TV You Might Have Missed 1 — Crash Landing on You

A sudden storm leads to a successful South Korean businesswoman and heiress crashing her paraglider in the North Korean portion of the DMZ. She meets an army captain in the Korean People's Army who decides he will help her hide. How will she get back to her own life and escape prison in North Korea? Over time, they fall in love, despite the divide and dispute between their respective countries.

I came for the accurate depiction of North Korean life. I stayed for the charming actors, the romance and the drama itself. Granted, the drama can be pretty sparse in some episodes when the romance is front and center, but there are some genuinely bad guys and interesting dramatic tension. 

We're only halfway through but have learned some fascinating things about North Korean life. The writer interviewed North Korean defectors to get those details right.

Also it is sweet in the same way that I like in Indian movies. The romance is winning, the side characters are fun (the four Korean soldiers are great, as are the village women who interfere in the captain's life). 

Rose has seen enough K-dramas (Korean dramas) to clue us in to typical behavior or plot devices, but you don't need that to enjoy this. You do need to have time to watch a 19-episode show with each episode lasting between 1-1/2 to 2 hours. We often split them up in order to fit them in our schedule.

 It definitely is worth trying.

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson

 The gathering forces of the Dark Powers threatened the world of man. The legions of Faery, aided by trolls, demons and the Wild Hunt itself, were poised to overthrow the realms of light. And alone against the armies of Chaos stood one man, the knight of Three Hearts and Three Lions. Carlsen, a twentieth century man snatched out of time to become again the legendary Holger Danske to fight for the world he had helped to build.

I really enjoyed this a lot. Bronson Pinchot is a favorite narrator of mine and the story was a great "back in time/parallel universe" story. 

I especially appreciated the way that Poul Anderson kept the right attitudes for the people from the past. Even though the modern man could explain some things with scientific explanations, he also is bound by the current social, religious, and cultural standards, which are all taken seriously. That was refreshing.

His parish is literally a three-ring circus!

"There are about 40 traveling circuses in the United States, and they involve large numbers of personnel, both performers and workers. And our job is to be a pastoral presence to all of those folks around the country."

A fascinating interview with a circus priest. Get it at The Pillar.

Februari

Februari, Theo van Hoytema

We had a kettle; we let it leak:

We had a kettle; we let it leak:
Our not repairing made it worse.
We haven't had any tea for a week...
The bottom is out of the Universe.

Rudyard Kipling

We've all been there. Maybe not with a tea kettle, but certainly we know the feeling.

Chicken-Rice Soup with Garbanzos and Green Chile

Like us, are you having a very icy, very snowy, very cold day? Here's a very easy, very delicious soup that  was easy, homey, and perfect for a cold night in Texas. It makes a huge batch and, based on my breakfast the next day, the flavor improves over time.

 Get it at Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen.

In the Synagogue

Alfred Wolmark, In the Synagogue
via Gandalf's Gallery

Human science and God's science

Human science is but the backward undoing of the tapestry web of God's science. ... Is oxygen and hydrogen the divine idea of water? There is no water in oxygen, no water in hydrogen; it comes bubbling fresh from the imagination of the living God, rushing from under the great white throne of the glacier. The very thought of it makes one gasp with elemental joy.

George MacDonald

That idea of picking apart God's tapestry is so apt. Science has its own delights, but in this context it does take the wonder away from nature to think of water as molecules. It makes me think of C.S. Lewis's book Out of the Silent Planet where he pulls from the medieval mindset and makes one feel the wonder and joy and life of outer space instead of the vacuum that we learn first from modern science. It really is all about context.

Psalm 31 — Into Your Hands I Commend My Spirit

When you see yourself hated and persecuted by all your relatives and friends
because of the truth, do not be downcast either for them or for yourself;
and when all your acquaintances turn away from you,
do not be frightened, but withdraw from them
and keep your eyes fixed on the future, singing Psalm 31.

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

Jesus quotes this psalm as his last words before dying on the cross:

Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last. (Luke 23:46)

Into thy hand I commit my spirit;
thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God. (Psalm 31:5)

This should make Christians look from two angles. What are we to take from these last words? Also, since Jesus is "quoting" from this psalm, as a faithful Jew, what context would there have been for a listener who may have prayed this as part of daily devotions? 

German words from Psalms 31:15 ("My times are in thy hand")
on a sundial on the tower of the Marienkirche in St. Johann

 Saint Augustine had a lot to say about this psalm, most notably about enemies. He examines them from many angles and I'm going to include several quotes because I found each so insightful. These are all from Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture).

31.4 Freed from the Net

The Double Trap of the Enemy. Augustine. The enemy's trap is stretched out ready; there are twin loops in it, error and terror: error to entice, terror to break and grip us. You must shut the door of greed against error and the door of fear against terror; and then you will be led clear of the trap. Expositions on the Psalms.

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31.8 Set in a Broad Place

The Broad Plane of Freedom. Augustine. You have not imprisoned me with no possible hope for liberty; you have not handed me over to the endless power of the devil. ... The charity that is in me has been released from cramping fear and can walk unhindered forever into the broad stretches of freedom, for I know my Lord's resurrection and the promise of my own. Expositions on the Psalms.

