Friday, August 13, 2010
Forthcoming
I plan on writing quite a bit about The Conservative Mind. There is a lot of food for thought in this tome and I need to get some of it out of my head so it stays there better. One thing I'm going to do soon is to post a very long quote for Tocqueville that I just read today. Let's just say that it is prophetic. There will also likely be some more movie posts coming up in the near future, so if you like that sort of thing, stay tuned.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
The Book of Eli
So, I watched The Book of Eli the other night. I had been interested when it was in theaters but given family life and all, I wasn't going to push going to see it. That said, the more I read about it, the more I wanted to see it. And finally, I have.
The basic plot is simple enough, thirty years after a nuclear war (it's never said explicitly but...duh), Eli (Denzel Washington) is heading west, carrying a book, a book that Carnegie (Gary Oldman) has been looking for for quite a while. Naturally enough, they run into each other. Since the movie has been out a while now and it doesn't waste much time revealing it, the book is in fact the Bible, perhaps the last one.
This of course is where it gets interesting. It is the last Bible because people quite consciously sought them out after the war and destroyed them, apparently blaming Christianity for the war. There isn't any detail given beyond that as to how or why the war started. In any case, it is thirty years later and most of the population can't read, making them ripe for manipulation by the evil Carnegie. See, Carnegie is old enough to remember the power the Bible has to inspire and motivate people for good or ill. Carnegie figures that if he can get a hold of one, he can spoon feed the populace whatever he wants from it and so bend them to his will more completely than he will ever be able to accomplish through force alone. Eli is also aware of this power and thus seeks to protect on his journey from people like Carnegie. Thus bullets fly and people fall, a lot.
One of the best things about the movie is that Eli is not perfect. More importantly, his imperfection is not celebrated and in fact he realizes his faults by the end of the movie. Essentially, he is so focused on his specific task of bringing the Bible cross-country (and reading it every night) that he has forgotten to apply what he reads, which he sums up towards the end of the movie as "do unto others." This is particularly relevant as at the beginning he ignores a woman being gang-raped and later on lies to a girl (Solara played by Mila Kunis) to prevent her from following him. It is, in fact his interaction with Solara that leads him to re-evaluate his actions and they way he had been living his life. I think that moral of this part of the story is that even divinely appointed soldiers on a mission from God (literally in this case) are not necessarily perfect and require redemption just like the rest of us.
Eli does actually share his faith during the movie, inviting Solara to a before meal prayer which completely baffles her, especially since she was sent in to seduce him. The fact that he doesn't take advantage of her and also shares his food visibly confused her. Eli certainly is not your typical post-apocalypitc survivor.
My only real complaint with the movie concerns the end. Eli loses the Bible along the way but does eventually reach his destination, a survivor colongy on Alcatraz which is dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of man and eventually diseminating it through world again. Sort of like the monastaries during the "Dark Ages." The loss is only partial though as after thirty years for reading the Bible every day, he has it memorized and it is quickly transcribed and becomes the first book off their newly operational printing press (a nice homage to Guttenberg I thought). From there, it is placed on a shelf. Between the Talmud and the Koran. In effect, after Eli receives his task in a kind of vision, is clearly given a supernatural ability to fight and is in fact protected from death until his task is complete, the Bible is treated just like any piece of literature. Sure it is an important piece of our cultural heritage but the entire movie treats it as much more than that as something that contains answers to our hearts deepest longings that reveals the hidden purpose of our lives. And then, it's just put on the shelf? A much better ending would have to have a minister of some sort giving a speech about how long they have waited for this day and then begin reading, probably the parable of the Good Samaratin.
Still, all in all a good movie, with good acting, good action and an overall positive portrayal of faith without being afraid to look at the way people abuse it or to acknowledge the faults of the faithful.
The basic plot is simple enough, thirty years after a nuclear war (it's never said explicitly but...duh), Eli (Denzel Washington) is heading west, carrying a book, a book that Carnegie (Gary Oldman) has been looking for for quite a while. Naturally enough, they run into each other. Since the movie has been out a while now and it doesn't waste much time revealing it, the book is in fact the Bible, perhaps the last one.
This of course is where it gets interesting. It is the last Bible because people quite consciously sought them out after the war and destroyed them, apparently blaming Christianity for the war. There isn't any detail given beyond that as to how or why the war started. In any case, it is thirty years later and most of the population can't read, making them ripe for manipulation by the evil Carnegie. See, Carnegie is old enough to remember the power the Bible has to inspire and motivate people for good or ill. Carnegie figures that if he can get a hold of one, he can spoon feed the populace whatever he wants from it and so bend them to his will more completely than he will ever be able to accomplish through force alone. Eli is also aware of this power and thus seeks to protect on his journey from people like Carnegie. Thus bullets fly and people fall, a lot.
