Part of the B Team ...

... and proud of it!

Der Tomissar has the B-Team's proud history. And a nice photo of me ... so I've been outed.

HC Film Festival: the Good, the Bad, and the Intense

I'll look at these in the order we watched them:

THE AGE OF AQUARIUS MEETS BIG BUSINESS
Network
A television network coldheartedly exploits a crazed news anchor to drive up the ratings and make profits. This movie is all about dehumanization by big business and the fact that everybody has their price ... even (most amusingly) the "Angela Davis" character who rants about the Communist party not seeing a dime until her series goes into syndication.

Tom was fascinated to see how much of a time capsule the views of this movie represented (his summing up is the title for this section). He views this as an indictment of big business by a hippie who was enraged and betrayed that their movement didn't actually change anything. Tom also was interested to see that Chayefsky's view of media was so unreal based on the changes of the last 30 years. Network's bleak view was that companies get bigger and bigger and dehumanize everyone, while in reality what happens is unpredictable because as people get squeezed out they go and start new ventures which often upsets the apple cart.

My own view was amazement at the stiltedness of the dialogue. It was like a Woody Allen movie without any of the self-deprecation or acknowledgement that people really don't talk like that. It was painful to listen to at times. I also realized that when I viewed this in college I was not hit by the wholesale rage that was seething throughout. I viewed it as clever and powerful but didn't really feel Chayefsky's fury the way I did watching it this time through.

I felt as if I'd been to film school when it was done. We were both worn out by the intensity when it finished. Recommended to those who haven't seen it or who study classic films.

HC Rating: *** (Liked it despite the absence of flubber...)


WANDERING WITHOUT A MORAL COMPASS
Sideways
Well, there are another two hours of my life I'll never get back. It is difficult to express just how much we both hated this movie.

Weak, whiny, and neurotic Miles takes his licentious friend, Jack, on a week-long tour of the wine country as a wedding gift. Jack constantly thinks of nothing but how much sex he can get (or encourage Miles to get) ... face it, he's a pig. Miles evidently knows right from wrong but lacks any moral fiber and so just stands back and watches Jack's escapades. The lessons that either man learns are extremely limited and of little long term value either to the viewer or to the characters.

The only good thing about this movie is that, as far as I could tell, the wine information was correct, which is no reason to watch the movie. If you are that hard up to learn about wine, go to iTunes and subscribe to Wine for Newbies. Or get a good, basic book.

HC Rating: * (worse than Godfather III)


TRUE TO LIFE
The Paper
An ensemble cast headed by Michael Keaton and directed by Ron Howard examine 24 hours in the life of a tabloid newspaper. The overall plot turns on beating rival newspapers to the story proving the innocence of two teenage boys who have been arrested for killing two out-of-town businessmen. However, it is the subplots about the various characters' lives that makes us care about the movie. Specifically the story focuses on Michael Keaton as the hard-bitten editor who doesn't want his paper to get beat to the big story and Marisa Tomei as his hugely pregnant wife who is a former reporter and is terrified that she will lose her personality when she becomes a mother. Robert Duvall's attempt to reach out to the daughter he neglected because of his newspaper job and Glenn Close's cold-fish money oriented manager both sound a contrasting cautionary note about perspective.

The characters were strong and knew what mattered in life, the plot was engrossing, and it worked because it didn't ignore the human element that messes up life just when we least expect it. Highly recommended.

HC Rating: **** (Nine thumbs up)

Coming Highlights

The girls are still working late hours on the musical crew so Tom and I are having a mini-movie marathon. Coming on Monday ... the reviews of:

• Network: does it still hold up as the hard hitting movie we both remember loving when it was first released?
• Sideways: everyone loved it and many have recommended it to us. Is it more than just two slackers drinking their way through the wine country (which is what it always looked like to me)
  
• The Paper: another blast from the past. We remember really liking the performances and engrossing plot. Will it hold up years later? And why the "R" rating? Because I think the girls would like this movie if it is only for language (a la This Is Spinal Tap).
  

At least that's why we rented these ... results on Monday.

I have a crush on Cardinal Arinze. Am I going to Hell?

I've seen the logo around for this podcast but just didn't have time to check it out. And, frankly, the idea of listening to what I could only figure must be old recordings of Cardinal Arinze ... well, that just didn't sound like fun. Soporific ... yes. Fun ... no.

Do I have what it takes to listen to a cardinal, no matter how respected, droning on about the Faith? Oh, let's face it. I have no tolerance for that sort of thing at all.

Talk about a pleasant surprise.

Let's start with Rob, the actual podcaster, who hosts the show. He is energetic and in love with being a Catholic. It is refreshing to hear someone enthusiastically and vigorously say, "There isn't a better time to be a Catholic than 2006."

