And the Winner Is — 1936

 Our family is working our way through Oscar winners and whichever nominees take our fancy. Also as they are available, since these early films continued to be hard to find.

None of the movies really grabbed us this year but all were good enough! We weren't able to get our hands on at least half of the nominated movies and had already seen Top Hat numerous times

WINNER

First mate Fletcher Christian leads a revolt against his sadistic commander, Captain Bligh, in this classic seafaring adventure, based on the real-life 1789 mutiny.

I can see why this won. It was a big movie with big stars based on the true story told in the trilogy written by Nordhoff and Hall. I read the story several times in college and afterwards and this seemed a good retelling of the first book with the essence of other two books nicely conveyed. It wasn't really my cup of tea but was a good start to our 1936 viewing.

 NOMINEES

When British valet Ruggles is won in a poker game by a couple from the American West he imagines a world full of Indian attacks and stagecoaches. What he finds is a country where he is valued for himself by all but a few snobs. 

It is light but sweet. I've never seen Charles Laughton in a role like this and he had a deft comedic style and a real sincerity at the end after he was allowed to drop the stiff valet mannerisms. I also loved Zasu Pitts whose name is famous but who I never have seen before. I can see why it lost to Mutiny on the Bounty which, funnily enough, also starred Charles Laughton albeit in a very different role. However, I can also see why this was nominated.

Dr. Peter Blood, unjustly convicted of treason and exiled from England, becomes a notorious pirate.

This was surprisingly faithful to the book, eliminating only one subplot in order to keep the story swashbuckling along in fine style. I never realized just how pretty Olivia de Haviland was in her young days. Certainly, it made me understand why director Michael Curtiz and composer Erich Korngold both almost won their Oscar categories by strength of write-ins (not nominations). My favorite of the movies we watched.

Charles Dickens’ timeless tale of an ordinary young man who lives an extraordinary life, filled with people who help and hinder him.

I don't love the novel and didn't love the movie but they did a good enough job of covering the book in a year where none of the movies really grabbed us.

Showman Jerry Travers  demonstrates his new dance steps late one night in a hotel room, much to the annoyance of sleeping Dale Tremont below. She goes upstairs to complain and the two are immediately attracted to each other. Complications arise when Dale mistakes Jerry for a married man.

This is light, frothy fun as one would expect from Astaire and Rogers. I liked thinking about how much Depression era audiences would have enjoyed escaping into this movie. And it was still funny even today almost a hundred years later.

=======

All the Oscar viewing is here.

The Veil Lifts

The Veil Lifts, Himmapaan Illustration

Tea and Objectionable Practice

I have understood that it was, to the last, her proudest boast, that she never had been on the water in her life, except upon a bridge; and that over her tea (to which she was extremely partial) she, to the last, expressed her indignation at the impiety of mariners and others, who had the presumption to go 'meandering' about the world. It was in vain to represent to her that some conveniences, tea perhaps included, resulted from this objectionable practice.

Charles Dickens, David Copperfield

I always forget just how funny Dickens can be and how well he slips his jokes into the main narrative.

Portrait of a Cat

Henriette Ronner-Knip (1821-1909), Portrait of a Cat
Via Arts Everyday Living

You can't shut out the world

Everything that happens ... shows beyond mistake that you can't shut out the world; that you are in it, to be of it; that you get into a false position the moment you try to sever yourself from it; and that you must mingle with it, and make the best of it, and make the best of yourself into the bargain.

Charles Dickens to Wilkie Collins,

September 6, 1858

Amen. Amen.

Rapp and Johan

Rapp and Johan, Bruno Liljefors

This is just plain sweet.

Notes on Mark: The Storm

Calming the Storm, Rembrandt
Look for Rembrandt in the picture. He's holding his hat and looking out at us.

MARK 4:35-41
A few basics to put us in the scene. I like the detail of Jesus being asleep upon a pillow. It definitely is eye witness information when it is at that level.

The Lake of Galilee was notorious for its storms. They came literally out of the blue with shattering and terrifying suddenness. A writer describes them like this: " It is not unusual to see terrible squalls hurl themselves, even when the sky is perfectly clear, upon these waters which are ordinarily so calm. The numerous ravines which to the north-east and east debauch upon the upper part of the lake operate as to many dangerous defiles in which the winds from the heights of Hauran, the plateaus of Trachonitis, and the summit of Mount Hermon are caught and compressed in such a way than, rushing with tremendous force through a narrow space and then being suddenly released, they agitate the little Lake of Gennesaret in the most frightful fashion." The voyager across the lake was always liable to encounter just such sudden storms as this.

Jesus was in the boat in the position in which any distinguished guest would be conveyed. We are told that, "In these boats ... the place for any distinguished stranger is on the little seat placed at the stern, where a carpet and cushion are arranged. The helmsman stands a little farther forward on the deck, though near the stern, in order to have a better look-out ahead."

It is interesting to note that the words Jesus addressed to the wind and the waves are exactly the same as he addressed to the demon-possessed man in Mark 1:25. Just as an evil demon possessed that man, so the destructive power of the storm was, so people in Palestine believed in those days, the evil power of the demons at work in the realm of nature.

The Gospel of Mark (The Daily Bible Series, rev. ed.)

In the Catholic Church, this gospel story is read during Year B, the 12 Sunday in Ordinary Time. It is carefully matched with a reading from Job, 2 Corinthians, and Psalm 107. I love the way that the psalm makes us feel what the disciples were experiencing, with the boat mounting to heaven and sinking to the depths.

