On Baby Watch

Coming to you from Backus Hospital in CT where I'm sitting with my family awaiting the arrival of a new nephew. The nurses are saying it will be another two hours. Watching Season 3 of BSG on DVD to pass the time.

Prayers for sister Alison and baby most welcome.

Happy Easter Week!

UPDATE!!!:

Christopher Joseph Patton, born March 24, 2008, 7 lbs., 7 oz. Alleluia!

Letterman Gets Real Cool Tonight

I've been excited for a week. The whole frakkin cast of the great and awesome Battlestar Galactica (that's the NEW RE-IMAGINED version, Doug!) will be on Letterman tonight. They are just supposed to be doing the "Top Ten List", but if we're lucky, maybe some will sit and chat (by that I mean Katee Sackhoff.... I'm dying to know what is next for her after they wrap the final nine episodes.....Ugh, it's so painful to even say that. "Final episodes." [incoherent grief-filled blubbering sounds])

P.S. to Alice: So I get to Orlando on April 4th - which date just happens to be the first episode of Season 4. How about we all sit on Karen's couch and watch it together? Karen isn't initiated yet, but I have faith.

Charlie Bartlett and Gen X's Revenge

Okay, Baby Boomers, this is the moment when you should reach for a barf bag. Or just skip this review and the movie it's about.

I seem to recall predicting about five years ago, that as soon as Gen Xers came of age, they were going to start telling one basic story. Their story: Dysfunctional parent-child relationships. And they will be filled with confusion about everything that matters except for a scathing indictment of Baby Boomer materialism and narcissism. The younger generation is not confused about those latter things being bad.

We've already logged a few of these movies like Garden State, Pieces of April, The Nanny Diaries and Devil Wears Prada (both based on Gen X novels). Those of us who watch student films have seen scores more than our share. Even the last Die Hard had a sub plot in which McClane's teen-aged daughter was filled with resentment towards her mostly AWOL dad.

And we are nowhere near the end of these. Figure even just half of Gen Xers are nursing this kind of resentment. And every one of them who ends up in Hollywood is going to be attracted to stories that serve as a kind of "hurts-so-good" scratching at an itch that will never quite heal in them. As an old nun told me once, "There are certain things that little kids need from Mommy and Daddy. When they don't get them, they spend the rest of their lives searching for them.

Okay, so Charlie Bartlett now in theaters is a not quite coming of age story about a young man with great intelligence, potential and empathy, who has had the misfortune to be born to two selfish narcissistic Baby Boomers. His father is in prison for embezzlement or some other such greedy materialistic crime. His mother is a loopy, immature alcoholic who loves her son in her own way - unfortunately a way that means she has turned over the role of parenting to him, while she enjoys her toys and games. In a real caustic slam at the Baby Boomer's drug as remedy culture, Charlie is put on a pharmacy's worth of behavior altering drugs from Ritalin to Vicodin and back. Charlie ends up compassionately setting himself up as a therapist to the other kids at high school, and dealing out to them the pharmaceuticals his various uncaring therapists have prescribed for him.

I actually enjoyed a lot of this movie principally because the guy who plays the lead, Anton Yelchin, was just a delight to watch. He plays Charlie as accepting his tragic lot in life without resentment and with a boatload of disarming good-heartedness. He loves his ridiculous mother, even as he can't deny that she has really screwed him up.

I find this quality very typical of a lot of the younger generation. I once attended a pro-life event at UCLA hosted by Feminists for Life. Patricia Heaton was there and started off the evening by asking the crowd of mostly young women how many of them considered themselves pro-life. Fully two thirds of the packed auditorium raised their hands. When Patty asked them why they are pro-life, one raised her hand and responded in very Juno-speak, "Well, I don't want to judge my mother, because she made the choice that she felt she had to. But, my Mom aborted two of my siblings, and I've spent my whole life growing up, wondering if she was glad she kept me, and whether I was worth being the one who got to live. I just don't want those kind of thoughts for my kids." I sat in the back and watched two-thirds of the two-thirds nodding their heads in assent.

So, the most functional of the younger Generation have a definite resoluteness rather than simmering resentment. They don't want to be their parents, because they have grown up having to often parent their parents and they instinctively know it wasn't right - even as they feel compassion for the tragedy of their parents' lives. And the Boomers thought it was hard growing up with Vietnam and disco music!

There are some great lines in Charlie Bartlett, and a lot of really cliched ones. The other performances are solid, with Hope Davis doing a great turn as Charlie's pathetic mother. The actress actually makes the character sympathetic, which is incredible considering the fact that she is a mostly drunk selfish person. Robert Downey, Jr. doesn't have a whole lot to do here, and it is kind of funny seeing him in a role in which he is having to be stern and unforgiving of a kid who is dealing out drugs. Cause, you know...

The story here doesn't quite pay off. As I said, it isn't really a true coming of age story in the way that Gen X stories of their lives - like Garden State and Pieces of April never quite make it to grown-upness. The younger folks among us are pretty cynical about ever overcoming the wounds of their childhood. This is mainly derived not from the fact that their wounds are so deep - because in the span of human existence, people have endured much worse childhood conditions - but rather because Gen Xers have little or no self-discipline, and they don't have the confidence that they will ever really be able to rouse themselves past their strong inclinations. Gen X stories get to a place of "I can cope" as opposed to "I can be healed" or even the "I can be anything I want" which was the subtext resolution of coming of age stories in past generations.

