A Love Affair With The Truth

A perfect title for an excellent documentary. As you will soon discover, if you care to, I'm devoted to our new Holy Father.

Besides owning over twenty of his books and several biographies, I read his books with a care I usually reserve for Holy Scripture, i.e., I pour over them. I'm moderator for the Goodreads group dedicated to reading his books, Benedict's Book Club and I follow what he does and says with (com)passionate attention.

And yet, this 'love affair' on my part is just over a year old. I only 'discovered' Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger when a friend insisted I read his first encyclical, Deus Caritas Est. I did and I was hooked. Prior to that, I'm ashamed to admit I bought into the media image of him as 'Doctor No', the Church's Inquisitor Personified. I had never bothered to look beyond the Bad Guy portrayal of this gentle, scholarly and brilliant walking saint. But even the most cursory perusal of his life, choices, and/or writings reveals the heart of the man, Joseph, lover of Jesus Christ.

This documentary is perfectly titled. His life's work truly has been a love affair with The Truth. At one point he is called a Doctor of the Church. I might go one further and call him a Doctor of the Doctors of our Church.

If you're still looking for the perfect gift for that hard-to-buy-for Catholic in your life, get him (or her) this documentary. And then when your immediate family finishes watching it, share it with others in your extended family, friends and members of your parish. It's wonderful! May The Truth shine His Light upon us again as He did in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. Advent Blessings!

eXpelled (the movie)

WOW! I don’t often endorse movies…especially not during Holy Week, but here is one I have to SHOUT about!

You HAVE to go see this movie! The future of TRUTH in scientific research in our country is at stake! Darwinism or Intelligent Design?

Watch the movie trailer then you decide. Click on the link below.

http://www.expelledthemovie.com/playgroundvideo3.swf

The movie will be in the theaters Spring 2008.

And if I wasn't convinced before, I certainly am now--minutes after I posted this, I was hit with an infected comment. Evil is alive and well! Fortunately Good is stronger!

2 Originals Better Than a Remake

When is the last time you had a night of pure movie watching enjoyment?

For our family I can say, "last night!" When my dad suggested we check out Ocean's 11 I thought it sounded vaguely familiar, but I definitely made note of it on the handy pad of post-its © we keep near the phone. Dear old dad doesn't often recommend movies--better make a record of this. Then he happened to mention that it featured the old Rat Pack and I knew I had to show it to my dear daughters as a part of their movie-watching education. I have very fond memories of watching old movies that my dad called 'classics' and the rest of the family called 'old war movies'. Bridge on the River Kwai and The Great Escape come immediately to mind. But whatever you call them, there are certain people in your life, who -- when they suggest you see or do something -- you just sit up and take notice. My dad is one of those people and this was one of those times! KWIM?

But I digress! Ocean's 11 was all I hoped it would be--a great period piece featuring fabulous shots of old Vegas, Frank and Dean and those extravagant cars from days gone by. If you want a trip down 'strip nostalgia', you have found it. I might have felt 'old' when my daughters asked what those were, indicating old-fashioned room keys, but it was fun sharing what I remembered with them and realizing that my life was part of their 'history'.

Yes, the dialog is hokey, the one-liners definitely dated, but it's unadulterated late 50's on the cusp of the 60's entertainment. The WWII vets had reached their zenith and were just on the verge of decline, but they didn't know it yet. The seeds were sown for all the revolution that was to come in the next decade. They were still talking about why we hadn't walked on the moon yet and it was just nine short years away. Talk about a bit of Americana. Nothing highly intellectual here, just eleven guys after the perfect heist. You have to see it. (Thanks Dad!)

And then, when we thought we'd seen it all -- had our fill of Hollywood heaven -- we moved on to Fred and Ginger, dancing perfection! I don't know about you, but I've seen a few of the dazzling duo swirling around the dance floor and thought to myself (although never quite had the nerve to voice it aloud) 'What's the big deal?' Well, the 'Big Deal' is -- I have found out -- that I had not yet seen them at their finest!

