Arctic Tale

I took my girls, ages 14 and 10, to a preview of An Arctic Tale (rated G) to get their reactions to what promised to be a beautiful film. Warmly narrated by Queen Latifah, with a screenplay written in part by Kristen Gore, An Arctic Tale features breathtaking nature footage of the arctic. An Arctic Tale surpassed any TV nature films I have seen, National Geographic has outdone them selves here, however this is no ordinary nature film. It gets up close and personal.
We meet a baby girl walrus and her clan, and watch her grow and learn to catch food and pull up on the ice. When the polar bear cubs emerge from their birthing cave, we see their adjustment to outdoor life, learning to hunt seals with their mother under the ice. The baby animals are, of course, engaging and the children begin to care about them.The next season, the ice melts early causing problems for both walrus and bear cubs' ability to obtain food and rest. We watch scene after scene of these animals struggling with lack of polar ice, going hungry, and we are told, ' if we don't reverse Global Warming which is responsible for the melting of the polar ice, all these creatures will soon die.
'I haven't seen any reviews of this film yet, but I imagine the critics will wax poetic about this film's 'inconvenient message'. It seems that Global warming is one of a short list of causes for which a film can become didactic, without drawing fire from the establishment.
As a parent, I was not pleased with this attempt at manipulation of my children's feelings, especially the lectures given by children during the credits, on how to save the polar bears by turning off lights. I know young children may carry a sense of guilt if they forget. Or is that the point?Don't get me wrong, I consider myself a conservationist. After all, I was a child of the 70's. It's just that I have seen another perspective on the issue of melting polar ice. I recently read an article which explained how melting polar ice has released frozen plankton which is providing a new food source, leading to increasing population of many sea creatures. So, how do we decide whether the seal or the walrus should prosper? Is this a natural cycle of temperature fluctuation, or a result of our domination of the planet? Why should children be burdened with these unresolved issues in the first place?
Manilo Sodi, a professor of theology at the Pontifical Salesian University in Rome, summarized personal responsibility for the environment at the World Environment Day. He said that a healthy ecology "encourages an examination of conscience; offers an opportunity for formation; looks at the person in all its greatness and integrity; calls for the formulation of laws and regulations that demonstrate the harmony between person and nature (and) respects the environment so that, as it was received, it can be passed on to others. "I'll take his point of view.
If your children could watch An Arctic Tale without being haunted by images of hungry animals each time they turn on the air conditioner, then go and enjoy the movie. If not, wait for the next Animal Planet special on the Arctic.

My Favorite DVDs of 2007

For those of you who missed "Amazing Grace", don't miss the chance to buy it on DVD. It was a powerful drama about William Wilberforce, the man, who out of his Christian conviction fought for 20 years in the British Parliament to outlaw the British Slave Trade two hundred years ago, and yes, the hymn, "Amazing Grace" is part of this inspirational movie.

According to the New York Times, the two top-rated films of 2007 by their readers, were "Ratatouille" and "The Bridge to Terabithia".Family films, as usual, prove to be the most popular category of films. You can add my five year old Christina's favorite this year to that list, "Charlotte's Web",which she affectionately calls simply "Pig".
Don't overlook a personal favorite of mine, which was a huge hit in Japan and the UK and barely made it to theatres in the US, "Miss Potter" the charming, partially animated, biopic of children's book author and conservationist, Beatrix Potter, starring Renee Zellwigger.
Controversial among Catholics, but not without merit was "The Nativity Story" which has the best onscreen potrayals of St. Joseph and St. Elizabeth I have ever seen, and a breathtaking scene of the adoration of the shepherds and the Magi . Treat yourself to the DVD for Epiphany.

Radio Review: EWTN Radio

Because I work on a computer all day, I listen to EWTN radio a good portion of the day. I would like to highlight a few of my favorite shows.
I listen to it streaming online. If you prefer to listen over the air, you can click the button link above and you can find a list of AM/FM stations that carry EWTN radio programming.

I like 'Catholic Connection' with Teresa Tomeo (9:00 AM ET) Teresa discusses current issues and news from a Catholic perspective. She very often discusses some of the same news stories I blog about on my blog The World...IMHO. My favorite days to listen are Wednesday and Friday.
On Wednesday, she talks to Joan Lewis, EWTN'S Rome correspondent.
Also on Wednesday, she talks to Fr. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life (one of my pro-life heros!). On Friday, she talks to Janet Morana of Priests for Life and Silent No More Awareness.
Another of my favorite shows is 'Open Line'(3:00 PM ET). There is a different host each day. My favorite days are Monday (Apologetics with John Martinoni), Wednesday(Fr. Mitch Pacwa) and Thursday(Patrick Madrid).