Some critics are waxing horrified that the movie would make a comedy of teenagers dealing prescription drugs to other kids. But I thought that the Ritalin generation has a right to suck some caustic irony out of the fact that they were put on drugs so that their normal childhood flailing around would not be annoying to their Boomer parents. Come on, 60's Generation, did you really think you were going to get away with putting your kids on drugs?

The movie is rated R for some non-graphic violence and sexuality, and some crassness and language that is consistent with its urban public high school backdrop. I found it entertaining and actually charming - especially the scenes in which Charlie is playing therapists to his fellow teenagers who are all starving for adult attention. The movie is a bit smug and nasty to older people, but, like I said, we're going to see a lot more of that at the theaters in coming years. So we might as well just go with it and find a way to enjoy it. I'm going to recommend Charlie Bartlett.

See Barb in Florida

I have three non-public speeches in Florida next month from the 8th to the 10th, but I will be in Orlando reading email on Karen's sofa from the 4th to the 6th. (Alice?! We're having margaritas on one of those days. Maybe all of those days!)

Then, on April 7th, I'll be giving a talk at Ave Maria University in Naples. This one may be open to the public.

Send me an email if you want to make something happen in Orlando, or else get in on the Naples talk.

See Barb in Cleveland?

I have a speech to a Legatus chapter in Cleveland on Wednesday, April 16th. That speech will not be open to the public, but if somebody wants to get some other event together while I am in the area, that would be great. Something on the 17th maybe, anybody?

Send me an email if you have an idea at brnicolosi@aol.com.

See Barb at Notre Dame, March 29th

I will be one of the speakers at this event at the end of the month. The web site for the event is a bit sloppy, but I believe my talk will be on Saturday between 1pm and 3pm.

My talk is titled, "Hollywood and The Sexual Revolution: What's Left to Do?" I got the title from an event I attended several years ago with Karen Hall, called the S.H.I.N.E. Awards. That stands for "Sexual Health in Entertainment," and every star in the firmament was there. It was one of the most mindnumbinglyest crass events I have ever attended - kind of like back to back screenings of Little Miss Sunshine and Super Bad with the little heartwarming family moments left out. Karen was nominated for a SHINE Award for an episode of Judging Amy she had written which was about the date-rape drug Rohipnol. The host for the event - I'm thinking Caroline Rhea, suggested that all the winners of the awards should have to being their acceptance speeches by relating their first real sexual experience. Karen leaned over and said in deep Georgia drawl, "I hope I lose."

Anyway, at one point, they showed a fifteen minute clip real of the "heights" (read "depths, deep DEPTHS") of sexual openness that had appeared on television in the past forty years. They had everything from Lucy and Ricky moving to a double bed to Maud's abortion to Roseanne's lesbian kiss, ending with a truly barbaric moment from MTV's Real World in which house members were discussing things that called to mind vividly in me what St. Paul meant when he said, "Some things should never even be mentioned among you." At the end of the verbal and visual orgy, the screen went black to thunderous applause and actress Tyne Daly, I believe, stood at the microphone and said, "Yes, we have come a long way! But we have SO FAR left to go!!!" Feeling very much like a little lamb at a ravenous wolf convention, I leaned over to Karen and said while trying to get my eyeballs to uncross, "What do they possibly have left to show?!!?"

It's actually an excellent question. And especially if we put it to movie-makers who are people of faith. There is a lot about sex and human relationships that we haven't plumbed on the screen. Basically because, borrowing from Bono, Christians have left all talk of sex to the pornographers.

I have no idea what I am going to conclude, but it should be a fun rant.

Pseudo Married Life

(Okay, Nancy, this one's for you...)

I'm always pretty sharp in my critique of the Boomer Generation. I think they inherited a pretty good world and then selfishly screwed up so much that it will take a hundred years to even figure out where they left us. But, just to keep things balanced, it's time to set the penetrating gaze on Gen X. (Of course, Gen X's problems can mostly be laid at the feet of the Boomers, but whatever...) As somebody who has been teaching undergrads and twenty-somethings for the last decade, I have a lot of observations here. Maybe in a subsequent post I'll flesh them out.

But let me start with one of the most serious issues that I see in Gen X. Let's call it, "Defiantly Ignorant." Simply put, one of the things that marks Gen Xers is the way they apprehend attempts to educate them as an assault on their personal dignity. Not everybody, but it is a generational trend. My experience with my students is that they are nearly incapable of debate, because every time you disagree with them, you suddenly find yourselves in a battle with their emotional survival. It makes many of them invincibly ignorant, I'm afraid.

An example of this comes up every time I teach Gen Xer's this class I've got on the nature of beauty. Invariably, after I have gone through the three elements of the beautiful from St. Thomas - wholeness, harmony and radiance - one of the undergrads will prop a limp elbow into the air - what is it with this generation that even asking a question in class has to be a statement on how ambivalent they are about even being there? - and then he or she will issue forth, "I don't agree."

And then I respond, pretending all the while that this is the first time I've heard the astonishingness, "You don't agree that there are elements to the beautiful? Okay, cool. Give me an argument."

"Well, I think, you know, that any body can just decide what, you know, they like."

"That's not an argument."

"I don't need to give you an argument. It's what I think. I have a right to my opinion."

AHHHHHHHHHHH. There it is. The "rights" thing. And the abuse of the word "think." There isn't thinking going on here. There is resentment and petulance and the need to assert one's existence. But it ain't thinking. A huge inhibitor to great art coming out from the young generations today is that the assertion of knowable truth (including all of the skills that go into excellence of craft) comes off to Gen Xers and Millenials as an assault on their autonomy and personhood.

