A Valentine of Ashes

I'm sure that it has happened before, but this is the first time I can recall where Ash Wednesday fell on Valentine's Day.

Traditionally a day to celebrate romantic love, we often express this with cards, candy, and special dinners.  But today is a day of fast, abstinences, and ashes.

But rather than being a downer, I think that this is a wonderful confluence ideas.  That isn't to say that romantic love is all dower and serious, although it can be.  Ash Wednesday is a day where we remember to die to ourselves.  We put away the person we were before and we take up the cross to follow Christ where He leads.

One of my favorite parts of the wedding ceremony is the unity candle.  It is a large candle with two smaller candles on the side. This is a symbol of death.  When I got married, I invited all of my students to my wedding.  I pitched it as: "Come and watch me die."  And I was completely serious about this point.  Marriage is a kind of death.

In the unity candle, the smaller candles are lit with the large one in the center unlit.  After the vows are exchanged, the bride and groom take these smaller candles in hand.  The smaller candles represent their individual lives.  Together, they light the large candle.  This represents their new life together.  But then they each blow out their individual candles.  This represents the death of their old lives.

At a wedding, the bride looks at the groom and says, "I love you so much that I give my life for you." And she dies.

The groom looks at the bride and says, "I love you so much that I give my life to you."  And he dies.

And then Christ resurrects them into a new life, where the two are now one flesh.

But you cannot rise to this new life unless you die to your old one.  As a married man, I no longer live for myself.  I live for my wife.  My wants, hopes, dreams, plans, and desires no longer matter.  She must be first in my life after the Lord (and my children if we have any).  This is not one-sided.  My wife is an amazing woman and I know that one of the first things she thinks about when she wakes up is "How can I make my husband's life better today?"  

Marriage works if we follow the example of Christ: if we die to ourselves and live for each other.  

That is why today seems like a very appropriate day to reflect on romantic love.  Hopefully the love we have for each other looks less a store-bought Valentine's heart but more like our Lord's Sacred Heart.

The Sacred Heart of Jesus is a heart that burns with passionate love despite the wounds it receives.  In our relationships, we cannot help but come across hurts and slights.  Most couples have been known to have the occasional fight, even big fights.  But if we model our romantic love after that Sacred Heart, we will never light the fire of that passion dim.  

Does this seem impossible?

For human beings it is.

But nothing is impossible for God.

So today, as we celebrate romantic love on this Ash Wednesday, let the fire of our love rise again from these ashes.

Film Review: The Boys in the Boat

 

Sexuality/Nudity Acceptable

Violence Acceptable

Vulgarity Acceptable

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Acceptable

Sometimes a movie can simple, enjoyable, and uplifting without being world changing.  And that can be enough.  

That is the case with The Boys in the Boat.

During the Great Depression, Joe Rantz (Callum Turner) is young man in Washington state, living in a broken-down car in the corner of a shanty town.  He attends the University of Washington in hopes of becoming an engineer, but with his money running out, that dream is looking to end.  However, Al Ulbrickson (Joel Edgerton), the coach of the crew team, holds open tryouts.  Those who make it on the team get scholarships and jobs.  Joe, who has never rowed in his life, tries out and makes it onto the team with other young men.  Together, they struggle through adversity, not only on the river, but in life.  This all comes to a head as they attempt to qualify for the Olympics with the richer schools conspiring against them.

One of the things I really liked about The Boys in the Boat was that it felt like a throwback to classic sports movies of the era in which the movie takes place.  The characters aren't simplistic, but they are straightforward in a way that people in the movies used to be.  There is a quiet masculine dignity in these men working for a success that is in no way guaranteed.  In terms of the production design, director George Clooney does an excellent job of transporting you to the era with the costumes, sets, and props of the day.  As hard as times were, Clooney lets you see the goodness present without overly romanticizing it.  Clooney also does an excellent job of filming the competition scenes.  Like all good sports movies, he knows how to make it visually dynamic while ramping up the tension until you are on the edge of your seats.

