One of my favorite year-end traditions has got to be The Boston Globe’s “Big Picture” blog’s photographic retrospective. And this year’s three-parter (Part One, Part Two, and Part Three) is certainly no reason to change my mind. The felicitous timing of some of these shots is absolutely mind-blowing. Enjoy!
As someone who was more-than-a-little scarred by Walden Media’s attempts to adapt Prince Caspian, I had resolved to keep my distance from the recently-released Voyage of the Dawn Treader until I could see the reactions of two of my favorite “working critics:” Jeffrey Overstreet and Steven Greydanus. Interestingly, both of them felt that the filmmakers … Read more
OpenCulture is fast becoming one of my favorite Internet hangouts. And this sort of post is a perfect example of why: In four minutes, Rosling visually traces the health of 200 countries over 200 years, using 120,000 data points, and we end up with a little reason for optimism. [video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jbkSRLYSojo&feature=player_embedded 635×355]
I usually ignore commercials. In fact, I do more than that. We have a standing rule in our house that there must be “alternative programming” readily available during all viewing. Watching sports (with commercials advertising the sorts of things in which modern, secular, sports-loving young males are usually interested) does not mesh well with having a … Read more
“When I was a boy of 14, my father was so ignorant I could hardly stand to have the old man around. But when I got to be 21, I was astonished at how much the old man had learned in seven years.“ — Mark Twain Wes Anderson is a hard case. As a director … Read more
Given my usual tendency to (over)indulge in a bit of “tin-foil-hattism,” it’s hard for me to read this sort of thing without freaking out: A special team will monitor 9-1-1 calls about people in danger of dying and they will travel directly to a person’s home without being summoned. … The team — composed of two … Read more
Also, Merry Christmas! Oh, and Happy New Year! I think I may have just discovered the winner of the “most extraordinary link to be found on the Interwebs” contest for November (and a strong candidate for “Best Link of the Year,” as far as I’m concerned): Free downloads of the complete organ works of Johann … Read more
Also, Merry Christmas! Oh, and Happy New Year! I think I may have just discovered the winner of the “Most Extraordinary Interweb Link of the Month ” for November (and a strong candidate for “Best Link of the Year,” as far as I’m concerned):
In the midst of this past weekend’s fire-storm of reading mis-comprehension — which is being addressed by much more qualified folks than I — I was surprised (and pleased) to stumble upon this little nugget towards the bottom of John Allen’s recent article: As part of that picture, the legendarily bookish pontiff reveals that when the “family” … Read more
For years, Hollywood has struggled with the problem of integrating CGI into their productions. Third and Seventh’s Alex Roman, on the other hand, has no such problem — as evidenced by his “Above Everything Else” commercial for Silestone. [video:http://vimeo.com/15630517 635×355] Well, to be honest, I suppose the issue of “integration” is still present in Roman’s work, as … Read more
Daniel Stone’s weekend article from Newsweek on the sheer scope and impossibility of the modern-day presidency is fascinating reading: Obama has looked to many models of leadership, including FDR and Abraham Lincoln, two transformative presidents who governed during times of upheaval. But what’s lost in those historical comparisons is that both men ran slim bureaucracies … Read more
In honor of today’s commemoration, a few words from Joyce Kilmer, the Catholic poet who lost his life in the very war whose conclusion became the historical basis for Veteran’s Day: The Peacemaker Upon his will he binds a radiant chain, For Freedom’s sake he is no longer free. It is his task, the slave … Read more
There are few things more enjoyable than watching a two-year-old immersing himself (literally) in the first snow-fall of the season. Here in Lander, the eagerly-anticipated event finally took place yesterday morning – much later than our previous Wyoming Winter Experiences would suggest.  While the four older boys were eager to get outside and “flounder … Read more
As the last several posts here on InsideCatholic can attest, everyone has different “take-aways” from Tuesday’s election results. For myself, I don’t know what to think; there are so many factors in play (and I know so little about most of them), I have trouble knowing what to take away. I am continually intrigued by … Read more
I’ve always been a “Glass Half-Full” kind-of-guy. I blame my boys. Whether it’s because they give me hope for my future, or because I need to have hope for theirs, I’m not sure. But either way, I’m generally an optimistic fellow. I assume that’s why this post from the Criterion Collection’s blog caught my attention: … Read more
With increasing regularity, I find myself wondering if the environment and its appropriate stewardship has become (fairly or not) the ultimate “Rev. 3:16” issue facing us today – Absolutely No Middle Ground Allowed. Now, I have never been particularly forceful (or definitive) in my opinions on most non-cinematic topics – “Gray, as far as the eye … Read more
Every now and then, I stumble across a “film news” article so unexpected and shocking, it becomes an instant member of my “Awesome/Terrible Idea” file. For some (far too explicable) reason, these stories nearly always feature someone attempting to remake a classic masterpiece, and today’s entry is no exception: Who wants to see Johnny Depp … Read more
The last few weeks of Election Season news almost always leave me feeling overwhelmed and unsure as to what we will see when Election Day comes to an end, and this season is no exception. On the one hand, I find myself inundated by articles about the GOP’s potentially unprecedented lead amongst likely voters and … Read more
Over at OpenCulture, I stumbled across this amazing video, described as “Video mapping during the 600 year anniversary of the astrological tower clock situated at the Old Town Square in the center of Prague.” Not quite sure what all that means, but check it out: [video:http://vimeo.com/15749093 400×710] The post describes such “light shows” as being … Read more
While wandering aimlessly through the fantastical Interweb landscape earlier this morning, I happened across The National Post’s (CA) Arthur Kaptainis and his account of last Saturday’s “Casual Concert” from the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The opening lines, in particular, caught my attention – which is exactly what a writer would want, I suppose: Few composers are defined … Read more