The Critique

Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, Faith and the Future , San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2009, ISBN 978-1-58617-219-0, cost not mentioned, pp. 118 Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger, later Pope Benedict XVI, is recognized as one of the brightest minds of the Church. Before his rise to the Papacy, he had written a number of books on theology and spirituality. This book is a collection of five radio addresses made by the Cardinal during the years 1969-1970. Since all five addresses centre around the theme of faith they have been edited and presented in the form of a book. The theme is pertinent till the present day and Pope Benedict surprisingly shows great foresight in his assessment and prediction of ‘faith and the future’.   Some of the questions addressed in this book are: What is faith? What does it have to do with knowledge, modern philosophical trends, technology, and our modern world? What is faith’s relationship to truth? What consequences do the answers to these questions have ...

Lee Strobel, The Case for Christ , Secunderabad: Om Books, 2001, ISBN 81-7362-319-8, Rs. 119, pp. 297 The Case for Christ is a brilliant book by atheist turned believer, Lee Strobel. Recently, his faith journey has been adapted for the silver screen and I had reviewed the film earlier. However, the film did not satisfy my intellectual curiosity and so I hardly rested till I laid hands on the book. I have to admit right at the outset that the book is great. The first page and the back cover are filled with praises of noteworthy personalities in the field of Christian literature, philosophy and evangelization, for the accomplishments of the author. Reading their appreciation only augured my curiosity and interest. The book is written from the viewpoint of a journalist but it is easily noticeable that Lee was already a Christian when he wrote this book. He follows the methodology of a criminal journalist (his profession) in documenting and presenting the evidence. The book may n...

Created by: The Duffer Brothers Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Mathew Modine. Dur:  The first season has 8 episodes each varying between 45-55mins. Genre: Horror-Thriller Rating: 9/10 Netflix has produced some fantastic and mind-blowing serials over the past few years. Stranger Things is one of their recent productions. It didn’t make a splash but was an awesome series (take it from someone who literally binged on it). The story was so gripping and the suspense so nerve-racking that I couldn’t rest until I had seen the next and the next and the … The serial takes us back in time to the 1980’s, to an obscure American village where strange things begin to happen. It all starts with the disappearance of a young boy. The story builds around his mysterious disappearance and the occurrence of strange events in the village. One striking feature of this series...

I am a fan of Greek mythology and had been looking for a book on it in the library when I came across The Iliad . I opened the contents page and saw some familiar names. I thought I had the right book, but it was only when I read the introduction that I realized my mistake. I was aware that The Iliad was one of the classics and a great book of the ancient world. It is one of the oldest books available to us although the original hasn’t survived the ravages of time. Still, it remains as one of the greatest classics of all time. This encouraged me to read on and not return the book. At first, I was put off by the language used. It wasn’t exactly Shakespearean but it was tedious. My eyes would tire quickly so that I couldn’t read more than a chapter or two at one sitting. This meant time and time is something I am constantly chasing so it took me quite some time to get from cover to cover. After completing it I don’t feel it was a great read. If you watch the film Troy you have th...

Dir: Garth Davis Starring: Dev Patel, Rooney Mara, Nicole Kidman, David Wenham Dur: 1 hr 58 mins Genre: Biography Rating: 9/10 For some time now, I had been postponing the chance to watch Lion . I knew that it was a Hollywood film with an Indian story and that it was nominated for some awards; what I didn’t know was that it was based on a true story and that it featured big names. Dev Patel’ picture was clear in my head and so I thought that it was some kind drama. However, the first half of the film never features Dev Patel or any of the other ‘big’ names that flash during the opening credits. Instead we are shown the adventures of a small, dirty, Rajasthani slum boy who accidentally is separated from his family. He wanders the unkind streets of Kolkatta and is preyed on by some slum-dwellers looking for quick cash in child trafficking. Luckily, he is perceptive of their intentions and courageous to flee danger. His running finally brings him to a home for street children...

Henri. J. M. Nouwen, Adam: God’s Beloved, New York: Orbis Books, 1997, ISBN 1-57075-133-1, pp. 128, $16 This book is the swansong of the great spiritual author, Henri Nouwen. It contains an account of the life of one of his close friends, Adam, an epileptic with limited faculties whom he encountered at the Daybreak centre in Canada. The book was written just weeks before his own demise and is an emotional retelling of Adam’s life which the author found similar to the life of Jesus. The book therefore is composed of nine chapters that reflect the stages of Jesus’ life even though the principal focus is Adam. I have read a few of Nouwen’s books but the style and message of this book differed from the others. Nouwen himself indicates the changes and attribute them to Adam’s influence on his life. The story is poignant and yet one which has lessons to teach. Nouwen focuses on the values that Adam’s story brings forth and draws parallels with the life of Jesus. The point he empha...