Possibly my favorite EWTN radio show is Catholic Answers (daily Mon-Fri, 6:00 PM ET) Jerry Usher is the host, and on occasion you can hear Jimmy Akin as a guest host.

All of the above shows are good Catholic shows; they all contain authentic, true Catholic teachings.

You can click the button link above to see their full radio schedule.

"Juno" another movie with a pro-life theme?

“Juno” the film which has wowed the critics and is at number five in the nation (despite only being shown in a quarter the number of the top four’s screens) joins “Bella”, “Waitress”, and even the raunchy “Knocked Up”, as part of a refreshing new genre of ‘she’s going to have the baby anyway’ films, reminiscent of the baby comedies of the nineties (without the talking babies). A slice of life, Juno provides an unvarnished, yet forgiving look at the failures and triumphs of ordinary people thrust into a crisis pregnancy.

Juno, the film’s hip, wise-cracking namesake, masterfully played by Ellen Page, struts her way across town as the credits roll, to take her third pregnancy test of the day. The toe-curling awkwardness of the ‘love scene’ which proceeded this moment is shown without romance, making the audience cringe at the utter recklessness of the teens. The pathetic irony of the sixteen year old’s predicament is heightened by the store clerks comment, “That’s a doodle that can’t be undone” and the non-reaction of Juno’s best friend, Leah the cheerleader, who can’t seem to get her mind around the situation. Juno seems headed for heartbreak, as she mechanically attempts to deal with her pregnancy by calling the local abortion clinic, as her friends have done. Her boyfriend Bleeker (Michael Cera) though sensitive, avoids involvement with the “whatever you want to do is fine with me” line, despite Juno’s dramatic efforts to tell him that their fling has had lasting consequences. He is able to continue his typical high school life, running with the track team and even lining up a prom date in view of Juno’s unsuitability. This harsh realism stands in stark contrast with the classic teen love scene with soft lighting, spinning cameras, and music. This is the hard reality which sexually active teens experience, and “Juno” takes it head-on, with a surprising sense of humor which makes you admire the little sparkplug Juno who won’t be undone by her one immature act.

Before her ex-military dad (JK Simmons) and distant step mom Bren (Allison Janney) are apprised of her crisis, Juno finds herself approaching alone the retro “Women Now” abortion clinic, where she encounters a timid teenager chanting, “Babies want to be borned”. The two girls, who are classmates, recognize each other and a start to chat about school, however, as Juno continues on to the entrance of the clinic, the girl suddenly remembers why she is there, and frantically reminds her, “Your baby has a heartbeat and fingernails now.” Somehow, the fact that her unborn child has fingernails nearly stops Juno in her tracks. She warily enters the clinic, and her reluctance is increased by the nonchalant attitude of the receptionist who demands all her “hairy details” on a form, and the anxiety of the other women in the dismal waiting room which “smells like a dentist’s office”. Juno flees the scene, to the delight of the protester, as her odyssey begins.

Juno scans the Pennysaver for adoptive couples. She wants a couple who are cool, with her taste in punk music, and horror flicks, and, finding an attractive couple she makes an appointment with them to discuss adoption. Armed with this plan, she breaks the news to Bren, her stepmother, and Dad, who offers to accompany her to her first meeting with Mark(Jason Bateman) and Vanessa Loring.(Jennifer Garner) in their McMansion in the wealthy side of town. Vanessa is ecstatic at the prospect of becoming a mother, a role, she assures Juno, she was born for. Her husband, Mark is less than enthusiastic, trying to appear fatherly to appease his wife. It shows that things in the yuppie palace may not be as ideal as they look.

Little of what follows goes according to Juno’s hastily made plans, but she manages to endure a growing belly, the mockery of her peers, and Bleeker’s lack of involvement with admirable spunk. Ellen Page is outstanding in this demanding role, never dipping into melodrama or cynicism, always believable as a teen whose self-possession in a crisis makes her the more mature character of the drama. Bren, who plays a loving but firm stepmother, holds Juno’s hand throughout the pregnancy and even her macho dad (Rowling) shows masculine tenderness towards his daughter as he accompanies her to the hospital. It’s always an inspiration when inadequate parents suddenly find their role in a crisis, and Diablo Cody, the screenwriter, gives them their due. She deserves praise for a witty screenplay with insightful characters, which rise above stereotypes about teenage mothers.
“Juno” resembles “Napoleon Dynamite” in its’ irritating banality, and its coffee-shop singer soundtrack composed by Mateo Messina and sung by Kimya Dawson (though it occasionally hits a poignant note). Director Jason Reitman focuses on the tacky, cluttered working class world of the teen parents Juno and Bleeker, contrasted to the plush serenity of the adoptive couple’s world.