One of the best things about the movie is that Eli is not perfect. More importantly, his imperfection is not celebrated and in fact he realizes his faults by the end of the movie. Essentially, he is so focused on his specific task of bringing the Bible cross-country (and reading it every night) that he has forgotten to apply what he reads, which he sums up towards the end of the movie as "do unto others." This is particularly relevant as at the beginning he ignores a woman being gang-raped and later on lies to a girl (Solara played by Mila Kunis) to prevent her from following him. It is, in fact his interaction with Solara that leads him to re-evaluate his actions and they way he had been living his life. I think that moral of this part of the story is that even divinely appointed soldiers on a mission from God (literally in this case) are not necessarily perfect and require redemption just like the rest of us.
Eli does actually share his faith during the movie, inviting Solara to a before meal prayer which completely baffles her, especially since she was sent in to seduce him. The fact that he doesn't take advantage of her and also shares his food visibly confused her. Eli certainly is not your typical post-apocalypitc survivor.
My only real complaint with the movie concerns the end. Eli loses the Bible along the way but does eventually reach his destination, a survivor colongy on Alcatraz which is dedicated to preserving the cultural heritage of man and eventually diseminating it through world again. Sort of like the monastaries during the "Dark Ages." The loss is only partial though as after thirty years for reading the Bible every day, he has it memorized and it is quickly transcribed and becomes the first book off their newly operational printing press (a nice homage to Guttenberg I thought). From there, it is placed on a shelf. Between the Talmud and the Koran. In effect, after Eli receives his task in a kind of vision, is clearly given a supernatural ability to fight and is in fact protected from death until his task is complete, the Bible is treated just like any piece of literature. Sure it is an important piece of our cultural heritage but the entire movie treats it as much more than that as something that contains answers to our hearts deepest longings that reveals the hidden purpose of our lives. And then, it's just put on the shelf? A much better ending would have to have a minister of some sort giving a speech about how long they have waited for this day and then begin reading, probably the parable of the Good Samaratin.
Still, all in all a good movie, with good acting, good action and an overall positive portrayal of faith without being afraid to look at the way people abuse it or to acknowledge the faults of the faithful.
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Predators 2
Good news for sci-fi action fans. Screenrant is reporting that a Predators 2 is confirmed.
The Conservative Mind-A Series
So, the other day I started reading The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk. I only heard of it fairly recently but this book, published in the 1950's apparently launched conservatism as a serious movement in this country. Not what the Fox News variety but real, thinking, philosophical conservatism. Perhaps I'll discuss exactly what the difference between the two is another time. Rest assured, it's a big, big difference.
In any case, I picked it up at a book store in Mecosta, home of the Kirk Center and it was at the conference there that I started to really have an important thought. As I sat there in a room full of authors, professors, on priest and a couple of young intellectual heavy-weights to be I realized that on one level, I and my friend being just regular guys with regular jobs were more than a little out of place. And yet, we are also in a way the more important people who were at that conference for the simple fact that we are the regular guys. We are the ones who are out in the normal 9-5 world, down in the trenches as it were. We are the ones who have the ability to influence those around us, in a way more than all the authors and all media types in the world.
The reason I am telling you this is that as I was reading the forward to The Conservative Mind last night, Kirk made mention of the influence the book had on the "real shapers of public opinion; the thinking men and women" who speak with and influence their neighbors. This got me thinking a bit more. Mostly about how little interaction and influence we have with our neighbors these days. This is in part due to technology which allows us to cut ourselves off from those around us and huddle up with others like ourselves so that we never have to seriously confront other viewpoints. It also due to the general fear our culture has of engaging in serious conversation, especially about politics and religion. There really isn't much that can be said here (by me at least) except that we, including myself simply need to get over it and stick our necks out a bit. I'm not saying go all Old Testament prophet on your nearest co-worker or anything, but simply jump into a conversation or bring up some small thing that might strike up a worthwhile conversation. Because Kirk's observation is only true if we come out of fear-armored technology bubbles and interact at more than superficial level with those around us.
Alright, that's it for now. I'll be using this series to discuss other things that strike me as I plod my way through this monster of a book.