The biggest drawback of the film is the fact that it has to make a story with nearly a dozen characters either on the crew, the coaching team, along with other supporting characters.  As a result, you really only get to know Joe and Al fairly well.  There are other guys on the boat, but I'll be honest: none of them made a lasting impression on me.  That isn't necessarily the fault of the actors.  It's just that the movie focuses so much on joe that we barely make an emotional connection with any other member of the team.

But the movie leaves you feeling uplifted.  Our characters are flawed, but they ultimately try to do the right thing.  There is a moment in the third act, where there is an act of idealized sportsmanship that I found very touching.  It is the hope that competition in sports breeds not only intensity and excellence, but mutual respect.

While not much of the movie lingers, what does is a very pleasant memory.

Sunday Best (On Monday): Best Superbowl Ads 2024

 Sorry for the delay on this article, but I was unable to stay up late enough to get this one written.

I am one of those people that enjoys watching the Superbowl primarily for the commercials.  I find them often more entertianing than the game itslef.  Alhtough this year, it was a very exciting game.

While there were lots of ads, here were my top 10 favorite:  (will provide links to each ad)

10. Mountain Dew Baja Blast

I always liked Aubrey Plaza and this was a clever and fun little ad.  What made me really like it was the cameo at the end by Nick Offerman for a mini-Parks and Recreation reuntion

9. Nerds Gummy Clusters

This ad was so silly that I found myself laughing throughout the entire thing.  It was memorable, no doubt, which is what the makers of the commercials are going for.  I thought it was odd that this one of two ads that used Flashdance music

8.  Skechers

Anything with Mr. T becomes better.  He is such an icon and he is a good Christian man that brings me great joy.  I pity the fool that doesn't love Mr. T.

7.  Bet MGM

You put Vince Vaughn in anything and he has the power to make it better.  Set him in Vegas and I am hit with a wave of 90's nostalgia.  Let him turn on the charm and you have my attention the entire time.

6.  Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

Before yesterday, I had zero interest in seeing this movie.  I thought that the franchise had played out.  But this little teaser did what it needed to do: it piqued my interest

5. Dunk King

I have always been a big fan of Ben Affleck.  I like this self parody, down to his friendship with Matt Damon.  Affleck is always best when he is self-effacing and making fun of himself.  This made this ad a hoot.

4.  Thank You, Carl

The "Kick of Destiny" is a decent ad campaign.  But what made this one special was the fact that they paid special tribute to the Might Carl Weathers at the end.  A classy touch that made me respect them more.

3.  Google Pixel

This one made my wife cry.  I really like ads that tell a story in the small amount of time that they have.  This was a touching one about how the technology of the smart phone can make the important parts of life easier to capture.

2. Deadpool

I will be honest, I've watched the full trailer teased here several times.  I was interested in this before, but now I am hyped to see it this July.  I love the way they mock the MCU in a way that only Deadpool can.

1.  Foot Washing

This one hit hard.  I might write about this more extensively, but this one was intentionally provocative.  It meant to get Christians out of their comfort zone.  Seeing things like an abortion clinic worker, someone who helps murder unborn babies, have their feet washed by the Christian was something that I was not prepared for.  But that is exactly the point of Christ washing His disciple's feet.  He said, "If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet."  (John 13:14)  We are here to serve and to love each other, not judge each other.  

New Evangelizers Post: Immaculee Ilibagiza and Forgiveness

                                                              

 

I have a new article up at NewEvangelizers.com.  

Pope Francis writes, “Mercy has two aspects. It involves giving… but it also includes forgiveness and understanding.” More than just acts of charity, mercy is an act where we forgive others. This is something that all Christians must do. “We need to think of ourselves as an army of the forgiven.” It should be a given that in the Christian community we are a people eager to offer forgiveness.