“Juno” would be an interesting film for high school health classes, as it shows without apology, the process of modern adoption. Crude, sometimes profane language, partial nudity and adult themes, I recommend this film for older teens, as Juno’s taste in horror films as well as an inappropriate, partially nude, sexual act may be too much reality for innocent younger teens (you have the option of arriving during the credits and missing most of this scene).
“Juno” would be perfect discussion catalyst for parent-teen night out, or a crisis pregnancy center.
Cross posted at Catholic Exchange.

Beowulf--The Poem

I read the translation by Seamus Heaney, with the Old English on the facing page. I can see why the movie producers & writers felt they had to "jazz up" the original: it's very talky and the description of the action is pretty minimal. Still, I would like to see someone present this as it must have originally been spoken, as a story around a mead-hall, with a winter storm raging outside.

Beowulf is a Geat, a people from southern Sweden, who sails across the water to the aid of the Danish King. After defeating the monster, Grendel, and Grendel's mother, Beowulf becomes king of his own people, ruling for 50 years, until a dragon threatens the Geats and Beowulf dies defeating it.

According to my edition, the fact that the English-speaking world even knows of this poem and this warrior is something of a miracle. There is only one manuscript, which survived a fire in the 18th Century, which has been, in Mr. Heaney's words, "...transcribed and titled, re-transcribed and edited, translated, and adapted, interpreted and reinterreted, until it has become canonical."

A fellow poet prefers the translation done by Howell Chickering--in his opinion it's more poetic. However, I found I enjoyed Mr. Heaney's translation. It reminded me of Leaves of Grass by Whitman: kind of a "natural voice" verse form, with consonant sounds repeated within the line rather than a forced rhyme at the end of each. If his transcription of the original Old English is at all close, it seems to me that this follows the original.

No, I don't read Old English. But I love words and it was interesting to look at the line in the Old English and compare it to the Modern. Some words, like helm, have come down intact through the centuries. Some make sense when read out loud phonetically. Others are a mystery. I enjoyed reading Mr. Heaney's introduction where he discusses why he chose the form he did and how he decided to translate some of the more obscure words.

As for the story... In Beowulf's bragging about his exploits, his courage, his strength, there is a lesson sent to young male listeners: this is how a hero behaves. These are his duties. If you act like this, your name and your deeds will also live on in song and be passed down through the ages. For Beowulf was no idle boaster--he was every bit as brave and daring as he claimed. He was loyal and was rewarded for his loyalty. In turn, he rewarded those who were loyal to him and he took care of the widows and orphans of those who stood with him but did not survive.

Embedded within the story of Beowulf are older stories: of betrayal, of the importance of having strong leadership, of the rubbing of old religions and ways of thinking and the new (Christianity).

The fragments is only about 3200 lines long--213 pages in my edition, which means about 107 in actual text pages. The story is simple and straightforward; much like I imagine the societies of that time to be. Yet, I recognize the beginning of the idea of chivalry, of protecting women and those who are weaker, that loyalty and reward run not just from subject to king, but also from king back to subject.

1300 years after it was written, Beowulf is still entertaining. And it just might have something to show us about ourselves as well.

On the March Hare scale: 4.5 out 5 Golden Bookmarks

crossposted at The Mad Tea Party

Beowulf--The Movie

I enjoyed 300 and even Troy. I was looking forward to seeing Beowulf, to enjoy another epic story, filled with outrageous heroes and fantastic monsters. I read an excerpt of the poem when I was in high school, which was a long time ago. I read The Song of Roland about the same time and the two were muddled in my mind. This summer I bought Seamus Heaney's translation this summer and was looking forward to reading it.

So I was really looking forward to seeing this movie, especially when DD#2 said that she could get extra credit in English for watching Beowulf and then comparing it with The Odyssey, which she is reading.

I was really disappointed.

First off, I found the computer animated human characters extremely off-putting. We saw the movie on a regular screen, not 3-D, so I don't know if that makes any difference. But the synchronization of their mouths with the dialogue was off and their movements were strange--not quite smooth.

And then there are the accents. Here is a story about Danes and Geats and Thanes and everyone speaks with a well-modulated British accent, except for the serving girls. They speak with a brogue. Robin Wright Penn is the voice, and the body model, for the queen. Her accent isn't bad, but weren't there any British actresses available? Angelina Jolie looks great with an airbrushed body in gold leaf, but I'm not sure what her accent was supposed to be. In fact, according to the credits, there was another actress involved. I guess they were going for the "dragon lady" effect--Angelina's character was rather reptilian.

