1. A blessed Feast of the Immaculate Conception! 2. This is, of course, the national feast day of the United States, as instituted in 1846 by the US Bishops and confirmed by Pius IX. This seems primarily based, historically, on the fact that Christopher Columbus's flagship was the Santa Maria de la Inmaculada Concepción, and … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Immaculate Conception, Hapsburgs, and More
Movies
Friday Flotsam: Complaints, Movies, and Alexander
1. Auto-play videos on web pages are one of the worst ideas of the internet age. Every single time you go to a web page you have to rush to pause the thing before it starts, as likely as not hearing the first second or so over and over and over. Even if I'm going … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Complaints, Movies, and Alexander
Immediate Reaction to Seeing ‘Godzilla: Minus One’
So, my immediate reaction is "Go see this film. It's only getting a limited release in the US, but this deserves all the support it can get." Wow, it's been a long time since I've seen a film this good in a theater (that wasn't a re-release or special showing). I'm trying to make a … Continue reading Immediate Reaction to Seeing ‘Godzilla: Minus One’
Quick Thoughts on ‘The Last Unicorn’
I'm up in Maine visiting the niece and nephew this week, and for movie night tonight we watched The Last Unicorn. The film has a very high reputation, but honestly, I wasn't impressed by it. Oh, it's interesting, and I think I'm glad I saw it, there are a lot of good ideas in it, … Continue reading Quick Thoughts on ‘The Last Unicorn’
Friday Flotsam: O’Connor, FNAF, and History
1. This week's personal reading was largely Flannery O'Connor, in all her dense, opaquely-grotesque images of grace. She operates on a high, inaccessible plateau of authorship in which the reader is required to make a firm commitment to not only follow her often intense prose and plots, but also to take the time afterwards to … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: O’Connor, FNAF, and History
Friday Flotsam: No History this Time
1. Had a break from schooling this week, tried to use it to get a clearer idea of how to proceed. Sort of worked; I still feel disorganized and like little is getting done, but I have a bit of a better idea of what I'm doing. 2. It occurs to me that the main … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: No History this Time
‘Godzilla: Minus One’ Trailer
I had barely been aware of this film until I saw the trailer today. Wow, this looks good! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y58x0QOmdb8 From what I can tell, it's a semi-remake of the original with modern effects, taking Godzilla back to his origins as a post-war embodiment of the atom bomb and the general devastation Japan suffered. I note … Continue reading ‘Godzilla: Minus One’ Trailer
Friday Flotsam: Mostly ‘Oppenheimer’
1. I'm starting my job training in classical education Monday, so beginning a new phase of existence as you might say. 2. I saw Oppenheimer last night and I'm still settling on what I thought about it. It certainly leaves the viewer with a lot to think about, and it's a film that demands to … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Mostly ‘Oppenheimer’
Thoughts on ‘Unstoppable’
I've been meaning to check out Unstoppable for a while, the 2010 action-thriller starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. Now I have and it's about what I expected it to be; that is to say, a very cool, good-not-great piece of entertainment aimed squarely at the side of America that Hollywood generally tries to ignore. … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Unstoppable’
Thoughts on ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves’
There seems to be a common thread among people who watch Dungeons and Dragons: Honour Amongst Thieves, which is that it’s a lot better than either the marketing campaign or the premise would lead you to believe. As a matter of fact, it’s really quite a good film; not spectacular, but solid, engaging, and creative. … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Amongst Thieves’
Serpent's Den 