A tradition deeper than costumes and candy
COVER STORY—First, we bring you a personal reflection on the holiday by author Cindy LaFerle, Why I Still Love Halloween. Her column starts this way: “Halloween always stirs a delicious caldron of memories. Baby boomers are a nostalgic bunch, and most of us can recall at least one costume we wore in grade school.” More than fond memories, though, Cindy takes us to the origins: “Halloween’s deep roots weave back more than 2,000 years to the early Celts of Ireland, Scotland, and Wales.”
Then, for an even deeper dive into these traditions, turn to Holidays columnist Stephanie Fenton for her look about the three-day religious festival that includes Halloween and also All Saints and All Souls festivals. Stephanie’s column is headlined: Halloween, Allhallowtide and Samhain: A spook-tacular time of year!
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HOLIDAYS & FESTIVALS
Want to see all the holidays? www.InterfaithHolidays.org
DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME—Don’t forget to “fall back” this week! That’s Stephanie’s reminder in her column about this crucial observance. Then, she explains the history of this practice—and shares some news about the ongoing debate about its value.
VETERANS DAY—Plan ahead if you’re looking for a local event honoring veterans or perhaps would like to pay a visit to a cemetery on Nov. 11. But there’s more you can do! Stephanie points out in her column that you also could consider observing the holiday by lending a hand to those in need. And, yes, she has a link to the latest list of discounts and benefits offered to veterans to mark the holiday.
‘TINY HOMES’
HUGE INSPIRATION
WE WERE THRILLED, this week, to find good news from Detroit in the Christian Science Monitor under the headline: Rent-then-own tiny house village seeks to reinvent Detroit’s low-income housing Reported by CSM correspondent Trevor Bach, the story provides more details about how the project was put together and offers an inspiring overview of the results. Thanks to ReadTheSpirit contributing writer Duncan Newcomer in Maine, who is a regular reader of CSM and quickly spotted this new story—recommending that we share it with our readers today!
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FAITH & FILM
ED McNULTY, for decades, has published reviews, magazine articles and books exploring connections between faith and film. Most of his work is freely published. Ed supports his work by selling the Visual Parables Journal, a monthly magazine packed with discussion guides to films. This resource is used coast-to-coast by individuals who love the movies and by educators, clergy and small-group leaders.
Among Ed’s latest free movie reviews are:
- BLADE RUNNER—Director Denis Villeneuve certainly faced a big challenge when he agreed to make a sequel to the 1982 film that has an almost cult following. Enjoy Ed McNulty’s review of the film.
- SAME KIND OF DIFFERENCE AS ME—Ed writes, “First-time director Michael Carney’s race-relations film is a bit simplistic, but it easily beats out most faith-based films.” (4 out of 5 films)
- ONLY THE BRAVE—Ed likes the movie, which has divided film critics nationwide. Read his review, which awards 4.5 stars.
- COLUMBUS—Now here’s something most of our readers probably don’t know! Columbus, Ohio, is an international center of modernist architecture—and a filmmaker has created this moving drama about characters exploring their own lives in the context of those buildings. (5 out of 5 stars)
- REBEL IN THE RYE—This movie about J.D. Salinger deserves more credit than other critics seem to be giving it, Ed argues in his review. (4 stars)
- BRAD’S STATUS—Ed writes, “If you have ever sunk into a funk while thinking about your more successful friends, you might find writer-director Mike White’s film therapeutic, as well as enjoyable. Ben Stiller is outstanding as middle-aged Brad Sloan.” (5 stars)
- BATTLE OF THE SEXES—Ed says: “Lots to cheer for and to discuss in this well-crafted film!” The story of the famous tennis match between Bobby Riggs and Billy Jean King reveals a lot about bias in American culture. (4.5 stars)
- MARSHALL—Ed writes: It’s an “excellent new film about Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.” (5 stars)
- VICTORIA AND ABDUL—The movie is more fiction than fact, Ed concludes. (3.5 stars)
- I’LL PUSH YOU—”Stand up and cheer,” Ed writes as he gives this documentary a full 5 stars. In the film, one man pushes his friend’s wheelchair along 500 miles of the Camino de Santiago, The Way of Saint James.
- MENASHE—It’s an intriguing film about the relationship of an Orthodox Jewish father and his son as they try to navigate the pressures within their insular neighborhood. (5 stars)
- ALL SAINTS—“At last! Here is a faith-based film that seeks to entertain and inspire rather than convert its audience,” Ed writes. (5 stars)
- MOKA—A suspenseful drama about a mother grieving the loss of her son. (5 stars)
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