Rose Pacatte

Two new independent films, "Hearts Beat Loud" and "Leave No Trace," have great artistic power, while "Sicario: Day of the Soldado" opts for fear-mongering violence. It's grace versus grit.

The new documentary from award-winning director Wim Wenders is like a cinematic pulpit for Pope Francis to share his concerns about humanity and the earth. The film has a mystical, poetic, contemplative quality.

Review: Director William Friedkin is respectful of exorcism but seems very eager to be the one to show the world an actual exorcism and not the product of someone's imagination. 

The PBS series "Independent Lens" will air a 2017 documentary next week about the largest water crisis to occur in the United States.

Movie reviews: Moving documentaries, dystopian futures, true life stories, history reimagined and more in new movies already playing or coming soon to theaters.

Actress Stéphane Audran, known to most Christian audiences for playing Babette Hersant in Gabriel Axel's 1987 film "Babette's Feast," died March 27 in Paris.

"Dolores," a documentary about the life of activist Dolores Huerta, airs at 9 p.m. March 27 on PBS. (Check local listings.) 

The new Ava DuVernay film is strong on female characters and racial diversity, but disappoints with uneven production values.

Movies: History, humanity, humor, family, religion, identity, relationships and the environment are just a few of the themes found in the Oscar's Best Picture category.

Film review: Clint Eastwood's new film is a harrowing tale of heroism that uses the people who were involved in thwarting a terrorist attack aboard a European train as the actors. This is a very moving, inspirational film about being prepared to act for the common good.

Movie review: Look for echoes of Flannery O'Connor in writer-director Martin McDonagh's "Three Billboards," a story that works on human, religious and theological levels.

December 2017 is turning out to be a month that honors the U.S. Constitution's First Amendment, which guarantees freedom of the press. On Dec. 22, Steven Spielberg's new film "The Post" is released, detailing the paper's publisher Katherine Graham's challenging decision to move forward with the publishing of part of the Pentagon Papers.

In light of the #MeToo movement, the National Women's Law Center recently sponsored a conversation about sexual harassment and assault that included law professor Anita Hill, whose testimony against then-Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas was discounted by the U.S. Senate in 1991.

Review: National Geographic's new hour-long documentary "The Secrets of Christ's Tomb" reveals some fascinating new information about the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

Movie Review: "The Newspaperman," a documentary detailing the life of The Washington Post's Ben Bradlee, is deeply important today, as the press is openly targeted as "the enemy" on the national stage. 

Movie Review: Disney/Pixar's "Coco" delivers a stunning journey to the afterlife, conveying messages of love and legacy along the way.

Movie Review: Exquisite animation in 'The Breadwinner' tells the story of a young girl growing up in Taliban-controlled Kabul. Parvana is an aspirational, inspirational character for girls everywhere.

Miniseries review: Based on correspondent Martha Raddatz's New York Times best-selling book, The Long Road Home, the series of the same name is an emotional ride through the horrific experiences and heroic actions of the ambushed U.S. Army's 1st Calvary Division.

Film Review: "Bending the Arc" tells the story of the organization Partners in Health and its remarkable work to bring health care to the people in developing countries.

Perspective: I was the only Daughter of St. Paul sister who could come to a recent funeral of a benefactor and friend of our community, and I was the first to arrive.