Aulde Lang Syne
Well, another year has come to a close. As well as the 31 days of December daily blogging. I hope you enjoyed this year. We’ll see you around next year.
The Queen
I saw the best picture so far this year just two days shy of the end. While it certainly doesn’t make up for the fact the year in movies sucked, it definitely made watching film a nice experience again.
The Queen deals with the death of Lady Diana and how the royal family dealt with it the week leading to her funeral. The Queen decided to show the famous British stiff upper lip which didn’t play too well with the English mood at the time. They wanted to see remorse and mourning, but got no show of emotion. It left the royalty in a bad situation. Compounding it was the newly elected Prime Minister, Tony Blair, who had summed up the value of the dead Diana as the People’s Princess. The film focuses upon his craft at getting the royals to open up.
What struck me most about this film is the parallels with the US. Or more particularly George Bush. As the death of Lady Diana plays out, the Queen stoically does nothing to show that her death is important. She spends days ill prepared on what to do. She seemed like W in his infamous minutes after the 9-11 attacks. Quietly thinking should I be doing something. Another thing is the aspect of paying respects for someone not quite royalty. Think about former President Ford’s week of mourning ritual being carried out right now. We have elevated the post of President into something of a royal position. Which leads to the contrast of the Prime Minister. I thought he lived in a hovel (10 Downing St.) in the movie and I was amazed how common his home was. A leader of a quasi-democratic government being of the people. Fucked up thing about the US is that only millionaires can be President. We have become the British.
Anyway the movie was well acted. The story line was suspenseful. I laughed a few times. It was a good show. The best this year. Why did it take 363 days for it to happen? And why the Brits?
5 of 5 stars.
Eowyn and The Witch King of Angmar
Geeking out on Tolkien brings me back to his most popular work, The Lord of the Rings. I got so geeked up I did a search for my favorite character of the novel, Eowyn. Here’s a rendition of the great scene from the Battle of Pelennor fields. She fulfills her destiny. There’s more I’ll have to say about her later.
Three Great Tales
They had shown the entire on Lord of the Rings trilogy on TBS. I also own the first set of DVDs of the movies. I can’t wait for the latest book from the Tolkien estate, The Children of Hurin. It is supposedly one of the three Great Tales that Tolkien had planned on writing about the First Age of Middle Earth. (That sentence will go over the heads of the you out there.) The three are The Children of Hurin, The Fall of Gondolin, and Beren & Luthien. All are supposed tales passed down from the Numenoreans about the great men of the First Age. Surprisingly enough none concern the First Children, the elves. They are somewhat connected (Luthien being the most beautiful of all Illuvatar’s children as an elf maiden), but the central character revolves around men.
They are epic stories to tell. If you haven’t read the Silmarillion, you’re missing out. It contains condensed versions of these tales. They’re all great to read as is knowing the history of the First Age of Middle Earth.
My favorite has always been Beren & Luthien. It’s actually written as a poem and it’s real title is the Lay of Leithan. It tells the tale of Beren of the house of Beor, the first house of man, and his quest to wrench a Silmaril from the crown of Morgoth as the price for the marriage to Luthien. He succeeds.
The Children of Hurin is also a favorite since reading it in the form of the Narn i Hin Hurin in Unfinished Tales. This one more sadder. Turin a great warrior who happiness eludes him. Hurin, his father, witness to Turin’s fate from the eves of Thangorodrim watches as the curse of Morgoth robs his family of peace and happiness. Morwen, his mother, has felt a loss unbearable. Turin suffering the greatest curse with his sister. He also kills Glaurung. Great tale. Yet sad.
The Fall of Gondolin is hard to assemble, because it comes in pieces. The tale is of Tuor, kinsman to Turin, who escapes the fate of man. He secures himself a place in the last elven kingdom of Gondolin in the twilight of the First Age. Through him the savior of the Children of Illuvatar in Beleriand is born. Yet, it is an incomplete tale.
Now all three should be a movie. I would like to see it as an animated one. I haven’t geeked out enough on Tolkien hoping that you’ll read these other works of his.
Learning to drive
I’ve posted about the problems with my car in the past month. The problem has been diagnosed and a solution had been implemented, but I hesitate to drive it. I have a feeling at any moment it’s going to experience the same issues. It’s not that she has become unreliable, but that the trust between us has broken. So in order to regain that trust again, I have to learn how to drive all once more.