They who sailed the sea in ships,
trading on the deep waters,
These saw the works of the LORD
and his wonders in the abyss.

His command raised up a storm wind
which tossed its waves on high.
They mounted up to heaven; they sank to the depths;
their hearts melted away in their plight.

They cried to the LORD in their distress;
from their straits he rescued them,
He hushed the storm to a gentle breeze,
and the billows of the sea were stilled.

They rejoiced that they were calmed,
and he brought them to their desired haven.
Let them give thanks to the LORD for his kindness
and his wondrous deeds to the children of men.

Psalm 107:23-24, 25-26, 28-29, 30-31

An interesting point of how this Scripture speaks to the Church.

From ancient times, this Gospel has been understood also as a parable of the Church, for good reason. Peter's fishing boat often quite literally held the entire Church at this stage in its development: Jesus and his disciples. 

John Bergsma, The Word of the Lord, Year B

And a further reflection to remind us that Scripture speaks to you and me today in the Church.

Mark narrates this story not only to recount the memorable event of the storm, but also to reflect the experience of the early Christians. ... How often have [Jesus'] disciples through the ages felt that way in the midst of "storms" of persecution, natural disasters, or personal troubles? But Jesus' authority is without limit and though he allows trials in the end nothing can truly harm those who trust in him. His reproach in verse 40 is an invitation for all Christians to awaken their faith in his presence and in his absolute authority over the cosmos.... Indeed, the most repeated command in Scripture is "Do not fear!" Why? Because to refuse to give in to fear disables the enemy's strategy, which is to dissuade Jesus' followers from their mission. When we have no fear, the enemy trembles in fear.

The Gospel of Mark: Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture

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Sources and Notes Index  

Scott's on the outside of the dome. Julie is inside. But they can still toss the football around, and later Scott will deliver calzones.

In Episode 348 we discuss All Flesh is Grass by Clifford D. Simak, a science fiction book that should be better known.

Two Cats

Suzanne Valadon, Two Cats, 1918

Looking at books

... and he glanced at the backs of the books, with an awakened curiosity that went below the binding. No one who can read, ever looks at a book, even unopened on the shelf, like one who cannot.

Charles Dickens, Our Mutual Friend

I was really surprised to see the emphasis on reading and books in the early chapters of Our Mutual Friend. The way some people yearn after reading, like Mr. Boffin and Lizzie, mades me realize afresh what a blessing it is to have such a literate population. Even if much of it rarely cracks a book, they don't have to have someone else read them street signs.

A Consummate Rascal

This just goes to show that human nature never changes. Dickens shows the danger signals to Little Dorrit readers far ahead of the market crash that moves many of his characters from riches to poverty, so I don't feel as if I'm spoiling the book for anyone who hasn't read it. 

Ferdinand Barnacle sums up very neatly here as he discusses the person who caused the market crash.

"He must have been an exceedingly clever fellow," said Ferdinand Barnacle.

Arthur ... was silent.

"A consummate rascal of course," said Ferdinand, "but remarkably clever! One cannot help admiring the fellow. Must have been such a master of humbug. Knew people so well—got over them so completely—did so much with them!"

In his easy way, he was really moved to genuine admiration.

"I hope," said Arthur, "that he and his dupes may be a warning to people not to have so much to do with them again."

"My dear Mr. Clennam," returned Ferdinand, laughing, "have you really such a verdant hope? The next man who has as large a capacity and as genuine a taste for swindling, will succeed as well. Pardon me, but I think you really have no idea how the human bees will swarm to the beating of any old tin kettle; in that fact lies the complete manual of governing them. When they can be got to believe that the kettle is made of the precious metals, in that fact lies the whole power of men like our late lamented. No doubt there are here and there," said Ferdinand politely, "exceptional cases, where people have been taken in for what appeared to them to be much better reasons; and I need not go far to find such a case; but, they don't invalidate the rule."

Rooftop Cat

 

A rooftop cat painted by Hermann Anschütz, 1837

Hygieia (Gustav Klimt)

Gustav Klimt, Hygieia (from Medicine mural), 1899-1907,
University of Vienna ceiling, destroyed, 1945

I don't usually love Klimt, but I totally love this.

Goat Versus Tree

Goat Versus Tree

When we watched Jagga Jasoos, our heroes went on an African road trip seeking clues to a missing person and wound up sitting under a tree full of goats. Which was crazy. Had to be wrong. Right?

Nope, there is such a thing as the tree goats of Morocco. They love the fruit of a certain tree and their dung is later harvested and processed to get out the tree's kernels after they've handily digested the outer covering. You can read more here.

Life is This Simple

Life is this simple: we are living in a world that is absolutely transparent and the divine is shining through it all the time. This is not just a nice story or a fable, it is true.

Thomas Merton

If you remember no other quotes, remember this one. I'm not especially a fan of Thomas Merton one way or t'other but he summed up my Catholic life right there. And when I remember this simple truth, which I can forget in busy everyday life just life everyone else ... when I remember it - my life is better and simpler and truer.

Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children — “Only love fills the empty spaces caused by evil.”

Then [Jesus] said to them, “Is it lawful to do good ... rather than to do evil, to save life rather than to destroy it?” But they remained silent.

Mark 3:4

Once Roe v. Wade  was struck down  the issue moved into more local arenas for decisions. And so our job is to pray and work that the innocent are spared and that we support and care for the women who suffer from the way our culture thinks about unseen life — as something inhuman to be easily discarded.

With that in mind, I share two readings for today. The first I got from Word Among Us in 2023.

