FILMS AND BOOKS

Viewers of almost any age will find themselves well rewarded for tracking down "Muppets Most Wanted."

Readers interested in the Catholic Church's role in international development will benefit from reading three books which explain that the church long has been a formal presence in international development and that individuals rooted in Catholic tradition, prayer and Catholic social teaching can change the world. But fair warning: Readers might feel inspired and uncomfortably challenged while reading them, for answering the call of Catholic social teaching, the books point out, is not an easy task.

"I am not writing a biography but a conversion story," Joseph Pearce explains in his new book, "Race With the Devil." His was a Christian conversion in the strict sense that it represented a full turnaround of his life. A Catholic today, Pearce during his teens became a white supremacist in England, devoting his talents then and in his early 20s to promoting racism.

The Chicago-Detroit Jesuit province is teaming up with Loyola Productions' online IN Network for a seven-part Lenten film series to make its debut on seven Wednesdays in Lent, starting with Ash Wednesday. The episodes will highlight Lenten themes and foster reflection and conversation. Questions for reflection and commentary are also offered.

Jesuit Father James Martin today has a hard time believing that he initially turned down a suggestion to go to Jerusalem as source material for his newest book, "Jesus: A Pilgrimage."

Al Kresta's book, “Dangers to the Faith: Recognizing Catholicism’s 21st Century Opponents,” shines light into all the nooks and crannies where the dangerous things lurk and sets us thinking about our own ambivalence and lack of action toward them.

The top 10 family films of 2013, according to Catholic News Service, are...

Here is a list of some of the programming Catholic News Service has compiled for the rest of February (plus one sneak peek in March). You'll find a few family flicks plus a discussion about the four "last things," love and and the emotional and spiritual effects of abortion.

Western civilization owes an incalculable debt to the real-life figures behind the fact-based World War II drama "The Monuments Men" (Columbia). Yet, despite honorable intentions and a cast of heavy hitters, this cinematic salute to their memory falls well short of the monumental.

With their lively 3-D animated adventure "The Lego Movie" (Warner Bros.), they not only deliver a diverting eye-catcher for both young and old, they also manage to incorporate a surprisingly pointed satire of conformist consumerism into the proceedings.