Movie Night

I was home alone for a couple of days this week while my wife and kids were out of town. So one night, I watched a bunch of movies and I really lucked out. I watched THREE movies and I loved all of them.

I watched a movie called 'Heaven Can Wait' starring Warren Beatty. It was a really sweet movie about an athlete who is taken out of his body just before an accident to spare him the pain. As he's being conducted to heaven, they find out that he wasn't supposed to die. But when they go back to check on his body, they find it has already been cremated. So he ends up taking the body of another man who just died. It's a very funny story with a really sweet ending. I think my favorite thing about the movie was the goodness of the main character. It was a nice, refreshing story. Good movie. Well worth watching.

The second movie was my favorite. It was called 'Shuffle' starring T.J. Thyne and it was fantastic! There are a couple small parts of the movie that I wouldn't recommend for children, but I didn't think they were nasty. The premise of the movie is a man who is living his life out of order. One day he's 30, then he's 8, then he's 42, then he's ... you get the idea. There are a couple of twists that really surprised me, but were really satisfying at the same time. It was intense, emotional, artistic, and ended making me feel really good. I highly recommend that one. We first saw TJ Thyne in a short film a few years ago called 'Validation'. That's also well worth watching. I'll put it here in case you haven't seen it. Check it out.

Then I watched a movie called 'Happy'. It's a documentary about what makes people happy and it was REALLY cool to see. Some take-aways for me: 1) Variety; 2) Physical activity; 3) Nature; 4) Relationships, especially family; 5) Get in the zone with something you like to do; 6) Laughter; 7) Compassion/kindness (perform random acts of kindness); 8) Meditation; 9) Gratitude (count your blessings regularly; write them down); 10) Personal growth.

That jives pretty well with what I've seen in my life so far. It's interesting to note how much emphasis we place on things like money, status, and image and imagine those things will make us happier. But they really don't. Once you have enough to eat, clothes to wear, and shelter from weather, the amount of money you have doesn't correlate at all with your level of happiness. And most of the people I know have the basic necessities of life.

So, three movies in one night: 1) Heaven Can Wait; 2) Shuffle; 3) Happy. And I loved them all. I normally would have gone crazy sitting that long in one evening, but I felt so good when I was done. And each movie has given me a lot to think about. I recommend them all, but the best one was 'Shuffle'. If you've seen any of these or if you decide to see them, let me know what you think. For those Netflix subscribers out there, as of today, all three are available for streaming, so that makes it easy.

Lessons from Earthsea

I recently watched a two-part miniseries called Earthsea. A little weird, some parts I definitely don't recommend, but parts of it have given me some things to think about. And it's time to document those thoughts.

The show is based on a series of books by Ursula LeGuin. I was first exposed to her writings a couple years ago when I heard about and later read her short story entitled The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. I was very impressed by her writing and philosophy.

The story of Earthsea revolves around a wizard named Ged who fulfills a prophecy to repair a mystical amulet with power to keep evil at bay ... I'm going to really gloss over a lot of details here. The ultimate reconciliation takes place between him, representing the wizarding world, and a priestess representing the power of faith. Both of these worlds seem to be at conflict with a military power that neither respects nor practices either magic or faith.

There are a lot of really powerful themes and symbols to be explored given that framework, but the one I've been thinking about the most concerns a reconciliation and acceptance on a personal level. Ged, our friendly wizard, summons an evil being as the result of a dare. He didn't intend to summon something evil, but this being, called a Gebbeth, ends up hunting him and for a good part of the story, he finds himself on the run. Eventually, he decides to become the hunter and, though unsuccessful in his first encounter with the Gebbeth, near the end, he recognizes that the Gebbeth is actually a reflection of the evil within himself. He accepts the existence of the evil and decides to 'own' the Gebbeth instead of being owned by it. The two bodies merge into one and Ged, now much stronger, is able to finish his task of reuniting the amulet.

It reminded me of the story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde where the opposite occurs. By attempting to separate the evil part of his nature from the good, Dr. Jekyll ultimately succumbs to the evil nature within and becomes Mr. Hyde. Ged, on the other hand, accepted the evil within himself and rather than seeking to cast it from him, he made it his servant. I think there's a lot of truth in these stories. We all have evil within us, but rather than trying to take that part of who we are and eject it, perhaps the solution is to mold it, to own it, to turn a weakness into a strength, to turn vice into virtue. Rather than being half a human by attempting to eradicate evil, perhaps we need to focus on maintaining our whole soul and molding the evil or weakness within to serve virtue.

