Fr. Tony’s Movie Reviews

Fr. Tony Vallecillo of Queen of Peace Media cracks up over his mistake as he introduces his series of movie reviews that inform the Catholic faith. Check out his movie review page at https://www.queenofpeacemedia.com/movies with his moral ratings of films with a Christian message.

A wide-eyed four-year-old makes a fairly convincing case for the existence of an afterlife in Heaven is for Real (rated PG). But it's Greg Kinnear— with his characteristic affability — that just about seals the deal. The film, based on the best-selling book, is infused with humor. By focusing on the bond between father and son, it avoids being heavy-handed or preachy, a wise choice for a movie that asserts heaven exists, based on the earnest insistence of a precocious preschooler. Fr. Tony's Moral Movie rating and inappropriateness for youth: 5 = highest, 1 = lowest, NA = not applicable HEAVEN IS FOR REAL: Drugs & alcohol: 1 Sexual content: 2 Violence: 1 Terror: 2 Materialistic 2 Bad language 1 Negative images of God 1 Negative images of Church 2 Negative messages & role models 1

Fr. Tony reviews the movie Ikiru, in light of the Catholic faith. Many feel they have seen no finer a film than Kurosawa's true masterpiece, Ikiru. The story of a dying petty bureaucrat in 1950's Japan, Ikiru may be as uncompromisingly honest and beautiful a film as has ever been made on the subject of life. Kurosawa elevates a story that could have been simple melodrama to the level of masterwork with a genuine love of his characters, and with an incredible technical direction. The film's structure accentuates and deepens its many, many lessons on life, and the performances, including a heartbreakingly earnest turn by Shimura, are all flawless. Ikiru is easily one of the greatest works committed to film, and no discerning film aficionado should avoid experiencing it. Had Kurosawa directed only this film, it would still be enough to include him in the pantheon of the greatest storytellers who ever lived. Fr. Tony's Moral Movie rating and inappropriateness for youth: 5 = highest, 1 = lowest IKIRU: Drugs & alcohol: 4 Sexual content: 3 Violence: 1 Terror: 1 Materialistic 2 Bad language 1 Negative messages & role models 1

Fr. Tony reviews Silence (2016, rated R), in the light of the Catholic faith. It is the story of two Catholic missionaries (Andrew Garfield and Adam Driver) who face the ultimate test of faith when they travel to Japan in search of their missing mentor (Liam Neeson) - at a time when Catholicism was outlawed and their presence forbidden. Fr. Tony's Moral Movie rating and inappropriateness for youth: 5 = highest, 1 = lowest, NA = not applicable SILENCE: Drugs & alcohol: 1 Sexual content: 1 Violence: 5 Terror: 5 Materialistic 1 Bad language 1 Negative images of God 2 Negative images of Church 1 Negative messages & role models 2