Catholic Film Club

HBO has released the first image of young Harry Potter in costume. It's a disappointing image, to be sure. And it hammers home, for several reasons, why this show should have been animated. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience at the movies. INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/ Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College https://www.benedictine.edu/

Jaws turns 50 this year. Tom Hoopes (The Extraordinary Story) shares 7 lessons every Catholic can take from Jaws. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience in the movies.   INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/ Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College https://www.benedictine.edu/

Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot is more than a movie. It is an expression of love by the film's creators Joshua and Rebekah Weigel. As the parents of adopted children, Joshua and Rebekah bring an unmatched honesty to the true story of Possum Trot. The film has been endorsed by Archbishop Emeritus Joseph Naumann, and this interview features a representative of the Archdiocese of Kansas City. Kathy White is the Foster Ministry Coordinator for the Archdiocese and the mother of adopted children herself. The filmmakers and members of the Archdiocese joined Benedictine College for a screening on campus in April. Joshua and Kathy joined us in studio that same day. From Angel Studios: Inspired by the powerful true story, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, follows Donna and Reverend Martin as they ignite a fire in the hearts of their rural church to embrace kids in the foster system that nobody else would take. By doing the impossible–adopting 77 children–this East Texas community proved that, with real, determined love, the battle for America’s most vulnerable can be won. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience in the movies. INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/ Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College https://www.benedictine.edu/  

We're talking There Will Be Blood on the solemnity of Corpus Christi. And, no, it's not just because both are about "blood." We're analyzing two famous scenes from this film about a misanthropic oil prospector, Daniel Plainview, played in Oscar-Winning fashion by Daniel-Day Lewis. In the first, he is baptised by his rival, a craven young preacher named Eli Sunday. In the second scene... well it's the last scene so that would be a spoiler. What occurs is a fascinating INVERSION (we seem to do a lot of those) of the mass. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience in the movies. INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/ Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College https://www.benedictine.edu/

No Fate. All Providence. On Holy Trinity Sunday 2025, you will hear a reading from the Wisdom narratives in the Book of Proverbs. Skynet, the evil AI of the Terminator Franchise, is like a photo-negative of Wisdom. Wisdom comes from God, and she tells us that at the time of Creation she, "found delight in the human race." On the other hand, Skynet comes from man, but hates humanity and seeks to destroy it. With the AI Revolution in full swing, we're realizing more and more that we need to trust in the wisdom of God. The Catholic Film Club is about Craft & Conscience in the movies. INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/ Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College https://www.benedictine.edu/  

Is God in the movie? Brother Maximilian Mary Anderson from St. Benedict's Abbey joins Michael Coy on the podcast to answer this question and many others in their discussion on the Coen Brothers film "Hail, Caesar!"   The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience at the movies. Brought to you by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.   INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College media.benedictine.edu Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College benedictine.edu

The passing of Pope Francis inspired us to watch his favorite movies. ROME OPEN CITY directed by Roberto Rossellini LA STRADA directed by Federico Fellini BABETTE'S FEAST directed by Gabriel Axel   The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience at the movies. Brought to you by Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.   What CONCLAVE gets right and VERY wrong https://youtu.be/RmhBaDur4bA   We analyze the Confession scene in CONCLAVE https://youtu.be/wRl3QeWCHzU   Artfully Deceptive: Setting the Record Straight on the Movie ‘Conclave’ https://media.benedictine.edu/artfully-deceptive-setting-the-record-straight-on-the-movie-conclave INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College media.benedictine.edu Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College benedictine.edu

SINNERS reaches for greatness... then has second thoughts. Michael B. Jordan and Michael B. Jordan star in this big-budget original movie written & directed by Ryan Coogler (Black Panther, Creed, Fruitvale Station). It tells the story of the Smoketstack Twins, they are named, Smoke and... Stack. They've returned home after a stint with the mafia, and they're gathering old friends to open Club Juke, the jukiest club in town. The only problem (on top of the racism of Jim Crow South, and the pain of the human condition) is there's a bunch of vampires in the woods. The Devil in Music (The Untold History of the Tritone) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR5yzCH5CsM&t=437s The Catholic Film Club is about Craft & Conscience in the movies. INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected] Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/   Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College  https://www.benedictine.edu/    