And best of all, Jesus continues to pray for us in heaven, where he constantly makes intercession “before God on our behalf” (Hebrews 9:24).

On this day when many of us pray for the protection of unborn children, we can draw hope from this passage. Jesus, our compassionate high priest, offered himself for every sin, including abortion. How he must suffer over every lost child! How he must grieve for every woman who feels alone or thinks she has no other option but to end her pregnancy! That’s why he endured the shame of the cross: to win forgiveness for every sin, no matter how grievous.

Even now, Jesus stands before his heavenly Father interceding for us. He is offering mercy and healing to every family wounded by abortion. He is pouring out grace for every man or woman who feels alone as they consider the future of their unborn child. And he is interceding for each of us, that we might meet the needs of every child and every parent. Let’s join him in praying that God’s kingdom would come—so that there will be no more abortion or poverty or hunger or violence. May God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

The second is from Bishop Burbidge's homily at the 2023 National Prayer Vigil in Washington, D.C. The whole thing is excellent. There is an excerpt to give you a flavor.

Dear friends, today we have so much to celebrate. For the first time in the 49-year-history of the March for Life, we can say that Roe vs. Wade, a blight on our nation, our system of justice, and our culture, is no more. This is a moment for joy, and for gratitude; a moment to recall the countless souls who have dedicated themselves to political and social action, to prayer, and to service in the name of this cause. It is a moment to gather before our God to offer praise and thanksgiving for this great, longed for blessing. Today we make the gratitude of today’s Psalm our own: “O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!”

But even as we celebrate, we must remember: this is the beginning, not the end. A new important phase of work in the pro-life movement begins now! ...

While we hold public officials accountable, we must remember that each of us is accountable also. “The secret of Christian living is love,” Pope Francis has said. “Only love fills the empty spaces caused by evil.” That is our task. That is where our words must be matched by our actions. Our work will not be complete until God’s love is felt in every empty space created by abortion.

As we look to the future of the pro-life movement, may we turn our attention to those empty spaces. Into the empty spaces of public discourse on abortion, may we bring clarity and charity in communicating with our opponents. Into the empty space of our wounded politics, may we communicate the need to let go of partisanship and to do what is right and just. Into the empty spaces of culture, may we celebrate truth, beauty, and God’s goodness. Into the empty space of fear and loneliness experienced by women facing an unplanned pregnancy, may we offer God’s peace and hope and our untiring commitment to walk with them at every moment. Into the empty spaces within the lives of mothers and fathers who mourn from children lost to abortion, may we gently voice God’s endless comfort and mercy.

We can accomplish none of this on our own. Indeed, it is only in letting God fill the empty spaces in our own hearts with the warmth of his love that we may begin to fill the spaces around us. ...

The Tall Horse and Mr. Winkle

Now whether the tall horse, in the natural playfulness of his disposition, was desirous of having a little innocent recreation with Mr. Winkle, or whether it occurred to him that he could perform the journey as much to his own satisfaction without a rider as with one, are points upon which, of course, we can arrive at no definite and distinct conclusion. By whatever motives the animal was actuated, certain it is that Mr. Winkle had no sooner touched the reins, than he slipped them over his head, and darted backwards to their full length.

Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

This made me laugh out loud. Dickens can be so very funny and, of course, The Pickwick Papers are loaded with his humor from beginning to end.

Standard of Ur

llustration (detail) above: Standard Of Ur. Sumerian commemorative mosaic, 2550 B.C.

This is via Illustrated History, a fascinating site, where it is featured in their piece, Early Civilization.

Did Abram and Sarai see this?

The quest for religious solace

Seen from the outside, the quest for religious solace looks preposterous. Soren Kierkegaard said that religion has a truth so purely interior that it approaches madness.

Judith Shulevitz, The Sabbath World

Yes. Like being in love, it's almost impossible to explain this to someone who hasn't experienced it.

January Calendar

This is from Wikipedia which says:

Theodorus van Hoytema, or Hoijtema (18 December 1863, The Hague - 28 August 1917, The Hague) was a Dutch lithographer, illustrator and graphic designer, known for his book covers and calendars; especially those depicting birds.

Thunderball

1961, original dust jacket, via Books and Art

Library books and the power of good stories

It had that comfortably sprung, lived-in look that library books with a lively circulation always get; bent page corners, a dab of mustard on page 331, a whiff of some reader's spilled after-dinner whiskey on page 468. Only library books speak with such wordless eloquence of the power good stories hold over us, how good stories abide, unchanged and mutely wise, while we poor humans grow older and slower.

Stephen King, 'Salem's Lot

You'd think this was written by Ray Bradbury instead of Stephen King. Or at least I would've. King tells his vampire story with a prose style that is direct and to the point, for the most part. However, every so often he veers off into a bit of poetic prose like this. Those are gems of captured image.

Pangur Ban: Praise of Cats in Ancient Poetry and Art

You don't have to be a cat lover to love this poem about writing and cats by an anonymous 9th century Irish monk. It's often thought that the monk was working on the Book of Kells when he made this poem.

He describes perfectly the striving and dedication all writers feel, as well our triumph at solving a problem in just the perfect way.

Pangur Bán

I and Pangur Bán, my cat
‘Tis a like task we are at;
Hunting mice is his delight
Hunting words I sit all night.

Better far than praise of men
‘Tis to sit with book and pen;
Pangur bears me no ill will,
He too plies his simple skill.

‘Tis a merry thing to see
At our tasks how glad are we,
When at home we sit and find
Entertainment to our mind.

