All That Remains started out as an ambitious feature film project and it’s continued to grow in both scope and vision as we continually seek to do justice to this remarkable true story of faith and love amidst the horrors of war. In fact we now feel we are on course to producing a movie that will not only rival any with twenty times the budget we’ve had to work with, but will also stand as a fittingly unique and special tribute to a man once known as the Ghandi of Japan and the many victims who suffered, and continue to do so, as a result of the atomic bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima.
This man is Dr.Takashi Nagai, and you can find out more about him here or by visiting the film's indiegogo page, which I urge you to do.
...most people were afraid of me. But I didn't hate them. I pitied them. Do you know why? Because most people will never know anything beyond what they see with their own two eyes.
- X2- X-Men United
Why? ‘Cause it’s comic-con. And he’s awesome, and German, and as far as I know, the only Catholic superhero. In any case, Kurt Wagner, AKA the Nightcrawler, is a very rare, positive, and accurate depiction of Catholicism in mainstream media.
Making his debut in 1975’s Giant X-Men #1, the Nightcrawler has BAMF'd his way through forty years of comics, three animated series, multiple video games, and a key role in a major motion picture. It all started when a shape-shifting mutant, Mystique, hooked up with an actual demon, Azazel (you may recognize him from X-Men: First Class). Since Nightcrawler's blue skin and pointy ears blew Mystique's cover as a non-mutant, she abandoned him to a river, where he was later picked up by a traveling circus.
Among the ranks of freaks and geeks he had somewhat of a safe haven despite his monstrous appearance, but as a mutant, he knew he would always be an outcast to the rest of the world (pitchforks and torches gave him that impression). Despite his demonic ancestry, he would go on to find solace in God, even living in a monastery for a time. His exemplary faith is so compelling that some of the X-Men (Storm, Jubilee, and even Wolverine) have to pause to contemplate his words. Below, a video that better illustrates his origin and his interesting effect on Wolverine:
Cutting through the twists, turns, and multiple histories typical of a comic character, Nightcrawler was later recruited to join the X-Men by Professor Xavier, whose mission it is to alleviate the majority population's fears of mutants by using their abilities for good. Nightcrawler's abilities include hyper agility, teleportation/inter-dimensional travel (BAMF!), and his feet allow him to walk on walls. He also has an awesome tail, is a prankster, and loves a good swashbuckling adventure.
Ace Ventura, The Nutty Professor, Bruce Almighty…the guy is behind some of the biggest comedies of our generation. Yet, his most significant work is likely to be a documentary that seeks to answer two rather sober questions: What’s wrong with the world, and what can we do about it? I Am is the name of this work, and though Christian readers will recognize it as a Biblical reference, Shadyac claims it to be serendipitous, albeit one that was not an accident. (Dialog)
Several articles on the web state that 2011’s I Am is the product of a journey that began after Shadyac’s 2007 biking accident, an accident which left him with a concussion and lasting head trauma. Plagued with migraines and other symptoms, the director did not even know how long he had to live. It was a dark night of the soul, to be sure, but it was merely one more stage in the spiritual journey that has been Shadyac’s life, not the start of it.
Though Shadyac was raised Roman Catholic, he questioned its dogma and "exclusivity" for years. Questioning, however, is a good thing when done in the interest of pursuing truth, and it is at the very heart of our faith to seek out truth. As is clear from his having read Augustine and Thomas Merton, not to mention the rest of this LIST, Shadyac is very active in this pursuit. When asked about what he finds in common with all the spiritual authors he’s read, he answers:
“They all go within, where you have to remove yourself from the distractions of the world and find yourself within[…]But there's this intuition, that voice inside saying there's something to this. And that's what faith is. That's what I find in all the great religions--quiet down, be still and know that I am God. Go into that quiet place, Jesus said, and shut the door. And listen for me there. And then bring that out into the world.” (Beliefnet)
To listen to that voice, he attends silent retreats and practices Lectio Divina.
Though I Am took him to thinkers from all over the world, and through the depths of human existence, it was not his only film to ask hard hitting questions. Does the truth really set us free? See Liar Liar (1997). Is God ambivalent toward our suffering? See Patch Adams (1998). And, of course, how do you get someone to love you without affecting free will? 2003’s Bruce Almighty brings us God’s response via Morgan Freeman: “Welcome to my world, son.”
Yet, if Shadyac’s journey could only be evidenced by his portfolio, there’d be a superficialness to it.
God demands much more than our skin deep affections; He is known for demanding us in our entirety, and it should be noted that Shadyac’s extreme downsizing from an extravagant Hollywood lifestyle to a mobile home park, one that had made him grow rich in neighbors and happiness, was a gradual process that predated the bike crash. What the bike crash did was to compel him to open up about his journey, and in doing so invite others to see what connects humanity, the good and the lack thereof.