But the tragedy of this movie is that it didn't engage me. I didn't care about Beowulf or Hrothgar or the queen. I didn't care about Grendel or his mother. The effects were amazing, especially the dragon. But emotionally, the movie had no impact, no resonance. While it was clear that Beowulf was attracted to Hrothgar's young queen and she to him, there was little to explain what happened between the time of Beowulf's encounter with Grendel's mother and his encounter with the dragon. They profess their love for each other--but what happened?

Update: DS#1 is home for Thanksgiving. We were talking about this movie, which he thought was great. Turns out, he saw it in 3-D and it's apparently "awesome." Then, too, he was probably watching for the effects while I was watching for the story. That might also be the difference between seeing this movie in 2-D versus 3-D. However, I'm not spending the money to find out.

Also, Cliff Notes Online had an article about the themes in Beowulf, the original poem. Robert Zemekis (and screenwriters Neil Gaiman and Robert Avary) should have checked the site out.

On the March Hare scale: 2 out of 5 Golden Tickets

crossposted on The Mad Tea Party

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street

Okay--who in their right mind would bring a two-year-old to a movie subtitled The Demon Barber of Fleet Street? The movie is rated R, it's by Tim Burton, and has Johnny Depp. At the very least you should have an inkling that it's going to be dark.

Yes, someone did bring their toddler and ended up taking her out just about every time the music rose to a crescendo and blood spattered the screen.

Just for the record: this isn't The Sound of Music.

DS#2 saw the movie with some of his friends. He enjoyed it, except for the music--he didn't realize Sweeney Todd is a musical. However, his biggest objection to the music is that the songs all sounded the same, just with different words. Part of it might be that Johnny Depp and Alan Rickman don't have a lot of range in their singing voices. But Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays Anthony Hope, and Jayne Wisener, as Johanna, are excellent. Helena Bonham Carter is Mrs. Lovett, who loves Sweeney Todd in her own limited way, and who owns "the worst meat pie shop in London."

Ed Sanders, who plays Toby, a young orphan Mrs. Lovett takes in, is a true find. I hope he finds work.

Hubs and I enjoyed it, although Hubs was expecting it to be more of a comedy. The ending is the only one it could have, but it's not happy. But it's not Old Yeller sad, either. The movie is shot in muted tones, which makes the red of the blood all the more startling and surprising.

I did find the fact that three of main actors, Rickman, Bonham Carter, and Timothy Spall, are also characters in the Harry Potter movies. (Spall plays Peter Pettigrew.) Rickman and Spall have several scenes together which just reminded me of Snape and Pettigrew. C'mon--aren't there other actors in England?

Johnny Depp does mad extremely well. I believed he was pushed over the edge of sanity and yet could remain capable of thinking logically. Rickman has done subtle evil so often it must be nearly second nature. (It must have been quite a relief to play a snotty British actor playing an coolly logical alien on Galaxy Quest.) Helen Bonham Carter walks the edge of madness and sanity, truth and lies, love and obsession. More than anything she wants a middle-class life: a home, a husband, a child. Mr. Todd is the closest chance she has of getting that and deep inside her, she knows he can't give normality to her. Toby is her surrogate child, but he forces her to see the reality she doesn't want to see and make a decision she doesn't want to make.

Several of the plot "twists" were obvious to both Hubs and I, in part because there are few resolutions for tragedies.

On the way home, Hubs and I debated whether or not DD#2 should see it and if she would enjoy it. (She's 14.) He didn't think so; I think she would, in part because, thanks to her older sibs, she's had a lot of exposure to dark comedy and to Tim Burton. I will admit several of the scenes made me jump even though I knew what was coming.

Can I recommend this movie? A qualified "Yes." Like the Stephen Sondheim musical it's based on, this won't be everyone's cuppa. IMDb classifies Sweeney Todd under "Thriller" and "Crime" as well as "Musical." I suppose those will do. I knew the general outlines of the story, so I was prepared and I enjoyed it. Hubs didn't know any of the storyline, but he's watched enough Tim Burton/Johnny Depp movies to have an inkling this wasn't going to be a light and happy holiday movie. He enjoyed it and is curious to see it as a stage play with actors who can sing.

On the March Hare Scale: 4 out of 5 Golden Tickets

crossposted at The Mad Tea Party

Introduction: March Hare

Julie D., blogmistress extraordinaire of Happy Catholic and Meanwhile, Back in the Kitchen, invited me to contribute to this new group blog. I was flattered to be invited and so I accepted!

