New Evangelizers Post: Lent - Peace and Plenty are Not the Norm

                   

 

I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com.  

(This was originally published right before Ash Wednesday)

A passage from JRR Tolkien has always stuck out in my mind since I remember encountering it:

“The Hobbits named it the Shire, as the region of the authority of their Thain, and a district of well-ordered business; and there in that pleasant corner of the world they plied their well-ordered business of living, and they heeded less and less the world outside where dark things moved, until they came to think that peace and plenty were the rule in Middle-earth and the right of all sensible folk. They forgot or ignored what little they had ever known of the Guardians, and of the labours of those that made possible the long peace of the Shire. They were, in fact, sheltered, but they had ceased to remember it.” (Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings, The Fellowship of the Ring)

I am a 21st-Century American. I imagine that most of people who read these articles are the same (though perhaps I have a few international readers). My generation has been blessed to be like the Hobbits of the Shire, who have lived in relative peace and prosperity. That is not to downplay all of the serious troubles that we have experienced, nor the outrages of events like 9/11.

But events in the last few months remind us how so many people around the world do share in the stability that we have in our country. All of us, I’m sure, were horrified as people of Afghanistan surrounded the airports hoping to flee the Taliban. And that same horror resurfaced as we witness the invasion of Ukraine. In the latter, someone pointed out that this was the largest deployment of troops since World War II.

For the first time this year, I have been employed to teach a world history course. I have long been a student of history, so this has been a dream come true. Trying to distill the human experience into a single school year has been a challenge. But one of the things that I have noticed and my students have picked up on is how utterly violent and dark much of human history is.

The story of the human history is mostly one of war, repression, poverty, and violence. One war leads into another, which leads into another, into a seemingly never-ending cycle of violence. I am not saying this to be fatalistic. History is also filled with people who bring love, peace and reform, like Our Lord or St. Francis of Assisi, or Pope St. John Paul II. Yet most people in the world live in an instability caused by the looming threat of violence. It is difficult to imagine having to take up arms to repel a foreign invading army in our streets.

This week we will be coming upon Ash Wednesday. This day is an important time to remember that this world is often a place of scarcity and pain. Ash Wednesday reminds us that we are dust and we will return to the dust. This means that ultimately, the things of the world are dust. As St. Paul writes, “What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ…” (Phil 3:8). If the things of this world do not someone how bring us closer to God and to each other, then they too are dust.

CS Lewis once said that “Prosperity knits a man to the world. He feels that he is finding his place in it, while really it is finding its place in him.” Our relative prosperity and peace in the US may act a spiritual lullaby to make us drowsy to the business of the soul and dream only of the business of our own comfort.

You can read the whole article here.

Sunday Best: Ranking the Cinematic Batmen

 

Ten years ago I ranked the Batman movies.  At the time there were only eight.  Now there have been twelve (if you count the two version of Justice League as two movies and don't count Joker).

Rather than re-rank the movies, I thought we should look back at the eight men who have portrayed the Caped Crusader and rank their interpretations of the character.

To be clear, this is not necessarily a critique of their acting ability.  Sometimes great actors turn in bad performances or they are directed to perform in a way that does not translate well on screen.  This is also not a critique necessarily of the films themselves, but only of the portrayal of Batman in their individual movies.

8.  George Clooney

The fact that his only performance as Batman is in the worst Batman movie ever made is incidental.  Clooney is a fine actor, but he doesn't do any real acting here.  As horrible as Arnold Schwarzenegger and Uma Thurman are, they at least give every ounce of their energy to creating their characters.  Clooney reads his lines like he is a guest host on Saturday Night Live doing a Batman sketch.  It is a completely empty performance.

7.  Val Kilmer

Say what you will about Val Kilmer, but he can act.  Hot off the heals of Tombstone, Kilmer was tapped to take over for Michael Keaton.  If he had brought any of that danger he had as Doc Holiday, then he would rank much higher on this list.  But everything about his Batman feels artificial and robotic.  Unlike Clooney, Kilmer is trying to create a performance, but it is a complete artifice: all surface with nothing underneath it.

6.  Adam West

Over my many years, I have gone back and forth on my feelings about the Sixties era Batman.  As a child, I loved it.  As a teen, I hated it.  As an older man, I can see its appeal and charm, though it is not for me.  Like Clooney and Kilmer, West portrayed Batman in an overly silly and comical tone.  But unlike them, West gave himself over completely to character and created something iconic, whether you like the icon or not.  His voice is unmistakeable and performance is so dead-pan dramatic that you can't help but admire his commitment to the bit.

5.  Kevin Conroy

The only reason why Conroy is not higher on this list is that his portrayal is limited to his voice.  But Batman: Mask of the Phantasm is such a fantastic Batman movie in part because of what Conroy is able to make us feel about the character using only that one acting tool.  His voice is distinctive that to this day people still keep coming back to him to voice the Dark Knight.  Other voice actors have tried to follow in his footsteps, but no one has been able to match him.

