dual personalities

Tag: movies

March 15, 2021

“Into the quiet cardigan harbor of my life”*

by chuckofish

Once again I was reminded that I am approaching 65 and that I don’t bounce back from things like medical procedures the way I used to. It took days to recover from having my port taken out! I spent most of Friday napping and the few errands that daughter #1 and I ran on Saturday wore me out. Just call me Oldie Hawn.

But we watched The Quiet Man (1952) on Saturday night (St. Patrick’s Day approaches) and I stayed awake through the whole wonderful thing.

The Quiet Man is another one of those movies we can recite practically in its entirety from memory (and with an Irish brogue) and to whose location we have made a pilgrimage. Monument Valley is next on the list of pilgrimages, but who knows when that will actually happen, what with the goal posts of COVID restrictions being constantly moved.

The wee babes did not come over as usual on Sunday night because their other grandmother has returned from Florida and her presence in town takes precedence over all. I do not begrudge her this, but it was still disappointing. The OM was all set to barbecue! C’est la vie. (See John Wayne’s face above.)

In order to get out of the resultant Slough of Despond, I did not watch a movie from my lenten list, but instead watched Uncle Buck (1989), a go-to anti-depressant for me.

I felt better (and thinner).

Now it is the beginning of a busy work week. Zoom meetings galore. Onward and upward.

*But having sailed some time ago
into the quiet cardigan harbor of my life
out of earshot of the siren songs
that lure men onto reefs of foolishness
not to mention the bridges of bravado,
it’s enough to let the soap bubble
of that Hank Mobley thought drift
slowly across the living room and burst
with no warning, much to the amazement of the cat.

Billy Collins
6 Comments
March 12, 2021

“Must be getting early, clocks are running late”*

by chuckofish

Daylight Savings time starts on Sunday. The days will start to be longer and that’s okay with me.

I finished reading The Eighth Day by Thornton Wilder last week and I really enjoyed it. It’s been a long time since I’ve read any fiction of substance where interesting characters express interesting thoughts.

“I have long noticed that people who talk to those closest to them only about what they eat, what they wear, the money they make, the trip they will or will not take next week—such people are of two sorts. They either have no inner life, or their inner life is painful to them, is beset with regret or fear.”

I started to re-read The Bridge of San Luis Rey and I’m also reading a biography of R.C. Sproul.

This article about The Pilgrim’s Progress was interesting. I remember it was a favorite of the boy when he was a child. I think it is true that while “the Christian allegory is inescapable and unmissable for adults, for younger readers Bunyan’s book can read like an exciting fantastical adventure featuring more than its fair share of peril, drama, and creative invention.”

“When Theodore Roosevelt died, the Secretary of his class at Harvard, in sending classmates a notice of his passing, added this quotation from ‘Pilgrim’s Progress’: ‘My sword I give to him that shall succeed me in my pilgrimage, and my courage and skill to him that can get it. My marks and scars I carry with me, to be a witness for me that I have fought His battles who now will be my rewarder.'” (FDR)

It may be time to re-read this classic as well.

I didn’t watch any movies on my lenten list this week, but I will this weekend. I did watch Go For Broke! (1951), which I had never seen. It is the real-life story of the 442nd, which was composed of Americans born of Japanese parents, many of whom were in internment camps back in the U.S. Fighting in the European theater during WWII, this unit became the most heavily decorated unit for its size and length of service in the history of the U.S. Army, as well as one of the units with the highest casualty rates.

It starred Van Johnson who was nearly a foot taller than most of his co-stars, which seemed kind of racist, but was probably just illustrative of the truth. It wasn’t the best war movie ever, but I enjoyed it and I learned something. The screenplay by Robert Pirosh was nominated for an Academy Award in 1951. Back then they knew how to make different characters knowable and distinctive in a very short time and this film was very effective in doing that.

In other news, yesterday afternoon I finally got my PowerPort removed and that is a great relief. It’ll leave a scar, but Yay.

It has been raining and it is supposed to rain off and on all weekend. We will endeavor to have a good weekend anyway!

*Grateful Dead, Touch of Grey

5 Comments
March 8, 2021

Create in us clean hearts, O God

by chuckofish

The OM and I drove down to Jeff City to get our first vaccine shots on Friday, because God Only Knows when we would have gotten them in STL County.

Here we are after our shots, waiting for 15 minutes in the HY-VEE grocery store. I am on the phone, dealing with a problem at work that my assistant called me about–(“Call me as soon as you can!!”)–apparently I am indispensable. Also I look 100 years old and have morphed into my Mother or maybe my Grandmother. C’est la vie. Whatever.