Before my driving style was slightly aggressive: 80 mph on the highway, living in the left lane, shooting the gaps when needed, taking her to the redline on occasion. This was just the trust I felt with my car. She can do it, and I won’t let anything bad happen to her.
Well, she can’t always do it. She’s showing her age and probably needed to be treated a little bit more gently.
So I’ve slowed down, and it is strange. I keep up with the traffic, but I don’t like hanging out in the left lane anymore. The RPMS barely make it past 3750. No quick starts off the line. No boost. It’s all caution from here on out.
Being slower makes it some what safer, but I am still not confident about her. She’ll do. I wonder what this will do for my gas mileage?
Holiday Movie Post
I’ve seen several of the films that have come out during this holiday season. They reinforce the fact that movies suck. I need a hiatus. You may also want to take a hiatus.
The Holiday. I am waiting for Nancy Myers to direct a Nora Ephron screenplay. Then I am waiting for Nora Ephron to direct a Nancy Myers screenplay. Then I will die.
2 of 5 stars.
Blood Diamond. Diamonds are forever. And so is the grief it causes to the African nations which mine them. At least there was action in this film. Something missing in these that I had seen.
3 of 5 stars.
The Good Shepherd. Long and involved. I have nothing bad to say about it, because they’re listening. (All hail the mighty CIA. Thanks for protecting America!) I have nothing good either.
3 of 5 stars.
The Pursuit of Happyness. Will Smith wants an Oscar badly.
3 of 5 stars.
Football Playoffs
The local sports team, the Ravens, locked up a playoff berth. They may have home field advantage for the playoffs if they can convince the SD Chargers to lose their final game. Good luck.
As you listen to the sports pundits of the aspect of college football’s BCS mess you have to also wonder if the NFL’s playoff is a mess as well. The AFC has the best teams in terms of records. They may have a couple teams with decent records miss the playoffs. The NFC has plenty of teams with absolutely mediocre records of 8-8 and are locks for playoff berths. Is it fair to those AFC teams? Can the sports pundits whine about this as well? Isn’t this what the playoff system will bring to college football?
Imagine if the NFL had only polling to indicate which 2 best teams play for the national title. Then the Ravens play the SD Chargers. I would probably find tons of sports pundits to agree that these are the two most deserving of a chance to play for the national title. Fuck them. That’s how it should be.
Merry Christmas
Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his
head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold;
cold, piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight;
Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Oh, glorious!
Glorious!“What’s to-day!” cried Scrooge, calling downward to a
boy in Sunday clothes, who perhaps had loitered in to look
about him.“EH?” returned the boy, with all his might of wonder.
“What’s to-day, my fine fellow?” said Scrooge.
“To-day!” replied the boy. “Why, CHRISTMAS DAY.”
“It’s Christmas Day!” said Scrooge to himself. “I
haven’t missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night.
They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of
course they can. Hallo, my fine fellow!”“Hallo!” returned the boy.
“Do you know the Poulterer’s, in the next street but one,
at the corner?” Scrooge inquired.“I should hope I did,” replied the lad.
“An intelligent boy!” said Scrooge. “A remarkable boy!
Do you know whether they’ve sold the prize Turkey that
was hanging up there?–Not the little prize Turkey: the
big one?”“What, the one as big as me?” returned the boy.
“What a delightful boy!” said Scrooge. “It’s a pleasure
to talk to him. Yes, my buck!”“It’s hanging there now,” replied the boy.
“Is it?” said Scrooge. “Go and buy it.”
“Walk-ER!” exclaimed the boy.
“No, no,” said Scrooge, “I am in earnest. Go and buy
it, and tell ’em to bring it here, that I may give them the
direction where to take it. Come back with the man, and
I’ll give you a shilling. Come back with him in less than
five minutes and I’ll give you half-a-crown!”The boy was off like a shot. He must have had a steady
hand at a trigger who could have got a shot off half so fast.“I’ll send it to Bob Cratchit’s!” whispered Scrooge,
rubbing his hands, and splitting with a laugh. “He sha’n’t
know who sends it. It’s twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe
Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob’s
will be!”
Eat, drink and enjoy this wonderful day. Go to church if you believe. And even if you don’t.
God, bless us, everyone!