Shawshank, Expendables 2, and Bernie

A co-workerof mine loaned me a copy of The Shawshank Redemption months ago, and I dilly-dallied and avoided watching it until just recently. That was an error, as to my mind it’s the movie that should have won Best Picture in 1994, not Forrest Gump.

There’s not much to say that hasn’t already been said about this movie, since it’s already moved into the ‘near classic’ category. Morgan Freeman was superb, the script was excellent, Tim Robbins was very good (but not up to Freeman’s level), and so on.  I liked it start to finish, ‘cepting that saccharine, overly sentimental scene where the power of music moves the soul of every hard core rapist and murderer in the prison.

Grade: an easy A+

Bernie , which is based on a true story, is a dark comedy starring Jack Black as the titular character. Bernie is a soft-spoken, much beloved funeral director who gets involved with the wrong crowd in his Texas town; the ‘wrong crowd’ being a cranky old widow played by Shriley MacClaine. When Bernie has had enough and kills her in fit of anger his role as town hero should be over – but lo and behold it’s just begun.

Black was excellent in the movie, and as Lisa pointed out I doubt he had to be convinced to star in another movie that lets him sing and dance and act the fool. The story was solid, the characters convincing, and the cast strong. There’s not a lot more to ask for in a film.

Grade:  A

The Expendables 2, unless I'm way off, was not intended to expand our appreciation of film as an artistic expression of the human soul. Good thing that, because this is a ridiculous, over-the-top film with a view of warfare and violence culled straight out of the mind of a 10 year old boy. 

It was also a lot of fun. 

Kudos to Chuck Norris for his cameo, but I was happiest when Arnold was in on the action. It's good to see the Guvenator back where he belongs, on the big screen. 

Grade: B 

No Censorship Please

A parent at my kids school was/is trying to have pop music banned from school events because it isn't "Christian". With respect, phooey. I stated my objection politely but firmly, and now I find the post has been removed. That, almost as much as the objectionable suggestion, is pi**ing me off.

Congrats

Congrats to the Packers on their NFC North Championship!

In Which GusGus and Angel attempt a Breakout

Both cats object to the brand of cat food I bought recently and have turned feral, trying to grab table scraps and on lieu of that going on a hunger strike. Fine with me, ya picky buggers. BUT, they both bolted out the back door today and ran off. I found Angelcakes in the backyard but GusGus wandered into the neighbors yard. I had to corral him for a bit, and when it came down to it here was the pivotal moment: 

I was behind the shed alongside the porch when he appeared again on our porch. 

Seeing me he was ready to bolt, and so I acted immediately, vaulting up and over the side of the porch in a feat of athletic derring-do that I would judge impossible for a man my size. GusGus seemed equally stunned, and I got the $^#@  in my arms and back inside. Unfortunately, now every muscle in my body - all 8 of them - ache. 

And yes, I surrendered and bought them their normal fare.

My 100th Book of the Year!!! Whoo-Hoo!

For my epic 100th book of the year – the culmination of a goal established 18 years ago – I wanted something with a bit of intellectual heft, something worthy of the iconic spot. I killed two birds with one stone by selecting a book that has sat on my shelf since about the time I set that goal; Concerning Dissent and Civil Disobedience by Supreme Court Justice Abe Fortas. Written in 1968, during the height of Vietnam, urban riots, and social upheaval, the book seeks to define the “limits and the scope of permissible dissent and civil disobedience” in America.

Fortas promotes a liberal philosophy but one tempered with a respect for this nation and the institutional framework of democracy. Various arguments, such as those related to the draft, are no longer pertinent (though powerful) and at one point I vividly remember him writing that he can’t imagine anyone ever arguing that flag burning would be considered  freedom of speech – a psychic he was not.

But there are a lot of reasoned, valid points in the book, all delivered without any lawyer speak.

