Friday, November 11, 2011

Hither and thither 11/11/11

Quiet week on The Intrawebs. Well, unless you're Herman Cain, or poor Rick Perry.

Being neither, I come bearing all this:
  • First, the serious note: today is Veteran's Day in the US. Sincere and hearty THANK YOU to all who have served or are serving in the military. My family and I appreciate you.
  • Now to the usual mix of seriousness and frivolity and whimsy.
  • You know, I can sympathize with this guy:
  • So, fine; to some people, the news is that Harry Potter/Twilight star Robert Pattinson wore a Christian horror punk band T-shirt on late-night TV. To me, of course, the news is that there evidently is such a thing as Christian horror punk bands
  • Sorta relatedly: Kristen Stewart as "the fairest of them all"? Um, how not to sound rude...? Ah, never mind. I'll probably just watch this again, anyway.
  • Phil Johnson is probably already doing a post on 'em. I'm always the last to know.
  • Back to poor Kristen...
  • Courtesy of Dawn Lewis: go to Google, type in the words do a barrel roll, and hit Enter. You're welcome.
  • Dawn also alerted me to other Googly easter-eggs.
  • And then Julie noted a bit of satisfying but risky justice involving a clever lass and a stolen bike.
  • So, "'Christian' — you keep using that word..." I appreciate Dr. Mounce's candor in telling a story on himself when, as a Christian PhD student, he couldn't briefly answer a stranger's question: "What is a Christian?" That's a question every Christian should be able to answer, it seems to me. For one thing, you had to know, in order to become one. It isn't like being an American, where all you need is to be born here, and never need to read a word of the Constitution.
  • Takes me back to a pastoral conversation some 25 years ago where, trying (fruitlessly) to gauge the spiritual life of a churchgoer, I asked: "If someone asked you, 'How can I be saved?', what would you answer?" I thought that would bring us to the core of the matter.
  • Wrong. His answer? "I'd tell him to ask the pastor." Yikes.
  • This list of movie series that were ruined by wretched sequels leaves off perhaps the worst instance: Alien 3. We don't even count it. Like the Carter presidency.
  • When you're a job-seeker in a hirers' market, the questions eventually get to, "Yes, that's terrific — but can you...?"
  • Less exciting but more seasonal: as you prepare for Thanksgiving, reader Kristina wonders if maybe you'll want to try... a bacon pig?
  • Author-reader Kerry Allen adds bacon floss — which we may have had before, but bears repeating.
  • Kerry also notes for us... bacon bookmark!
  • And, segueing silkily from Kerry to Perry...
  • One good thing that came out of Rick Perry's "Uh... uh... ops" gaffe is a pretty funny Top Ten list on Letterman.
  • Okay... great... how hold that smile!
  • Well done.
  • Gracious words continue to warm my heart, coming from the folks who reading the books. Iwana related some of what she read in God's Wisdom in Proverbs to her readings in Psalms. The book got a new five-star rating review at Amazon, which said it bridges "the gap between technical commentaries and the multitudes of 'how to read' books." Remember: Christmas is coming, and you can still get it for 50% off.
  • As to The World-Tilting Gospel, just got word from a brother that an eighty-eight year old sister in Christ is loving it; so that makes the known sweep to span from eight to eighty-eight!
  • Thanks to all of you who are helping to get the word out. Don't stop!
  • Finally: who says cats can't be trained?
  • Then, this!
















THE USUALS WILL BE OBSERVED

20 comments:

Wendy said...

Agreed with the movie-sequel list. But now my curiosity is piqued and I'm going to have to watch the Alien movies. Thanks :)

I think all my purses must go straight to Narnia because nothing ever gets into the right pocket and the purse itself seems to grow on the inside but not the outside. Actually, it's more Mary Poppins than anything.

The Squirrel said...

Bacon? Check! Cats? Check? Robots? Check!

... What? No Legos?

...

Squirrel

;-)

Kurt K said...

The robot invasion is closer than you think. We've got interrogator droids and remotes now, again thanks to Japan: http://www.break.com/index/spherical-flying-machine-2195045

Moon said...

Every time I see or read news about robots and drones and droids...I just think Lord Jesus please come soon!!!...it's kind of scary...bc it all looks innocent but we know the intent of man's sinful heart. I mean...hellooo Ai, Terminator!!! sheesh!!

Bacon Floss? doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose :P

Marla said...

Kristen Stewart piece just hilarious. I think I'm going to repost that.

There are lots of movie sequels we pretend don't exist in our house -- esp. Indiana Jones #2, and all the 'prequels' to the SW saga.

I have to laugh about them selecting Planet of the Apes (remake) -- the original was bad enough. The only good minute worth watching was when Charleton Heston tells the apes to keep their hands to themselves.

David Regier said...

Google "tilt".

Also, that robot runs like it has to go potty.

Michael B. said...

"today is Veteran's Day in the US. Sincere and hearty THANK YOU to all who have served or are serving in the military. My family and I appreciate you."

That is, my family and I give you a sincere and hearty "thank you" unless you're a gay service member, and if you let the wrong person know you're gay, we hope you're discharged.

DJP said...

That's right, assuming that by "gay" you mean "a man who has given himself over to pursuing perverted sexual desires for other men." In that case, they had no right to be in the military, did wrong by joining, and need to turn to Christ in repentant faith.