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31.15 In Your Hands

Praying For and Against Enemies. Augustine. We have to distinguish between enemies against whom we must pray. Human enemies, of whatever kind, are not to be hated, lest a good person hates a bad person who is causing trouble, the result is two bad people. A good person must love even the bad person he or she has put up with, so that at any rate there is only one who is bad. The enemies against whom we need to pray are the devil and his angels. ... Even when human enemies assail us, it is only as the instruments of these evil spirits. When the apostle Paul warns us how careful we must be to guard against those enemies, he is speaking to God's servants who are being harassed, and probably by the factions and dishonesty and hostility of human beings; yet he says to them, "It is not against flesh and blood that you have to struggle" — not against human enemies, then — "but against principalities and powers and the rulers of this world."  Expositions on the Psalms.

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.

February

February, Très Riches Heures du duc de Berry

Winter in a peasant village. The inhabitants of a farm are shown warming themselves by the fire, while in the background daily life - cutting wood, taking cattle to the market - goes on as normal.

University of Chicago

A Movie You Might Have Missed #60: Departures

It's been 11 years since I began this series highlighting movies I wished more people knew about. I'm rerunning it from the beginning because I still think these are movies you might have missed.

The gift of last memories.

When the small orchestra that Daigo plays for is disbanded, he and his wife move back to his small home town to start over. Misunderstanding a job description, he finds himself being trained as an "encoffiner" to prepare corpses before their cremation. This ceremony is carried out before the families of the deceased. This puts him in an uncomfortable position since handling the dead is a taboo subject for Japanese.

By turns moving, funny, and inspirational, this is one I've thought of a lot since I saw it. As we learn the rhythm of the encoffinments we see that this ceremony is not only a sincere expression of respect for the deceased but is also healing for the mourners.

There is much more to the movie than encoffinment, although that is the spoke around which the wheel turns. Each character from the town, the encoffinments, and Daigo's life, no matter how small, is a significant part of the whole story — much as each instrument in an orchestra comes together to play a symphony. Highly recommended.

Kingfisher

Kingfisher, Remo Savisaar

The most important autobiography

The most important autobiography anybody could ever write is written on the hearts of their children.

Ben Affleck, WSJ Magazine, Dec. 2021

Truer words were never spoken.

May Sun

Josef Mehoffer, May Sun, 1911
via Arts Everyday Living

Drowning evil in abundance of good.

"The task of a Christian is to drown evil in an abundance of good. It is not a question of negative campaigns, or of being "anti" anything. On the contrary, we should live positively, full of optimism, with youthfulness, joy and peace. We should be understanding with everybody, with the followers of Christ and with those who abandon him, or with those who have never known him at all. Understanding does not mean holding back, or remaining indifferent, but being active (Josemaria Escriva, Furrow)." We need to have initiative, to want everyone to see the lovable face of Christ.

Francis Fernandez, In Conversation with God, Vol. 3

It is easy to forget this, in the chaotic world where we see protesters and "anti" this and that everywhere. But we are naturally drawn to what is lovely and good ... and that includes the sort of Christians that St. Escriva describes above. Am I providing that breath of fresh air in the world?

The Philosophy of Tolkien: The Worldview Behind The Lord of the Rings by Peter Kreeft

Oh, no! Not another book on Tolkien!
Why should you read this one?

This is the opening to Peter Kreeft's introduction and it is a fair question. It is why I waited so long to try it. I've got a lot of excellent books about The Lord of the Rings and it was hard to see how this was going to add anything new. Except, of course, that Peter Kreeft is a philosopher and so he looks at everything a little differently than most other authors.

This was like a class in applied philosophy. Peter Kreeft looks at the philosophies embodied in The Lord of the Rings and also explains basic philosophical concepts along the way. It is obvious that Kreeft just loves The Lord of the Rings and it is hard not to join in with that enthusiasm. I was able to grasp the philosophical concepts with an ease that I usually don't feel.

I was startled by his idea that it is our generation's Divine Comedy. But the more I thought about it, the more it made sense. No wonder it has inspired so many and hung on so long as a great book. No wonder I have so many excellent commentaries. How did people feel when the Divine Comedy came out? Possibly just the same! I like that feeling of fellowship with long ago readers of another book that I really love (though I do not understand the Divine Comedy nearly as well as LOTR, but then LOTR is my age's great book so it is written for me).

Virtues can be classified in many ways. One is "hard" versus "soft." Our ancestors were better at the "hard" ones, like courage, duty, honor, chastity, and obedience. We are better at the "soft" ones, like pity, mercy, sensitivity, and humility. We are shocked at their cruelty; they would be equally shocked by our laxity.

Highly recommended.

Psalm 30 — Praise for Healing

In dedicating your house—the is, your soul, which welcomes the Lord,
and the bodily house in which you dwell corporeally—
rejoice and sing Psalm 30

Athanasius, On the Interpretation of the Psalms

We've all had the experience that the psalmist describes here: "Complacent, I once said, “I shall never be shaken.”