In our own lives, forgiveness can take a heroic amount of effort, especially if the person we are forgiving does not show (what we think is) proper contrition. But living this beatitude will draw us closer to God, because in forgiving we become more God-like. Christ on the cross cried out, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)) How can we come to truly know who God is if we do not forgive as He has forgiven us? God is love. Love (agape) is a complete gift of self without seeking anything in return. How better to demonstrate and live this than by becoming a person of mercy. Being a person of forgiveness means that we can also heal the wounds that separate us from each other. Very often in families there are deep wounds. But if we can learn to forgive, those wounds can be replaced with bonds of love and fellowship.

A recent example of someone who embodies this image of mercy is Immaculee Ilibagiza. During the Rwandan genocide, many members of Immaculee’s family were killed. She hid in a 12-square foot bathroom with seven others for 91 days. She was tormented by thoughts of revenge. One day, she heard a mother and baby die outside of her hiding place, and she asked God how she could forgive the people who did this. She says that God answered her that this poor baby was with Him in heaven now. He also said that everyone is His child. This moment changed her outlook. After her ordeal, her family’s killers were arrested. She went to the prison and looked at the ring-leader, a man named Felicien. She reached out and touched him, saying: “I forgive you.” The Tutsi jailer asked why she would do that and she told him that all she had to offer was forgiveness.

What are some concrete practices to bring this beatitude in my life?

You can read the whole article here.

Sunday Best: Ranking the DCEU - The Final Score

 With the release of Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, we now draw the DCEU to a close.  With James Gunn's intention to reboot the entire universe, the world created by 2013's Man of Steel is now over.  I have been a fan of the DCEU, despite its many ups and downs.  Let us now look back and evaluate what these past 11 years brought us.  (some points below are reposts)

It is no secret that DC struggles to have the same success as Marvel in the film.  Success leads to greater output.  And so you can see the marked distinction between DC's 16 theatrical films (and one straight to streaming) to Marvel's 33 theatrical films (and 23 TV shows and specials).

If I were to put my finger on the basic difference between the two it is this: 

DC was director-centered (originally)

Marvel is producer-centered

DC hires directors with strong visions like Zack Snyder, Patty Jenkins, David Ayer, Cathy Yan, and James Gunn.  They give these directors great latitude to do what they want.  The problem is that when you give creative people no restraints, you will get the extremes of greatness or awfulness.  The great movies of the DCEU are some of the best super hero films ever made.  The bad ones are some of the worst.  And you cannot try to constrain the vision after-the-fact.  This leads to the muddling of the work as in the theatrical Justice League and Suicide Squad.

Marvel, on the other hand, holds tight rein of their directors.  They give them strict guidelines as to what can and cannot be in the movie.  This is so much so that often some of the action sequences will already be determined and pre-visualized even before a director is chosen.  This is why some directors like Edgar Wright and Joss Whedon drop out of big projects.  But the result is that you have a product that has mass appeal for the largest audience.

In other words, Marvel gets on base while DC swings for the fences.

Now, this is not a hard and fast rule for both companies.  Aquaman and Black Adam very much followed the Marvel formula and we can see in Phase 4 some experimentation with the MCU, but generally these views apply.

With that in mind, here is an updated ranking of the 16 DCEU films (and 1 TV show):

17. Birds of Prey:  And the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn

In my Film Flash for The Suicide Squad, I said that it was the worst of the DCEU films.  But I had completely forgotten about Birds of Prey. 

As I wrote previously: "Birds of Prey is a failure on every single level of film-making.  This movie isn't so much a movie as it is a rant.  Nothing is fun, nothing is funny.  As a comic book critic I follow says, the movie is filled with 'LOL so random!' humor that it never actually approaches anything like real comedy.  All of this would be tolerable if we connected on any level to the characters, which we do not.  There is nothing enjoyable, likable, approachable, or sympathetic about any of them.  And while I know that movies tend to deviate from their comic counterparts, what they did with Cassandra Cain is a complete waste of a fantastic and interesting character.  