A scripture in the Book of Mormon has come to mind several times as I've been thinking along these lines. From Ether 12:27:

... if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

I've also been thinking of a book by C.S. Lewis called The Great Divorce. The story is a fantasy dream of the author traveling from hell to heaven and describes some of Lewis' thoughts on what heaven and hell are really like; some of it would likely surprise many Christians. It's a great book. One part tells of a soul who is burdened by an imp that sits on his shoulder and whispers things in his ear. This man, now a spirit attempting to progress and enter heaven, is speaking with an angel who claims to have the power to kill the imp, but can only do so with the man's permission. As the conversation progresses, it becomes clear that the imp represents lust.

As the man begins to sway toward accepting the angel's invitation, the imp reminds the man of how long they have been together and how much he relies on the imp. He tells the man the angel does have the power to kill him, but because they are so closely connected, if the imp dies, the man will die as well. The man begins to revert to his original position when the angel challenges him by asking if it wouldn't be better to die than to live another day with the imp. The man agrees that it would be better to die than to hear anymore of the imp's whisperings and gives the angel permission to kill the imp. When the angel grabs the imp, both the imp and the man scream and the man crumples in a heap as the angel casts the imp to the ground. Though it appears that both are dead, as the author looks on, the imp begins to transform into a beautiful horse who, when the man revives, carries the man to a beautiful city, representing the home of God, far in the distance. The man's change of heart allows a divine power to intervene and transform what was a crippling weakness into a magnificent strength and the man is able to progress much  more rapidly toward his ultimate goal.

I think we, as humans, being a mix of good and evil, have an opportunity to accept the weaknesses we've been given and seek to turn them into strengths. I have at times tried to cast my evil inclinations far from me, but I find that doesn't work very well. Ultimately, they come back with added power and seek to overwhelm me. I've been much more successful in living a life of virtue when I accept my weaknesses and seek to own and mold them rather than allowing them to master me. Running from them, like Ged did initially, doesn't work. Running from situations that encourage the weakness can be wise, but that's a little different. Seeking to separate our weaknesses from who we are and destroy them, like Dr. Jekyll attempted, doesn't seem to work either. Only by reconciling ourselves with them and owning them, as Ged did at the end of his story, are we able to overcome the evil and, as with Ged and the man in Lewis' story, those weaknesses often become great sources of strength when properly understood, accepted, and aligned with a virtuous will.

That's what I think anyway. What do you think?

Les Miserables

My wife and I recently went to see Les Miserables. I have never seen a live performance of the play, but I know the story and the music. I've read the book by Victor Hugo and I've been listening to the music for many years and it seems to me the music basically tells the story, though there are a few sections of speech that help tie some of it together. I love the story.

And I LOVED the movie! When it was over, I just sat there and listened to the music as the credits ran. I love the way it ends.

I was really impressed by the singing from some well known actors. I thought Hugh Jackman was fantastic as Valjean. I think Valjean's character is the most wonderful element of the story. And Jackman did a great job bringing it to life. There are parts of the story that are so painful and revolting that I sort of shrank inside myself when they came on the screen. But without the negative, the resolution wouldn't be nearly so sweet.

Fantine is probably the most tragic character in the story, but it's Eponine's story that really gets me choked up. Coming from a disgusting upbringing, her unrequited love is so sweetly tragic that I get tears in my eyes when I listen to a good rendition of 'On My Own' ... and the actress in the film did a GREAT job with that song! She had a beautiful voice and she loaded that scene with pathos. With that as background, another song that brings tear to my eyes is 'A Little Fall of Rain' and once again, the film came through.

But although I love Eponine's story, Valjean is my favorite character. His honor, courage, integrity, and virtue seem to rise to every challenge to tempt him into betraying those principles. After a formative experience with a godly man, the Bishop of Digne, Valjean seems impossibly steeled against all evil both within and without. The musical shows his struggles; he's no Superman. But I find myself cheering him on as he faces incredibly difficult choices and consistently makes the honorable choice. Jackman did a great job showing the emotion associated with making those tough choices. And Valjean offers me, at least, an example of what it's like to be a morally upright hero in a sometimes debauched and unjust world.

