By Jacob Sahms

We live in unexpected and uncertain times, and sometimes, there’s a movie or two that we go to for comfort, a momentary reprieve from the craziness of the world around us. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be sharing thoughts about a few of those movies each week. May they bring you a bit of joy and peace!

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

The new film about Mister Rogers, one of our country’s greatest icons, is highly recommended for families. Hanks is wonderful as Mr. Rogers. He brings the warmth and spirit of Mr. Rogers to life, with voice and manner precisely honoring the great minister of kindness. Matthew Rhys plays Lloyd Vogel and his expressions ooze with emotion; his performance is as much the beauty of this film as is the story of Rogers itself.

The Greatest Showman

The story finds its inspiration in the life of Phineas Taylor Barnum whose ingenious vision brought to life the Barnum and Bailey Circus in the late 19th century. To play the role of the creative showman, who better than Hollywood’s very own Renaissance man of talent, Hugh Jackman. In this glittering spectacle of song and dance (yes, it’s a musical), Jackman and crew strut their stuff to argue that this is, indeed, the greatest show.

Rocky

The “Italian Stallion,” Rocky Balboa, is an aspiring boxer in downtown Philadelphia. His one chance to make a better life for himself is through his boxing and Adrian, a girl who works in the local pet store. Through a publicity stunt, Rocky is set up to fight Apollo Creed, the current heavyweight champion who is already set to win. But Rocky really needs to triumph, against all the odds…The 1976 film continues to spawn sequels!

Woodlawn 

A gifted high school football player must learn to boldly embrace his talent and his faith as he battles racial tensions on and off the field in the film, based on the true story of how love and unity overcame hate and division in early 1970s Birmingham, Ala. Tony Nathan (newcomer Caleb Castille) lands in a powder keg of anger and violence when he joins fellow African-American students at Woodlawn High School after its government-mandated desegregation in 1973. The Woodlawn Colonels football team is a microcosm of the problems at the school and in the city, which erupts in cross burnings and riots, and Coach Tandy Gerelds (Nic Bishop) is at a loss to solve these unprecedented challenges with his disciplinarian ways.