Christmastime Parable
So, I was walking through the mall the other day and passed by Santa. I happened to overhear him having a conversation with a cute little girl dressed in red and green Christmasy attire, with little ribbons and bows in her hair. Very cute! Well, she had the adorablest question to ask Santa! She said, “Santa, how could I be an elf and go to live at the North Pole forever and ever with you?”
Santa grinned at the little cutey-pie, scooped her up, sat her down on a nearby table and kneeled so he was at eye-level with her and said, “Going to the North Pole and becoming an elf is like a president who set up a birthday party for his daughter. The president sent some of his helpers to those he’d invited to the party to tell them to come, but they refused.
“Then, he sent some more helpers and said, ‘Tell everybody I invited that the party’s ready! There’ll be burgers and cupcakes and confetti, and everything’s ready. Come to the party!’ Read the rest of this entry »
Leonard Cohen Show
I saw Leonard Cohen and company perform last night. Something that you may not realize when you listen to his recordings is that he skips a lot. No, I don’t mean that he skips over lyrics. I mean he frequently man-gallops. Perhaps it was only for this Phoenix, AZ audience, though. And perhaps he only skips off and on stage. He did this for at least five encores. For one encore, he played my favorite song, “Democracy”:
It’s coming to America first
The cradle of the best and of the worst
It’s here they’ve got the range
And the machinery for change
And it’s here they’ve got the spiritual thirst
It’s here the family’s broken
And it’s here the lonely say
That the heart has got to open
In a fundamental way
Democracy is coming
To the USA
The Fountain…Explained
The Fountain is about two people who like each other a lot.
One of them, Izzi, is dying of brain cancer; the other, Tommy, is really sad about that.
As she is dying, Izzi writes the fictional account of Tomas and Queen Isabel.
Isabel asks Tomas, the conquistador, “Will you deliver Spain from bondage?” Tomas replies, “Upon my honor and my life.” Isabel says, “Then you shall take this ring to remind you of your promise. You shall wear it when you find Eden. And, when you return, I shall be your Eve. Together we will live forever.” Read the rest of this entry »
The Prestige: Notes (with spoilers)
It seems that Angier/Caldlow would’ve been much less angry at Borden/Fallon if Borden/Fallon had assured him that, whatever knot Borden/Fallon had tied, Julia had very clearly signaled her approval. Don’t believe me? Fast forward 23 minutes and 40 seconds into the movie and watch Julia nod her approval to Borden/Fallon as he makes a knot choice. Why did Julia really die? To give Angier/Caldlow a reason to be pissed at Borden/Fallon. Why should Angier/Caldlow be pissed at Borden/Fallon? One reason might be that it adds extra spice to their rivalry and makes for a tenser movie. Read the rest of this entry »
Aterciopelados - “Don Dinero” - Spanish/English
Don Dinero cómo te quiero
Don Dinero eres el mero mero
Si quieres ser reina, te compro un castillo
Si estás enredada, te compro un cepillo
Si quieres casarte, te compro un anillo
Compro un destornillador si te falta un tornillo
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Prozac Nation
Christina Ricci is writer Elizabeth Wurtzel and, when she is awarded a scholarship to attend Harvard, her mother (Jessica Lange) is ecstatic. The only problem, if we believe the ad-writer for Miramax Home Entertainment, is that her mother’s high expectations end up leading to “self-destructive behavior and paralyzing depression that reflects an entire generation’s struggle to navigate the effects of divorce, drugs, sex and high expectations!” Read the rest of this entry »
Mr. Holland’s Opus
Mr. Holland may not be making the impact he’d like after five months with his students, but what he holds back at school, he makes certain to deliver at home. Mr. Holland (Richard Dreyfuss) remarks solemnly about his wife’s Big News that having a baby is “like falling in love with John Coltrane all over again.” We instantly know what a perfect couple the two are because she seems not only to understand this statement but to be cheered up that it’s the only reason he looked so depressed when she told him to begin with.
We should get something straight before moving on: Mr. Holland never wanted to be a teacher. This guy had dreams. He had this symphony he’d been working on for, oh, what was it? Years, maybe. So, what do you do when the Big Time isn’t panning out for you and your students are all falling asleep with their eyes open at your lectures? You get a pep talk from your wife, Iris (Glenne Headly), and get serious.
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Luther
There is a crucial scene in Luther, a film about a major catalyst of the Reformation, in which the primary conflict of the film and its characters are laid as plainly as possible. By the time this scene arrives, Martin Luther (Joseph Fiennes) has nailed to the door of All Saints’ Church his “95 Theses” which outline what he feels are the Roman Catholic Church’s abuses. He is brought to Rome and told by Girolamo Aleander (Jonathan Firth), the Cardinal’s aide, “you have one word to say [to Cardinal Jacob Cajetan (Mathieu Carrière)] and one word only: Revoco—I recant.”
We next find Luther lying, servilely, before the Cardinal. When he arises as instructed, he asks, “Which of my teachings is offensive to Rome?” The Cardinal explains that, “Pope Clement’s decree, Unigenitus, clearly states that the merits of Christ are a treasure of indulgences.” To this, Luther replies, “I think you’ll find it says, ‘The merits of Christ acquire the treasure of indulgences.’” When the Cardinal asserts that it is the Pope who interprets scripture, Luther reminds him that, while “he may interpret…he is not above it.” Read the rest of this entry »