The 2011 Arts & Faith Top 100 Films

Go online to the National Catholic Register to see this year's list of 100 top films as chosen by the Arts & Faith online community and some analysis from NCR's film critic, Steven Greydanus.

Showcasing top films and directors from around the world and spanning cinematic history from silent movies to more contemporary films, the list is the culmination of years of discussion and debate within the Arts & Faith online community.

Generally speaking, I love lists like this because they present so many choices I wouldn't have come up with on my own. There are one or two movies on this list I've seen and really didn't like at all, and quite a few that look pretty interesting. In short, it give lots of ideas for my Netflix queue. (And yes, I checked, and almost all of them are available from Netflix - some on instant watch.)

You can read more about the list here.

Movie Pick: Arranged

At the recommendation of my daughter, Francesca, I've just finished watching a delightful movie about two pious women of different faiths.

From Netflix:

When Rochel and Nasira -- an Orthodox Jew and a Muslim, respectively -- meet as new teachers at a Brooklyn school, co-workers and students expect friction. But the women discover they have a shared expectation of entering into arranged marriages. As they experience tension between their traditional cultures and life in contemporary America, Rochel and Nasira form a special bond.

1. Basically, it's about two women holding onto traditional values in a society that doesn't share their point of view,
2. It's a lesson on cultural diversity that isn't dripping with annoying political correctness,
3. It's a respectful view of faith issues, and
4. It's two beautiful pictures of family life.

All in all, the best chick-flick I've seen in a long time! (And it's a Netflix instant watch option.)

Movie Pick: The Trouble with Angels

When I found this movie on the $5 rack at Target, I was thrilled! Hayley Mills plays high spirited Mary Clancy forced to attend St Francis Academy boarding school in the late 60s. Between the girls' high jinks, the nostalgia, and Mary's growth, it's a cute movie for the whole family. And for those of us who feel passionately about keeping Catholic schools going, there is this chuckler:

Mother Superior: As for the social graces, I'm convinced that your school encourages barbarism and concerns itself only with free thinking, free wheeling and finger-painting.
Mr. Petrie: The finest educational minds in the country happen to be on our side!
Mother Superior: God is on ours!

My favorite line, and as applicable today as in 1966:
"I would rather have one like [her] who chose [to be a sister] rather than a hundred who yielded."