4.  Christian Bale

Bale's performance as Batman over the course of The Dark Knight Trilogy was very good.  We got to see him evolve from angry young loner to super hero to broken veteran.  I love watching the wild-eyed anger in him as he approaches Joe Chill to kill him.  There is an understanding that being Batman means being close to madness, but it also means having the nobility to stop from going over the edge.  His "Batman-voice" has become so ubiquitous that whenever people do Batman impressions, they turn to him.  

3. Robert Pattinson

This may be my most controversial choice here.  It is possible that the freshness of Pattinson's performance is making me weigh him more heavily.  But there was such a fire-like intensity to everything Pattinson did in his turn as Batman that I haven't seen in anyone else.  Unlike other Batmen, for Pattinson, there really is no Bruce Wayne persona: he simply is Batman all the time, with or without the mask.  In every scene he is in, the rage at the injustice of losing his parents burns through him.  Already within two years of starting, he is overwhelmed with a weary cynicism, but that fire still burns so brightly.  You can feel his near-insanity, even more-so than in Bale's performance, which is why I have ranked him ahead.

2.  Michael Keaton

I remember so vividly my initial reaction to the casting of Michael Keaton as Batman back in the 1980's:  "They cast 'Mr. Mom?'"

And yet, Keaton is one of the most revered portrayers of Batman and with good reason.  Five years ago I wrote: "It was Keaton's idea to give him the lower-registered voice that has become standard in our portrayals of the Dark Knight.  He gave him his cool and distant demeanor.Watch Keaton's performance when he is not playing 'Bruce Wayne' and he is simply inhabiting Bruce's world.  He is stoic and restrained."

You can see this best in the moment he leaves the roses where his parents were killed.  Keaton plays the moment with perfect restraint while letting you feel the hidden depths of emotion.  And when is Batman, you completely believe his ferocity, focus, and power.  The only reason he is not higher on the list is that he would sometimes slip into his familiar "crazy guy" schtick and he would feel a bit more like Beetlejuice than Batman.

1. Ben Affleck

Anyone who has read this blog for a while knows that I think the world of Affleck's Batman.  As an avid comic book reader, his Batman is the one that most closely resembles the Batman that I've spent years reading about.  

In the past I've written: "I know I may get some hate for this, but Ben Affleck's Batman is the best representation of the comic book Batman I have ever seen on the big screen.  This is not a knock against Michael Keaton or Christian Bale.  But Affleck's Batman is a grizzled, war-scared veteran of the war on crime; he is a hulking wall of muscle that seethes with righteous rage, and he projects a sharp intelligence.  The killing part is still very problematic, but otherwise it is like the Batman from the comic books came to life on the screen."

Affleck did everything to bring this version of Batman to life and he embodies all of the best aspects of the other performances into one.

Thoughts?

How would you rank the cinematic Batmen?

Trailer Time: Ms. Marvel

I want to say upfront that I have not been a big fan of Kamal Khan from the Marvel Comics.  Like Miles Morales in the comics, her stories are either bland or weirdly preachy.  She constantly feels like a character that you are "supposed" to like rather than one who organically becomes a fan favorite.

Also, a lot of the people I listen to have been dragging this trailer, saying that it is pointing to the end of the MCU.

My own thoughts?

I thought it looked kind of fun.

In this trailer, Kamala seems way more fun, engaging, and relatable than in the comics.  She is an outcast geek, in the same way Peter Parker was the way Stan Lee originally wrote him.  As a high school teacher, there is something about her that is very familiar to some of the students I teach.  I like the fact that she in many ways is an alienated, boy-crazy, typical teen.  Seeing this trailer, I was reminded how the cinematic end of Marvel properties does a better job of making their characters appeal to a broader audience.  Miles Morales is awesome in Into the Spider-Verse, and Kate Bishop was sort of charming in Hawkeye on Disney +.

I also like that they changed her power set from the comics to something different on film.  This makes her much more akin to Captain Marvel and thus makes their connection stronger.  

Very little is scene of the story, but that is okay for now.  I'm not looking for this one to change the world or anything.  But it looks to be an enjoyable Ant-Man level romp.

Thoughts?

TV Tap Out: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel

 

Years ago I came up with the term "TV Tap Out."  This referred to when a TV series did something that bothered me so much that I had to "tap out" and quit.  

And I believe I have reached this point with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.

The show takes place in the late '50's/ early '60s.  Miriam Maisel (Rachel Brosnahan) is an upper-middle class Jewish New York married mother whose husband leaves her.  After this, she decides to pursue a career in stand-up comedy.