So, the two-part cause of the problem that is keeping Gen xers from adding anything really profound to the lasting cultural canon, is first that they have been so abysmally educated, that they live in chronic, probably insurmountbale double ignorance. They don't know, and they don't know that they don't know. A reflection of double ignorance in Gen Xer storytelling is that they tend to say profound and then banal things back to back, and they really don't know the difference. They don't know when they are actually skirting and even ripping off great ideas that have been out there for three thousand years. And reciprocally, they don't know what "obvious" means. (When I was in college, it was a funny insult to say that someone had "a keen sense of the obvious." Today, I would kill for a room of students with that quality.)

So, I read scripts from my students in which they are wrestling with human freedom, and then in the next scene, a character will suddenly proclaim like it's astounding, "Hey, ketchup. What's that about?"

To which annoyed Baby Boomers more and more are answering. "Pureed tomatoes. Idiot."

Secondly, they have been so wounded by the flailings around of their Boomer parents, that they are often simmering pools of resentment with the craven idol of their own hurt feelings relentlessly jerking them around. So, they don't know, and it HURTS THEIR FEELINGS THAT THEY DON'T KNOW. When I correct my students for bad grammar, they tell me it hurts their feelings. When I call a young employee into my office for not doing her job well, she complains that it is a violation of her feelings. When I gave a student a completely unemotional notice that he had already missed his requisite three unexcused classes, he became pouty and petulant and told me I was harsh and didn't understand him.

The whole generational warfare over Barack Obama has a lot of this dynamic in it with the grey-haired side pulling their hair out, "There's no there there." And the slumping youth constituency, dark and smug, vengefully waving their "Hope and change" signs with the glaring subtext, "Superficial, So There!"

The movie just coming out in theaters from Gen X director Ira Sachs, Married Life is an egregious example of the younger generation's assertive superficiality. It really has nothing to say about marriage. The point here seems to be to vent and brood over the theme, "Sometimes, heterosexual marriages are phony and unhappy and people cheat."

Which theme, is to me, very much like the ketchup insight referenced above.

The best thing in Married Life is the cast of Chris Cooper, Rachel McAdams, Pierce Brosnan and Patricia Clarkson. But that's where the goodness stops. This wonderful team of talented actors has very little to do except sit around having angsty conversations about their own misery and desires. The movie doesn't move, and there is only one eventual suspenseful element, that ends up not paying off in any meaningful way. Basically we watch four adults commit adultery and betrayal of friendship, one plots a murder, but then in the end, everybody settles back into the mundane boringness of unfulfilling married lives without any consequences or resolution. The director and writer didn't have anything to say about marriage here. They thought it was enough to make a movie in which sad and selfish married people commit adultery, like that is a revelation. It isn't - and this is the Gen Xer/Milennial trap: Recreating and then staring at pictures of your own painful upbringing doesn't heal you or entertain me. (And when I found out that the director is a gay man, I found it hard to not see this cynical portrait of heterosexual marriage was not just sloppy and inadequate, but darkly unfair and agenda-driven.)

The production value of the film - recreating the 1950's - is nowhere as good as what we saw in Pleasantville or Far From Heaven. Again in what is becoming a nauseatingly familiar experience at the movies lately, I got tired of the annoying close-ups that littered the first act. (And like most movies that over use the close-up in the first act, the plodding, expensive and unsustainable style of this method ends up dropping out of the movie by the mid-point, making the movie feel aesthetically uneven.)

So, pass on Married Life. Even if you are big fan of the actors here - I actually sat through The Family Stone twice just because I love to watch Rachel McAdams - don't be tempted. Rachel is miscast and badly directed in this piece. She never projects any chemistry with the male leads and she really has nothing much to do. Patricia Clarkson also just sits around on sofas drinking and saying things that are set up to be profound, but are really obvious.

The actors, crew and publicity folks have already wasted their time on this movie. And now I have too. But you don't have to. Pass.

So Say We All

Is there another show on television right now that's remained as consistently good, surprising and relevant as Ron Moore's reimagined Battlestar Galactica? If there is, I haven't seen it. Science fiction though it may be, week after week, Battlestar continues to earn its place among the very best dramatic series TV has ever delivered. Digital Bits

Season 3 is coming on DVD March 18th. There is an hour of deleted scenes on the set including nearly a half hour more of the hurts so good boxing episode "Unfinished Business." While I generally agree that some of the stand-alone style episodes of Season 3 were disappointing ("Hero", "The Woman King," the one about the labor fight with Tyrol, and the flashback one about Adama's marriage failing), the first four episodes of the season were some of the best of the series to date. And then the two episodes on the algae planet were great. And, due to some of the best writing I've ev er seen and amazing work by actress katee Sackhoff (Where did this kid come from and why doesn't she work more?! She's good enough to be a British actress!), Starbuck's climactic episode "Maelstrom" was breathtaking. It was so riveting I felt like it flashed by in just a few minutes.

Any way you slice it up, Battlestar Galactica delivers the goods. This show has NEVER been afraid to take risks and turn everything you think you know on end. It dares to be bold and original, even to the point of changing its tone and characters in absolutely fundamental ways. It's just been a true delight to watch thus far. If you're new to Battlestar, I highly recommend that you go back and start watching from the beginning on DVD - this is not a show you can truly appreciate if you start in the middle. The first half of Season Four (the show's final season) debuts on the Sci-Fi Channel on 4/4/08, with around ten episodes. Because of the recent writer's strike, the remainder of the season (which resumes production next week, as it happens) probably won't air until early 2009. [NOTE FROM BARB: Kill me now.] In any case, you can bet that Ron Moore, David Eick and the writers are cooking up a real rollercoaster finish for this series. I, for one, absolutely can't wait to take the ride. Bring it on! Digital Bits

I don't have much more to add here to what I've already written about this show (I really do, but all of my friends who know about the show are getting really sick of hearing me talk about it, and anybody out there who has never seen it thinks I've lost my mind....the way I did about BSG fans before I became a believer...), but I did want to post the above for any others "of the race of Joseph" who will be pouring over every little extra feature the DVD holds.

