I was pleasantly surprised by the first trailer for the new, animated Super Mario Brothers movie: the aesthetics looked just right, Bowser was portrayed as a genuine threat rather than a joke, and so on. Now the second one's landed and...egh. Good feeling's gone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tMYg69DfFLs As I said last time, the crucial factor is Peach, … Continue reading Second Mario Trailer – Yep, Looks Bad
Poem – “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
It was late one fall in Halloweenland,And the air had quite a chill.Against the moon a skeleton sat,Alone upon a hill. He was tall and thin with a bat bow tie;Jack Skellington was his name.He was tired and bored in Halloweenland -Everything was always the same. "I'm sick of the scaring, the terror, the fright.I'm … Continue reading Poem – “The Nightmare Before Christmas”
Friday Flotsam: Retreat Reflections and Bad Movies
1. As I say, last weekend was a silent, Ignatian retreat for me; an intense few days of prayer and meditation, with no conversation, no media, nothing to distract me. Long days of talk, prayer, meditation, talk, prayer, sacrament. It was a wonderful experience that I feel brought some much needed clarity and a greater … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Retreat Reflections and Bad Movies
Reviews: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
On the surface, 1947’s Miracle on 34th Street is somewhat unlikely as an all-time classic. The story sounds like something you’d find in a cheesy, made-for-TV special, perhaps something from the Hallmark channel: a kindly old man working as a mall Santa Claus claims to be the real Santa Claus, spreads the Christmas spirit everywhere … Continue reading Reviews: Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Who’s in Charge?
I've posted this one before, but it's kind of perennial:
Poem – “To Solitude”
O Solitude! if I must with thee dwell,Let it not be among the jumbled heapOf murky buildings: climb with me the steep,—Nature's observatory—whence the dell,In flowery slopes, its river's crystal swell,May seem a span; let me thy vigils keep'Mongst boughs pavilioned, where the deer's swift leapStartles the wild bee from the foxglove bell.But though I'll … Continue reading Poem – “To Solitude”
Friday Flotsam: On Retreat, More Anime, and Making History
1. Going on a silent retreat this weekend, which I really feel the need for. I've been experiencing what feels like some personal growth lately, and with it's come another sort of existential disappointment over where I am at the moment. 2. I'm taking a break from My Hero Academia for a bit, since it's … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: On Retreat, More Anime, and Making History
Feast of the Immaculate Conception
"For the honor of the Holy and Undivided Trinity, for the glory and adornment of the Virgin Mother of God, for the exaltation of the Catholic faith and the increase of the Christian religion, We declare, pronounce, and define, by the authority of our Lord Jesus Christ, of the blessed Apostles Peter and Paul, and … Continue reading Feast of the Immaculate Conception
Rings of Power Pitch Meeting
This'll probably be my only post on Amazon's disastrously horrible Rings of Power series, and it's just to point out this very funny video on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zhsGVs6auq0 "Ha ha, what, is she planning to swim back to Middle Earth?""Yes, that's the plan""Ha...oh my god, you're serious." The "Pitch Meeting" videos are generally pretty funny, especially … Continue reading Rings of Power Pitch Meeting
Poetry – “Prometheus”
Titan! to whose immortal eyes The sufferings of mortality, Seen in their sad reality,Were not as things that gods despise;What was thy pity's recompense?A silent suffering, and intense;The rock, the vulture, and the chain,All that the proud can feel of pain,The agony they do not show,The suffocating sense of woe, Which speaks but in its loneliness,And then is … Continue reading Poetry – “Prometheus”
Serpent's Den 