Before the gods that made the gods Had seen their sunrise pass, The White Horse of the White Horse Vale Was cut out of the grass. So opens G.K. Chesterton's poetic masterpiece, The Ballad of the White Horse, the tale of King Alfred and his war against the invading Norsemen. The ballad is a glorious celebration … Continue reading The Ballad of the White Horse
Rock vs. Sand
"Whoever, then, hears these commandments of mine and carries them out, is like a wise man who built his house upon rock; and the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat upon that house, but it did not fall; it was founded upon rock. But whoever hears these commandments of … Continue reading Rock vs. Sand
My Response to the SSM Decision
As you all probably know, the Supreme Court took it upon itself to declare that two people of the same sex can legally marry, thereby arbitrarily validating the lifestyle choices of about two percent of the population, which, as we all know, is the very essence of America (and of course, the institution of marriage … Continue reading My Response to the SSM Decision
The Confederate Flag
I've been avoiding the news lately as part of a stress-reduction plan. However, I couldn't help hearing about the moronic move to ban the Confederate flag following the murder of nine blacks in South Carolina by a psychotic racist. Whenever there is a mass shooting or other despicable crime, people try to come up with … Continue reading The Confederate Flag
Reviews: Jurassic World
There’s a definite sense of self-awareness to Jurassic World. Here’s a movie that knows exactly what it is and where it fits into the grand scheme of things. It knows its audience and for the most part knows what its audience wants. It feels like a film made by fans for fans. Which, when you … Continue reading Reviews: Jurassic World
Review: Jurassic Park III
So, The Lost World was a bad movie and Steven Spielberg wisely abandoned the franchise after that. However, about four years later and after a lot of wrangling, Joe Johnston stepped in and delivered Jurassic Park III. This is kind of an odd film. There’s definitely a sense of increased cheapness about it; like the … Continue reading Review: Jurassic Park III
Christopher Lee RIP
I've belatedly learned that Sir Christopher Lee, the last of the great classic horror actors, has died at the age of 93. I don't have the space or the knowledge to give an adequate summary of Mr. Lee's long and very full life. He was one of the most prolific actors in history, appearing in … Continue reading Christopher Lee RIP
Review: The Lost World: Jurassic Park
You know something has gone horribly wrong with your action-adventure movie when you’re left thinking how much better it would have been if they had just cut out the ‘heroes’ entirely and made the entire movie about the ‘villains.’ The story: four years after the events of Jurassic Park we find Ian Malcolm (Jeff Goldblum) … Continue reading Review: The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Bogatyrs
Here is a rather famous painting by the Russian artist Viktor Vasnetsov of three famous bogatyrs: characters from Russian literature akin to knight errants. On the right of the painting is Alyosha Popovich, the youngest of the three, who is known for killing a monster named Tugarin for insulting him at a feast. On the left is Dobrynya … Continue reading Bogatyrs
Reviews: Jurassic Park
Note: This is a review I wrote a couple years back for the 3D rerelease of Jurassic Park. With Jurassic World coming out this week, I thought I'd present my reviews of the previous three films over the next few days. Enjoy! As a life-long dinosaur nut, I’ve of course seen Jurassic Park more times than I can … Continue reading Reviews: Jurassic Park
Serpent's Den 