“A citizen cannot demand of his government or of other people obedience to the law, and at the same time claim a right in himself to break it by lawless conduct, free of punishment or penalty. He cannot substitute his own judgment or passion, however noble, for the rules of law”.

“ . . . In a social revolution the demands for action, for cure, for restitution, for reparation, are not easily met. The demand is not satisfied by the initial or moderate response. It is fed by it. The vigor and fervor of the demand increase as its justice is admitted and some steps are taken to meet it. As demand outstrips the early response, attitudes on both sides harden. Frustration sets in. Those demanding change see no prospect of satisfaction; those who initially offered reform despair of a reasonable resolution. And so, conflict and crisis occur.”

“Dissent and dissenters have no monopoly on freedom. They must tolerate opposition. They must accept dissent from their dissent . . . they must give it the respect and latitude which they claim for themselves. Neither youth nor virtue can justify the disregard of this principle.”

“In my judgment, civil disobedience – the deliberate violation of law – is never justified in our nation where the law being violated is not itself the focus or target of the protest.[emphasis mine] . . Civil disobedience is a violation of law. Any violation of law must be punished, whatever its purpose, as the theory of civil disobedience recognizes. But law violation directed  . . . to unrelated laws which are disobeyed merely to dramatize dissent, may be morally as well as politically unacceptable.”

“good motives do not excuse action which will injure others. The individual’s conscience does not give him a license to indulge individual conviction without regard to the rights of others.”

There are other points worth reading, and if there’s a copy in your local library I encourage you read this relatively short treatise. I grade this an “A”.

Our Evening

Making jambalaya for dinner while the kids watch the umpteenth episode of The Nanny - LuLu in particular is obsessed with the sitcom (and I do rank it one of the unheralded gems of the '90's)

Awful Awful Events in the News

20 elementary schoolchildren dead in Connecticut, 22 children stabbed in a separate attack in China . . . what a lousy world. Prayers for all those hurt by the tragedies. Part of me is hoping the Mayans are right, and that we're all off the hook in less than ten days.

Three Cheesy Horror Films

Isolation is a horror film starring David Harbour as the bad guy and Eva Amurri as his initially oblivious victim. I’m tempted to reveal much of the plot, as you should be able to guess it within minutes of starting the film, but I’ll follow social norms and avoid spoilers. A woman wakes up in an isolation ward in a hospital, slowly realizes all is not right, and then discovers her doctor has a personal, bloody vendetta against her.  And the fun begins . . .

Lisa liked the movie, so it must have some redeeming qualities, and I didn't hate it; I've certainly seen worse. But there wasn't much to love. Amurri gave an emotionally empty  performance, which immediately left the film stuck in neutral, and as I implied the plot wasn't exactly stockpiling original thoughts.  Worst of all, to my mind, was the motivation behind the bad guy’s actions.  Oh, once you hear it you’ll know the writer wanted you to empathize with the guy’s rage, but if you’re a thinking, feeling grown-up you’ll immediately write it off as misplaced, exaggerated horse hockey. 

I grade this one a C-

The Apparition is a horror film starring Ashley Greene, who I understand plays a part in the Twilight movies that, by the grace of a loving God, I hope  I will never ever have to watch. What is The Apparition about, you say?

Answer: I don’t know.

Yes, I watched the film, but it was such a magnificently shoddy movie that it soon became white noise in the background while I moved on to more entertaining things, like cleaning that gunk out from beneath the nail of my big toe.

As near as I can tell, some demon or spirit is after the heroes, and chooses to manifest itself in the form of black fungus. In fact, I’m not sure I’m sold on the idea it was a ghost – maybe the house just had a mold issue.

Grade: F

I have a longstanding rule against watching so called ‘torture porn’ like Hostel, but I seem to have broken that by streaming Spiderhole. In the film four college students decide to forego pesky items like rent and utility bills by breaking into an abandoned house and claiming squatter’s rights. Alas, the home isn’t quite as unoccupied as they believe, and they are soon introduced to a man in the basement with an unhealthy interest in amateur dentistry.  And amputation, and  . .