Oftentimes a mouse will stray
In the hero Pangur’s way:
Oftentimes my keen thought set
Takes a meaning in its net.

‘Gainst the wall he sets his eye
Full and fierce and sharp and sly;
‘Gainst the wall of knowledge I
All my little wisdom try.

When a mouse darts from its den,
O how glad is Pangur then!
O what gladness do I prove
When I solve the doubts I love!

So in peace our tasks we ply,
Pangur Bán, my cat, and I;
In our arts we find our bliss,
I have mine and he has his.

Practice every day has made
Pangur perfect in his trade;
I get wisdom day and night
Turning darkness into light.

Unknown 9th century Irish monk, translation by Robin Flowers

Cat catching mouse, illustration from Book of Kells

Cat Sleeping

Cornelis Visscher, Cat Sleeping, 1657

Don't miss the charming little creature right behind the sleeping cat.

Notes on Mark: The Mustard Seed

Mustard in Bangladesh

MARK 4:30-32
We are all familiar with this because we have heard so many comments on its meaning for us today. But how about what the Jews of Jesus' time would have thought when they heard it? Barclay elucidates.

There are in this parable two pictures which every Jew would readily recognize.

First, in Palestine a grain of mustard seed stood proverbially for the smallest thing possible. For instance, "faith as a grain of mustard seed," means "the smallest conceivable amount of faith." This mustard seed did in fact grow into something very like a tree. A traveler in Palestine speaks of seeing a mustard plant, which, in its height, overtopped a horse and its rider. The birds were very fond of the little black seeds of the tree and a cloud of birds over a mustard plant was a common sight.

Second, in the Old Testament one of the commonest ways to describe a great empire was to describe it as a tree, and the tributary nations within it were said to be like birds finding shelter within the shadow of its branches (Ezekiel 17:22ff; 31:1ff; Daniel 4:10, 21). The figure of a tree with birds in the branches therefore stands for a great empire and the nations who form part of it.

The Gospel of Mark
(The Daily Bible Series, rev. ed.)

The photo above is of a mustard field in Bangladesh which is what I'm used to seeing in Indian movies. It is one of the ultimate romantic places for couples to run toward each other in the movies. It isn't a tree but I love seeing the bright flowers.

=====

Sources and Notes Index   

Scott and Julie go on an epic adventure encountering a villain who shall not be named, one bad priest, two good priests, a crazy nun, star-crossed lovers, and Gothic castles. ...

 ... Thank goodness Father Stephen is there to guide them! Episode 347: The Betrothed by Alessandro Manzoni, with special guest Father Stephen from Our Lady of Dallas Cistercian Abbey.

Louisia's idea for a TV show

He went to fetch more beers, and by the time he got back Louisa was telling Shirley her idea for a TV show, which would open with a view of Tom Hiddleston walking down a long, long, corridor, shot from behind.

River waited. "Then what?" he asked at last.

But the women had misted over, and didn't hear him.

Mick Herron, London Rules

What? Oh, sorry. I was mentally picturing that view of Tom Hiddleston and misted over.

Chicago Snow

Chicago Snow by Karin Jurick

 Be sure to look at this close up. It is delightful. Or maybe that's just because I'm in Dallas where we don't get much snow.

Fire proves iron and temptation fires the just man

Fire proves iron—that's the kind of point Jesus son of Sirach liked to make (31:26)—and temptation fires the just man.

Often we don't know what we can do until temptation opens us up to what we are.

Stand sentinel in the intellect we must, before temptation strikes. Engage the Enemy at the earliest possible moment. In the chapel. In the dining hall. At the gate. On the road. In the field.

That's how temptation works. A simple thought enters the mind. A vivid imagination goes to work. After that it's a nudge, a wink, and a nod.

Right from the start you should resist strongly. When you don't, the Enemy bearing evils tiptoes in unawares and wins the day. And so it is every day. The slower your response, the quicker the Devil's step.

The Imitation of Christ, Thomas a Kempis

Transl. William Griffin

Best of 2024 — Podcasts

  My top picks from podcasts I discovered last year. As always, they may be old, but my listening was brand new in 2024. In no particular order. Links are in the podcast name.

Scott's Self Indulgent Movie Podcast

Join Scott as he goes through the wonderful world of movies including lists, old favorites, scene analysis, and tropes.

It is thanks to Scott that I discovered Lower Deaks and The Lost City. His episodes are only about 10 minutes long and I enjoy them a great deal even if I might not try even a fraction of the movies he covers.

Nicholas Nickleby

This is actually Kobna Holdbrook-Smith's narration of the Dickens novel but it was released in podcast format at Audible. He's the narrator of the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovich and I have long loved listening to him read. This makes Nicholas Nickleby come alive in a way that makes you love Dickens even more. 

The Rest is History

"First and foremost, because I think people are bored with history being told in a hand-wringing, pious, judgmental and moralistic way – they want it brought to life by people who are genuine enthusiasts and love the past."

— Dominic Sandbrook answering the question What's the secret of its success? in a 2024 interview with The Daily Telegraph.[8]

That's absolutely right. Having loved Tom Holland's book Dominion (see the Best of 2024 Reading list) I was intrigued by discovering this podcast. Could it be as fair and also as entertaining as I found that book? The answer is yes. I'm now addicted.

Sing the Hours

Sing the Hours is a twice-daily podcast, bringing sung Lauds and Vespers from the Liturgy of the Hours to the Catholic faithful around the world.

Beautifully done. It somehow manages to sound both timeless and contemporary. I listen to at least part of one every day. 

