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Jarhead

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Source: Catholic News Service

Intermittently arresting war movie based on Anthony Swofford's memoirs of his experiences in the first Gulf War, which follows a unit of Marines from boot camp to deployment in Iraq -- seen through the eyes of a team of snipers (Jake Gyllenhaal and Peter Sarsgaard) -- where they battle scorching heat, boredom and each other as airpower wins the war. Director Sam Mendes' absurdist, obscenity-laced meditation on modern warfare is by turns surreal and sardonic, but despite solid performances and some striking visuals, the film's familiar depiction of grunt life feels warmed-over, presenting a morally ambiguous view of war and its desensitizing psychological effects on combatants. Combat related violence, including disturbing images of charred bodies, a few graphic sexual encounters with partial nudity, scenes of masturbation and urination, shadowy shower nudity, excessive sexually explicit language and humor and profanity. The USCCB Office for Film & Broadcasting classification is L -- limited adult audience, films whose problematic content many adults would find troubling. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is R -- restricted.

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Rita of Cascia: Like Elizabeth Ann Seton, Rita of Cascia was a wife, mother, widow and member of a religious community. Her holiness was reflected in each phase of her life.
<p>Born at Roccaporena in central Italy, Rita wanted to become a nun but was pressured at a young age into marrying a harsh and cruel man. During her 18-year marriage, she bore and raised two sons. After her husband was killed in a brawl and her sons had died, Rita tried to join the Augustinian nuns in Cascia. Unsuccessful at first because she was a widow, Rita eventually succeeded. </p><p>Over the years, her austerity, prayerfulness and charity became legendary. When she developed wounds on her forehead, people quickly associated them with the wounds from Christ's crown of thorns. She meditated frequently on Christ's passion. Her care for the sick nuns was especially loving. She also counseled lay people who came to her monastery. </p><p>Beatified in 1626, Rita was not canonized until 1900. She has acquired the reputation, together with St. Jude, as a saint of impossible cases. Many people visit her tomb each year.</p>

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