{"id":178,"date":"2011-02-24T04:20:44","date_gmt":"2011-02-24T04:20:44","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/catholicsmediaandculture\/2011\/02\/of-gods-and-men.html"},"modified":"2011-02-24T04:20:44","modified_gmt":"2011-02-24T04:20:44","slug":"of-gods-and-men","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/2011\/02\/of-gods-and-men.html","title":{"rendered":"“Of Gods and Men” brings riveting reverence to the movies; Plus politics meets “The Genesis Code” and headlines featuring Martin Sheen, Billy Ray Cyrus, Christine O’Donnell and Paul Haggis"},"content":{"rendered":"

Movie Review: Of Gods and Men<\/i> is a story of two faiths under fire.<\/b>
Synopsis: Under increasing threats from radical Islamic terrorists, a group of monks living in war-torn Algeria must decide whether leave the country or continue to provide support to the impoverished community they serve.  An internationally-honored hit, Of Gods and Men
\nfinally makes its debut in U.S. theaters tomorrow (Feb. 25).<\/i> View trailer.<\/a> <\/p>\n

Loosely
\nbased on the officially-unsolved kidnapping and murders of  a group of
\nCistercian-order Catholic monks<\/a> during the Algerian Civil War<\/a> of the 1990’s, the French-language is
\na gift on several levels. For Catholics, it refreshingly tells the story of
\nheroic clergy sincerely and bravely administering humble spiritual support and
\nmedical care to the area’s poor (while respecting their Islamic faith) amid increasing danger to themselves. For
\nMuslims, it forthrightly presents the harrowing plight of people peacefully practicing their religion while living in the brutal shadow of those seeking to twist it into a tool of control and power for themselves. For film lovers, it simply offers a compelling and well-told story. For society as a whole, it represents a cinematic return to
\npositively portraying the values of reverence and idealism. There isn’t a
\ncynical note in this movie — yet it rings more true than almost
\nanything coming off Hollywood’s edgy assembly line. <\/p>\n

Beautifully shot in Morocco, Of Gods and Men <\/i>is masterfully
\ndirected by Xavier Beauvois<\/a> and features riveting performances by
\nLambert Wilson<\/a> (as Christian, the head monk) and Michael Lonsdale<\/a> (as the compassionate
\nmonk\/medic Luc), among others. I heartily recommend this film.<\/p>\n

Also new in theaters this weekend: The Grace Card<\/i><\/a>.<\/p>\n

Resolving creationism\/evolution divide.<\/b><\/a> The Genesis Code<\/i><\/a>,
\na new movie about college students attempting to find the missing link
\nbetween their faith and their scientific studies is drawing attention
\nfrom conservative politicians (actor\/politician Fred Thompson is even in the cast<\/a>) eager to associate themselves with its unifying message. <\/p>\n

People in the News:  <\/b> <\/p>\n

<\/i>Martin Sheen believes in the power of prayer<\/b><\/a>.<\/b><\/a><\/i> The Roman Catholic star<\/a> of The West Wing <\/i>says he’s attempting to help his son (Charlie Sheen<\/a> of CBS’ Two and a Half Men<\/i>) fight his addiction problems by praying for him — and hopes others will too. The 70-year-old actor says “We lift him up and we ask everyone who cares
\nabout him to lift him up and lift up all of those who are in the grip of
\ndrug and alcohol abuse,”<\/i> continuing “because they too are
\nlooking for
transcendence.”<\/i><\/span>  Amen. Martin Sheen is currently starring in The Way<\/i><\/a>, a Christian-themed movie directed by Emilio Estevez<\/a>, one of his other sons. <\/p>\n

Billy Ray Cyrus seeks to restore his family.<\/b><\/a> The Christian
\nsinger\/actor<\/a> is apologizing for comments he made in GQ Magazine
\nregarding his strained relationship with his daughter Miley<\/a> and his
\nbelief that Hannah Montana<\/i>, the Disney Channel TV series they starred in, destroyed his family. He tells People his his statements were “explosive, and unintentionally so.”<\/i> He also says “My family is the most important thing I have, and we are working together to make sure our future is stronger and healthier,” <\/i>adding “It is all a learning process, and we thank everyone for their support
\nand respect of our privacy as we sort through very important family
\nissues.”<\/i> <\/p>\n

She’s not a witch but can she dance?<\/b><\/a> Delaware voters rejected Christine O’Donnell<\/a> for the U.S. Senate but she’s reportedly considering a run (or fox trot) for the championship on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars<\/i>.

Writer Paul Haggis reports receiving “troubling” emails after leaving Church of Scientology.<\/b> See Hollywood Reporter<\/a>.<\/p>\n

On TV tonight:<\/b> Abby Johnson<\/a>, the former Planned Parenthood clinic director turned pro-life activist and soon-to-be Catholic convert<\/a>, talks about her bestselling book Unplanned<\/i><\/a> on  EWTN’s The World Over<\/i><\/a> (8:00  PM ET). <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Movie Review: Of Gods and Men is a story of two faiths under fire. 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Kennedy","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/d80\/d801bc09698c0995d9ae402b4b55ab61x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/d80\/d801bc09698c0995d9ae402b4b55ab61x96.jpg","caption":"John W. Kennedy"},"description":"John W. Kennedy is the founder and Dir. of Development of The Creative Universe Entertainment\u2122, a media consultation and development company focusing on the creation, development and support of high-quality mainstream entertainment that upholds positive timeless values, including trust in God. Current projects include \"Bryant Park\" (an uplifting romantic-comedy) and \"Photo Finish\" (an award-winning sci-fi TV pilot). He has written over 100 children's novels based on episodes of the Cartoon Network series \"Ben 10\", \"Ben 10: Alien Force\", \"Ben 10: Ultimate Alien\", \"Ben 10: Omniverse\" and \"Generator Rex\" among others. He also writes Beliefnet\u2019s \"Faith, Media & Culture\" blog. Previously, he has produced successful news and talk programming for CNN, Fox News, Pax TV and SiriusXM. Specialties: Script Writing, Movie\/TV Novelizations & Adaptations, TV Content Creation and Development, Creative Consultation, Producing and Booking News and Talk shows. He can be reached for writing, producing and consulting services at 516-640-1182.","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/author\/jkennedy"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/225"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=178"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/178\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/catholicsmediaandculture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}