I always wondered about those fortune cookies...

HT:SA

The Hobbit is coming- Hurrah!

HT: Carolyn, with whom I would love to go see this movie when it comes out!

An inconceivable montage...

Read the whole article here: a must for us The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure or The Princess Bride (Special Edition) fans.

HT: JH

Lust for power, not truth...

Man's lust for power, not truth, feeds modern education.  But this fact does not worry the educator.
~David Hicks, Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education p.8

Last night, dh and i began watching an old movie entitled Gods & Generals, based on the book Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara.  In this movie (which at this point seems a bit stilted to me- and the beards are just terrible...) there is a very interesting quote from Stonewall Jackson.  He says in essence that Lincoln sending troops into the South was the mark of the end of freedom and the triumph of commerce over truth. I don't know if Jackson actually said that or not, but it resonates with this idea from Hicks. Oh, for the little cottage school and home school where funding and politics and power are not the source of curricular decisions! I really despair for the children of this age who are forced to navigate in such shallow waters, never learning better or deeper!

Thinking about education...

In one of my favorite books on classical education, Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education, David hicks quotes another book that I enjoyed: The Rector of Justin: A Novel by Louis Auchincloss.  In that novel, the headmaster of a classical boys' school, Frank Prescott,  thinks about his philosophy of education. Hicks says:

Prescott's dream, no mere nineteenth-century show of "rugged individualism" or :muscular Christianity," embodies the teacher's ancient and perennial desire to connect the wisdom of the past with man's present and future actions: to educate the young to know what is good, to serve it above self, to reproduce it, and to recognize that in knowledge lies this responsibility.  But Prescott fails. [His school] refuses to produce uniform paragons of virtue, and Auchincloss leaves his readers to ponder some disturbing questions: Is Prescott's failure inevitable-- a flaw of conception, personality, or circumstance? What does his failure teach about the devastating influence of a materialistic and democratic society on education? What is the solution to the paradox between educating for the world's fight and for the soul's salvation?
~David Hicks, Norms and Nobility: A Treatise on Education, pp.1-2

This reminds me a movie we recently viewed: The Emperor's Club (Widescreen Edition).  It also has no easy answers for the educator, because there is something intangible at work to secular educators: the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of students to bring change.  A teacher can only fulfill his or her calling before God and pray to inspire his students.

If you would like to think about the philosophy of education this summer, Gentle Reader, I recommend any or all of these resources for thoughtful consideration.  Hicks' book is my favorite on the subject of classical education, but no easy read.  The Auchincloss is an excellent little novel, fun if you want to ponder in a lighter way, and a good story.  And The Emperor's Club is not a great movie, but a good movie with lots of food for thought.

Play Music: the movie

My friend Lynne has a couple of very talented sons who are teen-aged film makers. Watch their latest film (in two parts) below. It is brilliant. And you can see their previous film here.

Remember the names Benjamin and Nathan Spear. I think they'll be famous one day!

Book and movie notes

We are heading out of town tomorrow, and so the blogs will be quiet again for a time. Before we leave, I thought I'd fill you in on what I've been reading and watching...

On my walk this morning (on a beautiful fall day along White Rock Canyon) I made it all the way to Canto 31 of the Inferno section of Dante's Divine Comedy. I am happy to say that four more cantos, and I can leave Hell behind. It's a bit grueling. I'll wait for Purgatory and Paradise before making a final verdict, but I am finding Dante pretty obscure. Perhaps it is my own ignorance that doesn't understand the plethora of ancient allusions. And I am not enjoying the language as I did with, Say, Milton, but that could be a translation problem. I suppose reading Dante in Latin (or was it Italian?) would be a wholly different and more desirable experience. I felt that way when I read a translation of Les Miserables. The story was compelling, but the language was irksome, and that was likely do to the clumsiness of the translation. This is the John Ciardi translation, so let me know, Gentle Readers, if you have opinions on translators...

In my bedtime reading, which always has to be lighter and more friendly, I am enjoying meeting all my old friends in the Fellowship of the Ring. I am happy to say that finally, at something like my third time reading and after several times through audio listening, I did not have to skip over the barrow-wights, which have previously freaked me out. I made it through with barely a blush. And now we are in Rivendell, getting all the history and implications of the One Ring. There is simply little more delightful than a great story, told masterfully!

I continue to pick away at Climbing Parnassus. And it continues to pick away at my educational assumptions.

And recently we have viewed a couple of movies that I thought were worth watching. One was called "A Good Woman" and starred Helen Hunt and Scarlett Johansson. It is an adaptation of the Oscar Wilde short story, "Lady Windermere's Fan." I thought it was well done, and unexpected (especially since I had not read the story previously.) Dave didn't like it as much as I did, but I thought it was quite good.

Even better than that, however, is the quirky little movie entitled "Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School" This was an unexpected little movie. It revealed human pain and pleasure in subtle ways, and went places I didn't expect it to go. Give it a view.

