The Catholic Gentleman

A blog for Catholic men that seeks to encourage virtue, the pursuit of holiness and the art of true masculinity.

Manly Movies

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UNPLANNED: An Inside Look at the Hit Film with Doug Johnson

Unplanned is a new hit movie about former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson’s journey to the pro-life cause. Gritty and heart-wrenching this film has defied expectations to land in the top 4 at the box office, even though it is showing at a fraction of the theaters of bigger budget movies.

Recently, I sat down with Doug Johnson, husband to Abby Johnson, as he gave us an inside look at the story behind the film, Johnson family life, the powerful prayers behind the film’s production, and more. We were interrupted several times by Doug and Abby’s adorable children—the Johnsons’ are truly living a culture of life!

Notes:

Doug’s Facebook
Doug’s Blog
Unplanned Book
And Then There were None (Abby Johnson’s ministry)

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Manly Movie Moment: Boromir’s Last Stand

49279055It’s no secret that I’m a big Tolkien fan. Not only are his works fantastic literature, they are also rich with Catholic motifs that inspire one to fight for what is good and true in the face of growing darkness.

Then there’s the films. While I’m highly disappointed with the new Hobbit movies, I think the Lord of the Rings trilogy, though flawed, captures the spirit of Tolkien’s works about as well as big budget Hollywood films can.

One of the manliest moments in the trilogy (and there are many) comes in the scene known as the Departure of Boromir. Tempted by the power of the ring, Boromir has just attempted to steal it from Frodo. Boromir feels guilty for his weakness, but he doesn’t have much time to brood as he is immediately embroiled in a battle against a horde of Uruk-hai seeking to kidnap any Hobbits they find. As he battles desperately to defend Merry and Pippin, Boromir redeems himself from his moral failure, though he ultimately is killed in the process. It is a truly heroic death.

Best line: “I would have followed you…my brother, my captain, my king.” Christological allusions, anyone?

Note: This scene contains un-bloody but intense violence.

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Manly Movie Moment: Forgiveness in The Mission

While it is difficult for those who don’t frequent the sacrament of confession to understand, there is great joy to be found in true repentance. Perhaps one of the best illustrations of this joy is found in the 1986 movie, The Mission.

First, some context. Rodrigo Mendoza is a former slave trader and mercenary, and he has spent years capturing native Guarani people and selling them into slavery. After being imprisoned for killing his brother, Mendoza is visited by Jesuit Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), who, after hearing Mendoza’s confession, challenges him to do penance for his sins. Rodrigo agrees, and he decides to accompany the Jesuit missionaries on the difficult journey to their remote jungle mission—all the while dragging behind him the heavy armor and weapons he used during his sinful life as a mercenary.

On their way to the mission, the travelers encounter a band of Gaurani natives. Unsurprisingly, the atmosphere is tense, as both Rodrigo and the missionaries are unsure how the natives will respond to the man who sold many of their family and friends into slavery.

What follows is a beautiful illustration of sincere penance, forgiveness, and reconciliation. Remember this scene the next time you go to confession!

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Movie Review: The Way

the-way-martin-sheenEvery once in a while, I encounter a movie that exceeds my expectations, and Emilio Estevez’ The Way is just such a movie. Here’s why I liked it.

Plot

The movie starts off with Thomas Avery, played by Martin Sheen, receiving the devastating news that his son, Daniel (Emilio Estevez), has died. The news is all the more tragic because Thomas and Daniel left on poor terms, with Tom angry about his son dropping out of Medical School to travel the world.

Despite his grief, Tom travels to France to retrieve the body of his son. There he learns that Daniel died while embarking on the medieval pilgrimage route, the Camino de Santiago, or the Way of St. James. Initially, Tom is in a hurry to retrieve his sons remains and return home, but while examining Daniel’s possessions, he decides at the last minute to complete the journey his son started.

While walking this ancient, several hundred mile pilgrimage route, Tom encounters three pilgrims from very different backgrounds who are traveling for various reasons—most of them different than they claim. Bitter over his son’s death, he is reluctant to engage them in any sort of conversation, yet the four end up growing in friendship as they journey together. Their interactions make up the majority of the movie, and their friendship provides many tender moments of humanity and laughter.

The movie culminates as the four pilgrims arrive at the Santiago de Compostela, the burial place of the relics of St. James. Here, the pilgrims realize the journey has changed them forever. It is also here that one of the most magnificent scenes in the movie takes place: the swinging of the Botafumeiro—a massive medieval censer—that fills the church with clouds of incense. It is unforgettable.

The Way is not action packed, and the plot moves slowly—just like a pilgrim on the Camino. But it’s far from boring, and because most movies these days have a sex scene or action sequence every five minutes, I think you’ll find the pace a refreshing change.

Theme

The predominant theme of the film is the journey of grief and grace. Every one of the pilgrims on the Camino has a hidden hurt that they are reluctant to share with the others. They start their journey dealing with their pain in various ways—some through anger, some through food, others through artistic expression. As they progress on the way, the grace of the pilgrimage draws the grief to the surface, laughter and friendship replace cynicism, and they begin to heal.

The Way is one of the best movies I have seen in a long time, and it’s filled with stirring imagery, great acting, humor, a life-affirming message, and a powerful Catholic ethos. In fact, it even inspired me to add a pilgrimage on the Way of St. James to my bucket list. Check it out.

The Catholic Gentleman Score: 5 Tiaras

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Manly Movie Moment: Clark Saves His Mother

Man-of-Steel-Henry-CavillI usually don’t get too excited about superhero movies, but I really enjoyed Zack Snyder’s Man of Steel. In addition to great action sequences, there’s a lot of Christian imagery. It’s a great movie.

In one of my favorite scenes, General Zod arrives at Clark’s childhood home and begins to interrogate his mother. Miles away, Clark senses that his mom is in trouble, and flies to the scene. He then begins to pulverize Zod, shouting “You think can threaten my mother?!”

The moral of the story: Don’t mess with Superman’s mom!

PS: I pretty sure Jesus feels the same way when his mom is attacked and disrespected. Don’t mess with Mary—you’ll have to deal with Jesus!