The scene at the end is my absolute favorite. After everything he has been through, after all the injustice suffered by multiple characters, the ending shows a place where wrongs are made right and where all who have suffered find peace. I love the way the words are changed from what was a rousing military song earlier in the play to a rousing song that rejoices in the freedom that comes to those who choose good over evil. Even though justice isn't always done here, the end of the play points to a place where justice will ultimately be done. And as Valjean steps into that place, I feel an incredible resolution to all of the evil that went before and I get this exultant feeling that freedom and joy, so often denied to so many, will ultimately be granted to those who honestly seek it. I look forward to finding that place someday myself.

Another great scene that brought tears to my eyes was 'Empty Chairs at Empty Tables'. The guy who played Marius was really fantastic. Great voice!

If you've seen the movie, the play, or just like the music, I'd love to hear your thoughts. Please feel free to comment.

Inception

On a recommendation from Emily's sister, we watched the movie "Inception" last night. It was SO good!

The idea is based on a technology that doesn't exist - in the movie, it allows people to share dreams. Once I got past that bit of fantasy (didn't take me long), I just dove in and thoroughly enjoyed the movie. I don't want to say too much about the details of the plot because I think that would make it less enjoyable for you to watch. Briefly though, it begins by introducing us to a group of people who are paid to steal ideas from peoples' subconscious minds while they're dreaming (they call this theft 'extraction'). The group is then hired to implant an idea into a man's subconscious with the idea that it will take hold and become his own (inception). That's when things start to get a little crazy.

I was so impressed. The plot reveals itself slowly throughout the movie. As it became clear what was happening, I was so impressed by the beauty of the plot and the way in which the story was weaved. After a single viewing, I don't see any plot holes, which is satisfying. Once you get past the basic premise (shared dreaming) and one or two of the assumptions that I found hard to believe, the rest of the story fits together pretty neatly.

The best part of the movie for me was the mental gymnastics it demanded. Trying to keep track of everything that was going on in multiple levels of dreaming while keeping tabs on the characters as they're developing and as information from their past is unveiled that helps us understand them better - it was a bit of a workout. I really enjoyed that.

There was a scene in one of the dreams where gravity is changing and then it is completely lost (I can't explain why - just watch the movie). Some of those scenes were so much fun to watch. The guy who got to have all the fun was an actor named Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I was really impressed by him. Emily was the one to notice that as a child, he was the main character in a cute little Disney flick called "Angels in the Outfield". He did a great job in that film too.

As the main character, I thought Leonardo DiCaprio did a fantastic job. Some years ago, I didn't like him, though I can't really say why. I think it was all the hype from Titanic (a shallow reason, I know), which I never saw. But in all the films I've seen him in lately, I think he's fantastic. He did a GREAT job in this one.

The only downside to the movie was the violence. Except for one instance, which is extremely sad, the only deaths occur in dreams, which means no one actually dies. But it's still very violent to watch it. Still, I'm planning to watch it again soon just so I can put everything together now that I understand the whole plot. Very cool movie.

Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead

Emily and I watched a documentary last night called "Fat, Sick, & Nearly Dead". It was really cool! Similar to the idea behind a documentary we watched recently called "Forks Over Knives", but a little different. The movie last night showed the progress of several peoples' health as they conducted vegetable/fruit juice fasts. The results were amazing and inspiring.

The guy making the documentary, Joe, lost a LOT of weight by doing a 60-day juice fast. The picture above shows a before and after version of Joe. Joe made his own juice from fresh vegetables and some fruit. He was able to eliminate his prescription medication completely - medicine that was intended to help control a pretty annoying autoimmune disease - can't remember the name right now.

He traveled across the US for the second half of his fast and talked to a lot of people. Most of the people he talked to seemed to think he was crazy for doing the fast. But some of them expressed interest and a few actually followed his example and tried it. He met a man at a truck stop who had the same rare autoimmune disease and this guy decided to try a 10-day fast. He started out at well over 400 pounds - I think it was around 460. After 10 days, he felt so much better and had lost so much weight, he decided to continue it for a full 60 days. Over the next few months, he lost over 200 pounds and it was so cool to see the before and after. Not just the physical, but the mental and emotional state of the guy. He became so much happier and more confident.