I was turned off by the show in the pilot when the main character tricked members of her Jewish family into eating shellfish at her wedding.  I thought this was an unnecessarily antagonistic move towards people of faith.

However, I gave the show another chance.  I found that while it was often vulgar, it had some incredibly funny writing, fantastic production design, and some great performances.  I soon found myself getting caught up in the main character's professional and family drama.

The fourth season is airing on Amazon.com now, with new episodes dropping every Friday.

SPOILERS AHEAD

This past week, Miriam's father (Tony Shalhoub) was trying to hide out from people threatening him.  So he decides to take refuge in a Catholic Church just as the communion line was forming.  He did not know what was happening, until he was at the communion rail.  He then received the Body of Christ.  As he relates this story to his wife (Marin Hinkle), he pulls out the Host from his pocket.  The two then proceed to discuss how to dispose of the Blessed Sacrament.

I can be charitable and imagine that there was no ill intent involved.  Perhaps there was only a significant display of ignorance about what Catholics believe about the Host.  And to be fair, Miriam's father was very disturbed that he was sacrileging something holy to Catholics. I'm not sure I can continue watching the show.

After watching that scene, I felt all the enjoyment drain from what I was watching.  I had to stop and attempted to look up how this situation got resolved (I could not find anything conclusive).

As a Catholic, I believe that the Eucharist is Christ Himself.  To see a depiction (though fictional) of our Lord treated so horribly is something I find very disturbing.  I have witnessed scenes of the Blessed Sacrament being abused, as in the movie Romero.  But in those circumstances, you are meant to be filled with horror at the act and moved by the bravery of the hero to save the Eucharist from further desecration.  

In The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, this desecration is played for laughs.  It felt to me that our Lord was mocked as He was when crowned with thorns.

Again, I wish to be charitable to the producers and believe that this degradation of the Blessed Sacrament was only meant as a gentle tease instead of a blasphemy.  But I do not know that I can continue on with this series now.

I would like to close with the Angel's prayer from Fatima:

O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners.

Film Flash: The Batman

 

 15 words or less film review (full review to follow soon)

Noir murder/mystery.  Grounded, fresh, dark, intense.  Feels like a mini-series.  Great for comic fans.

Lack of Updates February/March 2022

 Dear Reader,

Thank you again for your patience.

Everything is going well, but I have hit a convergence of several time-sensitive activities that have been eating up my time and away from this blog.

These include, but are not limited to:

-directing a musical that will open very soon

-preparing new lessons plans for a class I have never taught before

-working on a project for a master's degree in philosophy

-organizing a Synodal Process for my school

-regular grading and teaching.

These next few weeks may be very busy so my updates here may be very light.  I thank you for all of the times that you have stayed with this blog during these slow times.

My hope is that by mid-March, my work-load will become much lighter and I will be able to devote more time to this blog, especially as it approaches its 10th year anniversary!

God Bless,

Catholic Skywalker

Trailer Time: The Lord of the Rings - The Rings of Power Teaser

JRR Tolkien originally wanted to call the final part of his trilogy The War of the Ring.  

It is a title that aptly describes the online vitriol over this upcoming Amazon Middle-Earth series.

To some extent, I understand it.  After all, beloved franchises like Star Wars have been plundered by people like Rian Johnson who fundamentally did not understand George Lucas or his visionary genius.  Instead, he wanted to say something and Star Wars just happened to be a vehicle for that message.

One of the things that makes Peter Jackson's interpretation of The Lord of the Rings so good is that everything is done with a reverence for Tolkien.  There are some serious deviations in the story and character, especially with a character like Faramir.  But all of this was done in order to find a way to successfully interpret Tolkien's ideas cinematically.  As a result, Jackson's trilogy is an all time classic.  I heard a youtuber recently say, something akin to "Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings is so good that no one has been able to match it, even Peter Jackson." (referring to Jackson's Hobbit trilogy).

So there is a huge portion of fandom that is waiting to get sucker-punched.  I don't blame them for being wary.

Me?

I try to be a bit more optimistic.  

This trailer did not do anything that turned me off of the project, but it didn't do too much to excite me.  I enjoy the sweeping vistas of Middle-Earth.  I especially love the shot of the riders surging into battle on their horses.  But right now there is nothing that is really grabbing me.

If you look at the very first Lord of the Rings teaser, it does an amazing job of pulling you in through only a few seconds and brief flashes.  After going through The Hobbit trilogy, returning to Middle-Earth is not as exciting a prospect.

What I really want to see is how the characters, especially returning ones like Galadriel and Elrond, are handled by this story.  Will they be radically altered away from Tolkien's vision?  And if they are, will it be to turn away from the main vision, as Johnson did with Luke Skywalker or towards the vision as Jackson did with Faramir?

I do not know.  But I remain open.

Thoughts?