A cool cat caveat:
I found several articles that designate Tom Shadyac as a “professed” and a “devout” Catholic, and he may well be, but those words mean very little in a society where “Catholics” openly support abortion, same-sex marriage, and the infringement of Catholics’ liberties. This makes searching for cool cats difficult. Though my research didn’t turn up any mention of the sacraments, I’ll let Shadyac speak on his own behalf: “Do I support this or that? Am I pre-Vatican II or post-Vatican II? Jesus said, ‘You understand the letter of the law but not the spirit of the law,’” he said. “If Catholic means I have some exclusivity on the truth, I would say no, but (yes) if you say I’ve given my full life and my heart to God and given myself over to Jesus.” (Dialog)
In any case, I believe his spirituality is a Catholic one, even if I cannot vouch for what manifests in his practice of the religion.
You could call it an off-week, or you could call me lazy, but I'm going to ask any dear reader of mine to take the initiative to get to know this week's cool cat. How do I expect you to do that?
But, if you really can't bring yourself to support the black and habit on the red carpet, then I'd suggest the NY Times article "A Nun Returns to the Red Carpet."
What was that? You still think I'm incredibly lazy? Okay, here's the quick run down. Mother Hart is a voting member of the academy and even presented at the Oscars back in her acting days. Between 1957 and 1963 she appeared in sixteen different films/tv series, most notably landing Elvis Presley's first onscreen kiss in Loving You (1957). She then left her very successful Hollywood career and chivalrous fiancee for a a cloistered life in Connecticut, where she is now the prioress. There are some other details in there, but I don't want to spoil it. Ha.
Hmm, what would you toss aside for the sake of following God's plan?
It’s not hard to see how the handsome face above became a pop sensation and a soap opera star in his native Mexico. As he went up the echelons to star in the 20th century Fox film, Chasing Papi, people even began calling him the “Brad Pitt of Mexico.”
With his rising fame and ambition, Eduardo made the logical decision to work with an English teacher in L.A., but he learned more than English from the devout Catholic. Further influenced by Scott Hahn’s Rome Sweet Home, Eduardo did a 180, vowed to stay off demeaning roles, and even considered becoming a pirest. Those around him thought he was nuts, but he had undergone a true conversion: ...heaven is forever and that is my goal. I realized that I didn’t want to be a part of anything where the Blessed Virgin Mary or my mother would have to cover their eyes. 1
His spiritual director advised him to stay in Hollywood, but he did not get another role for three years. The dry spell ended when he met Leo Severino at a daily mass. Together they set out to form Metanoia, a film company that seeks to change hearts and affirm human dignity. Their first major production was the Toronto Film Festival audience favorite Bella (2006). In it, Eduardo stars not as a Latin lover, but as a young man who wants to help his female friend, body and soul, and to keep her from repeating his mistakes.
Metanoia’s next project isLittle Boy, an adult fairy-tale about a boy who “struggles to achieve the impossible…bring his father back from WWII.”
In between movies Eduardo can be seen speaking out against abortion, inviting young Catholics to attend World Youth Day, and sharing the story of his personal journey. “We are not called to be successful, we are called to be faithful. I wasn't born to be famous, or rich, I was born to know and love and serve our Lord Jesus Christ.”2
For the record, any cat who voices for a Bioware game is automatically cool.
Probably best known for his seven year portrayal of President Bartlet in The West Wing, the prolific actor has done everything from Apocalypse Now to voicing the Illusive Man in the later Mass Effect games. He’s played a priest on seven different occasions; five of those roles come after his rebirth in the faith.
To understand his spiritual journey, one has to recognize the troubled person he was in 1979’s Apocalypse Now, as further evidenced in Francis Coppola’s Hearts of Darknes: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, a documentary on the film’s disturbed set. In an interview for the National Catholic Register, Sheen says of the role:
…That sequence was in large part a reflection of my own personal brokenness. I was not a practicing Catholic at the time, and I had no clue as to what I was getting into with the film… A year later, I had a heart attack, a really close call.
I was playing a frightened, confused professional killer [Capt. Benjamin Willard], an unstable frightened alcoholic. I didn’t have a clue who this character was supposed to be and the director [Francis Ford Coppola] said to me: “It’s you. Whoever wants to arrive at any kind of certainty as an actor brings themselves.” I realized I could wrestle this demon… My poor wife, Janet, got a glimpse of this poor devil in that sequence, the anger, fear, resentment, disappointment that had built up over 36 years.
In 1981 he did a film in Paris, and it was there he met up with an Episcopalian friend, Terrence Malick (The Thin Red Line, Tree of Life). After a series of life delving discussions, he went knocking on St. Joseph’s Church in Paris, and said to the Irish priest, “I have been away from the church for a long time and I’d like to go to confession.”(NCR)
Since then Sheen has been very active in social justice, taking inspiration from Daniel Berrigan, SJ, and his founding of the Plowshares Movement, which brought together people of varying faiths to nonviolently oppose the Vietnam war. He carries a rosary to help keep him from swearing and to comfort him on flights. According to Irish Central, he did not support Barack Obama in 2008 because of the candidate's pro-choice stance.
His latest spiritual foray into film is his starring role in The Way, which is written and directed by his son Emilio Estavez:
Martin Sheen plays Tom, an American doctor who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son (played by Emilio Estevez), killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago, also known as The Way of Saint James. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son's desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn't plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him and his "California Bubble Life."
Check the website to find a showing near you.
Fun fact: His actor's surname is taken from Bishop Fulton Sheen.