Signed,

Deeply pathetic and proud of it.

Talking to Salvo

I am very happy to note that I will be doing a regular podcast and print interview for Salvo Magazine which editor Bobby Maddex proposed to me as, "How about I just call you up every quarter and you can talk about whatever it is you are thinking about pop-culturewise?" This is an irresistible offer to me because I just can't seem to find the time, discipline and favorable conditions lately to write a proper article. And also, I really like Salvo which I think is smart and hip, and I am honored to be part of it.

We recorded our first interview this week, and it was basically an Oscar redux. Here is Bobby's article teasing the interview which will appear in the next issue of Salvo.

A snip....

In Salvo 5, I talk to Barbara Nicolosi, a Hollywood screenwriter and film critic, about Juno, as well as the other films nominated for academy awards this year. She, too, admires Juno, but will not concede that it is a pro-life movie. Indeed, when I contend that 2007 was the year of the pro-life film, citing Knocked Up, Juno, Waitress, and Bella, she is quick to correct me with a very compelling argument.

According to Nicolosi, such films do not reflect pro-life attitudes, but rather culture-of-life attitudes. Here's the distinction:

Those constituting the new generation of filmmakers responsible for Juno et al. care little for either the pro-life or pro-choice political positions. The debate between these positions was the province of the Boomers, and for this reason alone they do not participate in it. At the same time, this is a generation (in which I count myself) that grew up with photographs of sonograms on the refrigerator, making it extremely difficult for those within it to deny that embryos are children. It is also a generation that exhibits a sort of collective survivor guilt, elicited by the knowledge that many within it were themselves the victims of abortion, which has resulted in an avoidance of the practice whenever possible. This in part explains why abortion rates are falling.

Consequently, Nicolosi maintains that 2007 was not so much the year of the pro-life movie as the first indication that we are entering a new culture of life that is being built in response to the culture of death that has held sway since the Sixties. Generation X or the Millennials or whatever you want to call them (us) may not pay lip service to the pro-life position, but they are actually doing something far better. They are actively choosing life. And this, says Nicolosi, is reason for hope. Hope for the culture and hope for the kinds of stories that will be told by the next generation of filmmakers. In the end, maybe such hope is what I actually experienced while watching Juno, and perhaps it is hope that explains why I can't stop thinking about the film.

Oscar Recap

Several people have written to me asking me to comment on the Oscar ceremony this year. My opinion is that there is nothing wrong with a dull Oscar telecast that a few wonderful mainstream movies won't solve. In a couple of decades, people are going to look at the movies that have been added to the Best Picture list in the last few years and break into that great musical summary of Aristotle's Categories from Sesame Street: "One of these things, is not like the others, one of these things just doesn't belong."

The Oscar Best Picture list for generations has been a fairly reliable bell-weather of movies that were excellent in craft and universal in theme, and so caught the attention of the mass, global audience, giving them delight and something to go back to time and time again. A Best Picture film has generally meant something that holds up over time and can be watched and savored over and over again. I've seen Casablanca probably twenty times, for example, and I will never get to the point when I will say, "I'm done with it.". It's just too good. I've seen The Sound of Music until I know every line. And then, A Man for All Seasons and Amadeus, Ben Hur, On The Waterfront, Lawrence of Arabia, Gone With the Wind, My Fair Lady - just off the top of my head. People will be watching these movies forever. And even the Best Pictures that aren't seen a lot these days, like Rebecca, The Best Years of Our Lives, Marty and Gentlemen's Agreement still hold up for the most part.

The question is, who will be watching Crash over and over and over in years to come? Who is even watching it now? [Dry voice] Memorizing every word is much easier in Crash's case as the F-word makes up probably a quarter of the script.

Who today is delighting with warm satisfaction over A Beautiful Mind? Will families ever gather around the TV after dinner to catch a rerun of The Departed or now, No Country for Old Men? Does anybody even remember the name of the main character in Million Dollar Baby?

No, the Academy Awards have almost completed their journey to being as irrelevant to everyday moviegoers as Cannes and the Berlin Film Festival. Even when there are populist movies again, I wonder if in squandering the Oscar brand, by giving the award to tedious, pretentious, or rooted in political zeitgeist movies, people will be able to care about the Oscars again some day.

Anyway, I really don't have much more to add to my impressions of the ceremony than Jan's adept analysis here.

Thoughts on Art From Three Very Smart Men

I was recently at a small gathering with two of the people on the planet who make me feel very good about the state of the Church, and the future of the human race. As long as we have people on the team like Dana Gioia and Christoph Cardinal Schonborn, I think we will be okay.

Dana Gioia is the Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, a Catholic, a poet, and one of the most impressive men I have ever met. I remember the first time I met him in his office in Washington, his staff had clearly given him a copy of my bio and he saw that I had written a script about Emily Dickinson. So when he shook my hand he quoted from memory one of Emily's poems. Way to win me over real fast. A year or so later, Dana gave the closing address to our Washington, DC Act One program. As part of his noteless talk, he recited from memory about 30 lines of the "All the World's a Stage" speech from Shakespeare's, As You Like It. I remember thinking at the time, "Just sign me up and tell me what to do." When the Chairman gave his blessing to Act One, and then we got an NEA grant, I knew we were on the right track.