"What makes it worse is that the movie is completely and utterly smug in how it presents itself, right to the final frame of the film.  The only time the movie has life is during some of the action sequences, particularly in the jail breakout.  For a moment we get a glimpse of what a real Birds of Prey movie could be, but it quickly collapses under the weight of its own inanity."

16. The Suicide Squad

This one is so morally rancid that I don't see it getting much better.  Unlike Birds of Prey, there is some real talent in the writing and directing and there are moments that are very good.  King Shark alone was entertaining enough.  But this bright bowl of nihilism never takes off the way it could.  Over time, it has gotten worse in my estimation, rather than better.

15.  Peacemaker

This movie keeps the same tone as The Suicide Squad, which is not a good thing.  I know that it's horribly unfair to make moral judgments of an artist based on the art, but I get the sneaking feeling that James Gunn enjoys the idea of hurting people.  There is a glee that this show takes in causing pain.  The "heroes" are straight-up murderers and this is never properly addressed.  The only thing that makes this slightly better than The Suicide Squad is that it peels just a few layers back on Peacemaker to reveal an actual character.  

Both this and The Suicide Squad make me very nervous over the fact that James Gunn has been given creative control over the DCEU.  (I'll more on this later)

14. Wonder Woman 1984

This is an incredibly flawed sequel, but it is one that I still enjoy.  It is bright and colorful, but often forgets that it is an action film.  I know a number of people who think this movie is awful and I really don't have an excuse for all of its mistakes.  I can say that despite its shortcoming, the movie has enough good moments for me to enjoy.

13.  Blue Beetle

There is nothing horribly wrong with this outing of the hero.  But by the time this movie was released, it didn't seem like there was anything that it had to say that wasn't said before and better by other superhero films.  That is a shame because the lead actor was good and there is some potential for story growth.  But this one just didn't land the way it should have.

12. SHAZAM! Fury of the Gods

This sequel is fine and sometimes quite enjoyable.  But with the origin story out of the way, I was looking forward to a greater expansion of the SHAZAM mythos.  I know that this sequel got hampered by Dwayne Johnson wanting his Black Adam to stand against Superman rather than SHAZAM, but it would have been nice to see the matchup.  And Zachary Levi is always fun to watch.

11.  Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom

This movie works best when it is a buddy adventure film between the two brothers.  But you get the sense that this movie was re-written and re-shot several times and it doesn't quite hold together with the same sense of fun as the first one.

10.  Suicide Squad

This was a bold choice for this franchise's 3rd film.  And the risk almost pays off.  The premise is unlike anything in the mainstream of super hero movies beforehand.  You had charismatic performances by Will Smith and Margot Robbie.  Heck, even the perennially unwatchable Jai Courtney was amazingly fun to watch.  But the movie suffers from three things:
a. a Joker performance that, while not terrible, suffers in comparison to Nicholson and Ledger
b. a incredibly uncompelling villain
c. a moral black hole in the middle of the movie from which the film never recovers.

This movie actually improves from its original standing having watched the much worse sequel.  

9. SHAZAM!

As I wrote earlier: "SHAZAM! is primarily a comedy with big action set pieces.  Because of the highly subjective nature of comedy, enjoyment of the movie will probably vary a bit more than standard super hero films.  But the humor is broad and varied, with plenty of silly jokes and slapstick.  The main source of the film's humor is in the concept of a young, immature child with the powers of someone like Superman.  The comparison to the Tom Hanks movie Big are unavoidable and the filmmakers lean heavily into it, even making a funny visual reference to that movie during a scene in a toy store."

8. The Flash

As much as I loathe Ezra Miller, I found myself enjoying this movie more than I thought.  That is in no small part due to Michael Keaton's incredibly cool return as the Caped Crusader.  But despite some of the janky CGI at the end, I found myself moved by Barry's ultimate dilemma and call to sacrifice.  If you cannot get past its flaws, I completely understand.  But underneath there is a good super hero film here.

