The Hobbit Cometh!

There Be Dragons

The real life of Saint Josemaría Escrivá de Balaguer is the stuff of movies ... oh, wait, now it is one.

"This is the official movie trailer for the upcoming May 6 U.S. theatrical release of There Be Dragons. Roland Joffe, the director who brought us the highly acclaimed and deeply spiritual film The Mission has returned to his roots with the epic movie There Be Dragons, a powerful story of war, tragedy, love and redemption.

"Featured in the NY Times, the $35 million Dragons is rated PG-13 and planned for release in theaters worldwide in Spring, 2011. Set during the turmoil of the Spanish Civil War (early 1900s), Dragons tells the story of two childhood friends who become separated during the political conflict to find themselves on opposite sides as war erupts.

"One chooses the path of peace and becomes a priest while the other chooses the life of a soldier driven by jealousy and revenge. Each will struggle to find the power of forgiveness over the forces that tore their lives and friendship apart."

The Real Thing

I am sporadic when it comes to watching television or movies. I can go a long time without watching anything and then I go on little binges and samplers.

Mrs. Nod happened to be watching a TV series called Legend of the Seeker which is your usual fantasy knock-off story. I watched for a little while, then got an overwhelming urge to see Lord of the Rings again in the middle of the show.  Tolkien's world is a deep, complex, fully realized, and ultimately Catholic thing. When you read the novels or watch the movies you come away with a deeply satisfying feeling like after a sumptuous meal.  You know that there is something there.  This other fantasy tripe - not so much.

Similarly, going to adoration or receiving Jesus in the Eucharist produces the same sensation. You know it's Real. I pass a half dozen generic Christian churches on my way to Mass. I often wonder what it would be like to go their services. This one would have great music, that one would have an inspiring preacher, and yet another might have great fellowship. It might be novel for a bit, but it would ultimately pale because they wouldn't have the Real Presence. I liken it to the feeling of walking into the Church on Good Friday and seeing the tabernacle open and empty - there is an almost physical ache of loss.

I wonder what it would be like if all those other churches I pass on Sundays were Catholic. (I'd be walking to Mass for one thing.) Then I shrug and move on.

Ain't nothing like the Real Thing.

Christendom Movie Trailer?

Some guy made a movie trailer out of his first year at Christendom College. Pretty cool actually.
h/t All Hands On Deck

Nikki And Babs Giveaway

Fellow Catholic Dads contributor, Tim Burke at Salvation Is An Adventure, is giving away a free DVD of Niki and Babs: Do and Doubts!

Tim reviewed this Christian episodic for girl teens back in July, and it was something that piqued my interest since I have 3 girls of my own. They haven't quite reached their teens just yet, but a father can't be too prepared -- and you have to snatch up all the good resources while they are available.

I have one sister and growing up it was like a different soap opera every week. In talking to my wife, it is building good relationships that is toughest for girls. Yes, they are better at it than boys, but they can also be much nastier and cliquish. So good models are key.

Tim writes:

The series of five episodes centers on Nikki, a quiet, reserved teenager who is forced to spend the summer with her loud, boisterous cousin, Babs. The interaction between the two is hilarious. Each episode involves an adventure that Nikki and Babs encounter over the course of their summer together. Each episode also take on a specific Christian theme:

1. Judgment Day: Nikki learns that judging others only leads to hurt and a feeling of guilt.
2. Idle Worship: Both Nikki and Babs learn that it is better to worship Christ than man.
3. A Difficult Thing: Babs damages the trust Nikki has in her and must make a sacrifice in order to regain that trust.
4. Y-N-V: Nikki is envious of Babs' accomplishments as they battle for the same job.
5. Vanity Share: Babs learns a lesson in vanity as she and Nikki decide whether to enter a local beauty pageant or participate in their church talent show.

Sounds good to me! Tim says it's a great resource that he uses with his youth groups, and who am I to disbelieve him? If you're feeling generous, Tim, send a copy my way!

If you'd like a shot at a free copy, pop on over to Salvation Is An Adventure and leave him a comment. Better yet, blog or tweet on it and get two chances to win.

Timeless: The Robe

Today I played "20 Questions" with the Nodlings.

I brought them a treat but they had to guess what it was. Between Wynken, Blynken, and Nod-girl they narrowed it down to: fun, a movie, old, Not Rated, in color, religious, and a Bible story.

I'd say they did pretty good for never having heard of The Robe.

Sure, it's dated, the acting is overblown, and the effects are bad by today's standards. But it's still one of the great Catholic Movies we had when growing up. Made in 1953, it was always shown on network television around Easter during the 70s and 80s. Now they don't do that anymore -- they always choose something sacrilegious instead it seems.



I love this kind of movie because it is not ashamed to be what it is: unabashedly Christian.

