didn't interact with a lot of octopuses. However, the cephalopods do start showing up in medieval bestiaries where the use of their many tentacles to ensnare prey was sometimes compared to the use of fraud and deceit to trap the innocent, and in some manuscripts prepared by monks where their arms were used as pointers to emphasize long or noteworthy sections. Louis Charbonneau-Lassay's The Bestiary of Christ from the late 1800s mentions a monastery in Bosnia where octopuses adorn its cornices, perhaps as a remnant from the building's pre-Christian use. Alas, if anybody has ever found the place, they've never shared where. A 2,000-year-old institution like the Church is gonna have its mysteries.
DAILY CALL SHEET: FEBRUARY 24, 2026
Wishcraft (2002) Out of the blue and with no idea where it came from, meek high schooler Brett Bumpers receives a weird totem made from a bull phallus, along with a note claiming the object will grant him three wishes. Brett does what anyone who receives a strange bull phallus in the mail would do, I suppose, which is grab hold of it real hard and make the wishes. What Brett desires is for his classmate Samantha to fall for him, which she immediately does. What Brett doesn't wish for is that a hooded figure will begin killing Samantha's friends, but that happens as well. Can Brett solve the mystery of the murderer? And what will Samantha do when she learns her new found affections weren't really her own? Supernatural slasher fans will likely find something entertaining here, but Wishcraft is pretty average overall.The Catechism specifically condemns superstition because it attributes to certain practices what belongs to God alone, or attributes magical efficacy to actions/objects in a way that denies God's sovereignty. But does superstition include wishing? Probably not if you stick to the Websters definition of a wish, which is to have a desire for (something, such as something unattainable). Even Jesus seemed to express a wish in Luke when he said, "How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not!" Basically, if your wishes are positive, hopeful, and ultimately entrusted to God's will, there's no issue. Wishing only veers into superstition if it relies on occult/magical forces instead of God or involves sinful content. Pretty sure wishing on a bull phallus falls into the superstition category.The Norliss Tapes (1973) While doing research for a book meant to debunk the supernatural, investigative reporter David Norliss disappears, leaving nothing behind but a box full of cassettes for his editor to sift through. Selecting a tape at random, the editor listens to Norliss relate the tale of a housewife whose dead husband won't stay in the grave. Digging into the story, Norliss discovers the somewhat dead man had been suffering from an incurable disease and became involved in ancient Egyptian sorcery as part of an attempt to cheat death and achieve immortality. Could that be why a super-strong ghoul is now stalking the suburbs of San Francisco trying to resurrect an Egyptian demon? And what, if anything, does it all have to do with Norliss' disappearance? This attempt by Dan Curtis to follow up the success of his Night Stalker movies with a similar themed television pilot doesn't reach the same heights, mostly because the character of Norliss just can't compare with Karl Kolchak (we miss you Darren McGavin). Still, for those monster kids whose viewing preferences were shaped in part by Curtis' modern gothic sensibilities, this is perfectly fine.The implication in the Norliss Tapes is that we're likely listening to the posthumous reflections of the titular reporter as he details his encounters with the mysterious. If you want something similar, but with a more religious bent to it, try the writings of Saint Maria Faustina Kowalska (St. Faustina for short). Assembled after her death, Faustina's notebooks detail her mystical experiences, inner conversations with Christ, her sufferings, and the messages she received that would lead to the devotion known as the Divine Mercy. The most mystical parts of her diaries include encounters with angels and saints, as well as visions of hell and purgatory. Mainly, though, her experiences were Eucharistic. She wrote, "Often during Mass, I see the Lord in my soul; I feel His presence which pervades my being. I sense His divine gaze; I have long talks with Him without saying a word; I know what His divine heart desires, and I always do what will please Him the most."
DAILY CALL SHEET: FEBRUARY 15, 2026
House of the Dead (2003) A group of college kids late for an island rave bribe gruff Captain Kirk to ferry them there quickly. However, instead of the soiree they were expecting, the kids arrive to find most of their fellow partygoers have been offed by zombies. As the group fights their way to the island's only structure, Kirk reveals the island was once home to an insane 15th century priest excommunicated from the Church for his attempts to create an immortality serum, as well as his penchant for enslaving the souls of the dead. One guess who's waiting for the kids when they reach the house. This is Uwe Boll's first video game adaptation (and amazingly not his last given this one's reception) and he leans into his source material, including on-screen character stat sheets and 360-degree death cut scenes, as well as actual low-res footage from the video game itself. You can't say Boll doesn't try, but you can say he doesn't succeed. At least Clint Howard and Jürgen Prochnow got paid.Excommunication is pretty rare as the Church prefers pastoral warnings and dialogue first, but there are a number of things which can bring it about latae sententiae ("automatic" or "incurred by the fact itself") such as heresy, apostasy, schism, violence against the Pope, and procuring an abortion. Those things apply to all Catholics, but there are others that apply more directly to just the clergy. These include attempting to confer sacred ordination on a woman, throwing away consecrated Eucharistic species or retaining them for sacrilegious purposes, absolving an accomplice in a sin against chastity, and, particularly heinous, directly violating the sacramental seal of confession. Oddly enough, necromancy, which presumably would include trying to enslave the dead, is not an automatically excommunicable action, but rather ferendae sententiae (after a process), meaning the offending priest in House of the Dead would have had a judicial or administrative proceeding before getting the boot.Mickey 17 (2025) Driven to desperation by financial woes, meek Mickey Barnes signs up to be an Expendable, someone who does all the dangerous work on other planets with the guarantee that he will be cloned with his memories intact each time he dies a grisly death. Which Mickey does a lot. While helping to colonize the ice world Niflheim, Mickey 17 is left to die at the paws of the planet's resident monsters, the Creepers. The creatures don't devour him, though, choosing instead to unexpectedly show mercy. A confused Mickey 17 returns to the colony, only to discover Mickey 18 has already been printed out. This leads to a rather uncomfortable love triangle, as well as triggering the law that all clones must be destroyed if multiples are ever made. On top of that, the expedition's leader decides that it's past time to destroy all of Mickey's new pals, the Creepers. Can the usually timid Mickey find a way to save himself, his clone, and an entire race of beings? Bong Joon Ho comes up with another darkly humorous winner sure to find its cult following in the coming years.While Mickey 17 does take a few generalized potshots at religion, criticizing its use as a means of control by colonial capitalists, one can't help but find positive traces of Bong Joon Ho's Catholic upbringing sprinkled throughout the story. It's most evident in the movie's treatment of the subject of human cloning. In the Vatican document Dignitas Personae (Instruction on Certain Bioethical Questions), it warns that by denying the clone the right to be conceived within the secure context of marriage and filial identity tied to two parents, the process risks becoming a form of biological slavery. This is because using clones as a means to an end, even a very arguably good one like they do in Mickey 17, reduces persons to objects or biological material. This is another example of the Church opposing a technological "advancement" not because she's afraid of science, but rather on anthropological and theological principles regarding the sacredness of human life and procreation.