Also he has a wonderful Australian (?) accent. Excellent.

Rob is just the warm up for the main attraction, Cardinal Arinze. The episode I listened to was an interview with someone going through a bit of the Catechism and the Cardinal explaining the basics. The very basic basics ... such as why the Catholic Church is "one," "holy," and "apostolic." And, y'all, it wasn't boring.

First, he's got that fantastic African accent ... combined with a command of the English language and vocabulary that is nothing short of astounding.

Second, in all those articles about his orthodoxy and fabulousness, why didn't anyone mention that he is funny? Listening to him talk about cafeteria Catholics going down the line picking this belief, but not that one ... well, I was laughing out loud.

Third, he has an passionate love for our Catholic faith. Even in simple explanations, Cardinal Arinze communicated so well the joy and love that God extends to us through the Church.

Finally, he has a gift for explaining very simply but clearly how the faith is grounded in the truth that is Jesus Christ. Which is quite inspiring.

I think I'm in love.

UPDATE
No podcast in the works yet for Pope Benedict XVI but he now has a Nano. Can't wait for a photo of him with that!

This One's for Tom

The perfect game for someone who loves sets and matching ... Set Game. Enjoy!

Me? Oh, I do it because I love torturing myself.

Anguished English: Headline Howlers

XRAYS OF DEAN'S HEAD REVEAL NOTHING

MAN STRUCK BY LIGHTNING FACES BATTERY CHARGE

NEW STUDY OF OBESITY LOOKS FOR LARGER TEST GROUP

ASTRONAUT TAKES BLAME FOR GAS IN SPACECRAFT

KIDS MAKE NUTRITIOUS SNACKS

ARSON SUSPECT IS HELD IN MASSACHUSETTS FIRE

BRITISH UNION FINDS DWARFS IN SHORT SUPPLY

KIDNEY PATIENTS TO GO ON THEIR OWN

More Anguished English

You Are Embarrassing the Angels

"You are embarrassing the angels." This is what I intend to say for the next 40 days whenever I see someone who is hurting the culture, hurting human dignity, denying the stature of a human being. I mean to say it with belief, with an eye to instruction, but also pointedly, uncompromisingly. As a lady would. All invited to join in.

Read Peggy Noonan's article

I will be joining in. Pass it on.

The Anchoress ably expands on this theme. Amen, sistah! Preach it.

UPDATE
Laura H. has some actual info about angels (as opposed to that "in the news" stuff featured in this post). Check it out.

A Tale of Two Priests

-from In Conversation with God

The person who abandons mortification is inevitably ensnared by his sense and becomes incapable of any supernatural thought.

Those are some really tough words--but they aren't so difficult as you might imagine if you really understand what mortification is. Mortification is the abanonment of self in the spirit of self-denial and self-sacrifice in the service of another and in the love of God. When you put up with Ms. Whiny-voice and even welcome her into your home or office, you are excerising the spirit of mortification. When you eat less of what you would like, or allow your children to have the last piece of whatever, you are in the spirit of mortification. The possibility of mortification is pervasive, we need merely reach out to touch it and take advantage of it. We mature in our faith through self-denial and little sacrifices.

Steven Riddle

Our parish priest talked about the public nature of wearing ashes and how it reflects what is in our hearts. He talked about sin. Talked about how it became unfashionable in religion a few years ago to talk about sin, to talk about responsibility, to talk about the state of our souls. He pointed out that each one of us is partially responsible for the sin in the world; partially responsible for the arrogance, the hate, the ugliness that is in the world because of our own sin and our own actions. This is a time to look that personal sin in the face and see where God wants to take us.

It made me think of earlier in the week at a prayer group when he talked about Jesus being driven into the desert by the Spirit. He said that the desert is a hard place, a scary place. We don't want to go, we have to be driven, but it is where we need to be ... and when we are there we can know God.

“You tried your best and failed miserably. The lesson is: never try.”

“Trying is the first step to failure”

“If at first you don't succeed, give up.”

Homer Simpson

By contrast, Rose was totally disgusted with the high school's priest who talked about how he would fast on Fridays. Then one Friday, after being in a bad mood because of fasting, he got into an argument with someone who had cut in the gas line in front of him. He said that was when he realized that the very thing that was supposed to bring him closer to God ... the fasting ... was not doing any such thing. So he quit fasting ever.

Quit. fasting. ever.

Nice lesson to tell 1,200 high school kids isn't it? Too hard? Give up.

Rose said, "He didn't say anything about being sorry and trying harder. Or even realizing that fasting wasn't the right way for him and looking for another way to get closer to God. He basically just gave every person there permission to never try."