"The Robe, on the other hand, is a great story, with a sincere effort to communicate a commitment to integrity, whatever the cost." [IMDB]

Some days it's hard to tell aspects of The Robe apart from Ben Hur and The Spear, but it's a great movie nonetheless. What all these stories have in common is that they have a message worth repeating: repentance, forgiveness, conversion, hope, redemption -- it's all available, and now.

It's not dated, it's timeless.

Memorial Day: Reveille

On this Memorial Day, WBN would like to pause to remember all the great men and women who have served this country in the Armed Forces and gave the last great measure of devotion: their very lives.

h/t Thoughts of a Regular Guy

Candidate Passes!

Among the many things I've had on my plate lately, one had a deadline associated with it. The GIAC Certified Penetration Tester (GPEN) test had to be taken and passed by Dec 12 of this year.

My test was scheduled for today; I had been studying on and off for several weeks but with distractions. Well, I took the test and only missed 4 questions; 97.33% not too shabby! This old dog hasn't lost his edge yet.

I felt like I had to ramrod it through regardless of the situation or any doubts about my ability.

My hero: Danny Kaye in The Court Jester. It doesn't matter what he actually does, the candidate passes!

Captain of the Guard: [Hawkins is being tested for Knighthood] He must scale a wall in full armor.
[Hawkins is tossed over the wall]
Captain of the Guard: Candidate passes!
[later]
Captain of the Guard: He must bring down a hawk in full flight.
[a hawk with an arrow is tossed on the ground]
Captain of the Guard: Candidate passes.
Hawkins: But I didn't even shoot...
Captain of the Guard: [shouts] Candidate passes!
[later]
Captain of the Guard: He must capture a wild boar with his bare hands.
[a piglet comes out of a chute followed by sound effects of splashing in the mud]
Captain of the Guard: He passes!

LOTR Fan Film Debuts Dec 1

The much anticipated Lord of the Rings fan film, Born of Hope, is set to debut on the Internet on Dec 1. For those of you who can't get enough of this kind of thing, this is the event for you.

In the meantime, here's the new trailer:

A Little Lonesome Dove

Found myself watching Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry again. I'm not a big Western fan but both the movie and the book are really well done. The subject matter is rather gritty and earthy (not a family movie) but it does deal with some penetrating issues.

The characters are studies in contrasts who are faced with various moral decisions and sometimes simply with survival. The main characters are Woodrow F. Call and Augustus McCrae; one is serious, a workaholic, a noble leader but out of touch with his feelings and moral responsibilities while the other is a free spirit who loves freely in body and heart, avoids work, but has true mettle underneath it all. Both of them are crusty Rangers and best of friends.



One does the right things for the wrong reasons, the other does the wrong things for the right reasons. Putting it in theological terms in the words of author Peter Kreeft, [Call] "wrongly [destroys] heretics in order rightly to destroy heresies; [Gus] wrongly loves heresies in order rightly to love heretics."

Lonesome Dove is a study in forks in the road of otherwise parallel paths.

That, and it has cool fights.

The Butterfly Circus

Good Film. Watch. Now.

The Butterfly Circus

At the height of the Great Depression, the showman of a renowned circus leads his troupe through the devastated American landscape, lifting the spirits of audiences along the way. During their travels they discover a man without limbs at a carnival sideshow, but after an intriguing encounter with the showman he becomes driven to hope against everything he has ever believed. Starring Eduardo Verástegui (Bella), Doug Jones (Pan's Labyrinth, Fantastic Four) and featuring the debut performance of Nick Vujicic.

h/t Mike in CT

Father Brown: The Secret Garden

Just because.

Workin' It

Because I can. I worked it out on a napkin, like all other great ideas ... how can it go wrong?

Overheard In My House

Having lots of Nodlings means we watch plenty of kids' movies.

Nowadays there are plenty of commercials at the beginning of every DVD. One of these advertised the "origins" of the classic film The Black Stallion called The Young Black Stallion.

I love to watch little kids think. At the dinner table, Nod-girl asks me:

"Dad, why don't we have the Little Black Scallion?"

It's not the onions that are making me cry! ;-)

Brother, Can You Spare A Clue?

Walking in DC for the last several days, as I pass by McPherson Square, I see strange sights.

It started out pretty normally, just traffic cops directing traffic -- although there isn't a thing wrong with the traffic lights.

The next time I pass by there is an addition snaking around all four sides of the square: some kind of multi-colored bundle of cables. Maybe they are re-timing the lights ... take a picture with the camera phone, think about it later.


Next day I pass by and the cables are still there, but now there's also some kind of mobile crane. I've seen VDOT use these before to fix the traffic lights; yeah, they're fixing the lights, that must be it. I'm so smart ...


