By Thomas V. Mirus ( bio - articles - email ) | Jan 08, 2021
Happy New Year! It’s time for the annual article in which members of the Catholic Culture staff look back on their reading in the past year and recommend the best, some published in 2020 and some not. Actually, this list is not confined to reading only. You’ll get book recommendations from Jeff Mirus, Phil Lawler and Mike Aquilina; book and film recommendations from James T. Majewski; and book, essay, podcast, music and (way too many) film recommendations from Thomas V. Mirus. Enjoy!
Jeff Mirus
The best books I read in 2020 were all new titles among the books I reviewed on CatholicCulture.org during the course of the year with the exception of the last one, for which this survey will constitute my review. Apparently 2020 was a year in which I was most impressed by authors who increased my spiritual understanding and fueled my spiritual growth, though each in a different way and on a di
Advertisement
TNT Mon. 8 p.m.
X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009) ★★
Starz Mon. 1:30 p.m.
Four Star Films, Box Office Hits, Indies and Imports, Movies A - Z
THIS WEEK’S MOVIES A-Z
Advertisement
An alphabetical listing of movies on TV the week of the week of Dec 27 - Jan 2, 2021
a | b | c | d | e | f | g | h | i | j | k | l | m | n | o | p | q | r | s | t | u | v | w | x | y | z
A
Advertisement
a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z
40 Years, 40 Movies: Writing a Cinematic Autobiography
I’m old.
While I have felt like An Old™ for a long time, it’s now official. I was born on December 23, 1980. Today, I’m 40.
God, it sucks so bad.
So I’m going to deal with the soul-crushing depression the only way I know how: With movies. Over the last few days, I’ve found myself in a reflective mood. At first I thought about compiling a list of the best movies of my lifetime. But that seemed kind of generic, and not all that different from a list anyone could make if they were picking the cinematic highlights of the last 40 years.
To escape poverty and a fractious family, Archie Leach ran away from home at age 13 to perform as a juggler with the Bob Pender Troupe of comedians and acrobats. He frequently worked in music halls in London, where he acquired a Cockney accent. Leach made the United States his home during the company’s American tour of 1920, and for the next several years he honed his performing skills in such disparate pursuits as a barker at Coney Island, a stilt walker at Steeplechase Park, and a straight man in vaudeville shows. His performances throughout the country in numerous stage musicals and comedies during the late 1920s and early ’30s led to a contract with Paramount Pictures in 1932. Studio executives thought “Archie Leach” was an unsuitable name for a leading man and rechristened the actor “Cary Grant,” a name he would legally adopt in 1941. Grant first appeared in several short films and low-budget features for Paramount, and he attracted some attention with his role as a