Sunday School: A Pillar Bible Study

Each episode is about an hour long and goes over the upcoming readings for Sunday. It is hosted by Scott Powell with two regulars, including one of the regular Pillar editors. It's a good overview and sometimes digs into things that I might not think of — like any good Bible study.

Best of 2024 — TV

 Here are my top picks from our year of TV viewing. Our television viewing was not extensive but we discovered some that were pure gold. In no particular order.

I began my "Best of" lists way back in 2008. To see them, check the label cloud in the sidebar under "Best of ..." 

 

 

2024 BEST TV

Peter Gunn

The coolest of the cool, Peter Gunn is a detective modeled on Cary Grant. He's smooth, sophisticated and doesn't like to use violence to solve his cases. We watched these with my 90-year-old mother and were surprised at how noir-ish these were. I grew up with the soundtrack by Henry Mancini and was pleased to find that John Williams was the piano player for the studio band. 

Read more about it on Wikipedia. Then try it!

Pokerface

We really love procedural murder mysteries and this one is really entertaining. It is a creative, superfun throwback to TV the way it used to be.

(My review here.) 

The Fiery Priest

A really fun K-drama action thriller about Father Kim, a priest with big anger management issues. They get the Catholicism right while delivering an engaging drama and murder mystery.

(My review here.)

Killing It

Florida security guard Craig Foster's and Aussie Uber driver Jillian enter the Florida Python Challenge (which we discovered is a real thing) to win $20,000 seed money for a farm. Craig is a good guy who is often faced with choosing the lesser of two evils. Jillian is the moral compass of the show. She always knows the right thing to do and will push for it even if if hurts personally.

(My review here)

Star Trek: Lower Decks

An animated comedy that focuses on the missions and adventures of the "lower deckers." By episode 4 we were hooked. Part of the fun is the references to other Star Trek shows that the lower decks gang toss around. Part of it is the friendship between the lower decks gang. And, finally, part is the wackiness and humor.

(My review here.)

The Crowned Clown

This series came about because of the extraordinary popularity of the movie Masquerade which is in the Best of 2024 Movies list. Partway through The Crowned Clown takes a different path than the movie because they have the time to explore more ideas. It's also gorgeous as well as interesting.

(My review here.)

Best of 2024 — Movies

 Here are my top picks from our year of viewing. It's a long list but to be fair we watched  around 130 movies last year.   I think it is partially because we came across so many unexpected gems in our Oscars watching series. Favorites are listed in the order we encountered them.

As always, the movies may be old, but my viewing was brand new in 2024. In no particular order.

I began my "Best of" lists way back in 2008. To see them, check the label cloud in the sidebar under "Best of ..."

2024 BEST MOVIES

Maanaadu

This is a really great time-loop thriller with fantastic action scenes and an unexpected twist that ratchets up the suspense and action.

(My review here.)

A Tale of Two Cities (1935)

The final movie in our 1937 Oscar winner/nominees viewing. It is considered the best cinematic telling of that story and it blew us away. Ronald Colman was simply amazing and I will now watch him in anything.

(My review here.)

Masquerade

I always enjoy a noble impersonation story, especially The Prince and the Pauper and The Prisoner of Zenda. This is the best I've ever seen. We know all the common twists and turns but this movie keeps you in suspense even as you fall in love with the imposter more in every scene.

(My review here.)

Alienoid I

This movie's got a lot of genres goin' on. In 14th century Korea there's a magical-mystical-quest for a holy blade. And in 2022 it's got a Terminator vibe of sorts with sf-thriller-alien invasion action. They intersect through time travel and it works. In a hold-onto-your-seat, immerse yourself in the story, crazy way. I hear part II is just as good, if not better.

(My review here.)

Polite Society

Really enjoyable, with a fresh, fun feel that made me think of Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The Man Who Feels No Pain. With a touch of a Get Out vibe.

(My review here.)

Oppenheimer

I thought this was going to be a really boring movie about a lot of stuff I didn't care about. I couldn't have been more wrong. Now I understand how a 3-hour long movie about talking scientists and politicians could make so much money, break so many records, and win so many awards. 

The Good Earth (1938)

The last of the 1938 Oscar winner/nominees movies we watched and the one we'd have given the award to. This is the sort of movie that doesn't usually appeal to me - long dramatic sagas of families struggling to survive, especially since I'd read the book long ago and hadn't liked it much. This sold it though. By the end I was loving it.

(My review here.)

Laapataa Ladies

(Lost Ladies)

When two identically dressed brides, with requisite scarves covering their faces are grabbed by the wrong groom at different train stations, how will they be restored to their rightful places? Especially when neither can remember the name of their groom's hometown?

(My review here.)

Furiosa

This could be Gulliver's Travels, the Odyssey or Iliad. The characters are archetypal, the societies encountered each tell us something of basic humanity, the themes are simple but powerful, and the adventure keeps pulling us along.

(My review here.)

The Fall Guy

The Lost City

These are two movies whose only goal is to entertain. There have been precious few of those lately from Hollywood so we were thrilled to find them. Each is silly in its own way, but each one is fun in just the right way.

(The Fall Guy review here.)

(The Lost City review here.)

Maaveeran

The story of a coward who is forced to be a brave warrior fighting a prominent corrupt real estate mogul/politician. The device that prompts his eventual change is imaginative and I enjoyed the way that he continually bleated, "Sorry, sir!" while knocking out villains. It was a fun super-hero origin story and I hope there is a sequel.