In any case, I picked it up at a book store in Mecosta, home of the Kirk Center and it was at the conference there that I started to really have an important thought. As I sat there in a room full of authors, professors, on priest and a couple of young intellectual heavy-weights to be I realized that on one level, I and my friend being just regular guys with regular jobs were more than a little out of place. And yet, we are also in a way the more important people who were at that conference for the simple fact that we are the regular guys. We are the ones who are out in the normal 9-5 world, down in the trenches as it were. We are the ones who have the ability to influence those around us, in a way more than all the authors and all media types in the world.
The reason I am telling you this is that as I was reading the forward to The Conservative Mind last night, Kirk made mention of the influence the book had on the "real shapers of public opinion; the thinking men and women" who speak with and influence their neighbors. This got me thinking a bit more. Mostly about how little interaction and influence we have with our neighbors these days. This is in part due to technology which allows us to cut ourselves off from those around us and huddle up with others like ourselves so that we never have to seriously confront other viewpoints. It also due to the general fear our culture has of engaging in serious conversation, especially about politics and religion. There really isn't much that can be said here (by me at least) except that we, including myself simply need to get over it and stick our necks out a bit. I'm not saying go all Old Testament prophet on your nearest co-worker or anything, but simply jump into a conversation or bring up some small thing that might strike up a worthwhile conversation. Because Kirk's observation is only true if we come out of fear-armored technology bubbles and interact at more than superficial level with those around us.
Alright, that's it for now. I'll be using this series to discuss other things that strike me as I plod my way through this monster of a book.
Sunday, July 18, 2010
Toy Story 3
Okay, I know the movie has been out a month now and I am unlikely to add anything of substance to great review by Steven Greydanus at www.ncregister.com so this will be short and sweet.
First, let me say that Pixar can virtually do no wrong. Everything they touch is gold so far as I am concerned and this movie is not exception. Once again, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and some of the others (only some because many, such as Bo-Peep have left over the years) go through the trauma of Andy entering another stage in life. This time, Andy is heading to college and must at last "put away childish things." Naturally, the toys are terrified of what will happen, all except Woody and (to a lesser extent) Buzz who have faith that Andy will simply put them in the attic and perhaps they will be brought out of storage to play with his own kids someday. Suffice to say that isn't quite what happens and through a misunderstanding wind up at a day care center ruled by the tyrannical Lots o'Huggin Bear. Of course it seems like paradise at first and the everyone but Woody plans on staying. Woody however, recognizes a duty to Andy and he leaves. Before long though, he returns to aid in his friends' escape.
Along the way, we are treated to numerous examples of the importance and value of friendship in the standard non-cheesy Pixar way. In particular there is a moment in which all of the toys are literally staring death in the face. There simple gesture of solidarity (I'm blatantly ripping this off from Greydanus by the way) hits you right between the eyes, which just might shed a tear or two. Speaking of tears, if the end of the movie doesn't result in at least a watering of the eyes, you sir are not a human being (I almost ripped off Screenrant's wording there but they're right). I won't tell you what it is save for the fact that the toys and Andy do eventually separate and everyone apparently lives happily ever after.
As for the bad, there is very little here to talk about. Mostly it lies in the fact that there is some repeat material here. From the trailer, you already know that Buzz gets reset, thinking that he is a real Space Ranger again. Of course, this was the major thrust of the first one and we saw it again in the second one when another Buzz toy was unboxed. We also have a parallel between Stinky Pete and Lotso, both angry older toys who were slighted in some way and so rejected the natural order of the toy world and sought to impose their anger on others. They both have different reasons and ways of going about but they're off the same assembly line. Finally, there is the theme of rejection of being left behind as Andy moves on, be it to other toys (Toy Story 1), or simply growing up and moving past toys altogether (Toy Story 2 and 3). However, because the way that Pixar manages to not only add something new but to actually move the theme farther and deeper (except perhaps in the case of Buzz. There it's just something new.) where as lesser studio would simply repeat almost the exact same plot (Major League 2 anyone?) I'm not going to quibble a whole lot on this.
So, should you go see it? My only question is, why haven't you already?
First, let me say that Pixar can virtually do no wrong. Everything they touch is gold so far as I am concerned and this movie is not exception. Once again, Woody, Buzz, Jessie, and some of the others (only some because many, such as Bo-Peep have left over the years) go through the trauma of Andy entering another stage in life. This time, Andy is heading to college and must at last "put away childish things." Naturally, the toys are terrified of what will happen, all except Woody and (to a lesser extent) Buzz who have faith that Andy will simply put them in the attic and perhaps they will be brought out of storage to play with his own kids someday. Suffice to say that isn't quite what happens and through a misunderstanding wind up at a day care center ruled by the tyrannical Lots o'Huggin Bear. Of course it seems like paradise at first and the everyone but Woody plans on staying. Woody however, recognizes a duty to Andy and he leaves. Before long though, he returns to aid in his friends' escape.
