Free Republic

My wife and I went to see Cabrini last night. Given the mixed yet passionate reaction to the film by a variety of folks whose opinions I respect, I was looking forward to it. Having now seen it, I think the mixed reaction is completely appropriate. My reaction was also mixed, though tending more toward the negative. On the positive side, the film had a lot of spoken Italian in it which was fun. It was also well acted and beautifully shot, with a moving soundtrack that reminded me of a cross between The Village and Master and Commander. Though...

Days after one of the over 6,600 investors who helped crowdfund the box office hit “Sound of Freedom” was arrested on kidnapping charges, the studio behind the film is clarifying its fundraising policy.Fabian Marta, 51, of Missouri, was arrested by St. Louis police on July 21 and charged with felony child kidnapping. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.According to a report from a local CBS affiliate, Marta allegedly “helped somebody who had unlawfully taken her children and interfered with the return of the two children to their lawful parent by refusing to allow police access to...

Angel Studios’ anti-people trafficking movie, “Sound of Freedom,” has earned nearly seven times its original budget after only two weeks at the box office.Image from the "Sound of Freedom" movie which was released on July 4, 2023. (Courtesy of Angel Studios)Shedding a light on a dark, shadowy world—especially child sex trafficking—the film’s commercial success comes years after its production, surviving a corporate merger, the COVID-19 pandemic, and reports of several screenings gone awry.The picture owes a lot to two men who wanted everyone to see it—the producer and co-star Eduardo Verastagui and president of Goya Foods, Bob Unanue.Opening on July...

‘The Chosen’ Director Dallas Jenkins has responded to fans wanting him to include the transfiguration of Jesus in his hit TV show about the life of Jesus, saying he’s confused why fans would think it would be an important scene to show, particularly because it wouldn’t “serve our story.” We’ve written about Jenkins in the past, with our posts Dallas Jenkins Says Mormons are Saved : ‘I’m Going to Die on That Hill’, as well as Dallas Jenkins Doubles Down on Controversial Mormon Comments, Straight up Lies and Dallas Jenkins Affirms Mormons are Christians in ‘Definitive, Final’ Video.’ Jenkins made...

A look at streaming services catering to families and conservatives reveals some surprisingly good titles.On Wednesday, Disney announced it added only 1.5 million domestic subscribers this spring to its flagship streaming service, with anticipated higher costs in the year ahead. The company’s market value quickly dipped to a two-year low. Such weak results seem to confirm the power of a movement among conservative parents to “cancel Disney” after surreptitiously recorded remarks by Disney creative executives about their “not-so-secret gay agenda” spread online. Relaying what he has heard from Christian families about those comments, Erick Goss, head of faith-based streamer Minno,...