philippa-4

Set in gritty, ethnic, crumbling inner city Chicago , The Third Miracle is an excellent vehicle for the manly and talented Ed Harris. His portrayal of a priest struggling with his identity and spiritual beliefs is compelling. His assignment to determine whether a kind and loving woman who worked with the poor is actually qualified for sainthood or not leads him to emotional territory he would have preferred not delve into. This movie is thoughtful and insightful and may be a bit insolent and lusty for some fundamentalist religious people, but I loved it and rated it a 9.

I find most teen flicks to be silly and sophmoric. An example would be "American Pie", which has a plot and dialogue that appears to be conceived by adolescent boys. "Election" has much to say about the foibles of human nature....it just happens to be set in a high school. If you liked "Rushmore" you will like this one. I give it a 6.

An atmospheric film that is a love story, a mystery, a courtroom drama, a tale of social injustice, and a moral dilemma. The story unfolds gradually and subtly, perhaps too slowly for some, but I enjoyed delving into the character's histories with each layer revealing them as complex human beings driven by conflicting emotions and shaped by the time in which they lived. As a history lesson, it shows a period in the not too distant past when the US treated its own citizens in a disgraceful and humiliating way (re: the disgraceful incarceration of people of Japanese descent in American concentration camps). I recommend this film to anyone who appreciates intelligent movies with a social conscience. The acting, directing and camera work are superb.I rated this an 8.