What Influence Reviews? Shall I see "Sucker Punch?"

One of the most recent releases in the theater is "Sucker Punch."  I have not seen it.  At first, I knew nothing about it, but I saw the movie poster and thought "This does not look good."  (Seriously, look at that -- does it make you say "Potential?")

Later, I saw a trailer, and it looked like the concept might be interesting.  Surreal.  Imaginary.  (And Imaginative, but Imaginary fits it better, from what I saw.) And the "look" was very "graphic novel" and I thought "Maybe it has potential."

Something pushed me over the edge to "I want to see this."  What was it? "Directed by Zach Snyder, director of 300 and Watchmen."

And then.  And then.

Roger Ebert tweeted a link to a review by Peter Sobczynski so I read it.  To be fair, Mr. Ebert included a phrase from the review.  He tweeted:

"Sucker Punch" is so bad when the lobotomist turned up Peter Sobczynski wanted to scream "I'll have what she's having!" 

So, I knew I was in for criticism.  And, boy, was this review critical.  A critical review can dissuade me from seeing a film.  Most of the time, I have to know something about the history of the critic before I take much stock in his rating, but the description of the film contained within the review can tilt my interest one way or another.  I read Sobczynski's review, and it was the first of his I had ever read, but he was kind enough to mention his views on a couple of other films.  Which ones?  Why, 300 and Watchmen, of course.

How gracious of him.

Because, you see, he did not like those two films either.  At all.  In my opinion they were good adaptations, and well worth seeing, especially if you liked the graphic novels.  I think Watchmen was better (79/100) than 300 (73/100) and clearly neither of them cracked my "Recommend, no matter what" barrier of 80/100, but I enjoyed them both.

So now, I am conflicted.  Some of what he says about Sucker Punch gives me pause.  On the other hand, if he didn't like 300 and Watchmen, well then there are definitely things which I like and he does not. 

From the trailer, it looks to me like Sucker Punch is intended to be a graphic novel in form.  Now, those other two movies were well-regarded graphic novels before Snyder put them on (CGI-filled) film.  The "look" of each was very like the look of the originals.  It made sense.  I know Sucker Punch is his own work -- Snyder wrote it in addition to directing it -- so I figured he was inspired to do his own story in the same vein.  If a reviewer just can't like Snyder's take on graphic novels, perhaps he can't be trusted for Sucker Punch.

Still, that first movie poster haunts me.  What if it's more indicative of the movie's quality than a well-crafted trailer, a trailer clearly designed to appeal to graphic novel lovers?

Well, hey, I wasn't going to see it in a theater anyway, I expect.  So now I will wait for some other trusted people to review it for me.  Hasvold?  Hacker?  Erdman?  Nordmoe?  Lucas?  (Oh wait, Lucas hardly ever goes to the movie theater, right?) They may not have columns for major newspapers or websites, but they often share my views on action/comic movies.  I'll see what they say.

Because, though I watch many movies, there is really no point in wasting two hours on a bad one.

No Really ...

... I watch it for the stories.

[Seriously, the stories are very good. But also, seriously, these are attractive people playing people attracted to one another.]

[And, double seriously -- what a promo!]

[Castle]

Springing into Travel

Already this year, I have traveled to Chicago and Wisconsin for work.  Next week, I travel to Prague (I hear good things -- I hope I get to see some of it) and shortly after that, I travel to Orlando, then Minneapolis (I know, not much of a trip, but I don't even get to go home between the two), then a couple weeks and I'm off to Milan.  And just a couple of weeks after I return from that, we head to California.

Something about traveling causes stress long before I actually hit the road.  And when the number of planned trips increases, the preparatory stress increases exponentially.  I think it's because each trip generates a long mental list in my head (things to do before I go, reservations which must be made, things to take, etc.) and having multiple lists generates a meta-list -- check the "Prague list," then check the "Orlando list," then ... oh wait, the "Orlando list" needs to have some of the "Minneapolis list" on it!

I am sorely tempted to try my new "vacation blog" plan.  What's that, you ask?