I'd never met Cardinal Schonborn, but had heard that he is "papabili." That's Catholic for, he's one of those men in the Church who kind of reeks "Could be Pope." After having heard him speak for thirty minutes or so, I tend to agree. A very impressive man. Definitely smart. But also had the aura of Christ about him.

The event was put on by The Dietrich von Hildebrand Legacy Project, basically to announce the upcoming translation of that great philosophers' Aesthetics into English. As someone who is always trying to put together a life-framework that brings together the arts and faith, I can't wait for this book to be available in English. Von Hildebrand was the dominant philosophical influence of my undergraduate life. And his Transformation in Christ was the dominant challenge in shaping my spiritual life and subsequent choices. If you haven't heard of von Hildebrand, you're missing a big piece of the 'coping with modernity as a disciple puzzle."

Called a philosophical genius by Edmund Husserl, (no small potatoes himself), von Hildebrand was also designated "enemy number one" by the Ambasador of Hitler's Third Reich in Austria. When our present Pope was Cardinal Ratzinger he noted on one occasion, "I am personally convinced that, when, at some time in the future, the intellectual history of the Catholic Church in the 20th century is written, the name of Dietrich von Hildebrand will be most prominent among the figures of our time."

The work of translating von Hildebrand's thoughts on beauty and art into English is being funded largely through the generosity of Howard and Roberta Ahmanson. I was very impressed to see all the non-Catholic Christians who came to be part of the lunch, to celebrate this the paradigm Catholic philosopher. We have come a long way since the Reformation, I am thinking, and we will go very much farther in the next decade. You can quote me.

Here's a blurb from von Hildebrand's Aesthetics that touches directly on a theme that has been a principal part of my schtick these last ten years. It really meant a lot to find myself in synch here with this man's thought.

"...let me affirm unambiguously that beauty does in fact have an ennobling effect. Contact with an environment permeated by beauty not only offers a real protection against every kind of impurity and baseness, brutality, and untruthfulness; it also has the positive effect of elevating us in an ethical sense. It does not draw us into a self-centered pleasure where we only wish to indulge ourselves. On the contrary, it opens our hearts, inviting us to transcendence and leading us before the face of God...(Beauty) frees us from captivity in our egoistic interests and undoes the fetters of our hearts, releasing us (even if only for a short time) from the wild passions that constrain them."

I think this volume will go a long way to realizing that "renewal of the fruitful dialog that used to exist between the Church and the arts," that was called for by John Paul II in his Letter to Artists.

I jotted down a few quotes from the remarks of Dana Gioia and the Cardinal at the luncheon. Here they are:

"Dante and Mozart have brought more souls to God than any preacher." Dana Gioia

"(The problem in culture today) is that we have de-spiritualized art, and dehumanized religion." Dana Gioia

"Catholic musicians at Mass do not perform. They participate." Cardinal Schonborn

"We are living in a world in which ugliness has become a general invasion. Loss of proportion. Loss of harmony. Loss of tradition. Modern art is itself the deliberate deconstruction of secular traditions." Cardinal Schonborn

There was lots more good stuff said, but those were some of the notes I jotted down because they served me where I am at right now. I must say, I am very glad to see the Church starting to wake up over this art and culture thing. God willing, the Church will one day be patron of the Arts again.

Watching The Boleyn Girls Lose Their Heads So We Won't have To

For two hours, The Other Boleyn Girl is about nothing but sex. And I think I am going to recommend it. I found it to be a horrifying (in a good way) morality tale. (Karen - your kind of cinematic romp?) Because of it's subject matter, it's for grownups, although with a PG-13 rating, it doesn't have nudity or graphic sex.

Based on the novel by Philippa Gregory, the movie tells a mostly unknown story of the family of Henry the VIII's infamous second queen, Anne Boleyn, and how her father's ambition, and her mother's paralysis, ends up leading the whole family into every kind of tragedy.

Contrary to the Cate Blanchett Elizabethan movies that demonize the Catholic Church, The Other Boleyn Girl is a scathing indictment of the Tudor court, painting Henry in leotard-wearing Bill Clintonesque - narcissistic, deceitful, and willing to destroy his kingdom to satisfy his sexual appetites. His Queen, Catherine of Aragon, on the other hand, comes across as completely noble and really kind of wonderful - a devout woman trapped in a power-mad, licentious hell. On another level, the movie really, really made me glad that as a female, I was born in the mid-20th Century and not the mid-16th Century. Now, THAT was a damn tough time to be a woman.

I don't know how much of the story here is truly factual, but it is compelling and kept my attention for the full two hours. The movie absolutely knows what it is about - basically a slow spiral into hell and death as the Boleyn family sinks deeper and deeper into insane choices to preserve their status and fortunes. At moments, the movie becomes so horrible that the audience we screened it with kept bursting into laughs that were really groans. People had to laugh because the characters' choices had become so painfully, horribly absurd.

The cinematogroaphy was a bit annoying. Again, my kingdom for some wide shots! Somebody put up a billboard on Sunset somewhere - "To Directors: Just Because You Can Doesn't Mean You Must." I'm really tired of the unmotivated tight closeup. It seems to me a disrespectful attempt by the director to control the audience's eye just a bit too much.

