I was less and less impressed with the Father Brown stories as mysteries as the series went on. As stories they were still fine and interesting, but the mystery aspect seemed to taken more and more of a Philo Vance feel than anything else. Father Brown was not only smarter than everyone else, he never … Continue reading Father Brown
Month: September 2006
Anniversary
Not my blog, my marriage. Tomorrow marks 6 years that I've been married to my lovely wife, and I thought I'd note it here that were I to make the decision again today whether or not to marry her, I wouldn't hesitate.It's been a wonderful 6 years and I hope to be blessed with 10 … Continue reading Anniversary
Does a bear… Well, I know you do, Angelo.
John J Miller points out an hilarious article in the Washington Post about how wildlife (including bears, presumably) are messing their own environment. (And no, that's not a typo.) He quite rightly notes that the best part of that article is, indeed, the phrase "Nature is apparently polluting itself."
3 & 4 of GitS 2nd Season
I watched discs 3 and 4 of the Ghost in the Shell second season in the last couple days and I'm still less impressed with this season than I was in the first. There's more preachy philosophising this time around, it seems. There have been fewer episodes that could stand on their own as being … Continue reading 3 & 4 of GitS 2nd Season
Shakespeare’s Hamlet
From the chapter on Shakespeare in Paul Johnson's Creators: [A]bove all his greatest creation, perhaps the most formidable, extensive, complex, subtle, and penetrating work of art ever carried to perfection, making the works of Leonardo and Michelangelo, Beethoven and Mozart, Dante and Goethe seem inferior by comparison — Hamlet.~p. 67High praise.
Linguistic Pet Peeve
It annoys me to see or hear my state referred to as "Washington state". A case can be made for the usage, but I don't think it's ever necessary. If you want to refer to Washington, DC, include the "DC". One wouldn't refer to "Oregon state" or "Texas state" without intending to refer to a … Continue reading Linguistic Pet Peeve
Villains and Suspense
It may be that there are some occasions where knowing what the villain is up to increases the suspense rather than diminishing it. Hitchcock's The Man Who Knew Too Much comes to mind. But in the second Ghost in the Shell season, it's not working out that way. As I noted before the villain is … Continue reading Villains and Suspense
Is Toshiro Mifune the greatest actor ever?
Maybe. Anyway, I just finished watching another of his movies, this one without Kurosawa at the helm, and he turned in another excellent performance, though the directing and script let him down a bit at the end. Samurai Rebellion is, unsurprisingly, about a samurai who rebels against his lord. Mifune is our protagonist and is … Continue reading Is Toshiro Mifune the greatest actor ever?
Banned Books
Apparently it's Banned Books Week. This is the week where everyone gets together and pretends that because someone somewhere once banned a book, that makes it literature and worth reading. Sure, sure, there are some books that have been banned that are well-worth reading. No denying that. But the seeming assumption that I see everywhere … Continue reading Banned Books
Made-up Milestones
I've reached 135 books read on the year, which was my pace for the full year when I passed 50 books back in May. I passed my prediction, in the same post, of 60 new books on the year in the month of August and am up to 85 now. I'd say I'm definitely exceeding … Continue reading Made-up Milestones
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