We were there for less than 24 hours but we had fun with daughter #1. We ate lunch at an actual restaurant and drove to the outlet mall at Osage Beach where we did a wee bit of actual in person shopping. It was kind of mind blowing. We had ice cream at the Central Dairy, Jeff City hot spot.

Back in St. Louis, I caught up on laundry and vacuuming and all that stuff. I watched Sling Blade (1996) from my lenten movie list.

I hadn’t seen it in many years as it is super intense, but it was awesome. It actually has a lot in common with Shane–particularly the relationship of the boy and the stranger who comes to town. He is very passive and mysterious and he doesn’t say much, but he is taking it all in, and in the end he knows he must act to protect those he has come to love. It reminded me of Woody Allen’s comment about Shane–“Sometimes there is no other way out of a situation but…to go in there and kill them. Very few of us are brave enough or have the talent to do it….there are times when that evil reaches the level of pure evil.” Spoiler alert–This is also the situation in Sling Blade. Anyway, I highly recommend it. John Ritter as the gay friend, who like the farmers in Shane is helpless against the evil badman, is priceless, and, of course, I love Lucas Black so much. Cousin Dwight Yoakum is equal to Jack Palance in menacing scariness. Billy Bob Thornton, who wrote, directed and starred as Karl Childers, won an Oscar for screenplay, but deserved more. It is a gem of a movie.

The wee babes came over on Sunday night and brought their scooters and chalk, because it was a beautiful day.

Lottie drew a picture of me.
And I drew a picture of Lottie.

We saw lots of people walking by and a myriad of dogs, plus one red sports car, which was extremely exciting. Good times.

I liked this article. “Sin is not just the doing of bad, but also the failure of doing good.” Episcopalians know a lot about this:

Most merciful God,
we confess that we have sinned against you
in thought, word, and deed,
by what we have done,
and by what we have left undone…

Oh, those sins of omission. They do pile up.

O Thou that asketh much of him to whom thou givest much, have mercy. Remember me not for the ill I’ve done but for the good I’ve dreamed. Help me to be not just the old and foolish one thou seest now but once again a fool for thee. Help me to pray. Help me whatever way thou canst, dear Christ and Lord. Amen.

Godric in Godric by Frederick Buechner

We’re off to a busy week. Have a good one.

5 Comments
March 5, 2021

“Where does the power come from, to see the race to its end? From within.”*

by chuckofish

You don’t become like Christ by beholding TV all week. And you don’t become like Christ by beholding the Internet all week. You don’t become like Christ when you fill your life with things of this world. You become like Christ when you behold the glory of Christ, and you expose your life, moment by moment, to his glory, all through God’s revelation in Scripture.

David Platt

I know this is true and I have good intentions regarding reading my Bible. (But, as we know, the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.) And I know watching movies as part of my lenten practice would be frowned upon by those more devout than I. Nevertheless, I have watched several on my list this week: Chariots of Fire, Hombre, and The Robe. And I make no apologies for this. I will no doubt watch something from my list this weekend.

I do not watch network TV or the news. I am not on twitter or facebook. Most of the people I follow on Instagram are Calvinists, needlepointers or birdwatchers.

I try to keep my focus where it ought to be. I try hard and that’s the best I can do. It goes a long way in helping me keep my equilibrium and the serene outlook for which I am mysteriously famous.

I enjoyed reading these 10 Things You Should Know about R.C. Sproul.

Enjoy your weekend.

*Eric Liddell in Chariots of Fire (1981)

3 Comments
March 2, 2021

“Be at peace, Son of Gondor.”

by chuckofish

Now as we journey through the 40 days of Lent and we continue our Lenten practice of movie viewing, I thought it would be fun to have another Pop Quiz! The movie quotes listed below are all from my favorite Lenten films, i.e. films having to do with sacrifice and redemption. List the movie titles in the Comments section and I’ll post the answers later today. Good luck!

-You crucified him. You, my master. Yet you freed me. I’ll never serve you again, you Roman pig. Masters of the world, you call yourselves. Thieves! Murderers! Jungle animals! A curse on you! A curse on your empire!