Emily and I are planning to do an herbal-assisted cleanse over the next couple months. After watching this movie, I think we're going to try a week-long juice fast to start it out. I'm excited to see what it can do.

One thing I've taken away from these two documentaries is the potential for a plant-based diet to dramatically improve health and guard against some of the chronic diseases so prevalent in western society. I've seen some improvement in my own health from experimenting with such a diet and I'm going to experiment with this diet more in the next few months. I'm hoping I can report some happy results from that experiment as I go along.

One version of such a diet is shown in the following food pyramid by Dr. Fuhrman. I think it makes a lot more sense than the food pyramid published by the FDA.

Plant-based diet food pyramid

Forks over Knives

Emily has been trying to get me to watch a documentary called 'Forks over Knives' for several months. I guess I never understood what it was about because it took me a while to find the motivation to watch it. It's REALLY interesting!

It attempts to make the case that many of the chronic illnesses we enjoy in our western societies are directly linked to our western diet. That wasn't a new idea for me, but it was fascinating to see several pieces of evidence that pointed to a specific diet for halting and even reversing the progression of certain diseases. The "cure" is a plant-based diet.

I've always felt that limiting meat intake was a good idea, but this video suggested that eliminating meat and ALL animal-based products was the way to go. And I found it hard to argue with their data. One point was made that I had heard before, but that really sunk in this time because it was given in the context of so much supporting evidence. Cows' milk, which is supposed to be so healthy for us, is really a food that nature has produced for calves. Taking milk from one species and giving it to another does seem a bit ... unnatural. The video asserts that milk products, like all other animal products, produce some unwanted side effects in our bodies.

If you've read this far, you might be interested in watching the video. Check it out. If you have Netflix, you can stream it online. And let me know what you think.

Star Wars and Candy

Saturday was a lazy day and we ended up finishing the Star Wars trilogy. That felt good and wasteful at the same time. I needed a down day, so I'm ok with that.

Now that my kids had seen the redemption of Darth Vader, their next set of questions dealt with how he became what he was. If he could become good again, how did he become evil in the first place? Well, thanks to the George Lucas empire, we have three more movies to answer that question!

Oh boy. I don't think I can take that much Star Wars in so short a time. We'd better wait a little before watching the other movies. A guy can only take so much of the Force. Actually, I'm not sure I want my kids to see the third movie yet, so we may have to wait a long time. I think it's probably a bit dark for such young minds.

Saturday night, we had a 'Trunk or Treat' at my church. People decorated the trunks of their cars or vans, most brought some kind of a game, and handed out candy to kids as they went around the parking lot. It was so much fun! My oldest decided to bring a toy basketball hoop and ball so everyone could shoot baskets for candy. For some reason, that was a big hit and I had a great time supervising the game. We tied the hoop to the car and let the kids take shots.

And now my kids are loaded up on candy! Number three has very little self control and ended up with a stomach ache last night. Hopefully a few more of those will inspire him to develop some discipline. I have my doubts, but I'll hang onto hope for him. He's a brilliant child, but that intelligence doesn't seem to spill over into common sense sometimes. I guess he takes after his dad.

Star Wars

I have neglected my childrens' education. We watched Star Wars with them this week and it was the first time they had ever seen it. But it's never too late to set things right, so I am making amends for my neglect.

Apparently they've heard about Star Wars quite a bit from friends at school and they knew a lot of the characters' names. They wanted to see Yoda, but I thought we'd better start at the beginning (or in the middle depending on your perspective) and watch the original 1977 film first. Maybe we'll get to Yoda this weekend.

I'm not a big-time Star Wars fan - obviously, since my kids hadn't seen it before this week - but I think the storyline is really good and the movies are classics in their own way. Good vs. evil, the Force, cheesy acting in parts, a fighting corp of Jedi (religionists/philosophers/warriors), some of whom embrace evil, sometimes awkward dialogue, and ultimately redemption. I like the story for its cut and dry distinction between good and evil and I like it for the religious overtones.