The charter for Snippets & Wisps contains the phrase "I post every weekday when I'm not on vacation" but I have noticed that readership drops when I go on vacation (makes sense) but doesn't pick up again for a while after (also makes sense, but it wasn't obvious to me when I made the charter.  Live and learn.)  


Some of my favorite blogs (or "columns" to use the old print term, for those blogs which really started out as on-line versions of print media) don't go silent when the authors are on vacation.  Instead, they "re-print" entries from the past.


"Hey," I thought recently, "I could do the same thing.  After all, I have several years worth of blog material, but many people have only been reading me since I started publishing to Facebook.  Maybe some old posts would be worth re-printing ... errrr ... re-posting."


So, I had begun poking around my old stuff to see what I might re-run.  On vacation.  And now....


Instead of vacation, I am thinking about using it to fill in when I will be traveling.  Why?  Traveling takes so much time!  Connection to the internet can be so unpredictable while on the road.  And, very importantly, I sometimes have absolutely nothing in my travel days except work, and since I don't blog about work (here) there is often nothing to say.


This is all a preface to this final warning, dear readers.  You might feel a bit of deja vu soon.  If you visit Snippets & Wisps and you think you've read something before, you just might be right.


Or else I'm getting repetitive.


And saying something again.


More than once.


Too.

Great Course - Myth in Human History

I have just finished another Great Course.  This one was called Myth in Human History and was taught by Dr. Grant L. Voth from Purdue University (an alma mater of mine.)


My interest in mythology started in grade school, of course, when "myths" weren't much more than tall tales with heroes in sandals and togas -- because that was the sanitized version suitable for children.  I did listen to a Great Course on Classical Mythology, so I wondered if I would be duplicating with this course.  Fortunately, I was not.  In fact, I took the courses in exactly the right order.  Oh, there were some few references to Greek myths in this later course, but they were touch points, so I benefited from having taken the prior course. 

I was able to hear myths from all over the world -- Ancient Babylon, China, Africa, Tibet, Native American, Vietnamese -- the list was long.  I was also treated to a mythographer's view of some of the stories in the Judeo-Christian faith, which had been one of the reasons for me to listen to this course.

The similarities of myths across time and place are truly amazing.  And while I think I am neither Freudian nor Jungian in how I view myth, these courses together with my reading of The Writer's Journey by Vogler, have convinced me that there is something in our makeup -- our human make up -- which connect with certain stories in ways which resonate with us at a basic level. 

Probably the most interesting unit in this Great Course was the one on "Tricksters" in myth.  Dr. Voth convinced me that, though we find many of the trickster's actions immoral, even disgusting, there is a very important role for him in our development.  A society which successfully excludes all which is distasteful will stagnate.  We need to deal with things on the edge, things we think we don't want, and the result of the interaction will be creative, adaptive, healthy in the macro sense.  I had never heard about Tricksters in the mythological sense, and had certainly never been exposed to the sexual and scatalogical stories in which they are featured.  As an adult, though, I can appreciate the stories, even if I would never tell them to my kids.

Once again, The Teaching Company comes through.  Oh, Dr. Voth might not have been quite as natural a speaker as many of the others I have heard, but he was personable and loves his topic.  This is certainly a worthy course. 

Favorite Foto Friday - Above the Blue

On our trip in Hawaii, again. Flying above the blue water of the Pacific, I simply could not believe how blue the water really is. Spectacular.

True Enough

Today, my topic is "True Enough."

Why?

The answer involves one movie, one excellent quote from another movie, and a story one of my friends told a couple of years ago.

Let's start with the story.

I went back to my hometown for my 30th high school class reunion because, while I had never been to a high school reunion before, we knew several people would be back who we wanted to see. Among these were June, Tim and Tom. [June & Tim are now married, but I digress.  Tom is the brother of my very close friend Pete. {Hi, Pete!  Tell Tom I was blogging about him.}]

As people will do on such weekends, old stories are told.  Tom told a story about his first day in the Decorah Public School system, as a brand new elementary student.  It was funny, but it was somewhat embarrassing, so my discretion prompts me to omit it here.  A bit later, June, Tim and I were discussing it, and someone wondered if the story was, in fact, true.

