Tuesday, September 18, 2007
Is America really ready for a woman president?
In this age of enightenment? Of course! And we can pay her less!
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Synchronicity
On waking, I’m drifting through some thought that’s saying something like problems only arise for those who don’t choose to address those issues needing attention before they become actual problems. The more aware we are, and the earlier we attend to and prioritize issues as they are arising, the more we have the freedom to address things while they are projects of choice vs problems we are forced to deal with.
Synchronistically, my lifelong friend Kim leaves a comment on my MySpace page noting she’s re-purchased a copy of ‘God Calling’, a book of daily messages from the Christ about walking in The Way. I research and find that the contents are available online.
I’m moved to read the section from June 16 - 30, since today is the 23rd. The 16th is entitled, 'Seek me early', and says:
"The world, my poor world, flies to Me when its difficulties are too great to be surmounted any other way, forgetting, or never realizing, that if, with the same eagerness, those hearts sought Me merely for companionship and loving intercourse, many of the difficulties would not arise.
The circumstances, the life, the character would be so altered - so purified, that those same difficulties would not exist."
http://www.twolisteners.org/June%2016%20-%2030.htm
Fascinating.
Synchronistically, my lifelong friend Kim leaves a comment on my MySpace page noting she’s re-purchased a copy of ‘God Calling’, a book of daily messages from the Christ about walking in The Way. I research and find that the contents are available online.
I’m moved to read the section from June 16 - 30, since today is the 23rd. The 16th is entitled, 'Seek me early', and says:
"The world, my poor world, flies to Me when its difficulties are too great to be surmounted any other way, forgetting, or never realizing, that if, with the same eagerness, those hearts sought Me merely for companionship and loving intercourse, many of the difficulties would not arise.
The circumstances, the life, the character would be so altered - so purified, that those same difficulties would not exist."
http://www.twolisteners.org/June%2016%20-%2030.htm
Fascinating.
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Review of Pan's Labyrinth
Here's a review from RottenTomatoes:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth/about.php
That synopsis is pretty accurate. My first surprise was that it was subtitled, a fact which seems to have been carefully minimized in the trailers (one doesn't notice the lack of dialog). This sometimes bothers me, especially when a movie is as visually rich as this one - you fear to read, lest you miss some astonishing image. Nonetheless, this proved a minor problem with this particular film.
A second minor flaw, per my personal tastes, is the relative darkness which pervades much of the video itself. While it lends to the mood, it tends to make me want to turn up the gamma so that more details are forthcoming from the imagery. Beyond that, there are a few scenes which are visually horrific, in terms of the violence mentioned by some viewers, but these were pertinent to the plot and the character development of the villain, as well as an accurate representation of the fascist mindset and thebravery of those who opposed them.
The story and graphics move seamlessly between the grim reality of post Spanish Civil War fascism and the fairy tale world which captures the heroine. There is a lack of the kind of beauty one might expect from a Disney fairy tale, but this is consistent with staying true to the classical fairy tales of Grimm and others, as was the intent, and the imagery here is astonishing and imaginative, and perfectly well done. This rough imagery also offsets the beauty of the heroine, by contrast.
To take the critical factor to the nth degree, there are a couple of plot turns that may leave you wondering, "Why?", or, "What is the moral or significance of this event?" But, to be fair, I'm not at all familiar with the classic fairy tale traditions from which this is drawn, so they might well have significance in those terms, of which I am ignorant. Finally, the denoument is unrewardingly brief, and the fairy tale victory over 'normal' reality lacks the eternal joy inherent in the typical Disney classic, which cultural difference may leave you somewhat disappointed.
And, despite the very high ratings by both critics and viewers, as I was exiting the theater, one viewer said, "That was a horrid movie". So it's very possible that it's not to everyone's tastes, despite the reviews, and it didn't grab me and move me as much as some episodes of ER, but that may be because of the remoteness of the historical period from my reality.
All in all, it's a very memorable and highly imaginative masterpiece in almost every way possible - original in so many ways, yet impeccably true to the multiple elements from which it arises. But despite its artistic perfection, it may fail to connect with the heart and spirit of many Americans raised on Disney and addicted to "and they all lived happily ever after".
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/pans_labyrinth/about.php
That synopsis is pretty accurate. My first surprise was that it was subtitled, a fact which seems to have been carefully minimized in the trailers (one doesn't notice the lack of dialog). This sometimes bothers me, especially when a movie is as visually rich as this one - you fear to read, lest you miss some astonishing image. Nonetheless, this proved a minor problem with this particular film.
A second minor flaw, per my personal tastes, is the relative darkness which pervades much of the video itself. While it lends to the mood, it tends to make me want to turn up the gamma so that more details are forthcoming from the imagery. Beyond that, there are a few scenes which are visually horrific, in terms of the violence mentioned by some viewers, but these were pertinent to the plot and the character development of the villain, as well as an accurate representation of the fascist mindset and thebravery of those who opposed them.
The story and graphics move seamlessly between the grim reality of post Spanish Civil War fascism and the fairy tale world which captures the heroine. There is a lack of the kind of beauty one might expect from a Disney fairy tale, but this is consistent with staying true to the classical fairy tales of Grimm and others, as was the intent, and the imagery here is astonishing and imaginative, and perfectly well done. This rough imagery also offsets the beauty of the heroine, by contrast.
To take the critical factor to the nth degree, there are a couple of plot turns that may leave you wondering, "Why?", or, "What is the moral or significance of this event?" But, to be fair, I'm not at all familiar with the classic fairy tale traditions from which this is drawn, so they might well have significance in those terms, of which I am ignorant. Finally, the denoument is unrewardingly brief, and the fairy tale victory over 'normal' reality lacks the eternal joy inherent in the typical Disney classic, which cultural difference may leave you somewhat disappointed.
And, despite the very high ratings by both critics and viewers, as I was exiting the theater, one viewer said, "That was a horrid movie". So it's very possible that it's not to everyone's tastes, despite the reviews, and it didn't grab me and move me as much as some episodes of ER, but that may be because of the remoteness of the historical period from my reality.
All in all, it's a very memorable and highly imaginative masterpiece in almost every way possible - original in so many ways, yet impeccably true to the multiple elements from which it arises. But despite its artistic perfection, it may fail to connect with the heart and spirit of many Americans raised on Disney and addicted to "and they all lived happily ever after".
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