Godzilla Minus One

It manages to combine the monster movie action thrills of a Hollywood-style movie with the introspection of the first Japanese Godzilla movie. The result is simply fantastic, something that keeps you on the edge of your seat.

(My review here.)

Freaks (1932)

I've always been afraid to watch this but when I overcame my fears I discovered an amazing movie with a sympathetic depiction of the true humanity and community that the freaks share behind the scenes.

(My review here.)

Hansan: Rising Dragon

The prequel to The Admiral which was on last year's list. A classic underdog movie where very few ships are trying to hold off an overwhelming Japanese invasion. Based on the true naval battle which most of us have never heard of.

(My review here.)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips

A complete surprise. I've always had the impression that this is a namby pamby, sappy story. Au contraire. It is simply lovely and not to be missed. We watched it for our 1940 Oscar winner/ nominees viewing.

(My review here.)

Best of 2024 — Reading

  My top picks from the over 130 books I read last year.

You may find old books here but if they're on this list, then they were new to me! In no particular order.

Note: I've been doing this since 2008 — check the label cloud in the sidebar for "Best of" to see other lists.

2024 BEST BOOKS

Dominion:
The Making of the Western Mind

by Tom Holland

As Tom Holland says, "What today we term "the West" is less Christianity's heir than its continuation." One of the most even-handed approaches to Christianity I've ever seen. Utterly fair and a great read.

(Full review here.)

Team of Rivals

by Doris Goodwin Kearns

Abraham Lincoln was already at the top of my admired people list. However, I found a lot in this book that gave me a fuller picture of the man himself. Most of what I learned was simply admirable.

(My review here.)

Linnets & Valerians

by Elizabeth Goudge

My brief take is that in many ways it makes me think of E. Nesbit's tales such as The Magic City, The House of Arden, and The Treasure Seekers. Like those, this book takes recognizable fantasy beats and weaves an entirely new and enchanting pattern.

(My review here.)

The Power and the Glory

by Graham Greene

Strongly recommended by my daughter Rose and I can see why. It is quite grim and depressing for 3/4 of the book. Then it takes off like a firecracker and puts everything together in a way that blows your mind by the end of the book. Simply magnificent.

We Solve Murders

by Richard Osman

It has all the qualities that makes  the Thursday Murder Club series so much fun while being completely different. Super entertaining.

Scum of the Earth

by Alexander C. Kane

This book looks at alien invasion from the point of the collaborators, the turncoats who wholeheartedly cooperate with the subjugation of the human race to a life of fear and misery. Echoes of 1984 abound but there are opportunities for redemption that transcend doublethink.

(My full review.)

Lord of a Shattered Land

by Howard Andrew Jones

Sword-and-sorcery in a world based on the Carthaginians and the Romans, raised to a high level of storytelilng. With many monsters that Lovecraft would approve of.

(My full review.)

How the Church Has Changed the World, I-IV

by Anthony Esolen

Esolen ranges across time and around the world to show us the many ways that the love of Christ has been expressed by the Church through history — in art, song, customs, and people. Each book has 24 essays and they make wonderful daily reading.

(My full review.)

Teresa of Avila: God Alone Suffices

by Jean Jacques Antier

I wanted a big book about a big saint including historical context. This book filled the bill. I really felt immersed in Teresa's life. It was very inspirational as well as being informative.

(My full review.)  

Above Suspicion

by Helen MacInnes

This is both an exciting spy story and an interesting look at the pre-war Germany. This book was written as the Nazis increased power and published in 1941. It seems surprisingly true to life.

(My full review.)  

Teresa of Avila: God Alone Suffices by Jean Jacques Antier

Internationally-known author Jean-Jacques Antier recounts Teresa's life in vivid detail, from her earliest years as a romantic and worldly young woman to her passionate love for Christ and subsequent efforts to reform the Carmelite Order. Easily one of the most amazing figures history has known, St. Teresa of ?vila led an exceptional life for a woman of her time as well as our own.

After reading Sigrid Undset's book sbout Catherine of Siena I was ready for another big book about a big saint. This filled the bill, including historical context, which was something that I really enjoyed in the Undset book.

I'm so glad I picked this up. I really felt immersed in Teresa's life. It was very inspirational as well as being informative. Coincidentally I am also reading The Betrothed for an upcoming podcast episode. Teresa's life, the discalced way of living, and her struggles all resonate to make the world of The Betrothed feel much more familiar. 

My favorite part was midway through when the first convent was being established. All those details made me have a deeper appreciation for one of my very favorite books, In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden. All of this is to say that the book resonated with me on several levels.

I really loved one little vignette when Teresa and John of the Cross were such good friends with surprising results.

Very privileged relationships were established and lasted for those two years that John of the Cross spent in Avila, and astonishing dialogues took place in the Inacrnation parlor. On May 17, 1573, Sister Beatriz de Ocampo, looking for the prioress, went to the parlor, where she found Teresa in ecstacy, and, on the other side of the grille, John of the Cross sent into levitation by ecstasy. Teresa excused herself saying, "You cannot speak of God with Father John of the Cross without having him enter into ecstasy and leading you along with him."

Highly recommended.

TV You Might Have Missed 12 —The Crowned Clown (Korea)

Standing in for an unhinged Joseon king, a look-alike clown plays the part but increasingly becomes devoted to protecting the throne and the people.

In the context of this show, "clown" actually means actor or comedian. When the reigning king becomes unbalanced because of the many assasination plots aimed at him, his main advisor secretly gets a look-alike to replace him until the king can recover. The clown is good-hearted and a quick study, but it is his innocence and dedication to caring for people and country which are his best attributes. 