I replied "Well, it's true enough."

And what did I mean?  That's really the topic of the blog today.

Tom's story was funny. It also highlighted the trouble people often have moving to a new place, where no one knows them. It showed how easily first impressions can be very wrong, but have the potential to haunt a person for a long, long time.

So, the story might have been exactly true. But even if it was not, even if things didn't really go quite the way Tom told it, the point was made. And the point was clearer because of the way Tom told it. So, whether precisely true or not, it expressed truth in a very clear, memorable way.  So, to me, it was true -- enough.

I hadn't really intended to create a new concept -- I'm quite certain it's not precisely "new" in fact. But one of my favorite quotes about learning is this:

All truly wise thoughts have been thoughts already thousands of times; but to make them truly ours, we must think them over again honestly, till they take root in our personal experience.

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe German dramatist, novelist, poet, and scientist (1749 - 1832)

Time marched on, and in the months since I first used the phrase, I have often thought about things which are "true enough."  When it came time for my annual viewing of "V for Vendetta" I re-encountered one of my favorite quotes from that movie.  In context here it is (bold is mine): [Thanks to ibdm.com]

Evey Hammond: My father was a writer. You would've liked him. He used to say that artists use lies to tell the truth, while politicians use them to cover the truth up.
V: A man after my own heart.

Now, the scientist/mathematician in me often views the world as if truth is clear cut.  Something is true, or it is not.  For many parts of my life, that is a useful way to view truth.

But the artistic side of me recognizes that another form of truth is often revealed by our artistic endeavors.  Evey's father got that right.  And I was reminded of that again just a couple of nights ago.

I watched one of my favorite drama/comedy/fantasy movies of all time, "Big Fish."

Please, if you haven't seen "Big Fish" consider this an extremely strong recommendation to see it.  As I tweeted right after I saw it again:

"Big Fish" chokes me up. Every. Single. Time.

In the film, Will Bloom (Billy Crudup) is a 30 year old man, about to become a father, whose own father -- Edward Bloom played by Albert Finney as Old Edward and Ewan MacGregor as Young (or Mythical) Edward -- is dying.  Edward Bloom is a story teller.  Throughout his life, he has told stories of his experiences/  He always has one and because they are clearly not completely possible, Will believes they are not true, so they are lies.  But are they all lies?  Or is there some truth in them which will allow Will to understand his father, which will allow some level of reconciliation, before it is too late?

The stories are quite entertaining.  See the film.  Really.  But the point, for purposes of this blog, is that sometimes the value of the truth of a story lies in whether it is "True Enough."

There are times when precise truth is required.  But often, to touch a person's heart in the deepest, most personal ways, it is better to use something which is "True Enough."

And that, my friends, is what art is all about.

QMX - The Raven - John De Lancie

OK, so if you were asked "Who wrote 'The Raven?'" you could probably give the right answer.

But most of us didn't get as much out of reading it as we could get by listening to a good actor read it.

And so, visit this page, and listen to John De Lancie.

In fact, make the video full-screen and just look into his eyes and soon you will be sitting beside the narrator in his chamber.

[Mike H once recorded this for me on an audio cassette, if I recall correctly.  It, too, sent chills down my spine.]

Movie Micro-Reviews: Edition 68

It was Spring Break vacation, so of course, we saw some movies.  And I had a few queued up to micro-review since my last Movie Micro-Review edition.  (Can you believe I've now done 68 of these? [Or more, depending on how you count.])