The performances here were mostly good. Scarlet Johansson completely steals the movie from Natalie Portman. Portman was badly miscast here as Anne Boleyn. She doesn't have the sexual seductress thing going on, but comes off as more an all-American girl next door. I never bought that Henry would be so besotted with her. Eric Bana as Henry does a very good job, as does Kristin Scott Thomas as the mother of the three ill-fated Boleyn children.

There's no real lyrical imagery or cool cinema grammar, but the movie is basically a well told story that leaves the audience believing profoundly that it is much better to be obscure and middle-class than rich, powerful, and without all honor.

Time Out for That Hollywood Thing...

So, I had one of those "Hollywood" days today and it was kind of a thrill, so I am going to name-drop all over the blog here. I was at a luncheon and ended up sitting between the immortal, Jon Voight - who passed me the sugar for my coffee - and the lovely and gracious, Angie Harmon (I-forget-her-last-name-but-her- husband -is-some-kind-of-athlete-and-together-they-could-win-most-beautiful- couple-on -the-planet). And then, at the end, Gary Sinise kissed me. You know, on the cheek. But still.

So, how was your day?

If it Ain't Baroque, Don't Fix it

Sorry... I just couldn't resist.

Here is an announcement for an event coming up from the Magis Institute, of which I am a Board member. Our mission is "Healing the Culture Through Spirituality," and we will be holding a lot of retreats and conferences and one-off events, particularly to deepen Catholic artists in the entertainment industry. Eric Hansen, the speaker for this event, knows more about sacred art than any body I have ever come across. I always learn from him.

Magis Institute The second event in our 2008 lecture series: Dr. Eric Hansen Magis Institute Resident Fellow The Catholic Baroque: The Divine Encountering the Human March 11, 2008 7:30 - 9:00 PM We will stick tightly to the following schedule: 7:30 - 7:45 social 7:45 - 8:45 lecture 8:45 - 9:00 questions & answers Pacific Club 4110 MacArthur Blvd, Newport Beach, CA 92660 We will be in a smaller room this time, so please RSVP early here. Dr. Eric Hansen will use beautiful slides from his extensive collection to demonstrate the aesthetic and spiritual keynotes of the Catholic baroque movement. Bring a notebook! Bring the friend you will wish had seen it with you the day after! Space is limited (we will be in a smaller room), we ask that you RSVP to Todd Inman at (949) 474 -7368, ext. 130. Or email inman@magis.us before February 10, 2008. You may also register on line here. Please provide your name, email address, and a phone number, along with the number (and names) in your party. Dr. Hansen 2008 Lecture Series Schedule February 11, 2008 The Four Loves: C.S. Lewis and the Mystery of Love March 11, 2008 The Catholic Baroque: The Divine Encountering the Human May 13, 2008 In Search of St. Paul July 8, 2008 The Three Theresas: Avila, Lisieux, and Calcutta September 9, 2008 Icons: East Meets West November 11, 2008 Early Christian Faith Through the Window of the Catacombs Please RSVP at (949) 474-7368, ext. 130, or inman@magis.us

Champions of Faith Now on DVD

My friend, Tom Allen, sent me this announcement of his award-winning Chapions of Faith projects. The baseball one was really well done, and I am looking to the football edition. (And then how about a chess edition, Tom, for people who like, you know, the King of sports?)

Happy to add to the buzz for Tom's work....

