My latest piece is up at The Federalist, and it's all about the Christmas classic Die Hard and what makes it a Christmas movie. Since the question hinges on there being a difference between a Christmas movie proper and a movie set around Christmas, it seems that a Christmas movie proper is a film that has some … Continue reading Yes, Virginia, ‘Die Hard’ is a Christmas Movie
A Matt Walsh Fisk On Superheroes
At present the distinction [between highbrow and lowbrow books] is certainly used to allow us the satisfaction of despising certain authors and readers without imposing on us the labour of showing that they are bad. — C. S. Lewis, High and Low Brows. Matt Walsh is one of my favorite commentators. There are few people who … Continue reading A Matt Walsh Fisk On Superheroes
Presenting my ‘Must See’ List for 2019
A whole lot of trailers dropped this week, but for my part, I only really cared about two. First, obviously, is Avengers: Endgame https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA6hldpSTF8 Yeah, this looks pretty fantastic. They're not showing much yet; this trailer is mostly about letting the audience know that yes, the Avengers are going to keep fighting. Love the logo reassembling at … Continue reading Presenting my ‘Must See’ List for 2019
On Moral Ambiguity
"There are precious few at ease / with moral ambiguities / so we act as though they don't exist." That's a lyric from the show Wicked, in which the Wizard - here portrayed as wholly a bad guy, rather than an ultimately harmless 'humbug' - sings about why he deceived the ignorant and superstitious people of Oz. I … Continue reading On Moral Ambiguity
Things to Know Before Dating a Traditionalist:
After reading the staggeringly tone-deaf list of things to know before dating a feminist, I thought it might be useful to provide a list of what someone - a modern woman within what seem to me to be the typical range of socio-political views - ought to know before dating a Traditionalist (which is my … Continue reading Things to Know Before Dating a Traditionalist:
Dating a Feminist: A Fisk
I found a video mocking this list and I knew I had to have a go at it. The original is in italics and my comments are in bold. 14 Things You Should Know Before Dating a Feminist She's basically the most amazing person on the planet. Yes, that is the tagline. See for … Continue reading Dating a Feminist: A Fisk
My Reaction to France
I don't like commenting on politics in my own country, let alone in a foreign one, but as I watch as the hapless Macron forces his citizens to pay for his efforts to combat 'climate change,' while France spirals ever further into chaos yet again, my reaction is pretty much this:
Trivia Break: Queen of the Monsters
I'd like to introduce you to actress Mie Hama. She's a rather interesting person: born during World War II to blue collar parents, her home was destroyed in a bombing raid and she grew up poor. By the age of sixteen, she was working as a fare collector on the bus, and it was there … Continue reading Trivia Break: Queen of the Monsters
Thoughts on the ‘Lion King’ Teaser
Recently, the first teaser for the new 'live action' (CG) version of The Lion King dropped. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4CbLXeGSDxg My reaction to this is pretty much "Okay, what's the point of this again?" Don't get me wrong; the visuals look pretty fantastic, and there's a definite 'cool factor' to it. But if they're going to be this slavish about … Continue reading Thoughts on the ‘Lion King’ Teaser
New Aleteia Post: On Swearing
New post up at Aleteia, this one on why and how to stop swearing. So why should we stop? In the first place, because there can be a legitimate use for profanity. It’s a way to pack extra felt emotional force into a statement — whether for effect or to let off extreme stress (hence the famous swearing … Continue reading New Aleteia Post: On Swearing
Serpent's Den 