Along the way, we are treated to numerous examples of the importance and value of friendship in the standard non-cheesy Pixar way. In particular there is a moment in which all of the toys are literally staring death in the face. There simple gesture of solidarity (I'm blatantly ripping this off from Greydanus by the way) hits you right between the eyes, which just might shed a tear or two. Speaking of tears, if the end of the movie doesn't result in at least a watering of the eyes, you sir are not a human being (I almost ripped off Screenrant's wording there but they're right). I won't tell you what it is save for the fact that the toys and Andy do eventually separate and everyone apparently lives happily ever after.
As for the bad, there is very little here to talk about. Mostly it lies in the fact that there is some repeat material here. From the trailer, you already know that Buzz gets reset, thinking that he is a real Space Ranger again. Of course, this was the major thrust of the first one and we saw it again in the second one when another Buzz toy was unboxed. We also have a parallel between Stinky Pete and Lotso, both angry older toys who were slighted in some way and so rejected the natural order of the toy world and sought to impose their anger on others. They both have different reasons and ways of going about but they're off the same assembly line. Finally, there is the theme of rejection of being left behind as Andy moves on, be it to other toys (Toy Story 1), or simply growing up and moving past toys altogether (Toy Story 2 and 3). However, because the way that Pixar manages to not only add something new but to actually move the theme farther and deeper (except perhaps in the case of Buzz. There it's just something new.) where as lesser studio would simply repeat almost the exact same plot (Major League 2 anyone?) I'm not going to quibble a whole lot on this.
So, should you go see it? My only question is, why haven't you already?
The Golden Age - Part 2
So, after much deliberation, I am not going to walk you through the story of the second and third books of the trilogy. I greatly enjoyed the process of discovery along with Phaetheon, finding out why his memory was erased and who the enemy was who attacked him. Although to be fair, he really should have guessed the enemy sooner that he did given how smart he is. Therefore, I will discuss some of the themes prevalent in the trilogy.
The single biggest them is the nature of truth. Given the ability to manipulate the senses and even memory that exist in Phaethon's world, it is certainly no wonder that many people think that truth is malleable and relative. Even, Helion, Phaethon's father and founder of the Silver-Gray school which adheres to ancient traditions and promotes an objective philosophy and morality does believe that his ideas are truly universal. In fact, at the crucial moment, it seems that only Phaethon, his wife Daphne and possibly the one man army (literally) Atkins maintain a faith in the objectivity and rationality of truth. And it is this faith in rationality and reason (yes, you read that right. Just chew on it for a bit) that in the end defeats the enemy and his philosophy of nihilism. Yes, in the end the enemy is not defeated through force of arms but through philosophy. And the enemy is not just defeated, he is converted.
Another theme explored in the book is the nature of free will. This is less explicit but still there. It comes out through the relationship of the Sophotech, super intelligent computers, capable of predicting virtually all events and even ordering those events in certain ways. In fact, the story largely hinges on a couple of small interventions on the part of one of the most intelligent Sophotechs.
If these machines are so intelligent and capable of controlling so much of human affairs, how can it be said that people are truly free? This argument, as well as an argument based on the lack of direct intervention on the part of the Sophotech to alleviate suffering are used be the enemy to paint these machines as evil and manipulative tyrants. The astute reader will recognize the arguments marshaled against the goodness of the Sophotechs as being the same arguments used against the goodness of God. The answers are of course fairly simple, the machines do not control our choices, they merely predict them. Even when they intervene, the do not force the choices made, they only make them possible. As to suffering, the only way to fully eliminate it would be to eliminate human free will. This is explicit but rather implicit in the description of how the enemy's civilization came to collapse.
Other issues discussed are the nature of authority, law, and the ability of a free and peaceful society to deal with external military threats but as this is already a very long post, I will leave such discussions for the comment boxes.