Both of these movies deal with some mature themes, and would not be good viewing by children younger than mature, older teen years. But they both are very human movies, asking important human questions. I enjoyed them!

TTFN, Gentle Readers. Perhaps I'll write from Tucson, but perhaps I'll not see you again until next week.

Some Dickensian thoughts

Tonight we hope to watch the final installment of Masterpiece Theater's version of the Dickens tale, Little Dorrit. We have really enjoyed it so far, though neither of us have read this novel, Dickens fans though we be.

In discussing Dickens recently with a friend at church and with my ds, I was reminded of one of my favorites, Our Mutual Friend. We also loved Bleakhouse and Hard Times, and I loved Tale of Two Cities and Oliver Twist and David Copperfield, and of course, A Christmas Carol. Part of the magic of Dickens is how he has you slog through seemingly disconnected lives, like multiple themes in a symphony, and at the proper moment, they all come together to form an exciting and cohesive climax. This is typified in Our Mutual friend, Bleak House, and to some extent in the movie version of Little Dorrit. lot of coming-together has to happen in tonight's episode to bring it all off.

Hope you can enjoy it too, Gentle Readers. And who among you are Dickens fans? And what are your favorites?

Book notes

I thought I'd make a few notes about some recently completed books, and maybe a movie or two as well. This gives me an opportunity for reflection, and you a review of my opinion, should you want one...
The No. 1 Ladies Detective Series by Alexander McCall Smith is simply a delightful series. It contains many endearing characters as well as many cultural history items about Botswana. If you are looking for a lovely, easy-to-read escape, these books are wonderful. I'll be heading to #5 as soon as I can lay my hands on it.

After reading (or more appropriately, listening to...) O Pioneers, the third Willa Cather novel I have read, I have to say that I believe Death Comes for the Archbishop to be her best so far. I enjoyed O Pioneers much more than My Antonia, but neither can approach Death for its interest of story and beauty of description. Still, Ms. Cather has a way of describing a landscape that makes you love it and feel part of it. I enjoyed this novel, and it could almost make one love Kansas, were that possible...


Nobody beats Jane Austen for painstaking, close-up detail regarding the foibles present in the human condition. This was my first time finishing Mansfield Park, and I enjoyed it because I am an Austen fan. One has to admire Fanny and Edmund, and disdain most of the others, but I didn't find this to be as strong or compelling as Pride and Prejudice (certainly), or Emma or Sense and Sensibility, or even Persuasion. Still, I am glad I read it.



I finished off the Ender quartet by Card with both Xenocide and Children of the Mind. Card is a good story teller, with some fascinating ideas, but becomes increasingly preachy about his ever-present Mormon convictions. The farther along in the series I read, the more irksome I found this. The strength of the story kept me going, and I'm glad I finished them, but I won't likely be rereading these.


Collin Hansen's book, Young, Restless, Reformed: A Journalist's Journey with the New Calvinists, was an easy and fascinating book about the Reformed faith popping up in unexpected places. We read and discussed this in Sunday School, with the goal of seeing outside of ourselves a bit, and it's been an enjoyable break from the heavy-duty theology we've been doing in there the last 5 years: The WCF Larger Catechism, the book of Job, and John Owen's Mortification of Sin. If you want to know what's happening with Calvinist influence in our culture, you'll enjoy this book.

On the movie front, we really enjoyed this quirky film, but maybe you need to have some background in Catholicism to really get it and enjoy it. I could SO relate to the little guy who wanted to be a Saint, and found his imaginary saints hysterical. While there are a few brief unfortunate moments that make this viewing for more mature viewers, it is a sweet little movie, and I recommend it.

Coraline is another quirky movie. I would call it both creepy and charming in the way a Roald Dahl story is, or the way Corpse Bride or Nightmare Before Christmas was. If you enjoyed those movies, you will enjoy this one.

One Netflix bomb for us was the old PBS series "The Flame Trees of Thicka". Poorly written, poorly acted. Don't bother.

Perhaps one of my favorite recent views was the documentary, Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. This was well done, and rings true for us, particularly for Dave, who is constantly flabbergasted at the peer pressure and censorship being practiced today in the scientific community. This is an excellent look at what happens when political correctness overtakes a community.

A couple of quirky movies

We recently watched a couple of rather off-beat little movies. Both were enjoyable.

The first, "Ladies in Lavender" stars Judy Dench and Maggie Smith, so how could it go wrong? Add to that the musical performances of Joshua Bell and the fine acting of Daniel Bruhl, and it was well worth watching. It's an interesting story about two elderly sister in a house by the sea, where a mysterious, foreign young man washes ashore. They nurse him to health, introduce him to their Cornwall village, and struggle quietly with their own fears of aging, loss of youth, and prejudices.



The second film, entitled in French "Le Chateau de ma Mere", was beautiful and endearing. It is a simple story of boyhood adventure and family life, complete with quirky characters, laughter and tears. If you are looking for a quiet, beautiful little film about the impact we have on one another's lives, you might look for this one.