7. Justice League (Theatrical)

I was never someone who hated Joss Whedon's Justice League.  In fact, I saw it multiple times in the theater because I like it so much.  Whedon was given a terrible task of trying to completely change and already completed film.  As a result, the movie is very uneven.  Still, the movie is not nearly as bad as everyone claimed it to be.  But the film does suffer in comparison to Zack Snyder's original vision which we can now all see.  Of the two, this is the inferior one.

6. Aquaman

As I wrote earlier, there are two things that make this film so enjoyable:

"The first is Jason Momoa.  This man is a bonafide action movie star.  He is a charisma machine.  Like Dwayne Johnson, he connects to the audience in a simple way by letting you feel like you are in the good guy's corner and are part of his team.  His effortless charm is horribly disarming.  If that was the extent of his ability, however, Momoa would be another interchangeable movie tough guy.  But this man act.  ...

"The second is director James Wan visual direction.  Aquaman is a great action movie.  Wan knows how to film the up-close-and-personal fighting as in the movies sub rescue.  He also knows how to film a thrilling chase, as we see in the Black Manta sequence.  And he knows how to create the epic scope of an full-scale battle.  In a movie like this, the visuals must not only be dynamic, they must also be cool.  This is essential to get us to buy into these mer-men battles.  The over-the-top nature of the sequences makes it easy for the film to collapse under its own ridiculousness.  But Wan hooks you in and makes you want to see what new visual feat he has planned next.  The scope is like something out of a Peter Jackson fantasy."

5. Black Adam

Since this is the newest, this film has the most potential to slide up and down on this scale.  At this moment, I am still filled with good-feelings towards this film.  Dwayne Johnson makes the film incredibly watchable.  It is very similar in tone to the MCU style that we find in Aquaman, and the script could be smarter, but I see myself watching this film many more times in the future.  

In fact, I might go see it again in theaters before it leaves.

4. Wonder Woman

As super hero origin stories, this is one that was done right.  While it has familiar story beats to other films that have come before it, it feels epic and iconic.  I have seen so many comic book movies, but the No Man's Land scene might be one of my favorites of all time.  Wonder Woman is a fantastic hero whose strength and femininity, courage and innocence, are all wrapped together to make a great movie.

The third act villain falls apart a bit, but the movie still holds up.  When you compare it to the sequel, you can feel how this one holds up better.  All of this is held up by Gal Gadot's charisma.

3.  Zack Snyder's Justice League

This is one of the most satisfying super hero film experiences I have had.  After years, we finally were able to see Zack Snyder complete his vision, of which we only received glimpses before.  The result is a much improved story that fills out the characters, their relationships, and the performances, and this includes what we find with the villains.  This would be higher on the list if it felt like a finale.  Instead, Snyder ended his movie with an epilogue that looks too much into an uncertain cinematic future rather than into a "Happily Ever After."


2.  Man of Steel

There are so many moments in this movie that still give me chills.  People knock on the movie for Superman not being the pillar of optimism and hope that he normally is.  But that was one of the things I loved about the movie.  Superman has to rise above the cynicism of the age that he was also raised in.  He is called to be more, to rise above.  And he does.  Even though he stumbles, he rises.

1.  Batman v. Superman: Dawn of Justice

My love for this movie only grows and grows.  Zack Snyder fully committed to make a movie that used these iconic characters to explore deeper questions about life while still being focused on that iconography.  The movie, to my mind, is unappreciated genius.  And I am more convinced of this with each viewing.  One of the best things about Zack Snyder's Justice League is that you can see the trajectory of the characters, particularly Batman, over the course of the series.  With that, knowing that Batman v. Superman is the Dark Knight at his moral lowest, it is a pleasure to see him rise again to the hero he should be.