 We're familiar with this concept from The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain. This series came about because of the extraordinary popularity of the movie Masquerade which I highly recommend. Partway through The Crowned Clown takes a different path than the movie because they have the time to explore more ideas. 

Though it is a political drama it also has a romance, some mystery, and intrigue (of course - it's in a royal court!). And let's not forget the three main villains who we hate as much as we love the clown, the Royal Court Secretary, the Queen, and the head Eunoch. These are all expertly interwoven in compelling storylines.

 This is the best K-drama I've seen yet. That's saying something considering the quality of Extraordinary Attorney Woo, Law School and Tale of the Nine-Tailed.  The plot is interesting and just when you think you know where the big dramatic climax is going, they twist it around and surprise you with completely unexpected (but logical)  developments. 

The acting is top-notch, often very subtly conveying a lot of information. The direction and cinematography are beautiful and arresting. I'm also a sucker for period costume from the Joseon period. Since we're in the court of the king, it is all simply gorgeous.

Highly recommended. My favorite television show watched in 2025.

Is He Coming?

Is He Coming? Norman Rockwell, 1910

The Greatest Journey, part 6

I love to reread this each year, journeying through Advent, so I'm reposting it.

Ending our examination of chapter five of  Go to Joseph, Father Gilsdorf leads us to consider Joseph when he first sees Jesus.

Guido Reni, St. Joseph with the Infant Jesus

In the depth of the night, Mary gives birth. The purest eyes on earth, undimmed by sin, look with maternal ecstasy into the eternal depths of the little eyes of her Divine Son, Who is also the Son of God, eyes now looking outward with infinite love into the world He created in the beginning.

Then Joseph approaches. His chaste fatherly eyes gaze in rapture on the face of the Christ Child. As a sure guide of the journey to Bethlehem, that "House of Bread," he has accomplished his first task. Soon there would be more journeys of pilgrimage and exile: the Presentation of the Infant, the coming of the Magi, the flight into Egypt, and years later, the finding of his Boy in the Temple. How can we not give to this Christmas procession the title of "The Greatest Journey?" And Joseph led the way.

What a powerful lesson to youth of all times. If we hold the more common modern view of the age of the Holy Couple, does it not become irresistibly appealing to the good young people living among us? Will they not perhaps be astonished and thrilled to discover how God entrusted the salvation of the world into the care of a very young man and woman? Will they not open their hearts to the call and challenge of God to undertake great missions that He has in store for them in the Church?

That is the end of chapter five but hopefully you can see why I found this little book so good. Tom and I are reading it together, a bit at a time, after dinner each evening.

Christmas Eve Lagniappe

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes or bags. And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before. What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more.

Dr. Seuss 

The Greatest Journey, part 5

I love to reread this each year, journeying through Advent, so I'm reposting it.

Continuing our examination of chapter five of  Go to Joseph, Father Gilsdorf considers the need for shelter, Jesus' impending birth, and the closed doors. An interesting theory is in the footnote so do not skip it.

Saint Joseph Seeks a Lodging in Bethlehem, James Tissot

Then, as the afternoon shadows lengthened into evening, Joseph began his search for a proper place for Mary, whose hour had come. Some scholars have suggested reading "the inn was no place for them," rather than "there was no place for them in the inn."(Luke 2:7)v The need was admittedly not just for any shelter, but for privacy and propriety. Yet the traditional meditation is forever valid: The heartsick Joseph on the first Christmas Eve knocking on doors and hearts was repeatedly rejected; Mary waiting prayerfully, quietly abandoned to God's providence, astride that blessed noble donkey; the Child within her abut to be born. "He came to His own, and His own received Him not." (John 1:11) People closed their doors in the face of the Creator, Savior, and Judge of the universe. It was a prophetic forecast of so many rejections in all the generations yet to come.

The Advent application good Christians have always drawn was to listen for Joseph's knocking and his plea to open the doors of our homes and hearts for Mary and her Child. "To those who did receive Him, He gave them power to become children of God."(John 1:12)

We move now in spirit to the refuge, probably a combination cave/stable used by shepherds like those still seen in the area, a place to shelter themselves and their flocks. We see Joseph busily and artfully preparing the place of delivery and the manger/crib for the Infant.

At this point we return to our opening reflections--Joseph the patriarch of the new and everlasting covenant, guardian and custodian of the Bread from heaven. God has appointed him "Lord of His house and prince of all His possessions." (CF Ps 105:21)

v Some scholars go beyond this. they say that the word commonly translated as 'inn"--katalyma--is actually best understood as a room set apart, a private room. The same word is used in Luke 22;11 ("And you shall say to the goodman of the house, 'The master says to you: Where is the guest chamber [or guest room] where I may eat the pasch with My disciples.'"). The theory here is that such a room was needed for childbirth, since, due to the blood loss associated with delivering a baby, a woman was ritually unclean for 40-80 days after a birth (depending on whether she bore a boy or a girl). furthermore, anyone who came in contact with a childbearing mother was also ritually unclean. Since Bethlehem was Joseph's town, and since he likely would have had relatives there, and since those relatives would have likely been inundated with other relatives like Joseph, the house would have been quite full. According to this theory, anyone in it would have risked ritual contamination by Mary's delivery. As a result, Mary and Joseph actively sought a less intrusive place (such as the stable attached to the house) and had the baby Jesus there. Again, this is only a theory, but it is an interesting one.

In part 6 Jesus is born.