-Anybody here? Hey, Old Man. You home tonight? Can You spare a minute. It’s about time we had a little talk. I know I’m a pretty evil fellow… killed people in the war and got drunk… and chewed up municipal property and the like. I know I got no call to ask for much… but even so, You’ve got to admit You ain’t dealt me no cards in a long time. It’s beginning to look like You got things fixed so I can’t never win out. Inside, outside, all of them… rules and regulations and bosses. You made me like I am. Now just where am I supposed to fit in? Old Man, I gotta tell You. I started out pretty strong and fast. But it’s beginning to get to me. When does it end? What do You got in mind for me? What do I do now? Right. All right.

-God made countries, God makes kings, and the rules by which they govern. And those rules say that the Sabbath is His. And I for one intend to keep it that way.

-On the day of my judgment, when I stand before God, and He asks me why did I kill one of his true miracles, what am I gonna say? That it was my job? My job?

-You tell God the Father it was a kindness you done. I know you hurtin’ and worryin’, I can feel it on you, but you oughta quit on it now. Because I want it over and done. I do. I’m tired, boss. Tired of bein’ on the road, lonely as a sparrow in the rain. Tired of not ever having me a buddy to be with, or tell me where we’s coming from or going to, or why. Mostly I’m tired of people being ugly to each other. I’m tired of all the pain I feel and hear in the world everyday. There’s too much of it. It’s like pieces of glass in my head all the time. Can you understand?

-You’re a persistent cuss, pilgrim. You really aim to hang that up outside somewhere?

-That’s why I *painted* it.

-Well, take some advice, pilgrim. You put that thing up, you’ll have to defend it with a *gun*… and you ain’t exactly the type.

-He gave me water, and the heart to live. What has he done to merit this?

-He has taken the world of our sins onto Himself. To this end He said He was born, in that stable, where I first saw Him. For this cause, He came into the world.

-For this death?

-For this beginning.

-Wait a minute. You aren’t seriously suggesting that if I get through the wire… and case everything out there… and don’t get picked up… to turn myself in and get thrown back in the cooler for a couple of months so you can get the information you need?

-Yes.

-Know what you want to stay for? Something that means more to you than anything else – your families – your wives and kids. Like you, Lewis, your girls. Shipstead with his boys. They’ve got a right to stay here and grow up and be happy. That’s up to you people to have – nerve enough to not give it up.

-Just ’cause I ain’t gonna be around no more, maybe, don’t mean that I don’t care for you.

-I care ’bout you too, but you’ll be around. Don’t say that.

-Doesn’t matter where I was to be. We’ll always be friends. You and me made friends right off the bat. Don’t nobody ever change that. I kindly want to put my arm around you, then I’m gonna get up out of here and leave…I love you, boy.

-My husband and son are on that train. I want to get on that train. Did you hear me? I want to get on that train.

-I would like at least to know his name.

-He was called John Russell.

Good job! 👍

11 Comments
February 26, 2021

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer. *

by chuckofish

It is Friday and the weather has completely turned around since last week. The days are sunny and relatively warm. The birds are chirping away merrily. I saw two flickers in the oak tree in the front yard. Everyone is out and about. It is a veritable traffic jam of walkers in my neighborhood. We can see our shadows!

As usual, I have no plans for the weekend. Why break precedent?

In the Quelle Coincidence Dept. I read this article about Robinson Crusoe shortly after blogging about it.

I will also note that I watched Kit Carson (1940) with John Hall (on YouTube) and really enjoyed it. The plot reflects very little historical accuracy, but who cares? Kit Carson is depicted accurately (if hyper-romantically) and Hall is quite engaging. It is a mystery why he didn’t have more of a career. He is ably supported by Ward Bond and Dana Andrews. Next up: John Hall in Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves (1944).

Sunday is the birthday of the actor Charles Durning (1923-2012). You may recall him in The Sting (1973) or Tootsie (1982) or Oh, Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000). He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for both The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas (1982) and To Be or Not To Be (1983).  

But did you know that during WWII Durning was in the first wave of American troops that landed on Omaha Beach during the invasion of Normandy? As it turned out, he was the only survivor of his unit that arrived in France on D-Day. After being wounded by a German anti-personnel mine, he spent six months recovering. Durning was then reassigned to the 398th Infantry Regiment with the 100th Infantry Division and participated in the battle of the Bulge. He was discharged in 1946. For his valor and the wounds he received during the war, Durning was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and three Purple Hearts. He is buried at Arlington Cemetery. I discovered this when I did a little research on the Silver Star, the third highest military decoration for valor in combat, after reading MacKinlay Kantor’s Glory For Me. Amazing. Wow. We salute you, Charles Durning.