My qualifications are simple. I read a lot. I watch a lot of movies, usually in the company of Hubs and/or one of our four children (24, 21, 17, and 14). My standards are pretty simple: was it a good story and was it told well? Did the actors do their job of suspending my belief and taking me into their world?

Oh, and I'm a cradle Catholic, old enough to remember the Legion of Decency and their classifications!

My tastes are all over the map, so at some point I should be reviewing something you might want to read or see or listen to!

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep - PG

I took my nephews, ages 7 to 13, to see The Water Horse and it was a verygood movie. The setting is Scotland, during World War II. A little boy named Angus finds an egg which hatches into a sea creature called a water horse. For a while, it is in his bathtub, but it soon outgrows that. Eventually, he releases him into the loch (lake). He seems to be doing well there until the Army starts shooting a cannon into the lake. When Angus returns to the loch, the creature, who he named Crusoe, remembers him. Crusoe is now the famous Lochness monster. I don't want to say any more to spoil the movie, but it is very entertaining and there is no foul language, no sex scenes or anything else objectional. I highly recommend.

http://www.thewaterhorse.com

Enchanted

PG starring Amy Adams, Susan Sarandon, James Marsden, Patrick Dempsey, Rachel Covey directed by Kevin Lima 107 minutes
Did you ever wonder how a fairy tale princess spellbound by an envious wicked stepmother, would cope if she were alone on the unforgiving streets of New York City? It's a great premise for a holiday movie.
Enchanted begins like a typical 1950s Disney film with a beautiful princess falling head over heels for a handsome prince. Immediately she begins to make her wedding plans. It sounds like a perfect opportunity for mocking the winsome princess Giselle (Amy Adams) and showing her wide-eyed innocence to be utterly ridiculous in the real world. Fortunately Disney has more imagination than that.
Though cast into oblivion down a wishing well by a deliciously scheming wicked stepmother-in-law, played by Susan Sarandon, in the middle of her triumphant march to the altar with debonair Prince Edward (James Marsden), Giselle never loses hope in a happy ending. She emerges from a manhole in Manhattan and wanders the streets, jostled by the uncaring crowd, yet her cheeriness is undimmed. One feels for her vulnerability as her flouncy, low-cut wedding frock begins to wilt in the rain as she searches in vain for her castle in the sky. But this is a fairy tale and somehow she finds a safe haven in the apartment of reluctant hero Robert Phillips (Patrick Dempsey).
A cynical divorce lawyer and single father who deals in the marital misery of others like himself, Robert is determined to raise his six-year-old daughter Morgan "in the real world", suppressing her girlish inclinations to believe in fairy princesses. He has no intention of allowing her to build up romantic dreams which will surely be dashed to pieces upon the rocks of real life.
So you can imagine Robert’s alarm when little Morgan wakes him up to watch Princess Giselle making fairy-tale magic with the city critters who are doing his household chores! Morgan is thrilled with the idea of befriending a princess in distress. Robert is perplexed by a singing, sewing, certified fairytale princess. And his less-than-enchanted girlfriend Nancy (Idina Menzel) is livid when she enters the apartment and finds towel-clad Giselle cooing over her boyfriend. Menzel is perfect as the hardened New York City career woman who is longing for romance.
The appeal of Enchanted is the interaction of outstanding special effects, which make the impossible seem effortless with the alacrity of Spiderman, and Stephen Schwartz’s lyrical score, capped off with a spectacular Beauty and the Beast style dance scene in Central Park. Somehow disbelief is suspended and the story line works. The character stereotypes are good natured jabs at fairy tale conventions, without souring into the cynicism of the sequel to Shrek. A hilarious animated sidekick, Giselle’s faithful chipmunk friend Pip, follows her into exile and searches for her with Prince Edward. He provides comic relief, while the scheming courtier Nathaniel (Timothy Spall) pursues Giselle to thwart her happy reunion with Prince Edward, by order of stepmother Narissa.
Both Giselle's romantic impulses and Robert's cynicism are challenged by the outcome, with Morgan leading the way for both of them to learn the moral of the movie. And this is: "go with your instincts, but make certain you talk to one another first."
Don’t look for anything too substantial in Enchanted, but it has good performances and thrilling special effects. The film is not appropriate for younger children, however, due to some near violence, implied homosexuality, sexual innuendos (including a scantily-clad shower mishap). This playful romp in Central Park is appropriate for adolescents girls and their mothers. They can have some interesting post-movie chats about the place of romance in marriage, and the meaning of true love.

Cross-posted review at Mercatornet.