_______________________________________

CATHOLIC EXCHANGE RELEASES NEW CHAMPIONS OF FAITHTM FILM ON DVD – FOOTBALL EDITION TO FOLLOW "Champions of Faith: The Bases of Life” Sets New Standard as Catholic Faith Formation Tool One of the most acclaimed Catholic films in recent memory now has a sequel. On April 1, 2008, Champions of Faith: The Bases of Life will follow the multiple award-winning Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition onto DVD, providing an emotional and faith-filled look inside the personal lives of some of America’s most beloved baseball heroes. The second film in Catholic Exchange’s Champions of FaithTM, The Bases of Life, stars Mike Piazza, Darrell Miller, Tom Glavine, Jeff Suppan and others, and uncovers in a striking way the true meaning of faith and God's message of love and forgiveness to mankind. series PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW AND RECEIVE 25% OFF THE RETAIL PRICE! OR CALL 1-877-263-1263. This stunning presentation of major sports stars’ fidelity to prayer and the sacraments of the Church is like no other faith formation tool ever produced – including the first Champions of FaithTM film. “The Bases of Life is unique,” explained Tom Allen, the film’s producer/director. “We go inside the home and family lives of Mike Piazza and Darrell Miller. We go inside St. Andrew’s and St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York City – even into the crypt where Archbishop Sheen and Cardinal Cooke are buried! We were given amazing access for this project and the result is a uniquely powerful film about how to live a truly Catholic life.” CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE TRAILER! In an age in which many sports heroes have fallen into disgrace, Champions of Faith: The Bases of Life brings the “other side” of sports to life by showcasing star players who are devoted to faith and family, Word and Sacrament. Aimed primarily at men and boys who hold these sports heroes in high esteem, the film takes a unique approach to highlighting the power and meaning of prayer, Reconciliation and the Eucharist, displaying the power of God in a way that people can understand and enjoy. “As a faith-formation tool, there’s nothing like The Bases of Life,” explained Lisa Wheeler of The Maximus Group, the exclusive promoter of both Champions of FaithTM films. “This film answers the prayers of women who are eager to strengthen their husbands and sons in the faith. The effect it has on people is profound.” NOW IS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ONE OF THE FIRST TO GET THIS POWERFUL NEW FILM, WHICH IS ALREADY BEING HAILED AS ANOTHER FAITH CLASSIC. PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY TODAY IN TIME FOR THE 2008 MLB SEASON. TO PLACE AN ORDER BY PHONE, CALL 1-877-263-1263. For those who loved Catholic Exchange’s first film, Champions of Faith: Baseball Edition, "The Bases of Life" is a perfect companion to help you go deeper in faith with your favorite Major League baseball stars. The solidly Catholic and uniquely entertaining message can also be shared with friends and neighbors. To preview The Bases of Life, click here. Next up for Catholic Exchange is Champions of Faith: Football Edition, which will explore the Catholic faith on the Gridiron both at the NFL and major college level. With commitments from world class players, coaches and financiers largely in place, Catholic Exchange's Champions of Faith: Football promises to further establish the Champions of FaithTM brand as by far-and-away the standard in Catholic filmed entertainment. About Catholic Exchange Catholic Exchange (CE) is a non-profit media organization that seeks to bring the Good News of Jesus Christ as proclaimed by the Catholic Church to the world through the modern tools of mass communication. Inspired by Pope John Paul II's call for a "New Evangelization" and in faithfulness to Pope Benedict XVI, CE strives to "put out into the deep" a first-rate response to the need for greater catechesis and revival of the lay faithful. Since its founding in 2001 by an independent group of laypeople, Catholic Exchange has provided an impressive menu of programs and services to the Church faithful, including production of the groundbreaking and award-winning Champions of Faith: Baseball, distribution financing for Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, authorship of the million-selling A Guide to the Passion and the bestselling A Guide to Narnia and DaVinci Deception, and the launch of Relevant Radio’s Morning Air with Jeff Cavins. For more information please visit www.catholicexchange.com. About The Maximus Group The Atlanta-based Maximus Group, which spearheaded the Catholic grassroots marketing campaigns for Catholic Exchange’s Champions of Faith: Baseball, Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and Disney/Walden Media’s The Chronicles of Narnia, was instrumental in turning the historic election and installment of Pope Benedict XVI into a spectacular media event that honored and promoted the Catholic Church in an unprecedented way. It is the leading company in Catholic PR and marketing. For more information please visit www.maximusmg.com. More on the Champions of FaithTM Series Champions of FaithTM has already received THREE MAJOR AWARDS since its release in the Spring: the 2007 CIMA Award (Catholic in Media Associates) for “Best Documentary,” and 2007 Unity Awards (Catholic Music & Video Association) for “Best Producer” and “Best Movie Presentation for Catholic Evangelization.” And not to mention the endorsements: Cardinal Justin Rigali of Philadelphia: “This entertaining and moving film breaks new ground in giving cultural icons an opportunity to be part of a high quality film and at the same time to speak lovingly of Jesus Christ and how their spiritual lives have enriched their professional careers. This is a prime example of what the Church needs to be doing to reach people where they are. It is a beautiful expression of evangelization through media.” Cardinal Edward Egan of New York: “This film is a powerful instrument of evangelization, and it is my hope that it will reach many people with its inspiring message.” Archbishop Charles Chaput of Denver: “ 'Champions of Faith' is entertaining, inspiring and a wonderful means of evangelizing. It presents a powerful counterpoint to the inappropriate actions, behaviors, and values often conveyed by professional athletes today. By hearing these stories, told in great action shots and quiet moments of reflection, positive Catholic role models are put before us.” Bishop Thomas Olmsted of Phoenix: “I thought 'Champions of Faith' was terrific. The witness to Christ of these baseball stars and their unapologetic love of the Catholic Church was truly inspiring. I hope many of our youth will get to see this wonderful film.” Bishop Ignatius Catanello of Brooklyn: " 'Champions of Faith' is a nine-inning faith classic!” William A. Donohue, Ph.D., President of the Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights : “There has never been anything quite like 'Champions of Faith'. It is as inspiring as it is professionally crafted. Guaranteed to touch all Catholics." Jesse Romero, Catholic Lay Evangelist, Former USA Middleweight Kickboxing Champion “This movie is going to be a useful evangelization tool for many years to come especially for young people. The movie was saturated with the splendor.” Fr. Scott Reilly, Territorial Director for the Legionaries of Christ " 'Champions of Faith' is an exciting and inspiring production. These are real men talking about real faith – a wonderful example for all of us. This is a great way to spread the word of God and show the impact of Christ in our world." Father Deo Rosales, priest of Opus Dei and a chaplain at Schuyler Hall Residence in New York : " 'Champions of Faith' is a valuable tool for communicating the Catholic faith in an engaging way, through moving personal accounts of players and managers in Major League Baseball. A real home run! " CLICK HERE for more endorsements! P.S. Please tell everyone you know about the new Champions of Faith: The Bases of Life, the most powerful faith-formation tool you can own or give away. Click here to send an email message to a friend.

Barb's Thoughts on Oscar Night 2008

Go Juno.

Oh, and the song from Once.

What Southern Californians Do in the Depths of February...

We go to the San Diego Zoo. And we stroll in the soft sunlight, and inhale the lush flora...and be really, really glad we get to live here especially at this time of year. (To all my Northeast friends: I know it's obnoxious, but despite all your grumblings about "the left Coast" and "liberal bastion," and "how L.A. has way more than a fair share of New Age wackos," Southern California really is paradise! It's indisputable.)

We, the people of Origin Entertainment, decided to spend a weekend together actually enjoying each other, instead of fretting over financing deals and script notes. Hosted by our wise and wonderful CEO, Dick Lyles and his lovely wife, Martha, it was a great time.