The single biggest them is the nature of truth. Given the ability to manipulate the senses and even memory that exist in Phaethon's world, it is certainly no wonder that many people think that truth is malleable and relative. Even, Helion, Phaethon's father and founder of the Silver-Gray school which adheres to ancient traditions and promotes an objective philosophy and morality does believe that his ideas are truly universal. In fact, at the crucial moment, it seems that only Phaethon, his wife Daphne and possibly the one man army (literally) Atkins maintain a faith in the objectivity and rationality of truth. And it is this faith in rationality and reason (yes, you read that right. Just chew on it for a bit) that in the end defeats the enemy and his philosophy of nihilism. Yes, in the end the enemy is not defeated through force of arms but through philosophy. And the enemy is not just defeated, he is converted.
Another theme explored in the book is the nature of free will. This is less explicit but still there. It comes out through the relationship of the Sophotech, super intelligent computers, capable of predicting virtually all events and even ordering those events in certain ways. In fact, the story largely hinges on a couple of small interventions on the part of one of the most intelligent Sophotechs.
If these machines are so intelligent and capable of controlling so much of human affairs, how can it be said that people are truly free? This argument, as well as an argument based on the lack of direct intervention on the part of the Sophotech to alleviate suffering are used be the enemy to paint these machines as evil and manipulative tyrants. The astute reader will recognize the arguments marshaled against the goodness of the Sophotechs as being the same arguments used against the goodness of God. The answers are of course fairly simple, the machines do not control our choices, they merely predict them. Even when they intervene, the do not force the choices made, they only make them possible. As to suffering, the only way to fully eliminate it would be to eliminate human free will. This is explicit but rather implicit in the description of how the enemy's civilization came to collapse.
Other issues discussed are the nature of authority, law, and the ability of a free and peaceful society to deal with external military threats but as this is already a very long post, I will leave such discussions for the comment boxes.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Golden Age-Part One
Okay, I'm going to have to break this up if I plan on ever getting it out. So, here's part one, which basically gives a brief description of the world of the Golden Age and the highlights of the first book.
The Golden Age is a highly speculative bit of science fiction by the intrepid John C. Wright. Set (I think) 100,000 years in the future, technology has continued to develop to the point that people are able to alter their bodies to pretty much any configuration, change, erase or add memories at will and transfer their minds into "mannequins" so that they never actually have to move in their real bodies at all (much like the movie Surrogates). As for society, there is unheard of wealth, it seems everyone has access to most of the fruits of the age save for those who choose not to make use of them.
That last actually brings me to one of the more interesting aspects of the trilogy, the fact that people are still people. There are still people who reject most technology, others who worship it; there is still pettiness and jealously, rebels, control freaks, etc.
Getting back to the story, we meet the main character, Phaethon, who is a an accomplished engineer and the "son" (a word that doesn't necessarily mean the same thing Wright's world as ours) of Helion another engineer whose claim to fame is that he rearranged the sun so that its "useful life" has been extended. In any case, he is confronted by two mysterious figures who both claim that he is hot who and what he thinks he is. Essentially, he is informed that rather than the popular well-loved figure he believes himself to be, he is a pariah and his memory has been altered such that he cannot remember why this is. In fact, almost the entire society has also had its memory altered. Naturally, he starts asking questions and ultimately is attacked by an unknown enemy, which forces him to open up his memory casket, despite the risk of permanent exile.
All for now. I'll post more probably around the weekend.
The Golden Age is a highly speculative bit of science fiction by the intrepid John C. Wright. Set (I think) 100,000 years in the future, technology has continued to develop to the point that people are able to alter their bodies to pretty much any configuration, change, erase or add memories at will and transfer their minds into "mannequins" so that they never actually have to move in their real bodies at all (much like the movie Surrogates). As for society, there is unheard of wealth, it seems everyone has access to most of the fruits of the age save for those who choose not to make use of them.
That last actually brings me to one of the more interesting aspects of the trilogy, the fact that people are still people. There are still people who reject most technology, others who worship it; there is still pettiness and jealously, rebels, control freaks, etc.
Getting back to the story, we meet the main character, Phaethon, who is a an accomplished engineer and the "son" (a word that doesn't necessarily mean the same thing Wright's world as ours) of Helion another engineer whose claim to fame is that he rearranged the sun so that its "useful life" has been extended. In any case, he is confronted by two mysterious figures who both claim that he is hot who and what he thinks he is. Essentially, he is informed that rather than the popular well-loved figure he believes himself to be, he is a pariah and his memory has been altered such that he cannot remember why this is. In fact, almost the entire society has also had its memory altered. Naturally, he starts asking questions and ultimately is attacked by an unknown enemy, which forces him to open up his memory casket, despite the risk of permanent exile.
All for now. I'll post more probably around the weekend.
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