Coming back again, I see they've added a new mobile crane. Wait, is that a spotlight on top of the crane? You don't use spotlights for traffic; something's screwy here. Rushing off ...


A-ha! Now I remember where I've seen those lights: in the theater. You have lecos and frenels; shouldn't there be colored gels with that? Oh, yes here they are: gels.

Wait, if these are theater gels, there must be some kind of show about to happen. It's large and outside, it's in the Square. Didn't I hear something about filming going on near the Key Bridge? I wonder ... yes! Lookee here on that unit!


But this isn't the Key Bridge, this is McPherson Square. But the lights aren't pointed into the Square they are pointing out. So what is worth filming that is at the other end of the Square? Uh, oh yeah -- that.


Still haven't found out what movie it's going to be, but it's been fun to think about for five minutes a day. It is unfolding like a serial mystery. Watson, a clue!

Earth 2100: View For A Few

I don't know why I flip channels, I just do sometimes. Possibly it's because I don' t watch TV regularly, so I'm not really committed to any show. Thus, I fell victim to watching a chunk of ABC's new show Earth 2100.

I won't keep you in suspense: I've seen less crap in a public outhouse.

Stylistically, it's a blend of pseudo-animation, and live footage with heavy-handed effects. The 2D animation in which elements in the still drawings are moved about the frame as well as moving the camera perspective give it a false 3D flavor reminiscent of the "animated" comic book version of the graphic novel The Watchmen. That same apocalyptic feeling permeates the show as well; despite interviews with seemingly dispassionate scientists and thinkers in the cutaway scenes, Earth 2100 fails to hide its hyperventilating global warming / climate change hysteria.

Experts say over the next hundred years the "perfect storm" of population growth, resource depletion and climate change could converge with catastrophic results.

ABC News' "Earth 2100," hosted by Bob Woodruff, takes viewers on a journey through what the next century could have in store.

It's unabashed eco-agitprop. It plays the same worn out refrains that liberal extremists have been harping on for years, despite evidence to the contrary: global warming, ecological disaster, global disease, population control, famine, and societal meltdown -- all due to humanity not heeding the warnings in time.

The show is presented with a narrator voice-over in graphic novel style; it asks us to imagine the horrors in store for us in "what if" style -- but the "if" is spoken very softly and the predictions have the force of unstoppable prophecy.

As entertainment, it was mildly amusing but I've seen better doomsday stories. As a political agenda masquerading as pseudo-science it's laughable and awkward.

You're better off watching re-runs of the A-Team.

Many Things Do Not Fly

"Do not be sad, many things do not fly: rocks, trees, sticks ... Spike."

For those of us who saw this 900 times when our sibs were growing up.

"Treestars!"

"Look out! Sharptooth!"

"Yup, yup, yup!"

Riddle Me This

UPDATE: Take the poll in the upper left sidebar. Vote for your favorite detective!

In a bake-off of great fictional detectives, who would win? I may have to watch them all to find out. Even If I can't draw any final conclusions, it'll still be time well spent. Who would you vote for:

Hercule Poirot



Sherlock Holmes



or Miss Marple?

Observations

Now why is it if a guy offers to buy his wife a power drill for her birthday, he's derided as an insensitive clod, but if his wife offers to buy him that boxed set of movies she wants to see for Father's Day, then that's ok? Just sayin'.

Uh, gee, dunno. Hey, what's this movie about?

Born Of Hope: Trailer

Similar to the people who brought you the excellently executed fan film The Hunt For Gollum, now witness the story of the Dunadain, featuring the father and mother of Aragorn, in Born of Hope.

Born of Hope: Trailer May 2009
Uploaded by BornofHope

From the looks of the trailer, this may be an even better story than the Hunt For Gollum. It is certainly more ambitious -- a full hour vs. 40 minutes, and an original story inspired by two paragraphs in Tolkein's footnotes.

Story:

A scattered people, the descendents of storied sea kings of the ancient West, struggle to survive in a lonely wilderness as a dark force relentlessly bends its will toward their destruction. Yet amidst these valiant, desperate people, hope remains. A royal house endures unbroken from father to son.

This hour long original drama is set in the time before the War of the Ring and tells the story of the Dúnedain, the Rangers of the North, before the return of the King. Inspired by only a couple of paragraphs written by Tolkien in the appendices of the Lord of the Rings we follow Arathorn and Gilraen, the parents of Aragorn, from their first meeting through a turbulent time in their people's history.

UPDATE: TwelveMile writes: Thanks for posting, but I'd like to clear up something: Born of Hope is not created by the same folks who did The Hunt for Gollum, even though some team members worked on both films. Born of Hope has a different director, writer and producer.

Thanks TwelveMile.