There is no culturally or ecclesially significant reason for me to post the following pictures. But I send them out to those of you who are shivering in February horrors, as a sign of hope to you, that somewhere it is summer! (Heh, heh. Wicked chortle of New England expat glee.)

Monkeys.






Really big monkey.


Elephant. At dinner.


An obviously bored lion sleeping in a cave really, really far away from the madding throng of gawking humans. My sense was the zoo was being very careful about their big cats not jumping 23 feet and eating any of us. I got a closer shot of the Pope the last time I was in Rome.


Absolutely no idea. But they have a lot of them at the San Diego Zoo. I'm thinking all the other zoos don't want 'em.



Martha and Dick Lyles holding some of the next generation of the Origin Entertainment family.



Origin's Founder and Chairman, James Volk and his lovely family looking very beautifully Southern Californian. Everyone here looks like this. (...ahem....)

Everybody, Listen to Starbuck...

Once again, BSG provides the inspiration to sum up pretty much how I feel about everything from geopolitics to presidential primaries to the Superbowl these days.

Somebody tell me how to put this in my sidebar template.

(I got it here.)

Act One Now Acepting Applications

The program I helped found to prepare Christians for Hollywood careers is now accepting applications for our summer intensives. We would be very grateful if you could copy the following message and let your blog or Internet mailing list readers know. (Our list of foundational sponsors includes the National Endowment for the Arts, the DeVos Foundation, the US Bishops Catholic Communications Campaign and the Anschutz Foundation.) A cut and paste-able message is below.

_____________________________________________________


Act One Summer Programs - Applications Now Being Accepted!


Summer Screenwriting Program

The Act One Screenwriting Program trains talented Christians for careers as mainstream
film and television writers. The program takes place in the heart of the Hollywood entertainment industry with intensive classroom instruction and mentoring from a world-class faculty of over 50 top-notch TV and movie writers, agents and producers. Among those you will learn from include Hollywood pros like Dean Batali (That 70s Show, Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Scott Derrickson (The Exorcism of Emily Rose), Monica Macer (Lost, Prison Break), Bill Marsilii (Déjà Vu) and David McFadzean (Home Improvement, What Women Want).

“Act One helps the Christian writer overcome the temptation to ignore or
oversimplify the arduous task of integrating faith and creativity. It provides
not only a serious investigation into the art and craft of screenwriting, but
also a challenge to think deeply about content.”
- Scott Derrickson, writer/director, The Exorcism of Emily Rose

Act One Summer Screenwriting Program
July 11 - August 4, 2008
Los Angeles, CA

Program Dates and Applications

Applications available at: www.actoneprogram.com

Deadline: March 13, 2008 by 5:00 pm


**********************************************************

The Summer Entertainment Executive Program

In partnership with Pepperdine University’s Graziadio School of Business & Management, Act One operates a rigorous 12-week training and internship program to prepare Christian entrepreneurs, attorneys, corporate executives and MBA's for executive careers in mainstream entertainment.

Our elite faculty includes Hollywood professionals from the top networks, studios, agencies and production companies, including: Producers Ralph Winter (Fantastic Four, X-Men), Steve McEveety (The Passion of the Christ, Braveheart) & Howard Kazanjian (Raiders of the Lost Ark); TV Executive Producers Dean Batali (That 70’s Show) & John Tinker (Boston Public, NCIS); Studio, Network and Agency Executives Jocelyn Diaz (Development Exec, ABC) & Terry Botwick (President, Vanguard Animation and Film; former Senior VP at CBS); Chuck Slocum (Assistant Executive Director, WGA West); Exhibitor Michael Pade (Executive VP, Regal Cinemas); Christian scholars Dallas Willard (The Divine Conspiracy) & Larry Poland (Master Media International); and many more.

Act One Executive Program 2008
June 5 - August 22, 2008
Los Angeles, CA

Applications available at: www.actoneprogram.com

Deadline: March 14, 2008 by 12:00 pm


For more information visit www.actoneprogram.com.

Movie Making in an Apocalyptic Time

Saturday, March 8, 2008

1:30p.m. – 5:00p.m.

Family Theater Productions

7201 Sunset Boulevard

Hollywood, California

Dr. Daniel McInerny, associate director of the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture, and Dr. Michael P. Foley, assistant professor in the Great Texts Program at Baylor University will be moderating a lively afternoon’s discussion on the promises and the perils of telling stories in the entertainment industry.

In particular, we will be exploring questions such as the following—

· What is the special character of modern culture, and how is it reflected in contemporary cinema and television?

· What does Catholic culture, and Christianity generally, contribute to the craft of movie making? Does it merely warn us against gratuitous sex and violence or attacks against the Church, or does it contribute more substantially to the art of telling cinematic stories?

· What sorts of stories can Catholics and other Christians effectively tell in the modern world? Are we restricted to explicitly “religious” topics?

· Why are some of the best Catholic films made by non-Catholics?

· Do Catholics and other Christians working in the entertainment industry have a special vocation? If so, what is it?

A buffet lunch will be served at 12:00p.m. at Family Theater, so please come early to enjoy some time with colleagues in the industry.

Fr. Willy Raymond, C.S.C, National Director of Family Theater Productions, will offer Mass at Family Theater directly following the colloquium, to which everyone is also invited.

Seating at Family Theater is limited, so please respond as soon as possible in order to reserve your place at the colloquium.

You may RSVP and address all questions about the colloquium to Dr. Daniel McInerny, either by email at mcinerny.3@nd.edu, or by phone at 574-631-3788. We look forward to seeing you on the afternoon of March 8 for what promises to be a stimulating discussion!