Public Enemies	49	A little too long.  I didn’t know anything about the John Dillinger story, and it’s no surprise they made him a hero of sorts.  I dunno, just didn’t do much for me.
Greatest (The)	76	Carey Mulligan plays Rose, who is an unexpected addition to the damaged family headed by Pierce Brosnan and Susan Sarandon, in roles that show their acting abilities.  Moving drama.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix	94	The best yet.  The young actors have grown, and are equal to the task.  The effects are wonderful – especially the final spell battle.  The review in the blog is here.
Stardust	76	A light fantasy that had plenty of interesting ideas mixed in with the comfortable fairy-tale frame.  De Niro was quite good, but I enjoyed Claire Danes even more.
Flipped	74	It’s so rare to see a story about young people which doesn’t treat adults like idiots.  And yet, as you would expect in a real story about 13-year-olds, it was what they were thinking that really mattered to them.
Fool’s Gold	64	This was a silly, fun action/romantic comedy. Cotton Candy.  See it once if you like treasure hunting and attractive actors.  Oh, but the title – it’s bad.
Despicable Me	68	Different than what I expected, and in this case that was a good thing.  Very cute in many parts.
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince	92	Oh, they did this well.  Plenty of humor and teen angst, but not too much.  Plenty of darkness, but not too much.  The young actors are growing well.  Harry on Felix – precious!  Hermione crying – very believable.  Ron lovedumb – so silly! The only problem was the way the ending was handled, which was not as dramatic as the story deserved.
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice	62	A little better than the first one, because of Stana Katic, and because the main character was not quite so over-stereotyped.
Town (The)	77	Some movies are good enough to get you past the fact that their protagonist is a criminal.  This one was.  But it’s not a feel-good caper movie. Well done, Ben Affleck.  A nice surprise – Blake Lively is almost unrecognizable as an addict friend of Affleck’s. Nice job casting and acting, everyone.
Jesus Christ Superstar	91	What can I say.  Excellent music.  Great setting.  I always want to see it during Lent, and it never disappoints.

"What Does a Teacher Make?" - Video

Back from vacation, and one of the things I happened upon (from one of the blogs I follow) is this wonderful piece by Taylor Mali on "What Does a Teacher Make?"  I shared this on Facebook yesterday, but it deserves a more permanent and prominent place in my recorded thoughts.

It is a stark contrast to the recent attacks on teachers and what they are "worth" to our society.



I was at dinner a few weeks back, and the Wisconsin protests were just a few days old. A couple of my dinner partners -- who almost certainly received salaries and benefits far above those of an average teacher -- were talking about how easy teachers have it.  They -- the opinionators speaking -- would be glad to have that job, for that pay, for that "little work."

Sorry guys, you could not handle it. Honestly. And if you tried, I would be sorry for your students. Our students deserve people who want to do the work, who treat it as a vocation or a calling, not people who think it is easy work for the money.

This should not be political, folks. All but a tiny percentage of us were taught by teachers. A good teacher -- and there are millions -- does a good job, and the result is well-educated young people. A great teacher -- and there are many of these, too -- I'd venture more than one per school of most any size -- does a great job, and the result is a set of inspired students who do more than anyone would have thought possible, and who will grow up grateful to what those teachers did.

If I tried to list all of the teachers who inspired me over the years, I might give offense by leaving someone off the list -- and it would be unintentional, but understandable, because I have had so many.  But here is a list anyway.

• The elementary teacher whose name escapes me, but who introduced me to Tolkien by reading us "The Hobbit"
• Mrs. Hacker
• Mr. Gesme
• Mr. Evelsizer 
• Mr. Eittreim
• Mrs. Hein
• Ms. Olson
• Mr. Sexter
• Steve Hubbard
• Diane Scholl
• Ed Kaschins
• Weston Noble
• Leigh Jordahl
• Richard Simon Hanson
• John Bale
• Walt Will

These people, by their dedication to their students, and their skill in the art of teaching, challenged me, pushed me to do more than coast.  They taught me to question, to research, to create, to write, to revise, to analyze, to think.  They opened my eyes to subjects and ideas which lit my imagination on fire.  Would I have discovered the joy of singing choral music without Mr. Sexter?  The thrill of performing on stage without Ms. Olson?  The reasons Shakespeare's work was special without Dr. Bale?  How Economics could be interesting and understandable without Ed Kaschins?

