Once you get beyond the veneer of complexity and broken conventions, you generally find in modernism only an inferior and more limited attempt at something earlier artists were already doing.
Thoughts
A Couple of Christmas Thoughts
-Christ’s birth as a child, a baby, is the supreme sign of God’s good will toward men. This is what all those horrible passages of the Old Testament must be read in light of, along with all the horrible things that happen to us men in this world. It seems like God is cruel, or … Continue reading A Couple of Christmas Thoughts
Thoughts on ‘Midway’
The other night I got out to see 'Midway,' wanting to catch while it was still in theaters. I must say, despite the overuse of CGI and some melodramatic touches, I was very impressed. The film is of a type that was never very common and is almost non-existent now; a simple and straightforward depiction … Continue reading Thoughts on ‘Midway’
Thought of the Day: 11-7
So, apparently they're planning a gender-swapped Zorro TV show. Because that sort of thing has been so successful with Ghostbusters, Batwoman, Ocean's Eight, Terminator: Dark Fate, and so on. You just know that the writers are patting themselves on the back for being so modern and up to date, calling it a 'modern re-imagining'. The funny thing is, this has … Continue reading Thought of the Day: 11-7
It Came from Rifftrax: ‘House on Haunted Hill’
Life's been busy lately, but I wanted to make sure we got this one up for Halloween (more or less: it's late, but under the wire). In another live show (I really like grabbing these when I can; you get shorts, ad-libbing among the riffers, and the added energy of the crowd), Mike, Kevin, and … Continue reading It Came from Rifftrax: ‘House on Haunted Hill’
Talking Climate Change at ‘The Federalist’
Another post is up at The Federalist: in this one I give some reasons why I'm skeptical of what is now called 'Climate Change:' You see, I can’t judge from what I don’t know (e.g., climate science), but I can judge from what I do know. I know something of history, something of philosophy, and something … Continue reading Talking Climate Change at ‘The Federalist’
Catholic Match Piece on Why Fighting is Good For You
My latest piece is up on Catholic Match, wherein I advise people to get into fights: Our Lord says, “Blessed are the Peacemakers, for they shall be called children of God.” Unfortunately, we have a tendency to confuse ‘peace’ with simply the avoidance of conflict. But there are two ways people avoid conflict; the first is … Continue reading Catholic Match Piece on Why Fighting is Good For You
It Came From Rifftrax: ‘How to Keep a Job’
Since I've been preoccupied with job-hunting and related issues lately, I thought this week we'd take a look at Coronet's (yep, them again) film on How to Keep a Job. Meet Ed, an 'ambitious' young man who is laid off from his current job and sets about applying for another one. At his interview, he proceeds … Continue reading It Came From Rifftrax: ‘How to Keep a Job’
Talking Dying Franchises at ‘The Federalist’
First article in a while is up on The Federalist, talking about why dying franchises matter: The imaginative power of Star Wars’s IP has been systematically stripped away into a confused and contradictory mess loaded down with contemporary politics. The simple, yet rich story of the originals (and even of the prequels, for all their faults) … Continue reading Talking Dying Franchises at ‘The Federalist’
Thought of the Day: 10 – 2
I often hear people saying, in response to talk of how the world has deteriorated, that those who complain are nostalgic for a mythic 'Golden Age.' This is usually followed by comments on how [insert period here] was nothing of the kind. This, it seems to me, has it backwards. That a given time was … Continue reading Thought of the Day: 10 – 2
Serpent's Den 