It's Carlo Collodi vs. Guillermo Del Toro. John and Jessica Beyer of Oasis Studio 7 join Michael Coy to discuss the classic book by Carlo Collodi and how its message is transformed or subverted by Guillermo Del Toro. Together we talk about the beauty and craft of Stop-Motion, the religious symbolism in the film, and our differing approaches to children's entertainment. The Catholic Film Club is about Craft & Conscience in the movies. INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine EMAIL: [email protected]   Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/   Giving Page https://media.benedictine.edu/give   Benedictine College https://www.benedictine.edu/  

Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio is a masterful retelling of the timeless tale by Carlo Collodi. He updates the story in many ways, adding his preoccupation with fascism, a tragic backstory to Geppetto, his classic theme of disobedience... but the most foundational and brilliant innovation is to tell the story using stop-motion animation. This art form adds a third-dimension to the themes of Pinocchio. Ask yourself, what does it mean to be a "real boy" when all the real people around you are puppets? The film and the craft behind it invite us to reflect on our own role as craftsmen in relation to our Creator. In two weeks we will have a follow-up episode where we answer three questions asked in this video. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience in the movies. INSTAGRAM: @media.benedictine WEBSITE: Media.benedictine.edu BENEDICTINE COLLEGE: benedictine.edu Letter to Artists - St. Pope John Paul II https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_23041999_artists.html

Dr. Richard White (Professor of Theology at Benedictine College) joins Michael Coy (guy) for a conversation about The Conversation, the paranoid thriller starring Gene Hackman, directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Watch our Introductory Essay to The Conversation    • Coppola's CONVERSATION with God   The Catholic Film Club is about Craft & Conscience in the movies. One Film a Month Introductory Essay at the beginning of the month Follow up conversation with a special guest and YOUR answers to three questions. Email us: [email protected]   Media & Culture at Benedictine College https://media.benedictine.edu/ Benedictine College https://www.benedictine.edu/    

This month on the Catholic Film Club we're covering The Conversation, Francis Ford Coppola's paranoid thriller about Harry Caul (Gene Hackman) a surveillance man who leads a very private life. Join us in two weeks for an hour-long discussion about the film. The Catholic Film Club covers one movie a month. Our main subject is the marriage between craft & conscience in the movies. This podcast is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.

We're happy to be joined by Rob Kaczmark, the President and CEO of Spirit Juice Studios. Spirit Juice is the premiere Catholic production company, based on Chicago, IL. They have created top flight films for any number of organizations, including Word on Fire and The Knights of Columbus. Rob is the co-director of Heart of a Servant: The Father Flanagan Story, a feature length documentary about the founder of Boys Town, NE, Fr. Ed Flanagan. WATCH Heart of a Servant: The Fr. Flanagan Story on Amazon Prime https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Servant-... The Pint & The Cross: How to Drink Like a Saint https://pintandcross.com/   The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY with Tom Hoopes https://tinyurl.com/yc2w4muf  

Conclave has been nominated for several Academy Awards, including Best Picture. The most annoying of these nominations is Best Adapted Screenplay by Peter Straughn, based on the novel by Robert Harris, because neither the screenplay or the novel has a clue about the Catholic Church. Even though they have a LOT of opinions on how to fix it. Case in point, a scene where its hero breaks the Confessional seal, which any Cardinal would know incurs an AUTOMATIC excommunication. But hey, who needs logic or honesty when you have a big message to deliver? WATCH our previous discussion on CONCLAVE'S TWIST ENDING https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmhBaDur4bA MOVIEWISE: "Conclave has no brains" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cseW9B-Ug3k The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY with Tom Hoopes https://tinyurl.com/yc2w4muf TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Introduction 0:48 - Conclave Background and Oscars 2:35 - Priests CANNOT break the Confessional Seal 7:50 - Alfred Hitchcock's "I CONFESS" 9:00 - BEGIN Scene Breakdown 19:50 - Where Cardinal Lawrence definitively breaks Seal 29:00 - Closing Thoughts