The Paideia class taught by Dr. Scholl helped Sherry and me as we grew to know one another better just before our marriage. The class on Christian Humanism as taught by Dr. Jordahl helped clarify for me the kind of faith which still makes most sense to my heart and head -- and he simply loved having a married couple in his class.

And while it is clear my mind was primed for mathematics & the sciences, many of the teachers above found ways to encourage me to rise above the expectations of the ordinary syllabus, to learn things I could learn, and to help others learn them when I could.  I wanted to be a teacher because of Mrs. Hacker and my dad.  I learned to love and appreciate math and science because of them and the rest of the math and science teachers on that list, and others I omitted while trying to finish this in less than an evening.

To evaluate these people by how much money they make, or to think you can put a price on what their jobs are worth?  It can't be done.  These people, and the work they have done, are priceless.

Favorite Foto Friday - It's Alive

When visiting Mike in Seattle, we visited a rain forest, and the sights I saw on that walk were like nothing I had seen in real life. I took some photos, but honestly, very few of them even came close to capturing what I was seeing. This one, fortunately, got close.

Favorite Foto Friday - Sunset

One of my favorite sunset photos. Taken from the cruise ship on our Hawaiian trip.




By the way, I have vacation coming up. If you don't hear from me in this blog for a few days, don't worry about it. I'll have another Favorite Foto Friday next week, and then regular posting should start again on March 21.

Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, and Alias

This week, I completed Star Trek: Deep Space Nine again (I last finished the series in the summer of 2007.) I also finally completed my viewing of Star Trek (the original series). And so now I get to start on a show I have always wanted to see: Alias.

I had seen a couple of Alias episodes when it was initially airing, and I thought I had spoiled some big things for myself. Turns out they revealed all of those plot points in the very first episode.

Alias is 10 years old, and it's still better than anything showing on the networks on Friday, Saturday or Sunday.

J.J. Abrams really is amazing.

Ash Wednesday - Wearing the Kyrie

It has been two years since I wrote an Ash Wednesday blog.

Though my faith life has changed quite a bit since then, as I re-read that entry, I can see I struggle with the same things, and so Lent will provide me an opportunity to focus, once again, on the messages I need to hear.

Tonight as the ashes are applied, I will once again hear the words "From dust you have come, and to dust you shall return."  Humans have had to face this reality for all time.  How do we deal with that certainty?  How will I?

Once more I will try to remove the blinders of all I know, to allow myself to discern what I still have yet to learn, and to be faced with the knowledge that while I live, I can never know completely.  Once more, I will hang the "Alleluia" carefully in the closet, knowing I can wear it again Easter morning.  Once more I will drape myself in the Kyrie for 40 days, and try to truly appreciate the meaning of "Mercy."

20 and above - Happy Birthday, Leah

Today, each of our children is 20-something.  OK, for Leah, it's 20, period.  Hard to imagine.  But true.

Happy Birthday, Leah!

Netflix TV Does It Again - Big Bang Theory

Last fall, we used Netflix to try Glee, pretty confident that we would like it.  I've had The Big Bang Theory recommended to me so many times, I thought I would try again. 

Score.

As predicted by those who know me, I "get" the characters, because I recognize them from my own life -- well, exaggerated aspects of characters, errrr, people from my own life.  And while some of the humor is certainly the typical sitcom sex-and-put-down style, there is certainly some smart wit.  And hey, even the sex-and-put-down is usually done with words and concepts we learned in college science and math classes -- so it's got that going for it, which is nice.

Honestly, I laughed a lot.  Our lives can use laughter. 

Thanks, Netflix.  Thanks, Big Bang Theory.

Favorite Foto Friday - Invisible Adam

I know, this photo looks strange.  That's because Adam got a Ninja Outfit last year.  I wanted to take a picture of him, but since Ninjas can't been seen, you just have to sort of imagine him, all dressed in black and carrying a couple of weapons.  If you look hard, you can probably imagine it.

"Find What You're Looking For" - Wisdom from Amy Grant

 Amy Grant's most recent album, Somewhere Down the Road, contains a song called "Find What You're Looking For."