Thoughts?

Film Review: Wonka

 

Sexuality/Nudity Acceptable

Violence Acceptable

Vulgarity Acceptable

Anti-Catholic Philosophy Mature

I enjoy Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  I think it has some truly interesting moments, particularly the amazing performance by Gene Wilder.  Having said that, I am not one who who is slavishly devoted to the film the way some are.  So when they announced a prequel movie, I was somewhat interested.

Wonka follows our hero Willy Wonka (Timothee Chalamet) as he comes to the big city to make his name as a magical chocolatier.  However he is met with several obstacles.  There is a monopoly of chocolate sellsers led by Slugworth (Patterson Joseph) who won't let Wonka sell his chocolate.  To make matters worse, Wonka is tricked into indentured servitude to Mrs. Scribitt (Olivia Coleman) where he toils away with other poor souls like the young girl Noodle (Calah Lane).  On top of this, there is a mysterious orange man (Hugh Grant) who keeps stealing his chocolate.  But through it all, Wonka has an indefatigable spirit and continues to dream of creating the greatest chocolate store the world has ever seen.

I will say that the best part of this movie is Chalamet.  I'm used to seeing him play serious and dour characters.  It was such a surprise and a delight to see him pop with charm and charisma.  He has all the liveliness of Harold Hill but without the cynicism.  Because of him, you buy into the happier world he sees, which cuts through the cynical fog.  He and Grant have such a great chemistry that it is a shame that they don't have more scenes with them.  

Director Paul King also has created a visually fun experience.  He makes the drabness of the ordinary world so tangibly dirty and dusty that when the color of Wonka's world bursts through, it feels like a treat.  

The rest of the performances are serviceable.  The performances are in the style of the "children's movie," where they characters are overly broad and showy.  It isn't to say that the actors do a bad job.  But it is a style of performance that isn't to my tastes.  Children should enjoy the cartoonish way the characters present themselves, but I found it just a touch grating.

Like the performances, the music is decent, but nothing memorable.  I think that if the film makers had taken just a little more time to develop the music, this movie could have been a much bigger hit.  The only original song I remember from Wonka  is one called "Scrub, Scrub."  And that song is just a process song that isn't very enjoyable.  Compare this to The Greatest Showman, where almost every single song in that film is outstanding.  Music is a shortcut to character and emotion.  With a better catalogue of songs, it could greatly increased its emotional impact.

The writing has an innocent charm.  There is a gag involving a telephone call that had me laughing out loud unexpectedly.  But there are some tender moments, including the backstory of Wonka and his mother (Sally Hawkins).  This creates the emotional backbone that holds most of the silliness together into a coherent story.

My biggest complaint of the film is that it strangely anti-clerical.  Rowan Atkinson plays a corrupt priest who is helping the villains.  In fact, the entrance to the lair is through the confessional.  Generally I would find this a mild annoyance.  But the fact that this movie is geared towards children made this more a problem.  As an adult, I am able to understand the sinfully human elements of God's ministers.  But it bothers me that a child might see this and associate elements of the faith with something wicked and corrupt.  This is especially the case because it seems so unnecessary.  It is true we also see corrupt police officers, but we also see heroic ones to root for.  This is not the case with the clergy in this film.

Wonka is a decent film and not a bad way to spend a couple of hours.  But like snacking on a candy bar, once it is over, very little of it is going to linger.

Trailer Time: Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

I had a discussion with a good friend of mine about these new Ghostbusters movies.  He said while they are not like the originals, they have much more in common with the cartoon show.  Once he said that, I could see the connection.  This is a good thing as the show was fantastic.

I like that this trailer fleshes out a little more the plot.  I also like the fact that it brings up how putting kids into the Ghostbusting business is inherently dangerous.  But my favorite part was seeing an old character from the originals come back in a way that makes complete sense.

I am really looking forward to this movie.

Thoughts?