Tom Chantry said...

Can't agree with you on Alien III. The other movies on that list are epically bad; Alien III really wasn't.

What I find astonishing about the Alien series is that somehow it works even though each movie is a different genre. The first was a suspense thriller, the second was an action movie. It wasn't until the fourth that they did pure sci-fi, complete with a mad scientist.

The third was a religio-psychological drama - good vs. evil, with the mama alien cast as evil and the prisoners, with their strange, hybrid cult endeavoring to side with good. Ripley becomes the most interesting attempt of Hollywood ever to represent gospel. Not saying they got it right by any stretch, but she becomes sin for them and dies to save them all.

Weird? You bet. And a total let-down after the action packed Aliens (the actual name of the sequel, as I recall) - but a letdown only in the sense that it wasn't what everyone was waiting for. But epically bad? I don't think it's in the same stratus of awful as Star Trek V.

DJP said...

Goodness, Tom, you're right about so many things...

...except this!

Not only was it a bad movie, but it went back and ruined the second movie! The second is this thrill-packed wild ride, but when you get through, you think (SPOILERS), "Whew! Well, at least Ripley survived! And Newt! And Hicks!"

All of which is ruined within the first minutes of the dank, dreary, miserable next movie. Hicks? Dead! Newt? Dead! Ripley? Impregnated!

Then the nonstop swearing, the (wow! how-creative) religious-hypocrite murderer-leader...

Just, wow, you could hardly be wronger about a movie if you'd taken a class about how to be wrong about movies and gotten an A.





Not that I have an opinion about that or anything else, mind you.

Tom Chantry said...

Mind, I didn't say it was a great movie. I'm not even sure that I don't hate it. Weird pseudo-Christian cults and sub-biblical retellings of the atonement don't really do it for me.

My main point is, the film has too much going on in it to be rated as being as bad as any of those listed on the site.

Kirby said...

The Ginny v. Twilight's lead female character humor will make me laugh for a week.

Sequels. The commentary on Star Trek is dead on, especially the brief comment about the first in the series. I still use scenes from that movie instead of counting sheep.
However, somebody got smart and made #2.

The Brain and Heart cartoon will make an excellent slide next time I do a series on "Finding God's Will"

Have a great weekend.

Paula Bolyard said...

I think the only movie on that list I've seen is Ghostbusters 2. Glad I haven't missed much.

Poor Rick Perry! I can definitely feel his pain. That happens to me ALL the time.

It irritates me that the professional pundits are saying this ends his presidential run. The Great and Terrible Judith Miller said on Fox News today, "The more Rick Perry talks, the more people say 'Maybe Barack Obama isn't so bad.'"

No, Judy, that's not what people are saying. That's what you elitists who are in the tank for Romney are saying.

Really, it doesn't bother me that much. Perry started running ads in Ohio today with the message that our current Speech-giver-in-chief has tanked our economy and though he may not be great in a debate or with a teleprompter, Perry knows how to create jobs and balance a budget.

I think we need to be careful not to fall for the stupid narratives the MSM is creating and focus on substance more than style. Or at least, focus on substance and style rather than just style.

Marla said...

Paula - right on. I was just talking with someone about this today -- Does a president always have to sound slick to be effective?

BO is pretty slick (with his trusty teleprompter) but not that impressive without it. (And his policies are considerably less impressive than his off-the-cuff speeches.)

I think Rick Perry may do better -- at least he can laugh at himself ( I would think that would help in the POTUS job, as so many people are taking shots).

My husband was telling me CNN had some insightful commentary from Paul Begalla:

Interviewer: What's the problem with Rick Perry? (my paraphrase)

P. Begalla: "He's just stupid".


..and that folks is why they're paid the big bucks...

Herding Grasshoppers said...

HA HA HA! Thanks for the Friday laughs. The Grasshoppers particularly thank you for the pie charts (Narnia!) and the cat being trained.

Julie

Solameanie said...

One little comment on Robert Pattinson and the Christian punk band. You should read the news stories about the new Twilight movie, and how they had to edit the "love scene" involving him to keep things from getting an "R" rating. Apparently Pattinson got a little carried away during filming it. I won't describe any further.

Pierre Saikaley said...

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Dan, as a Canadian reader, and for my northern brothers and sisters from other mothers, can I remind them of the unbeatable deal we get for WTG and God's Wisdom in Proverbs at bookdepository.com?



Excellent price and no shipping charges.

Dr. Caligari said...

My views on Alien 3 are closer to Tom's than to Dan's. Instead of making the same movie three times, they were three very different genres: horror movie, war movie, film noir.

It was Alien Resurrection that absolutely ruined the series.

Aaron said...

@Kurt K: Am I the only one who thinks a robot invasion would be an improvement to our current condition? That spherical flying object is awesome!

@Dan and Tom: How can you argue over a franchise whose best movie is Alien v. Predator.

Perry looks tired during these debates. He needs to drink about three red bulls before his next one.

jmb said...

Thematically, Alien 3 was the most interesting of the series, and it really created its own world, which David Fincher typically does in his movies. Dark ones, admittedly.

Ghostbusters II was a lot of fun and shouldn't be on that list. Peter MacNicol was hilarious when he became a slave to a "god" named Vigo. I laugh every time I think of him saying, "Tonight belongs to me and Vigo. Well, mostly Vigo."