Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening
by chuckofish
Did you enjoy your long MLK weekend?
We celebrated (belatedly) the birthday of daughter #3
and I celebrated (belatedly) the birthday of an old friend with my pals.
The OM and I watched American Sniper
with Bradley Cooper and–this is the last thing I thought I would be saying–he was awesome. He really deserves the Oscar. This movie is really, really good. Clint Eastwood–and I am not a big fan of his directing–knocked one out of the ballpark. I also have to say kudos to Clint, who is eighty-four, for even being able to attempt this at his age. (I know a lot of guys in their eighties and it is hard to imagine any of them making a movie in the desert.)
Put this movie on your “to do” list!
According to Forbes, American Sniper blew past all reasonable predictions and crushed the January record books with a scorching $90.2 million Friday-to-Sunday and an estimated $105 million Friday-to-Monday debut frame. Well, no kidding. This is a movie with an actual (non-comic-book) HERO in it, with a plot, characters, action, tension–the whole nine yards. Of course, people are going to go see it. Duh. Wake up, Hollywood.
In between bouts of reading Middlemarch, I read a Louis L’Amour oater, Ride the Dark Trail, about one of the innumerable Sacketts. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I am also enjoying Middlemarch, which is full of passages like this:
“My mother is like old George the Third,” said the vicar, “she objects to metaphysics.”
“I object to what is wrong, Camden. I say, keep hold of a few plain truths, and make everything square with them. When I was young, Mr. Lydgate, there was never any question about right and wrong. We knew our catechism, and that was enough; we learned our creed and our duty. Every respectable Church person had the same opinions. But now, if you speak out of the Prayer-book itself, you are liable to be contradicted.”
It is a sure sign that I am really getting old, that I identify with the minor, comic characters, I suppose.
Oh, lordy, life is good, right?
dual personalities 
I saw American Sniper, too, and loved it! The audience sat quietly through the entire credits and there was a lot of sniffling. The people who criticize it for ‘glorifying war’ or who call Chris Kyle a murderer, either didn’t watch the same movie I did or just didn’t get it at all. I’m glad you got to see it.
People like Michael Moore who criticize it will only make more people flood to see it. It is typical that Hollywood types hate that it is proving to be so popular. They are clueless.
Lots of critics are missing one of the main points – the struggle veterans have – relatively well-adjusted heroes and PTSD-sufferers alike – adjusting to civilian life after their time of service.
They’ve TOTALLY missed that entire thread of the story, and the heroism of coming home and dealing with the conflict between hero and the inner terror of what Chris Kyle actually did. They just call him a coward. They won’t comment on the tragedy of his murder.
They are ‘hats.
Also, I like ‘daughter #3’ better than D-i-L, which I have used. I’m adopting the style forthwith.
I LOVED American Sniper. I thought Eastwood, Cooper and the writers did a great job developing Kyle as a character. I was shocked, though, that he literally has NO flaws. He isn’t abusive at home. He reassures his comrades. He’s so GOOD and it made me very happy. He’s even polite when he yells at the hospital nurse to check on his newborn daughter. “Hey! You go check on my daughter please now!” His goodness makes the ending all the more upsetting. Lauren didn’t know his story and was totally caught off guard. She was very upset.
It also really bugs me that anyone would call him a coward. American snipers aren’t like enemy snipers who shoot any man in an American uniform. They make it so CLEAR at the very beginning that we have higher standards for engagement when the guy says “you’ll fry if you’re wrong.” It’s not like our enemy has a regular army or uniforms either so it’s that much more difficult. American snipers aren’t ALLOWED to shoot unless there is a legitimate threat to someone’s life. People are such jerks and it’s infuriating.
I often love the minor characters, too! They tend to have wonderful nuggets of insight…
Thank you for commenting on the quote! It was over-shadowed by the Movie, clearly.