Yoda makes the movies great all by himself. Frank Oz's voice coming from a little, green, mystical, mighty, warrior muppet who spouts wisdom and a philosophy of life and warfare that rivals some of the great philosophers of all time. What's not to love?

It has been fun to see my kids get excited about the movies. Running around the house last night with imaginary blasters and light sabers, they did their part to save the galaxy. It reminded me of their play acting after we watched the Tron movies. It's so cute to see them doing the same kinds of things I used to do with my brothers ... inspired by the same movies I watched as a kid.

Soul Surfer

At Emily's suggestion, we watched a movie last week called "Soul Surfer". It was REALLY good!

It has some of our favorites actors in it and the story was really inspiring. It's about a girl who is competing in surfing competitions and while surfing one day with some friends, her arm is bitten off by a shark. The story deals with how she copes with this event and it's really beautifully done. Ultimately, she teaches herself to surf with one arm and continues to compete.

My daughter broke her arm last week and she's learning to cope with limited use of one of her arms. It's been pretty challenging for her. But it's temporary. Watching that movie and seeing that young woman's courage was really inspiring for me. The movie is based on a true story and the actual woman really does seem as courageous as the movie portrayed her. That woman lost the complete use of her arm for the rest of her life. The psychological toll that must have taken is beyond my ability to comprehend, but I got a taste of it watching the actress deal with it. It was really cool.

I think the best part of the movie was when she went on a mission trip and found the resolution of her difficulties through helping other people. I think there's a beautiful truth there - it seems that what is often required of us in order to overcome our problems is to forget our problems and help someone else deal with their problems. I don't know why that is exactly, but I think it has something to do with learning to love others. To love them so much that we forget ourselves. I think that may be one of the fundamental purposes of this life. Love and friendship are so important.

If you haven't seen the movie, you might want to check it out. I love it when the entertainment industry produces such positive, uplifting material.

My Girlfriend's Boyfriend

Emily and I watched a really good movie lately called "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend". It's an independent film with a really clever story. It's about a girl who is dating two guys, but neither seems to know about the other. The plot sounds a little weird, but it is REALLY satisfying at the end. I wish I could say more about it, but it would ruin the effect if I did and I don't want to spoil it for anyone. When I finally realized what was going on, I had the most amazing "aha" moment and it had me thinking about it for several hours after the movie was over. The resolution at the end was really well done and I thought it was beautifully artistic.

References to Star Wars, My Little Pony, and Charlie Brown made it kind of fun for someone in my generation and I'm guessing it was written by someone close to my age. We watched it last weekend and then watched it again last night. It wasn't as powerful the second time, but it really helped to put all the pieces together. Great screenplay! Good story. And CLEAN! Who knew people could still make clean movies? To be complete, there are a few references to sex in the dialogue that would likely be lost on children, but I didn't think they were nasty.

Check it out. It fits the romantic comedy genre, but it's just a little atypical. It should make you feel good, but it should also get you thinking. And pay attention to the girl's brother. His character has the funniest subplot and the guy's acting is perfect!

Uncle Nino

Emily and I watched a movie this week called 'Uncle Nino.' It's about a man from Italy who travels to America to visit his nephew, Robert Micelli, and his wife and children. His primary purpose is to visit the grave of his brother, but he spends a couple of weeks with Robert whom he hasn't seen since Robert was a child. The contrast between Nino's life in Italy and the Micellis' life in Illinois is pretty amusing.

Nino is shown first in a beautiful little Italian village leisurely feeding himself and his dogs on the morning of his trip. He takes his suitcases out of his house to wait for a friend to pick him up and spends some time in his nice clothes gardening while he waits. On arriving at their destination, the friend asks Nino where his hat is. Realizing he forgot it at home, the friend gives him the hat he's wearing. The Micellis are shown next and they can't seem to slow down. The father is working hard to obtain a promotion; the mother is busy running errands and trying to keep her family together; the children have issues with school and home; and no one has time for each other ... or for Uncle Nino.

Somehow, Nino gets to know the family in spite of their lifestyle and helps them draw closer together. It's a really sweet story and too complicated to summarize so briefly, but hopefully that gives you a an idea of what it's about. I highly recommend it. It's a feel-good movie with all around good morals.