LORD, you showed me favor, established for me mountains of virtue. But when you hid your face I was struck with terror. (NAB translation)

How many times have I felt I will never have my faith falter and then when things go wrong I am filled with dismay? I feel as if God is absent because he isn't dashing in to fix my problems immediately. That's not really the way of faith and often the experience I gain in having to trust while working out my own solution is invaluable. I know also so well the absolute joy of God's presence after the crisis has passed and realizing what He's done in my life.

There's some good commentary on this below, as well as a look at how this is a Biblical type in the Old and New Testaments. Interesting stuff!

Text from Psalm 30:5,
"Heaviness may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning",
illustrated on a window in St Giles, Codicote, Hertfordshire, UK

This psalm reflects feelings so universal that it is a "type" or foreshadowing of events in the Old and New Testaments.

30:5 Joy Comes with the Morning

Biblical Types. Theodoret of Cyr: Now things turned out like this both in the case of Hezekiah and in the case of the salvation of everyone. After the Assyrians applied those awful threats and moved the city to weeping, they sustained the blow at night and in the morning they filled with good cheer those whom they had forced to weep. The divine Isaiah brought Hezekiah the sentence of death in the evening, and towards morning brought him in turn the good news of life. And it happened likewise in the case of the salvation of everyone: the sacred apostles and the believers along with them lamented that passion of the Lord, but toward morning the women came and brought the joy of the resurrection. Commentary on the Psalms.

Psalms 1-50 (Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture)

Here we have some good insights for modern application.

For most of us, life is full of similar moments when our awareness of God's presence waxes and wanes. I am talking about our awareness of God here, not the reality of his presence or absence. God is always present, whether we realize it or not. This psalm, however, illustrates how our feelings, our perceptions, can either strengthen or undermine our confidence in facing the circumstances of our lives.

Clearly our perceptions are not always the best judge of reality. ... Nevertheless, our reaction to our circumstances can be immensely altered by our sense of God's presence or absence. As the psalmist indicates, the ability to perceive God at work in the midst of a troubled time made all the difference in the world. Wailing turned to a dance of joy, and rich festal garments replaced sackcloth and ashes.

Psalms vol. 1 (The NIV Application Commentary)

Sources are here and an index of psalm posts is here.

The Best Years of Our Lives

We watched this as part of our occasional William Wyler series. Coming after Mrs. Miniver, which was one of my favorite movies of 2021, it is appropriate to see the aftermath in three American military men's lives after the war is over and they return home. They struggle to come to terms with the adjustments of post-war society and how their loved ones may not be able to adjust to the people they have become.

Over 70 years later, some of the story lines may seem conventional at first, but we soon saw the relevance to modern life. For one thing it kept coming up in conversation around the house which is one of the surest sign of a movie that speaks to the universal condition. I really liked the contrasts between these three regular guys — in age, income, families, and prospects. Their stories showed what they'd learned and what they'd lost, and how often the only people who really understood them were other military men. The themes and topics are modern enough that we don't really need other movies on the topic — this one covers it all.

The direction was masterful, although it may not be immediately obvious. For one thing, Wyler uses long takes during conversations, allowing actors to pause and consider instead of rushing to the next line. This makes it seem like real life. Also keep an eye on the deep background. Sometimes there are a lot of things happening back there while major characters are sorting things out in the foreground. My favorite technique was his use of mirrors, which are everywhere in this movie. What are we seeing? Is it the reflection a character wants everyone to see? Or is it something that they themselves haven't noticed until it was looking back at them?

This movie had so many side characters that I loved, while the three main stories held my attention the whole time. Harold Russell as Homer totally deserved to get two Oscars for his role — which he did! Marie was a wonderfully selfish and clueless gold digger. Fred's father and stepmother were sweet, as was Homer's father. And Hoagy Carmichael was the Uncle Butch I wish I'd always had.

More than anything I liked knowing this was the movie that made families all over the country know they weren't alone in their struggles adjusting after the war.

Oven-Fried Chicken

 This is a family standard. It's easy, delicious, and you can't go wrong!

Shakespeare in India

An American's Guide to Bollywood podcast is partway through their coverage of films which are Indian adaptations of Shakespearean plays.

I love all these films, both for how they interpret the plays and for how they incorporate key parts of Indian life and culture. So far they have covered Omkara (Othello) and Haider (Hamlet).

Each episode has a brief coverage of the film and who would be a good audience for it. Then spoilers follow. So you can check out whether the film sounds interesting before watching.

Coming up they'll cover a Bollywood version of Romeo and Juliet (Ram Leela) and a South Indian version of Macbeth (Veeram) that I can't wait to watch again.

My reviews of Omkara, Haider, and Ram-Leela can be read here.

For those who follow A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast, Scott and I have covered Omkara and Ram-Leela (Romeo and Juliet). Our episodes are best listened to after watching the films.