WATCH VIDEO ESSAY ON YOUTUBE To pay tribute to the late David Lynch, Michael Coy recommends his least celebrated film, THE STRAIGHT STORY, which was a G-Rated family film distributed by Disney. The movie tells the true story of Alvin Straight, who took his riding lawnmower over hundreds of miles to visit his dying brother. THE STRAIGHT STORY is available to stream on Disney+ The 4K Remaster Blu-Ray is available through STUDIOCANAL Mark Cousins Interviews David Lynch https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0a1IIY7b1E&t=24s The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give  

Michael Coy and Tom Hoopes sit down to talk A COMPLETE UNKNOWN, starring Timothée Chalamet as the iconic musician, Bob Dylan. Tom Hoopes asserts that the speech given by Kansas City Chiefs kicker, Harrison Butker, at Benedictine College gave us permission to speak freely, the same way Bob Dylan's electric set at the Newport Folk Festival gave us permission to be who we wanted to be. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. WATCH on YouTube: https://youtu.be/oX0956OFyAI Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY with Tom Hoopes https://tinyurl.com/yc2w4muf  

Michael and Patrick sit down with Dr. Nathan Bowman to discuss Robert Eggers latest horror film which is a retelling of the 1922 version, Nosferatu. Dr. Bowman recognized the physicality of Lily-Rose Depp's performance and her use of Butoh dance, a Japanese dance-theater art form that originated in the 1950's and translates as "dance of darkness."                                                            The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.                                                                                                                                                                                                                Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give

The best Christmas movies in history came from times of great national unity following times of international stress. One thinks of the devastation of WW2 followed by WHITE CHRISTMAS (1954), the great tension of the Cold War followed by HOME ALONE (1990), and the terror of 9/11 followed by ELF (2003). But COVID has been a unique example of an international crisis that did not the bring us together, and the quality of our Christmas movies reflect this. There are good Christmas movies coming out today, but there is no zeitgeist. Michael Coy, Patrick Bautista, and guest host John Cleary discuss what happened to the great Christmas movies, and how we can get them back. They also make their recommendations for little seen Christmas films, TOKYO GODFATHERS, EMMET OTTER'S JUG-BAND CHRISTMAS, and.... CHILDREN OF MEN? The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. YouTube: https://youtu.be/oswJpJ3hgbc?si=Rs6tNQGzGjCUOYtN Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give  

Is Mary the original Yas Queen? Or is she so much more? MARY is the latest biblical epic distributed by Netflix. It stars Israeli actress Noa Cohen as The Blessed Mother of Jesus Christ alongside Anthony Hopkins as the mad King Herod. Directed by practicing Catholic, DJ Caruso (Disturbia, Eagle Eye), it purports to tell the real story of Mary using Catholic and Orthodox tradition to trace her roots from her time in the temple to the birth of Christ... It also has Mary burst through a wall of fire and botch her famous line to the Angel Gabriel, "Let it be done to me according to your word." Tom Hoopes (The Extraordinary Story Podcast) joins Michael Coy to discuss what the movie got wrong and right about The Blessed Mother, and whether this is a worthwhile film to add to your Christmas movie rotation. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate:https://media.benedictine.edu/give THE EXTRAORDINARY STORY with Tom Hoopes https://tinyurl.com/yc2w4muf   _____________ TIMESTAMPS 0:00 - Intro (SPOILERS AHEAD) 2:19 - Bible Movies give a false impression? 5:45 - The challenge portraying Mary 7:59 - Is Netflix Mary Sinless? 9:22 - Is she presented in the temple? 10:50 - Does she vow to be a virgin? 11:30 - Pain at Childbirth? 12:45 - Depiction of St. Anne 14:10 - Taking artistic license 16:35 - DEBATE: Mary as Girlboss 22:30 - Is the best we can do? 25:10 - The "Violence is awesome" trap 28:00 - St. Joseph depiction 31:12 - Final Thoughts

