Dodgeball is one of those movies that I had heard so much positive buzz about that I expected to be on the floor rolling with laughter. As is seemingly inevitable with such high expectations, I was disappointed.
Ben Stiller was hillarious in his role, but I thought the whole movie was pretty lame.
Sunday, January 16, 2005
Movie: Garden State
One of the themes of this movie is the bubble that one is placed in when taking antidepressant drugs. The main character in the film is a man in his mid twenties that has been on antidepressants since he was nine years old. These drugs, while perhaps helping him avoid deep emotional pitfalls, disable his ability to "feel." Is emotional pain so bad that we must numb ourselves and thus lose the ability to feel joy? I suspect each person should answer this question themselves, but in an age of quick-fixes, pharmaceutical commercial blitzes and inpatience, the question this film raises is definitely relevant.
Movie: Finding Neverland
Finding Neverland - Movie Info - Yahoo! Movies
I went to see this excellent movie Friday night while Sharon went to a scrapbooking-a-thon, and Dominic stayed overnight at grandma Alice's house.
This movie entertained me more than any other I have seen in a long time. I've been waiting for a movie that would emotionally move me, at least somewhat, as Finding Neverland managed to do. As usual, Johnny Depp seems to be the perfect casting for the protagonist he plays in the movie. Some roles seem like they are made for him, but this is perhaps because of his great talent for acting.
Prior to seeing the movie I didn't remember the particulars of Peter Pan. I knew about some of the characters, like Captain Hook, Wendy, Tinkerbell and, of course, Peter. Finding Neverland really wasn't about Peter Pan so much as it was about Mr. Barrie's inspiration to create the story. One quote stood out particularly to me, spoken by Mr. Barrie as four boys are being put to bed:
"Young children should never be put to bed. They always wake up one day older."
This is an apt quote from the man that wrote a fairy tale story about a boy that never wanted to grow up. Finding Neverland has its share of tragedy, and tear-jerking moments. That is what makes it so good. It mixes fairy-tale optimism and hope with realism. Mr. Barrie is a strong proponent of using the imagination, and of believing, but he is not naive. He uses imagination to supplement reality, not distract from it. It's a lesson of which I should take heed.
I went to see this excellent movie Friday night while Sharon went to a scrapbooking-a-thon, and Dominic stayed overnight at grandma Alice's house.
This movie entertained me more than any other I have seen in a long time. I've been waiting for a movie that would emotionally move me, at least somewhat, as Finding Neverland managed to do. As usual, Johnny Depp seems to be the perfect casting for the protagonist he plays in the movie. Some roles seem like they are made for him, but this is perhaps because of his great talent for acting.
Prior to seeing the movie I didn't remember the particulars of Peter Pan. I knew about some of the characters, like Captain Hook, Wendy, Tinkerbell and, of course, Peter. Finding Neverland really wasn't about Peter Pan so much as it was about Mr. Barrie's inspiration to create the story. One quote stood out particularly to me, spoken by Mr. Barrie as four boys are being put to bed:
"Young children should never be put to bed. They always wake up one day older."
This is an apt quote from the man that wrote a fairy tale story about a boy that never wanted to grow up. Finding Neverland has its share of tragedy, and tear-jerking moments. That is what makes it so good. It mixes fairy-tale optimism and hope with realism. Mr. Barrie is a strong proponent of using the imagination, and of believing, but he is not naive. He uses imagination to supplement reality, not distract from it. It's a lesson of which I should take heed.
Monday, January 10, 2005
Letters to a Young Catholic: The Art of Mentoring
Author: George Weigel
Genre: Religious Nonfiction
Mr. Weigel is the author of the Pope John Paul II biography, "Witness to Hope", which I read, and deeply enjoyed, in 2001.
"Letters to a Young Catholic" is an interesting read, but I don't agree with everything Mr. Weigel has to say. The structure of the book is unique, consisting of chapters that are designed as "letters" about Catholic sites around the world. The sites are tied into an aspect of Catholic thought that Weigel wants to communicate about. For example, the Chartres Cathedral in France is used as an anchor to discuss Weigel's Catholic interpretation of the concept of beauty.
The chapter I most enjoyed reading was the one focused on the vocation calling of Pope John Paul II. The chapter I most disagreed with, at least on the surface, was the chapter criticizing "liberal" religion, using England's Cardinal Newman as it's "anchor."
Much of the book is about hope, love, wonder and the mystery of Christ. These subjects, and Weigel's presentation of them, appeal to me. It is the moral polemics that border on the political that turn me off. Weigel is unapologetic about his views, which I admire. I just don't agree with him one hundred percent. I was particularly confused by his logic that freedom should be linked to moral choices. He lambasts the American value of doing it "my way." Undoubtably, freedom can lead to selfishness. I am not defending selfishness. However, Weigel's assertion that freedom means choosing correctly, as opposed to simply having the ability to choose, contradicts his earlier writing that explains "free will" as a God given right that inevitably has a byproduct of sin. In other words, I believe, God wants us to choose correctly, but gives us the freedom to choose incorrectly. Freedom, in and of itself, is simply the ability that we have to choose. Perhaps I am reading too much into Weigel's analysis. His point seems to be that American democracy suffers when freedom is abused. I do not disagree. He also criticizes certain Supreme Court decisions. Of course, I do too. However, I don't think wrong choices and secular policies make for a lack of freedom. At most, it is freedom used inappropriately.
Genre: Religious Nonfiction
Mr. Weigel is the author of the Pope John Paul II biography, "Witness to Hope", which I read, and deeply enjoyed, in 2001.
"Letters to a Young Catholic" is an interesting read, but I don't agree with everything Mr. Weigel has to say. The structure of the book is unique, consisting of chapters that are designed as "letters" about Catholic sites around the world. The sites are tied into an aspect of Catholic thought that Weigel wants to communicate about. For example, the Chartres Cathedral in France is used as an anchor to discuss Weigel's Catholic interpretation of the concept of beauty.
The chapter I most enjoyed reading was the one focused on the vocation calling of Pope John Paul II. The chapter I most disagreed with, at least on the surface, was the chapter criticizing "liberal" religion, using England's Cardinal Newman as it's "anchor."
Much of the book is about hope, love, wonder and the mystery of Christ. These subjects, and Weigel's presentation of them, appeal to me. It is the moral polemics that border on the political that turn me off. Weigel is unapologetic about his views, which I admire. I just don't agree with him one hundred percent. I was particularly confused by his logic that freedom should be linked to moral choices. He lambasts the American value of doing it "my way." Undoubtably, freedom can lead to selfishness. I am not defending selfishness. However, Weigel's assertion that freedom means choosing correctly, as opposed to simply having the ability to choose, contradicts his earlier writing that explains "free will" as a God given right that inevitably has a byproduct of sin. In other words, I believe, God wants us to choose correctly, but gives us the freedom to choose incorrectly. Freedom, in and of itself, is simply the ability that we have to choose. Perhaps I am reading too much into Weigel's analysis. His point seems to be that American democracy suffers when freedom is abused. I do not disagree. He also criticizes certain Supreme Court decisions. Of course, I do too. However, I don't think wrong choices and secular policies make for a lack of freedom. At most, it is freedom used inappropriately.
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