This is more or less what was supposed to be in Friday's post. In my reading of The Divine Comedy, the poets have reached Purgatory. It's really a relief to get out of Hell (I mean, you wouldn't think so, but...). I'd forgotten how effective Dante is at making the Inferno more and more unbearable … Continue reading More Thoughts On Dante
Thoughts
‘Death Note’ Quick Thoughts
I finally finished Death Note the other night. Overall, it's very good, and definitely a part of the modern canon, and the protagonist is the one of the more hateful, soulless characters I've encountered. However, I do think the first third-to-half of the show is by far the best part, and that it definitely falters … Continue reading ‘Death Note’ Quick Thoughts
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)
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
Friday Flotsam: Grumpy Talk Mostly of Manners and Values
1. I've been oddly tired this week; it's been hard for me to make myself do any work or focus on anything. I don't know whether it's depression, low blood-sugar (I'm fasting for Advent), adverse spiritual influence, or some combo. Probably a combo. 2. There are ways to reach superficially similar effects through morally opposite … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Grumpy Talk Mostly of Manners and Values
Brief Christ the King Thoughts
Instituted at a time when earthly monarchies were toppling or falling one-by-one, the Feast of Christ the King is meant to remind us that Our Lord does not only rule the 'spiritual' life and the Church, but all Earthly things as well. All nations are rightly subject to Him in all their affairs, not just … Continue reading Brief Christ the King Thoughts
Friday Flotsam: ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ and Going Back
1. The big exciting thing from this past week I think deserves it's own post, so I'll talk about that one later. 2. I pulled up 2013's Jack the Giant Slayer earlier this week. You know, I'm a little torn on that; on the one hand, it's silly, cheap-looking (especially in the costumes), it's depiction … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: ‘Jack the Giant Slayer’ and Going Back
Friday Flotsam: Voting, Veterans, Video, and a Gospel Verse
1. I voted this past Tuesday. Might be the last time I do, since I reject the liberal paradigm that the practice represents and I find the whole thing to be frankly absurd anyway. Though I'll probably still vote in local elections, once I settle down somewhere, since I think those are the only ones … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Voting, Veterans, Video, and a Gospel Verse
Kaiju Appreciations; Death Ghidorah
Got another Kaiju Appreciation up over the weekend, this one for Mothra Leo's first opponent, Death Ghidorah. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D0dWe48OyNw&t=84s So, Death Ghidorah heralds from the first of the Rebirth of Mothra trilogy, which spun off Mothra in a whole different direction. The twin fairies are now an older and younger sister duo, with a third, evil … Continue reading Kaiju Appreciations; Death Ghidorah
Friday Flotsam: Bl. Karl, Lasik, Tolkien, and Anime
1. First and foremost; today’s the feast of Bl. Karl of Austria, whose prayers we desperately need today as the wreckage of Christendom spirals ever more wildly out of control. Just learned of a quote of his that has immediately become one of my favorites: “We are bearers of culture even in the land of … Continue reading Friday Flotsam: Bl. Karl, Lasik, Tolkien, and Anime
Serpent's Den 