Hannah said, "Well, he did say that if they were smoking then they should think about quitting. Or using alcohol or abusing drugs then they should really think about quitting."

I said, "Think about quitting."

She smiled wryly, "Well, that's because he started that part by saying, 'I can't tell you what to do.' So, yeah, he basically gave every single person there permission to never try anything if it was too hard and that they should think about stopping bad behavior."

Way to go, Father. Homer Simpson would be proud.

What Do We Know About the Bayeux Tapestry?

Evidently not very much.

It isn't from Bayeux (that's the French side of the story we've been given all this time ... it was made in England)

It isn't a tapestry (I've seen it. It's embroidery, y'all.)

It isn't celebrating King William's glorious victory over the English (evidently there are layers upon layers of secret info that actually are dissing King William!)

This and more mind-bending, history-changing info was given to me by Tom last weekend during our lunch date (do we know how to get romantic or what?).

He's reading 1066: The Hidden History In The Bayeux Tapestry and actually this is all a theory, but what an interesting one! I gave him the book for Christmas because when we first went to France, many years ago, he insisted on going to see the Bayeux Tapestry. I'd never heard of it but was fascinated when we finally were at the exhibit.

Among the other fascinating details was that William the Conqueror was the kinda guy who would have made Hitler proud. No one rose against him after he beat King Harold not because they were lackadaisical about who ruled them (which was how I'd always thought of it) but because he had this habit of obliterating little towns who stood against him. It was also the last time that Britain was conquered, which I'd never really thought of (despite William's title which I know he liked better than his previous one, "William the Bastard") because I always knew that William had some claim, however tenuous, to the British throne. However Wiliam's behavior definitely was that of a conqueror.

The English language went underground at that point, which I had heard before, as Norman French became the standard at court and speaking English was forbidden. As English servants waited on Norman courtiers more and more French became incorporated into the English language.

However, what I hadn't really ever thought about were the examples that the author gives to show how the language separation worked, and also how rich English became in synonyms. Animals "on the hoof" (so to speak) were known by their English words while the food when it got to the table was known under the French name. This really struck me when Tom said, "So cow became beef." I suddenly thought, "Boeuf ... which is French for beef."

Cow .... beef (French - boeuf)
Chicken ... poultry (French - poulet)
Sheep ... mutton (French - mouton)
Swine or pig ... pork (French - porc)

If you want to tour the tapestry this site will take you through bit by bit with the story translated.

Want to Know More About Scientology?

Rolling Stone has the scoop from a 9-month investigation. Astounding. I must have read about a third of this very long, but very informative article aloud to Tom.

Question, The Second

Secret Agent Man asks, "A true fast (water only), or the so-called squishy fast that they have these days where you're allowed one big huge meal and a couple of smaller ones??"

My answer is in the comments box. And remember, y'all, we're not here to judge each other ... God is judging our hearts and that is it.

UPDATE
As always, Steven Riddle has good advice for us.

Question, The First

Stella asks, "What's the best Stations of the Cross method/book?"

One person recommended The Way of the Cross by St. Alphonsus Liguori.

Any other recommendations?

Lent

This season was introduced by Pope Felix III in the fourth century. Originally it lasted for thirty-six days, but four days were added in 487 to make up the forty days Our Lord spent in the wilderness. The word "Lent" is taken from "Lenctenid," which is Old English for spring-tide and the Saxon name for March because of the lengthening of the days. As Lent falls in March, it is fittingly named.

Catholic Trivia

I Think They've Worked With Microsoft Before...

Check out this fantastic parody of what would happen if Microsoft packaged the iPod. Maybe you have to be in advertising (or computers) to appreciate it but it's perfect.

Truer Words Were Never Spoken

You Are Blonde Highlights

Men see you as flexible and versatile - you fit in to every situation You've got the inner glow of a blonde, the intensity of a redhead... And the wisdom of a brunette.

How Blonde Are You?

Via Miss Cellania.

A Little Fun for a Sunday Afternoon

Go to The Doctor is In and read his praise of standard poodles. If you aren't interested in reading much, be sure to scroll down and check out the photographic proof of poodle superiority.

Goodbye Sophie Grace

I just found out that little Sophie who was born to a family that embraced life despite doctors' urgings to do otherwise, died on February 2.

What a sorrow that must be for this family. What a blessing Sophie had in them, who loved her and cherished her while she was here for that short time.

Please pray for little Sophie's soul and for the peace and grace of God to be with her grieving family.

Lent-ish Links

An examination of conscience from Zenit. Via Holy Fool.

A history lesson on what Lent used to be like. Via Mrs. Darwin.

Doing Nothing or Nothing Doing? from Confessions of a Hot Carmel Sundae isn't precisely Lent oriented I suppose except that as I have exactly the opposite nature it made me begin thinking about what God wanted me to do ... which translated into Lenten thinking.