Like so many great songs, its lyrics speak to us in layers.  I think about part of the lyrics very often these days:

• There’s so much good in the worst of us 

• So much bad in the best of us 

• It never makes sense for any of us 

• To criticize the rest of us

Honestly, isn't that enough?  Couldn't we just stop there and have a lesson to ponder, to internalize, to commit to?

We demonize those who do not agree with us, but each of them is someone's child.  Someone loves each of us, or did.  And each of us loves someone, or did.  And only the psychopathic among us -- and there are very few of these, despite the cynical humor the guilty will use -- only the psychopathic try to do evil, knowing it to be evil. The rest of us try to live within a moral code.  And yet, all of us get it wrong, at least sometimes.

Yes, that lesson is plenty for one song.

But she doesn't stop there.

• We’ll just find what we’re looking for 

• We’ll find it and so much more

This is so true.  If you think you will find something in my actions, in my words, you have a tendency to find it.  We don't listen to one another.  We can, but we often don't.  And then we demonize.  Oh, and if we look, we can find mistakes people have made, and then demonize them some more, because they have made the mistake.  Yet, as the song says:

• Haven’t we all learned the best life lessons 

• By falling, and falling down hard 

• If we’re looking for somebody’s failures 

• We won’t have to look very far

 And that, too, is so true.

John 8:7:

⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her.”

.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.*.
Lyrics, and background quote from Amy, taken from here.

Review - The Truce at Bakura

Title: The Truce at Bakura
Author: Kathy Tyers

Just a few hours after the celebration of the destruction of the second Death Star, the rebels on Endor receive a distress call from an Emperial world, Bakura.  Bakrua is being invaded by aliens from another part of the galaxy.  The aliens are taking large numbers of prisoners for some reason, and Bakura will not survive unless someone comes to help.  Recognizing that the Rebel Alliance needs to begin drawing more worlds away from the remnants of the Empire, Leia Organa heads a mission, joined by Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Chewbacca and the droids C-3PO and R2-D2.  Luke's powers as a Jedi are instrumental in the immediate fight, but also prove to be a potential weapon for the invaders.  Combine the invasion with the distrust of Imperials and Rebels, and the situation is explosive.  A truce is required, but how long can it last?

A well-written Star Wars book is always a pleasure to read.  Like the best of them, Truce is written in a way which conjures up images of the characters, behaving exactly as a fan of the films would expect.  There is the struggle between Empire and Alliance, between Dark and Light sides of the Force, between Tyranny and Freedom.  The science fiction concept which forms the core element of the plot -- being able to "entech" souls (trap and use them as energy sources) -- is not explained, but it fits well into the mythos of The Force.  And, honestly, Star Wars has never been so much about science fiction as it has been about mythology.  The space opera does not need to be scientific.  It needs to be heroic.  And The Truce at Bakura is most certainly that.

Movie Micro-Reviews - Edition 67

Adam	84	Adam wants what we all want when we’re nearing 30, but Adam is not quite like the rest of us.  Beth has an apparently pretty good life, and hasn’t met someone like Adam.  This is not a typical romance, or drama.  Both primary roles are wonderfully performed.  Watch it.
Law Abiding Citizen	53	Disturbing.  It had a better explanation for its violence than some, but its violence was disturbing.  I won’t recommend it unless you really like vengeance & violence.
Nines (The)	90	Bravo! An original concept. Seriously, when was the last time you saw one? Oh, it doesn’t start that way, but make it through the first 20 minutes and you’ll start to see what I mean.
The Matrix: Revolutions	85	Exciting, action-packed conclusion.  The characters’ actions made sense.
Galaxy Quest	82	See, this movie is funny on so many levels.  It’s not for everyone, but it pokes fun at Star Trek while at the same time being like Star Trek.  I laugh and laugh.
The Princess Bride	94	“He’s only mostly dead.”  “As you wish.” “Hello.  My name is Inigo Montoya.  You killed my father.  Prepare to die.” “We are men of action, lies do not become us.”  “Have fun storming the castle.”  “It’s possible, Pig.  I might be bluffing.”  What a wonderful movie!