Zombies and Star Trek: Night of the Living Trekkies

I first reviewed this back in 2012. Recently, working on a big project, I realized it was available as an audiobook. Wich is pretty good. I'd forgotten a lot of the inside jokes. And I really enjoyed seeing every chapter titled with an original Star Trek episode title which was cleverly tied into the action.

In case you also forgot it ... or never encountered it in the first place, I'm rerunning the review.

 

I remember seeing this book when it came out and then it slipped my mind. Stephen's review put it squarely back in the middle of my radar. To be fair, Stephen's reviews are always good reading, but this one was so darned enthusiastic that I paid extra attention.

If you hate both Star Trek and Zombies...

I don’t know what to tell you. You obviously have made some wrong decisions in your life that have led you to this unfortunate circumstance. Maybe you should go and take a long hard look at yourself in the mirror and figure out where things began to fall apart. It’s not too late...the first step is admitting you have a problem.

A quick litmus test is if you smile upon reading Jim Pike's name. Which I suspect anyone picking up this book did. You don't have to get every reference, but the more you understand the more enjoyable the book will be. It spans the gamut of Star Trek movies and series (and as a Deep Space Nine fan, I appreciate that).

Super-quick summary: Jim Pike felt he failed as a leader of men in Afghanistan. Retreating to a hotel security position at home, he finds himself facing first a Star Trek convention and then a zombie apocalypse. As a Trek fan, he's able to tread water. As a horror fan, he's on less solid ground when it turns out that zombies actually do exist. As someone eschewing any responsibility, he's in full retreat when people keep turning to him for leadership in combat situations.

Best of all, however, is that this is a true horror novel. Salted with Trek references and turning on several necessary Trek points, nonetheless you don't need to be a Trekkie (or Trekker) to enjoy the book. I admit it definitely will help, but the authors make it worthwhile with their fresh take on the zombie genre while maintaining solid ties to both Trek and Star Wars worlds. It's a survival story, it's an apocalypse story, it's an "us against the world" story, it's a geek story, and there's even a bit of a mystery thrown in.

A deeper litmus test is this which should make you laugh aloud and then want to read it aloud to someone.

"Have you been able to reach the outside world?"

"I've tried, but so far, no dice. Nothing but snow on the TV. Phones are toast. And no Internet, which is really strange. It was originally designed to serve as a fail-safe communications mode during a nuclear war, so it's very, very resilient. To lock it down this tight, you'd have to have someone very smart and powerful actively denying service."

"Or maybe it's gone," Jim said.

For a moment the line was silent.

"What?" Gary finally said. "What do you mean?"

"Maybe it doesn't exist anymore. Maybe it suffered some sort of catastrophic, worldwide failure."

"Oh, no," Gary said with disturbingly brittle finality. "That's not possible. Somebody's keeping us from getting to the Internet, but the Internet is still there. It will always be there."

Jim decided to back off. ...

Night of the Living Trekkies is a light, fun read and one that I will be saving on my "stress rereading" shelf for an enjoyable adventure in a world where no man has gone before.

The Greatest Journey: Part 4

I love to reread this each year, journeying through Advent, so I'm reposting it.

Continuing our examination of chapter five of  Go to Joseph we continue with Mary and Joseph on their trip to Bethlehem. I love Father Gilsdorf's idea that Mary and Joseph might have planned little side trips on the way to Bethlehem. That's just the way that Tom and I do our trips, so it makes the whole thing suddenly come alive for me. And it gives me a glimpse of Mary and Joseph as a married couple, which is also a lovely "coming alive" moment.

Saint Joseph, José de Ribera (1591–1652)

We may conjecture further about the last miles as they approached their destination. Would Mary and Joseph have chosen to bypass Ein Kerem, which was directly on their path? It was situated two miles north of Jerusalem. Can we suppose that, had they stopped there, the place where Mary had so recently aided her cousin in her own recent pregnancy, that there would have been a grand reception? Can we permit ourselves to picture the possibility of a reunion of the priest Zechariah and his wife Elizabeth with Mary and Joseph, with little John sleeping in their midst? If this happened -- and again Scripture doesn't mention it -- Mary and Joseph would have had a day or so of rest and comfort in the generous company of Zechariah and Elizabeth. They also would have had the chance to replenish their supplies.

Despite the silence of the Gospel account, we will dare add one more rather plausible conjecture, Jerusalem lay directly on the path to Bethlehem. Would Mary and Joseph have failed to enter the Holy City? If so, would they not have paid a visit to the Temple? What a fulfillment that would have been it! The Holy of Holies had been vacant for centuries. The Ark of the Covenant vanished when the Temple was destroyed at the time of the deportation in 587 BC.

But dare we imagine that Mary, the new Ark of the Covenant, enters the new Temple? Within her womb resides the Shekinah of the Tabernacle.iv God's only begotten Son fills the Temple with a real incarnate divine Presence. He was in His Father's house.

One might construct another scenario. Perhaps a departure from Ein Kerem in the early morning, a visit to the Temple later in the morning after a two mile walk, about noon, and a final dealine to be met -- five miles of rather desolate travel slightly southwest to Bethlehem!

And thou, Bethlehem, of the land of Judah, art by no means least among the princes of Judah; for from thee shall come forth a leader who shall rule My people Israel. (Mic 5:2 as cited in Matt 2:6)

iv The Shekinah--or Sh'cheenah--was the dwelling or the very Presence of God.

In part 5 Mary and Joseph arrive at Bethlehem.

Head-on Rush

Head-On Rush, Remo Savisaar

This really captures the vitality of these boar. I can feel the cold, the snow whirling up, the energy!