How the Seven Deadly Sins All Start From Good Things by TO. Another that isn't specifically for Lent but I found quite it made a good contribution toward pondering what to keep an eye on in my life and, specifically, in terms of Lenten practices. You might like it that way too.

What Would We Do Without Dick Cheney to Laugh At?

Some hilarious stuff is popping up.

Quail Hunting School: the game that trains you for quail hunting. Thanks to Alex for this one.

White House Had Prior Knowledge Of Cheney Threat: the Onion is working their usual irreverent magic.

In a Presidential Daily Briefing given to Bush in August 2005, the CIA warned that the vice president was a potent threat to the senior population at large, and in particular "possessed the capabilities and intentions to spray a senior citizen with projectiles fired from a shotgun or other weapon." A second brief identified the population at risk as those "between 70 and 80 years of age," and warned that the vice president posed the greatest threat to "seniors in close proximity to the vice president when he is armed."

And this cartoon: Day by Day.

Back to Basics: Getting to Heaven

The only thing that really matters in life is getting to Heaven.

Among all the achievements of our life only one thing is really crucial. It is attaining the goal — Heaven — set for us by God. We must be ready to give up everything, if necessary, to achieve this goal. We must also be ready to set aside anything that even gets in the way of our achieving it, no matter how valuable or appealing it may seem. Everything else has to be subjected to that one supreme objective in our life — possessing God. If anything becomes an obstacle rather than an aid to this end, then we must be prepared either to set things straight or to put the obstacle aside completely. Eternal salvation — our own or our neighbor's — comes first. Our Lord tells us so in the Gospel of the Mass (Mark 9:40-49): If thy hand is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off! ... And if thy foot is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off! ... And if thine eye is an occasion of sin to thee, cut it off! ... It is better to enter into the kingdom of Heaven maimed, lame or lacking an eye, than being physically sound to be cast into hellfire, where their worm dies not, and the fire is not quenched. It is better to lose something as necessary as one's hand, one's foot or one's eye than to lose Heaven, which is our supreme good, implying as it does the beatific vision of God for all eternity. How much truer this is, if, as is usually the case, what we need to put aside with no more than a bit of determination on our part is something that would otherwise not result in any significant harm to us....

Often the obstacles we have to set aside will not be tremendously significant ones. In the life of a Christian who is striving to please God in all things, this will usually be the case. What will have to be set aside and cut out are our minor whims and preferences. We shall take prudent steps to correct small breaches of temperance where Our Lord asks us to mortify our temper or our moods, to overcome any excessive concern we may have about our health or comfort ... All of these more or less habitual failings need very much to be taken into account, even though they may not be ore than venial sins. They slow our pace and can trip us up — or worse: they can gradually lead to or bring about more serious falls.

If our struggle is generous, if our goal in life is clear in our sight, we will be decisive not to say ruthless, in striving to correct these situations so that they cease to be obstacles and are turned into advantages. This is what Our Lord often did with his Apostles. From Peter's hot-headed impetuosity He formed solid rock on which He would build his Church. From the vehement impatience of John and James (who He dubbed sons of thunder) He fashioned the apostolic zeal of untiring preachers. From Thomas' skepticism he molded a strikingly articulate testimony to his divinity. What has been previously a crippling liability becomes a powerful asset.

In Conversation with God: Ordinary Time, Weeks 13-23)

Can you tell I've been thinking about Lent? Actually Lent really began coming to mind a couple of days ago, so that's a week ahead. Just about the right timing for me to mentally prepare for the blessings that God will bring from this time. Despite my preference for Ordinary Time I treasure all the seasons that God gives us and Lent is no different.

First is this period of self-examination, where we contemplate the time to come, remember our ultimate goal (as stated above), and then ask where God wants us to go in order that we may meet Him more fully.

In my case, I have a pretty good feeling that it calls for some giving up and adding on.

Giving up: mortification of the flesh (which would be giving up dessert).

Adding on: focusing on "back to the basics" in my life (which means sticking to my daily schedule properly). A daily schedule may not sound like much but it can mean the difference between laziness and prayer time, between selfishness and serving my family through a clean house and nice meal on the table.

I'll also be contributing to a Lenten prayer blog which is an amazing ecumenical project begun by a couple of bloggers who want to truly celebrate Lent fully. There are around twenty people who will be sharing their prayers throughout Lent and I fully expect that I will be blessed by their prayers much more than I will be contributing any of my own. However, be that as it may, please drop by often as no one seems to be waiting for Ash Wednesday and are popping in to introduce themselves and often say a prayer or two.

More later about the books I'll be reading.