Dir: Stuart Hazeldine Starring: Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer Dur: 2 hrs 12 mins Genre: Christian Drama Rating: 8/10 The Shack is based on the 2007 novel of the same name by William Young. It tells the incredible story of a man who loses his youngest daughter to a murderer while on a vacation with his kids. The murder leaves him in a dark place. He grows distant from his family and the relationship among the family members grows fragile. Suddenly he receives a cryptic letter inviting him to the shack where his daughter was murdered. After a little haggling he goes and experiences a life-changing drama. His transformation from darkness to light is the focus of the film. The first part of the film shows what life was like for the family. It stresses the good nature and closeness of the family. They attend church faithfully and live devout lives until their faith is tested. The film draws on a number of themes like authenticity of faith, trust in God, forgiveness, le...

Created by: Jon Bokenkamp Starring: James Spader, Megan Boone, Diego Kattenhoff, Ryan Eggold, Parminder Nagra, Harry Lennix, Amire Arison, Mozhan Marrio, Hisham Tawfiq Dur: The first and second season has 22 episodes, the third season has 23, the fourth and fifth seasons have 22 episodes; each is about 45 mins. Genre: Crime-drama Rating: 9/10 I don’t think any other serial that I have watched before (and I have watched some pretty great ones) has managed to grip in the fashion that Blacklist had. Frankly, it rendered me sleepless with suspense. I could hardly wait for the next episode to ease the tension. The creator needs a mighty cheer for this masterpiece of crime and drama. The acting is impeccable, especially James Spader. He carries the show literally and figuratively. The other lead actors do play significant parts but Spader steals the show. We follow Raymond Reddington (Spader) a former agent turned criminal who has ascended the heights of notoriety and who ...

Created by: Neil Gaiman, Sam Keith, Mike Dringenberger Starring: Tom Ellis, Lauren German, Kevin Alejandro, D.B. Woodside, Leslie Ann Brandt, Scarlett Estevez, Rachel Harris Dur: The first season has 13 episodes and the second season has 18, each of about 45 mins. Genre: Crime-drama Rating: 8/10 From the time I first saw the trailer of Lucifer I had been eagerly waiting to watch it. Without batting an eyelid I can solemnly promise that it was as good as the trailer said it would be. The story is fabulous and intriguing with interesting twists and turns. It builds up rather progressively and the drama and suspense keeps you on the edge of your seat. It is a show that encourages binge watching. If you’re not a fan of crime dramas you may not like it but I would recommend you watch it at least to see how the devil is portrayed. Honestly, I don’t think the devil gets any better than this. The manner in which Lucifer a.k.a. the devil is depicted is intriguing and novel. Many lik...

Dir: Michael Schur Starring: Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, D’Arcy Carden, Manny Jacinto, Ted Danson Dur: The first season has 8 episodes, each of about 25 mins. Genre: Comedy Rating: 5/10 I was hesitant to watch The Good Place because although it seemed to be pretty funny it didn’t promise a very great story. Nonetheless I was intrigued in as much as it focused on the afterlife. I was curious to know how the afterlife would be depicted. So I took to the series and frankly I really enjoyed it. The episodes are short and so there isn’t any unnecessary dragging of events. Things move smoothly and the humour really lightens the spirit. The acting is fantastic but it was the dialogues that really had me hooked. Kristen Bell delivers a stellar performance but the other key characters are also impeccable. The series follows a young lady who finds herself in the ‘Good Place’ after losing her life. She soon discovers that she has been mistaken for som...

E. Le Joly, The Catholic Faith and Practice Today , Bombay : St Paul Publications, 1989, ISBN 81-7109-087-7, pp. 181, Rs. 28 This book is an attempt to make available the basic catechism of the Church. It is divided into four sections viz. the Creed, the Sacraments, The Commandments and a short section on prayer. The back cover of the book contains a good description of the author and what the book is about. It claims that the book is written in conformity with the structure of the Universal Catechism that Pope John Paul II commissioned. Although the book was written for a different time, it’s insights and explanations are valid even today. The books is recommended for teenagers and adult catechumens and those who instruct them; besides minor seminarians, religious novices and juniors and all those who wish to learn the basic truths of the Catholic faith are welcome to read it. The book is well-thought out but isn’t as crystal clear as it may have wanted to be or may have wa...

Dir: Jon Watts Starring: Tom Holland, Michael Keaton, Robert Downey Jr. Dur: 2 hrs 10 mins Genre: Superhero Rating: 4/10 Spiderman is often referred to as the “friendly, neighbourhood” kind of guy and even in this film he is referred to as such (mostly by himself) but this film shows us an other-worldly spiderman. He is no more relatable in human terms. He is upgraded to the 21 st or perhaps 22 nd century with an iron man like suit battling against wayward humans with intergalactic weapons. Set in the post-Civil War, we find a group of simple scrapdealers who devise a scheme to keep their threatened business of selling weapons with alien technology alive. Just when things are going smoothly, “friendly, neighbourhood spiderman” who is simply a confused adolescent spins a web around their plot only to create further complications. Surprisingly the destruction is kept to a minimum. After all, how much can an adolescent with a spidey suit destroy? The film dovetails a wan...