I hope you all get to watch something interesting and uplifting this weekend!

Miscellany

This morning was one of those mornings that started early... after a peaceful sleep from about 11:00 until 4:15, despite grumblies in my tummy after my barium snacks yesterday afternoon. But at 4:15 I was wide awake, an the day was starting despite my best attempts to return to sleep. So I prayed, I cuddled with my husband, and then rose to listen to God's word and start the day...

Here are a few things I've been collecting that have been interesting or encouraging to me lately. Hope you find them so as well...

• Stephen Altrogge offers and excellent, brief audio clip of John piper talking about the benefits of suffering here. I can only say "Amen!"
• Dr. John Currid offers this encouragement for not losing heart here.
• Tim Challies offers a helpful reflection on our job as parents and our response as children here. (And his blog today on our inherrent sinfulness is excellent as well!)
  
• Dallas Theological Seminary has an online rare books collection that looks worth knowing about here.
• And lastly, just for fun, Switchfoot has just released a music video of a song done for the soundtrack of the upcoming Narnia movie, Prince Caspian, here. Since we are both Switchfoot and Narnia fans, this was fun to watch (thanks to T.C. for the link.)
  

A Sobering Movie

Last night we viewed the movie, "Hotel Rwanda". I have not studied the historical facts that this movie portrays, but know enough of the history of Africa to hear the truth is offers. It is a heart-breaking truth. I was reminded again of the former Zambian pastor Derek Carlson, who spoke at our church of the atrocities of the Mugabe government, or the more current situation in Kenya. I am reminded of the way Jesus lamented over Jerusalem, when he said, "How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it!" (Matthew 23:37) I feel that sense of lamentation, and I wonder at how much God's heart must ache for His people in Africa.

This movie also reminded me of the older movie, "Tears of the Sun", also moving and difficult to watch, but perhaps a worthwhile reminder of what sinful men do to each other. And perhaps, by contrast, a reminder of the gratitude we owe to our Heavenly Father for his restraining influence in our world...without which we would all live in the tragic circumstances of a Rwanda, or a Zimbabwe, or a Kenya.

Movie Musings

A few notes on movies recently viewed:
Tim and my dad talked me into seeing I Am Legend staring Will Smith. This type of thriller/horror movie is not usually my cup of tea, and had I known more about the short story it is based on before I saw the film, I likely would not have been persuaded... However, go we did, and while it was intense and frightening, it was also remarkably redemptive, from the glimpse of a praying family on the edge of disaster, to real self-sacrifice, to hope. If you think you can take a post-apocalyptic zombie-vampire thriller, I recommend this one.



We also recently viewed the film Joyeux Noel. Even though this is a grossly Hollywood-ized version of the truth, it is an interesting and moving story. While the music element may not have happened in actual fact, and may be a sort of curtsy to art as a god in itself, it still made for a good story. The actors did a good job here, with the possible exception of the tenor, who didn't act well and who i thought had a less-than-stellar voice. However, the movie is worth it to hear the voice-over for Diane Kruger done by one of my favorite sopranos, Natalie Dessay. (And if you want further proof of her amazing talent, look here or here.) One warning: this film is rated PG-13, but I was a little shocked at the content of one scene between two lovers, and later read that it had originally received an R rating, that was changed after Roger Ebert and others complained and campaigned for a change. So take keep that in mind before viewing.

I enjoyed National Treasure 2: you just have to leave your knowledge of history and any worry about implausibility at the door. The acting was excellent, and it was just fun.

If you are looking for light, fluffy, dependable and fun, try this OLD Hepburn/Grant film. Holiday was pleasant to view in front of the fire with a cup of hot chocolate.




The Iranian film, Children of Heaven, was an interesting film well worth viewing. It is a simple, but inspiring story, and a glimpse of life in what must be a depressing segment of Iranian society. Its characters are engaging, and it was an affirmation that life is a precious thing even in precarious places, and little things make a big difference.

And lastly, here's one to avoid. Even Johnny Depp couldn't save this latest sequel to the Pirates of the Caribbean movie for me. Too weird, too many thin and implausible story lines, and nothing much good to say about it.

Bella

Dave and I attended the movie "Bella" yesterday afternoon (I am currently on travel with Dave in Las Vegas, and they have it showing in several places here.) If you want to find out more about the movie, look here:
http://www.bellathemovie.com/

This is a lovely movie. It has a beautiful message, without preaching or telling, but by showing how beautiful life can be. It contrasts the idea of grief and pain with the joy of being that can only be known through the eyes of a child. And it did all this without downplaying the grief and pain.

Add to that the fact that we sat in a large, "brand name" theatre and watched a film with pro-life film. That was perhaps the only time we have had the privilege of doing that.

I highly recommend you search around for a viewing of "Bella" in your area. It is worth the time and the effort to support this endeavor!