This Sunday the gospel lesson is Mark 8:31-38:

Jesus began to teach his disciples that the Son of Man must undergo great suffering, and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again. He said all this quite openly. And Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But turning and looking at his disciples, he rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan! For you are setting your mind not on divine things but on human things.”

He called the crowd with his disciples, and said to them, “If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it. For what will it profit them to gain the whole world and forfeit their life? Indeed, what can they give in return for their life? Those who are ashamed of me and of my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, of them the Son of Man will also be ashamed when he comes in the glory of his Father with the holy angels.”

Hard words from our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Peace, brother. Have a good weekend.

*Romans 12:12

6 Comments
February 23, 2021

Our daily bread

by chuckofish

Here’s hoping you are not dreading anything this week.

I gather that yesterday was National Margarita Day. Why didn’t someone inform me? If I didn’t read Instagram, I would never know. (Note to self: stop reading Instagram.)

Today we toast the handsome actor John Hall (1915-1979) on his birthday. Best known for nearly blowing away in The Hurricane (1937) with Dorothy Lamour…

…he also starred as the title character in Kit Carson (1940) with Dana Andrews as Captain Fremont, which I am going to try and find to watch. I’m sure it’s dreadful, but who knows. Ward Bond plays his sidekick–how bad could it be? And that coat looks almost authentic.

The gospel lesson for today is:

“And in praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

Our Father who art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come,
Thy will be done,
    On earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread;[a]
12 And forgive us our debts,
    As we also have forgiven our debtors;
13 And lead us not into temptation,
    But deliver us from evil.[b]

14 For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father also will forgive you; 15 but if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Matthew 6:7-15

Seems pretty straightforward. But forgiveness is a hard thing.

When we strive against all thoughts of revenge; when we will not do our enemies mischief, but wish well to them, grieve at their calamities, pray for them, seek reconciliation with them, and show ourselves ready on all occasions to relieve them. (Thomas Watson, Body of Divinity)

Hang in there. Dread not.

6 Comments
February 19, 2021

“Call it sad, call it funny/ But it’s better than even money”*

by chuckofish

Another Friday and another snowy week. I ventured out once for a doctor’s appointment and the driving was okay. I have driven so infrequently over the past 11 months, that I always worry that I will have forgotten how…and in the snow!

Recently I was reminded that the movie The Best Years of Our Lives (1946) was based on Glory For Me, a novel by MacKinlay Kantor, which he wrote in blank verse. I bought a used copy online and read it this week.

It is about about three service men, honorably dis­charged for medical causes toward the end of WWII, who re­turn home to the same town where in peacetime they had not known one an­other. The Oscar-winning screenplay, written by Robert Emmett Sherwood, uses much of the book, but softens it up for the postwar audience. The book is quite graphic in parts, as books can be where films dared not be. I liked it and it reminds one how hard veterans returning to “normal” life have always had it, even after a “popular” war. I’ll have to watch the movie–which is a great one–again soon.

Earlier in the week the OM and I watched the movie Robinson Crusoe (1954) based on the novel written by Daniel Defoe and published in 1719. Everyone knows the story about a castaway who spends 28 years on a remote tropical desert island, encountering cannibals, captives, and mutineers, before ultimately being rescued, but I had never read the book or seen any of the movies based on it. I was interested in the 1954 version because it was directed by the famous Luis Bunuel, the Spanish director who is considered the “father of cinematic Surrealism.” It is, however, a straightforward telling of the story with Dan O’Herlihy as Crusoe and Jaime Fernandez, the Mexican movie star, as Friday. Both are engaging. They develop as characters and that is, after all, what we look for.

It is a much better movie than Castaway (2000), that’s for sure. So check it out. It’s available on Amazon Prime and Youtube.

“I learned to look more upon the bright side of my condition, and less upon the dark side, and to consider what I enjoyed rather than what I wanted; and this gave me sometimes such secret comforts, that I cannot express them; and which I take notice of here, to put those discontented people in mind of it, who cannot enjoy comfortably what God has given them, because they see and covet something that He has not given them.  All our discontents about what we want appeared to me to spring from the want of thankfulness for what we have.”

Robinson Crusoe

I will note that yesterday was the anniversary of Martin Luther’s death in 1546. This article about his death is interesting. Even Episcopalians mark the day on their calendar of saints and well they should.