WILDCAT is a meditative journey into the spiritual and creative life of Flannery O'Connor. Ethan Hawke directs his daughter Maya Hawke as the great Catholic writer. Together they tell story of a crucial moment in O'Connor's life when her artistic ambition converged against her diagnosis with lupus. The film's Executive Producer, Eric Groth (Full of Grace and Paul, Apostle of Christ) gives us a behind the scenes look into how this beautiful, faithful film came into being. The Catholic Film Club is about Catholic Filmmakers discussing craft and conscience in the movies. Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College: https://www.benedictine.edu/  

Many have talked about the failures of GLADIATOR 2, but in this episode we throw our hat in the ring and arrogantly try to fix an ultimately uninspired retread of Ridley Scott's classic film, GLADIATOR. Luckily we're joined by Great Books professor and Director of the Center for Catholic Media, Dr. Jared Zimmerer. The Catholic Film Club is about Catholic Filmmakers discussing craft and conscience in the movies. Apple Podcast: https://tinyurl.com/r8mtk96u Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give Benedictine College: https://www.benedictine.edu/  

Over the past decade, The Hunchback of Notre Dame has gained a swell of appreciation, from the grandeur of its production, to the stunning complexity of its central villain, Judge Frollo. But this is a film so steeped in Catholicism that you can only fully understand it through a religious lens. In this episode of The Catholic Film Club, Michael Coy and Patrick Bautista dive deep into the biblical and Catholic symbolism woven through the brilliant tapestry that is Disney's The Hunchback of Notre Dame. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. Watch on YouTube: https://thttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PkQIs_NwXzc&t=358s Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give

Hugh Grant lures two Mormon missionaries into a sinister psychological game to test their religious beliefs. He and the writers of HERETIC ask one of the ultimate questions, "What is the one true religion?" (It's Catholicism). The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience in the movies. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYjRSdpAtao Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give

"Conclave" is a masterfully directed but ultimately bone-headed thriller about the election of a new pope. Tom Hoopes (The Extraordinary Story Podcast) joins the Catholic Film Club to bring some light to what the film gets wrong about the Catholic faith, including its approach to certain physical disorders, priestly ordination, and the sacraments. Michael Coy argues that these flaws are so foundational to the beliefs of Catholic clergy that it's actually impossible for the film to be good. The Catholic Film Club is a podcast about Craft & Conscience. This show is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas.  YouTube: @CatholicFilmClub Email: [email protected] Donate: https://media.benedictine.edu/give Tom Hoopes: The Extraordinary Story Podcast _____ RESOURCES (SPOILERS) . . . . Abigail Favale “The Intersex Body Is a Revelation” Rev. Tadeusz Pacholczyk, Ph.D “Making Sense of Bioethics: Column 132: Seeing through the Intersex Confusion”  

Michael Coy proposes that analog film is the only real form of making movies. Patrick Bautista provides a more moderate view. What do you think? Is film dead and buried or is there still value in using it? What is the value of using digital cameras? The Catholic Film Club is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. It is hosted by Michael Coy and Patrick Bautista. YOUTUBE EMAIL DONATE PODCASTS AND MORE BENEDICTINE COLLEGE

Dr. Nathan Bowman is the Chair of the Department of Theatre at Benedictine College. He is also an avid horror fan. Michael Coy sits down with Dr. Bowman to talk about how horror approaches Catholicism, paganism, and his dissertation on the relationship between horror and Greek tragedy. Michael and co-host Patrick Bautista also list four of their favorite horror films. The Catholic Film Club is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. It is hosted by Michael Coy and Patrick Bautista. YOUTUBE EMAIL DONATE PODCASTS AND MORE BENEDICTINE COLLEGE

Michael and Patrick went into Megalopolis expecting anything from a crazy masterpiece to an admirable failure. What they saw, instead, was a pitiful failure. A hodgepodge of half baked ideas as visually inconsistent as its narrative. But what could have saved Megalopolis? The Catholic Film Club is brought to you by The Center for Catholic Media at Benedictine College in Atchison, Kansas. It is hosted by Michael Coy and Patrick Bautista. YOUTUBE EMAIL DONATE PODCASTS AND MORE BENEDICTINE COLLEGE