One of the basic messages, of course, is SLOW DOWN!! Life's too short to be so fast-paced. To really enjoy it, we need to focus on the things that matter most. Here's an easy example - 'family is more valuable than money' - according to a fortune cookie I got about 8 years ago. I keep it in my wallet just to remind myself.

And if family is more important than money, then a lot of us in America should probably work a little less and spend more time with our families. Of course that would necessarily mean less money. And that would mean we should be content with less. Henry David Thoreau was a good example of frugality. Thoreau's friend Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote of him: "He chose to be rich by making his wants few, and supplying them himself." Maybe we should rethink our definition of 'rich'.

Henry David Thoreau

Thoreau himself tells us in 'Walden', "we live meanly, like ants; .... Our life is frittered away by detail. An honest man has hardly need to count more than his ten fingers, or in extreme cases he may add his ten toes, and lump the rest. Simplicity, simplicity, simplicity! I say, let your affairs be as two or three, and not a hundred or a thousand; instead of a million count half a dozen, and keep your accounts on your thumb-nail. .... Simplify, simplify. Instead of three meals a day, if it be necessary eat but one; instead of a hundred dishes, five; and reduce other things in proportion. .... The nation itself, with all its so-called internal improvements, which, by the way are all external and superficial, is just such an unwieldy and overgrown establishment, cluttered with furniture and tripped up by its own traps, ruined by luxury and heedless expense, by want of calculation and a worthy aim, as the million households in the land; and the only cure for it, as for them, is in a rigid economy, a stern and more than Spartan simplicity of life and elevation of purpose. It lives too fast."

Interesting when you think about the state of the world economy and the calls for government measures of austerity throughout Europe. Shouldn't we the people, who have lived so high for so long on borrowed money, lead the way in scaling back our own needs and wants? Couldn't we take a lesson from Thoreau and simplify our lives? Wouldn't it be worth it to slow down a little and focus on the things that are most important - even if that means we have to sacrifice some of the things that we love, but that are less important?

Gandhi, recognizing his country's addiction to the luxuries of Great Britain, preached simplicity and austerity ... and he lived by his words. He was among the upper caste in India's social structure. He was educated as a barrister in England and could have had a relatively luxurious life. But his addiction to truth required that he search for his purpose in life and that he live a life of integrity according to the truths that he found. And this search led him to live a very simple life. Hard to argue with the wisdom of a man like Gandhi.

I'm not as brave as Thoreau and Gandhi, but I am willing to scale back my material wants if that's what my family needs. I loved the movie 'Uncle Nino' for that message of proper priorities. And I wish I had the courage to scale back even more. But for now, I will try to keep a balance in my life and remember that no matter what, nothing is worth the sacrifice of peace in my home and happiness in the lives of my wife and children.

George and the Dragon

My family has discovered a fun new movie called 'George and the Dragon'. We rented it earlier this week and the kids all loved it. Tonight, we decided we would watch a movie together and as the kids were going through their ritual of debating what movie to watch, I suggested we could watch 'George and the Dragon' again since we hadn't returned it yet. Instantly, the debate was over and there was an enthusiastic, unanimous vote in favor of watching it for the second time this week. It was REALLY enthusiastic. Very cute.

Although the movie is especially good for kids, I really liked it too. That might say more about me than it does about the movie, but that's ok. It's a fun story of a knight named George returning from the Crusades, seeking for peace, solitude, and an acre of land and two head of cattle, who gets mixed up in the search for a missing Princess and stumbles across ... a dragon. The plot is full of holes and there are all kinds of editing issues, but it's a really cute story with some good morals and some pretty good acting. I really enjoyed Bill Treacher's character, Elmendorf, and though I hadn't seen James Purefoy, I thought he made the character of George really fun and likeable.

Cute family movie. If you have young children, give it a shot. I think we're going to buy this one so we can have some more unanimous votes on what movie to watch.

Nicholas Nickleby

My wife and I watched a movie last night called "Nicholas Nickleby" based on the book by Charles Dickens. Beautiful story. I haven't read much of Dickens, but I think I'd better start. The script was beautiful and some of the most poetic parts were almost certainly lifted straight from Dickens' book.