.  

First things first: I thought Amy Noble was adorable, but I’m a sucker for a woman with a short, sassy hairstyle.

Second, for some odd reason the film works. I remember about half an hour into it Lisa turned to me and complimented it, and to my surprise I agreed with her. For at least the first half of the movie there’s something about it, some magic bullet that I still can’t seem to articulate, that lifts this up from ‘standard slasher fare’ to ‘reasonably well made film  done by people who actually seem to give a sh*t’. Maybe that’s the potion right there; the mere act of creative passion elevating something above its visible worth.

Truthfully, I wouldn't call this ‘torture porn’, as the scenes of pain and death are abnormally short and largely off camera, so maybe my rule remains unbroken. No ‘maybe ‘about this one - here’s one personal rule of mine that was ignored, as it is in all horror films, to the detriment of the ‘good guys’ – END THE THREAT. 

If (for example) the guy has chopped up and eaten your parents and the family poodle and you bonk him on the head, don’t just leave him there and run away to “look for a way out”. Kill the bugger on the spot, then if you have to, spend your whole bloody holiday searching for an exit without having to look over your shoulder. Or, ignore my advice and get eaten when he gets back up and catches you. Either/or.

Grade: a hesitant, rather sheepishly given ‘A-‘

**

By the way, the first and last movies were streamed via Netflix.  The Apparition is available, to your woe, at Redbox’s nationwide. 

If Death Ever Slept by Rex Stout

If Death Ever Slept is another Nero Wolfe mystery by the masterful Rex Stout. Archie is sent undercover into the home of a millionaire who suspects his daughter-in-law of being a ‘snake’, and before too long there’s a body or two laying around to get the plot rolling. Few complaints here, as Stout is rarely off the mark as a writer and his prose zings as expected, and the plot was sharp, *but * I do think they wrapped this one up at warp speed and without making a convincing case for guilt. Grade: B+

Smiley's 1st Reconciliation

Tuesday December 11^th was a big day for Smiley, as he had his First Reconciliation (Confession), the immediate precursor to receiving his First Holy Communion.

The ceremony was held at 6 pm in church, so first it was a full day of school followed by dinner. As a treat I did allow him unfettered access to the computer, keeping his sisters at bay until it was time to leave. Smiley decked himself out in his nice white shirt (the same one he wore on Thanksgiving) and a pair of dark pants, and off we went.

On the way into the church we were greeted by his religious ed teacher, who also taught YaYa and Lulu. “Round Three!” Lisa said, getting a warm smile in return.

Fourteen other kids had their First Reconciliation that day. There was a small ceremony, with a gospel reading (Luke 15:7, if memory serves) a short homily and some responsorial questions. Then, one by one, parents walked their kid to the confessional, introduced him to Fr. Spitz (I did the honors, calling Smiley by his first and middle name) and then stepping outside into the hall.

Lisa jokingly tried to listen at the door, but it was no dice.

Smiley had been nervous in the ten minutes before it was his turn, growing anxious and even a little short at the end (he’s a little me), but it went quickly and he emerged quite happy. Really, how could you screw up? Not sin?

We took a photo in the hall, and he was given a button, a certificate, and a candle that we then lit and placed in front of the altar. Less than half an hour later everyone was done, and after chatting briefly with Father Spitz and reclaiming the candle, we headed down to the church hall for cake and punch.

After that we stepped over to Walmart where we bought Smiley a much needed pair of shoes (two, actually, for $15 total) and a pair of pajama’s for him to wear to Pajama Day at school next week. We buy the kid pj’s twice a year, once for Christmas and once for Pajama Day. The rest of the year he sleeps in shorts and a t-shirt, so to my mind it’s a dang fine waste of $10, but such is the price of keeping up with societal expectations.

Congratulations BuddyBuddy! Mom and I are sooooooo proud of you!