(The following came while reading a Yard Sale of the Mind post) How is it that a right exercised only on occasions determined by others, only under conditions dictated by others, and whose effectiveness is almost wholly determined by circumstances outside the individual's control should be counted as the defining element of liberty?
Musings
The Land Before Time and the Proper Approach to Prejudice
Over the weekend I posted my first video review, of The Land Before Time. I discovered how time-consuming such things are to make, and so I wasn't able to address everything I wanted to. In particular, I glanced over the film's approach to prejudice, partly because it's actually kind of a minor theme compared to its … Continue reading The Land Before Time and the Proper Approach to Prejudice
Catholic Match Post: Love Honor More
My latest post is up on Catholic Match: Of course, honor isn’t only expressed in momentous, world-shaking events like the American Revolution. In fact, it’s mostly expressed in small, day-to-day affairs in which we are offered the chance to do either what is right or what is easy. There’s an episode of The Dick Van Dyke Show that … Continue reading Catholic Match Post: Love Honor More
Doctor Who and Swiping Male Characters
You know, I’m not really a big ‘Doctor Who’ fan. I’ve watched several episodes from both the classic and the modern series (Tom Baker’s my favorite), and enjoyed them, but I just haven’t really gotten into it. That said, I do have an opinion of this ‘making the Doctor a woman’ gimmick. And make no … Continue reading Doctor Who and Swiping Male Characters
On Being the Prodigal
Our Lord doesn’t specify how long the prodigal son was away in His parable, but one must imagine it to be a fairly long time, given that he had the chance to spend all his money, enjoy the company of harlots, live lavishly, and so on. I bring it up because I think that parable … Continue reading On Being the Prodigal
Great Humor, Great Morals, and Why Having Your Heroine Be a Music Box for an Episode Makes for Good Writing
So, this week's episode of My Little Pony was pretty fantastic (full disclosure: I actually saw it a week or so ago. You see, since FiM is produced in Vancouver, Canadian audiences get to see episodes up to two or even three weeks before the rest of us. The magic of the internet, however, allows some leeway … Continue reading Great Humor, Great Morals, and Why Having Your Heroine Be a Music Box for an Episode Makes for Good Writing
Shared Universe Thoughts
Expanding on what I said below on The Mummy, I would be all in favor of a new Universal Horror shared universe, but only if it were actually horror. You know, creeping dread, unsettling suggestions, icy fingers down your spine...any of this sound at all familiar? Then you could build up to having big set-pieces where the … Continue reading Shared Universe Thoughts
Saturday Sundry
-Been back from California for a few weeks, trying to make up my mind how to proceed. I'm leaning towards a year or so of paying work and self-production before I invest thirty-five-thousand-plus-expenses for a degree in filmmaking, but I'm not sure. -My reaction to terrorist attacks are pretty much the same: horrified, angry, sad, … Continue reading Saturday Sundry
California Impressions
As a lifelong film buff, California has, to my mind, a rather mythical air. Not because that's where films are made, but because, by and large, that's where they're set. Walking around California, therefore, feels rather like walking around in a movie, if you know what I mean. Arriving amid the palm trees, Spanish-style buildings, … Continue reading California Impressions
Gushing about Cyrano on CatholicMatch
Cyrano de Bergerac is one of my favorite pieces of literature, and today I got to write about it. Okay, actually I wrote this piece several months ago, but it was published today and that's all that counts. Yet the truth is that Cyrano exaggerates his own predicament. His other qualities more than make up … Continue reading Gushing about Cyrano on CatholicMatch
Serpent's Den 