Behold, Lord
   An empty vessel that needs
      to be filled.
   My Lord, fill it
   I am weak in the faith;
   Strengthen me.
   I am cold in love;
   Warm me and make me fervent,
   That my love may go out
      to my neighbor…
   O Lord, help me.
   Strengthen my faith and
      trust in you…
   With me, there is an
      abundance of sin;
   In You is the fullness of
      righteousness.
   Therefore I will remain
      with You,
   Whom I can receive,
   But to Whom I may not give.

Martin Luther

Enjoy your weekend! Daughter #1 is taking the train home later today so she can fetch her car. Some fun is in the offing.

*Frank Loesser

7 Comments
February 9, 2021

“Clandestine amours so soon, Mr Blifil?”

by chuckofish

Love is in the air, right? I mean, Valentine’s Day approaches, so aren’t we all madly planning exciting and creative ways to celebrate? Well, maybe not. But okay, we’re all wondering what to watch on Valentine’s Day. Whatever.

In light of that, I thought it was time for another Pop Quiz. Identify the romantic movies from which each of these quotes comes and write your answers in the Comments section. I’ll post the answers later today.

– You seem to be very… earthly for a spirit.

– And you, madam, are enough to make a saint turn to blasphemy!

– How about making me vice president in charge of cheering you up?

– But you don’t know me – you don’t know who I am.

– I know all I want to know. Will you go?

– Is this a courting or a donnybrook? Have the good manners not to hit the man until he’s your husband and entitled to hit you back.

– Yes. Get off my back, lady. Stop living vicariously on what you think I do! There are plenty of warm rolls in the bakery – stop pressing your nose against the window!

– And if you get bored in Oklahoma City, you can always go over to Tulsa for the weekend!

-All a man has to do is be firm. You know how sometimes I have had to be firm with your mother.

-Yes, but father, but what can you do when they cry?

– Hmm… well, uh… that’s quite a question. You just have to make them understand that what you are doing is for their good.

– And wuv, tru wuv, will fowow you foweva…So  tweasure your wuv.

– The fact that you’re not answering leads me to believe you’re either (a) not at home, (b) home but don’t want to talk to me, or (c) home, desperately want to talk to me, but trapped under something heavy. If it’s either (a) or (c), please call me back.

– Then you do love me, don’t you? Don’t you?

– You know I do.

– I killed you. Haunt me, then! Haunt your murderer! I know that ghosts have wandered on the Earth. Be with me always. Take any form, drive me mad, only do not leave me in this dark alone where I cannot find you. I cannot live without my life! I cannot die without my soul.

– You baked today. I can smell fresh bread on you. Sometime today, you cooked with salt pork. Smell that on you, too. You smell all over like soap: you took a bath. And, on top of that, you smell all over like a woman. I could find you in the dark, Mrs. Lowe, and I’m only part Indian.

Honey, there’s a spider in your bathroom the size of a Buick.”

How’d you do?

9 Comments
February 5, 2021

“Some day we’ll look back and smile”*

by chuckofish

It is Friday at last. The weekend is upon us. Huzzah!–although the weather doesn’t look great. Nevertheless I am happy, because…happiness is the weekend, right?

I have no plans per usual, but I will think of something. An estate sale, a trip to the antique mall–anything to get out of the house. Maybe I will just walk on the curb for some excitement.

This is a great podcast/article from John Piper on the Fog of Triviality that our culture embraces.

One of the curses of our culture, and it has permeated the church and most Christian communication, is banality, triviality, silliness, superficiality, and an eerie addiction to flippancy and levity. This is accompanied by what to me seems a baffling allergy to seriousness, dignity, articulate precision, brokenhearted joy in public speech. Carelessness in speech and casualness in demeanor turn up in places and times where you would least expect them — where you hope for clarity and earnestness and gravity.

Somebody had to say it. I am certainly guilty of it. It is good to be reminded of the “awe-fullness of God.”

On the bright side, I have good news for Richard Farnsworth fans! The Grey Fox (1983) is finally available to watch! I found it on Prime to rent for 99 cents.

I had not seen it since it was originally released in 1983 and it holds up very well. I am a great fan of Farnsworth who started his career at the age of 19 as a stuntman and extra in such movies as Gone With the Wind and Gunga Din in the 1930s.

Over the years he herded cattle on Red River where he doubled Montgomery Clift. He doubled Kirk Douglas in Spartacus and Steve McQueen on Wanted Dead or Alive. He doubled Henry Fonda in Fort Apache and on and on. When he finally turned to acting, he was nominated twice for an Academy Award. And he got to play Dolly Parton’s father!

He had quite a career.

So have a good weekend! Watch a good movie! Smile.

*Chris Stapleton

6 Comments