It's the story of a young man who loses his father at age 19 and becomes the head of his small family consisting of himself, his mother, and his younger sister. They seek help from a rich uncle who is a bit of a scoundrel. Eventually, they are able to make their own way, but the young man's honor and virtue are tested many times. Ultimately, this good-hearted young man overcomes the obstacles in his path, wins over many friends by his natural kindness, and ends very happily.

The storyline is a little too neat to be real, but the story is beautiful all the same. I was really impressed with the acting from some big stars and some relative newcomers. More than anything, though, I was impressed by Dickens' story. I think I'd better go check out some of his books.

Anatomy of a Murder

Emily and I watched an old movie last night called "Anatomy of a Murder". It's a courtroom film where Jimmy Stewart plays the defense attorney for a man accused of murder. I'm still having a hard time explaining exactly what I liked about the movie, but I REALLY liked it! It was a well-written story that made you think and it had great acting. The accused is a Lieutenant in the Army. He claims his wife was raped by another man and that he, after learning of the rape and seeing his wife's state, became temporarily insane and killed the man. This is a 1959 movie and the adult themes are handled very well. All of the characters are beautifully written and acted and the winning points scored by the defense near the end of the movie made me want to cheer. Some of those one-liners are still making me smile the day after.



I think Jimmy Stewart was an awesome actor. Another film of his that I really like is "Mr. Smith Goes to Washington". In that film, he plays a simple local guy who's appointed by the governor to a seat in the U.S. Senate because the political machine thinks it can walk all over him. He ends up discovering the corruption they thought he was too simple to see, battling it, and winning. I love the way the movie highlights the propaganda and deception employed by the corrupt political machine. It makes you think about the levels of depravity to which humanity can sink. It makes me think about selections from history ... various times and places. It makes me think about certain elements within our own political machine. Great movie. If you haven't seen it, check it out.

And check out "Anatomy of a Murder" too. Not as politically prescient as "Smith", but an interesting criminal law story. Thought provoking like "Twelve Angry Men", but more fun.

Leap Year

I went on a date with my wife tonight. We had dinner and went to see Leap Year at the theater. I don't think we've been to a theater in years. Really. We love movies, but I don't usually enjoy the theater. I can't usually find a movie I'm interested in seeing, it's too expensive, not as comfortable as my own home, blah blah blah.



Anyway, good movie. Definitely predictable and a little cheesy, but a good story, good acting, pretty clean, and I LOVED the Irish accents and scenery. Mostly, it was nice to be out alone with my wife. Happy Birthday to me!

A Man For All Seasons

When I was an undergrad, I took a class with my older brother called "History of Civilization." In it, we read Thomas More's "Utopia" and later watched the movie "A Man For All Seasons" starring Paul Scofield playing Sir Thomas More. The movie focuses on the last 6-7 years of More's life. It made a powerful impression on me at the time. I remember thinking about it for weeks afterward.



In one of the greatest compliments I have ever received, a group of fellow students dubbed me a "man for all seasons" during my Junior year of college. It was a culmination of several things that they had seen me do and they were impressed enough to give me that title, which they stubbornly used the rest of the year. They were very complimentary. I don't think I deserved the title and I'm more certain now than ever that I don't deserve to be compared with a man such as Thomas More.

A few months ago, I re-read Utopia and watched the movie again. Once again, I was in awe of this man who, under threat of imprisonment and death, refused to compromise his integrity. The film is filled with some fantastic dialogue that brings out his wit and wisdom. I wish I could be as wise as they depicted him to be. He eventually died as a martyr for what he believed. The film shows some of his human frailty, but also his sincerity and integrity. I know the film isn't perfectly accurate historically, but from what I've learned of him, he was an incredible man.

After this second time of reading the book and watching the film, I described my experience and thoughts to a Catholic friend of mine. This is a man who has served to significantly increase my respect for the Catholic Church by the way he lives his life. He has nine children and told me that More is the Patron Saint of large families, so I guess he's pretty well acquainted with him. He told me that "Seasons" was a film that one particular Seminary required every graduating Priest to watch. I can see why. If you haven't seen it, check it out. It's deep and a bit somber, but has a few light-hearted moments. Not a film for those times when you're in a silly mood, but a powerful one.