Artists
& Faith
By Amanda Hudson, News Editor
Part three of an Interview with Harry Forbes - Special to The Observer Online
Reviewers’ conundrum
Criticizing the critics didn’t begin with The Golden Compass, of course.
“Sometimes when we’ve written nice things about a film that has a good deal of troubling aspects, we get mail asking us how can we say anything good about that film,” Forbes says. With “the L-rated movies, we are saying that many adults would be troubled by this film; that it is not for every adult. I think of my relatives and (ask myself) if they would be shocked by this.” Read more ...
Part 2: There’s good, there’s bad and there’s downright offensive, but
Reviewer Walks Fine Line for Ratings (Feb. 8, 2008)
NEW YORK—Harry Forbes, director of the Office for Film and Broadcasting for the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops, and review staffer John Mulderig spent two days working together to ponder and write their review of "The Golden Compass," a film based on the first of a trilogy of books viewed as anti-Catholic and anti-Christian.
Despite their careful efforts, the bishops’ conference later pulled their fairly-positive movie review after receiving objections. Read more ...
Part 1: There’s good, there’s bad and there’s downright offensive, but
Harry Forbes isn’t jaded yet (Feb. 1, 2008)
NEW YORK—"It’s a pretty tall order to cover all this, but I’m not jaded yet," Harry Forbes says happily. "I still love movies, even though it may be a pain to sit through the bad ones. It’s not quite the dream job everyone thinks it is."
The bulk of Forbes’ work as Director of the Office for Film and Broadcasting for the United States Catholic Conference of Bishops is that of reviewing lots and lots of films as well as television and, occasionally, theater. Read more ...
Actor Undaunted By Challenges,
Inspired by Mission (Dec. 14, 2007)
Augustine. John of the Cross. Therese of the Child Jesus. Maximilian Kolbe. Francis of Assisi. And, coming soon, John Vianney.
"I’ve taken on some pretty tough subject matter," Leonardo Defilippis admits as he talks about the saints he has featured in live performances and in film. Read more ...
Music is Her Mission (Dec. 7, 2007)
"It’s always been church music," says Paula Sentovich of her music.
Sentovich began writing music some five or six years ago, a step she says "opened (her) ministry."
"When I’m singing my own songs," she says, "the songs that I feel God has given me, I feel like I’ve blossomed. Read more ...
For Actor, Drama is a Vocation (Nov. 30, 2007)
ST. LOUIS—Kevin O’Brien laughs as he describes his drama-filled life.
"It really is a calling, a vocation," he says. "I could never be happy with a real job. I’m kind of blessed and cursed at the same time — this is the only thing I can do, (and) I have to do it." Read more ...