Finally, snow (and winter) has come to Wisconsin. We all knew it was coming, so I do not think complaining [...]

NEW YORK –– At a time when Hollywood movies tend to get louder and more offensive, "The Artist" (Weinstein) is a breath of fresh air – without uttering a word. Who knew a modern-made silent movie could be so charming and entertaining?Jean Dujardin and Berenice Bejo star in a scene from the movie "The Artist." The Catholic News Service classification is A-III – adults. The Motion Picture Association of America rating is PG-13 – parents strongly cautioned. Some material may be inappropriate for children under 13. (CNS photo/Weinstein)

French director Michel Hazanavicius displays a flair for re-creating the techniques of old Hollywood, from the lively musical score and use of intertitles to the dramatic lighting and good use of the studio back lot. He also draws from his actors the pure emotions that can be evoked with a simple expression or a single tear.

In this unique film, the sounds of silence ring loud and clear.

It's 1927, and George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) is a dashing star of the silent screen. In the style of Douglas Fairbanks, he plays every role with panache: the handsome lover, the swashbuckling hero, the athletic comedian with a sidekick Jack Russell terrier (who nearly steals the movie).

Outside the premiere of his latest film, "A Russian Affair," Valentin bumps into an adoring fan, Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo). The paparazzi do their thing, and soon newspaper headlines blare, "Who's That Girl?"

These are the covers of "Fast Living: How the Church Will End Extreme Poverty" by Scott C. Todd and "Catholic Social Learning: Educating the Faith That Does Justice" by Roger Bergman. The books are reviewed by Graham Yearley. (CNS) "Fast Living: How the Church Will End Extreme Poverty" by Scott C. Todd. Compassion International (Colorado Springs, Colo., 2011). 203 pp., $12.99.

"Catholic Social Learning: Educating the Faith That Does Justice" by Roger Bergman. Fordham University Press (New York, 2011). 203 pp., $24.

The Occupy Wall Street movement has reassured many that the fervor for social reform, so prevalent in the baby boom generation, has not died in American young people today. While that movement's goals are confusing to some, there is no mistaking what Scott Todd, the author of "Fast Living," is seeking to change; his goal is nothing less than ending extreme poverty worldwide. Extreme poverty is defined as having less than $1 a day to meet the basic needs of shelter and food. 

Todd contends that governments cannot accomplish this task because political conflicts stand in their way. Only Christian churches can end extreme poverty because it is demanded of them. The love of neighbor and the love of God are one and the same. Armed with money (at least in the Western world) and the will and determination found in the Christ's preferential love of the poor, the church can bring about this change, but not without changing its believers first.