Arts & Culture

A debased portrayal of human sexuality and relentlessly vulgar dialogue make the tasteless romantic comedy “Long Shot” (Lionsgate) unsuitable for all.

Three new books on the papacy are informative and interesting but, Gerard O’Connell’s “The Election of Pope Francis” is, in this reviewer’s opinion, the best of the lot.

Publishing giant Ubisoft is headquartered in Paris and has generously donated over $500,000 and pledged its virtual rendition of Notre Dame and its research from “Assassin’s Creed: Unity” to the restoration team.

A routine thriller for most of its running time, director Deon Taylor’s “The Intruder” (Screen Gems) becomes increasingly trashy before ending with the justification of a profoundly immoral act in which viewers are meant to revel.

Canadian author and educator Randy Boyagoda hopes an upcoming trilogy of novels will add to the tradition of what he terms “the good/bad Catholic” narratives.

“UglyDolls” (STX) call to mind that age-old saying, “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” They’re based on a line of plush toys that are deliberately designed not to be among the fairest of them all.

“My faith is my life, not a part of my life,” said Jockey Mike Smith, who will be riding Omaha Beach in the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

Patrick Creadon, who made the new documentary “Hesburgh” about Holy Cross Father Theodore Hesburgh, the priest who led the University of Notre Dame for 35 years, said that film wouldn’t have been possible had it not been for a feature he made three years earlier for ESPN, “Catholics vs. Convicts.”