Whether you are from the disco era or hip hop or you prefer Irish dance, you haven't seen Dancing, with a capital "D", until you have seen Astaire and Rogers, the true originals! Just last week we introduced our daughters to Saturday Night Fever and they wanted to know about the 'gay guys' singing all the songs. (I think they meant the Bee Gees, but I won't tell if you don't!) So it was way past time to introduce them to George and Ira Gershwin who did the music for Shall We Dance.

Remember or recognize They Can't Take That Away from Me? It has a whole new meaning when you see Fred singing it to Ginger leaning over her shoulder after they've secretly wed in New Jersey and are ferry-bound back to the Big Apple. And how about Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, the 'potato/po-tah-to' song? Does that bring back memories? I can't even remember the first time I heard those songs--so long ago it doesn't matter. It was wonderful to hear them again!

Once again, it was interesting to compare experiences and teach the kids about old-fashioned 'record' albums, something I grew up with and took for granted.

There's nothing like the oldies to remind you that . . . there is nothing like them.

It calls to mind the saying, "Imitation is the most sincere form of flattery." I guess that's why both movies have been 'remade'.

We haven't seen the remakes . . . yet. But I'll just bet that, '2 Originals are Better Than Any Remake!' Enjoy!

Hotel Rwanda

Started: 6 November 2007
Finished: 12 November 2007

What were you doing between April and July 1994? Do you remember that almost one million Rwandans were murdered in just about 100 days during that time period in history?

I'm ashamed to say that when I started to read Hotel Rwanda I had only the vaguest memories of this African tragedy. I knew it occurred when my children were small and my political attentions at an all-time low, but still . . . Then I thought back and recalled that 1993-1994 was also the year we lived in a rented house while we were building our so-called 'dream' house. And in June of '94, the house was finished and we moved in. Yes, the world situation was the last thing on my mind at that time.

Not that I could have done much about the tragedy unfolding in Rwanda had I been paying attention. But I can't help wondering, what was Bill Clinton's excuse? He certainly knew what was going on and he was in a position to have mitigated the worst impact of the genocide.

However, Hotel Rwanda isn't about all the people and countries who did not respond to the plight of the Tutsis, but about one man who did--the 'Oscar Schindler of Africa' some people have called him. That man was Paul Rusesabagina and this is his story.

In 1994, Paul was the hotel manager of the Belgian-owned luxury hotel, the Mille Collines in Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Through his courage and cunning he was able to save 1,268 people from almost certain death.

This book is not a narrative of the tragedy--there are a number listed in an appendix--nor a biography about Paul, but the official companion book to the movie made and directed by Terry George. It includes essays on the history of the genocide, the complete screenplay and many photographs from the movie of the same name.

In 1994, Rwanda was the most densely populated African country on the continent--and 51% of the population had the HIV virus; life expectancy was only 39 years. But to really understand what happened during those three and a half terrible months of 1994, we have to go farther back in Rwanda's complex and largely unrecorded history.

Prior to the late 1800s Rwanda didn't even exist as a political entity per se, but was just the land inhabited by two different ethnic groups: the wealthy land and livestock owning Tutsis and the more numerous, Hutus.

With the German defeat in World War I, the Belgians took over Rwanda and began to use the existing Tutsi monarchy to control the population and exploit the institutional differences between the two native groups--granting favored status to the Tutsis and relegating the Hutus to a subservient place within society.

When this situation led to huge tensions and inefficiency, the Belgians tried to rectify the problem with reforms but the Tutsis resisted. So the Belgians turned on their former allies and encouraged a Hutu rebellion which succeeded in 1959. The Belgians themselves were ousted when the Hutu majority declared independence in 1962.

But getting rid of the Belgians didn't resolve conflicts between the two groups of Rwandans; over the ensuing years, rampant corruption, a military coup in '73 and the dictatorship of Major General Habyarimana only further inflamed existing animosities.

On the way home from peace talks which marked the end of a four year civil war and solidified the Arusha Accords promising democratic reforms, General Habyarimana and the President of Burundi were assassinated in a plane crash by members of their own parties. Their deaths were subsequently blamed on the Tutsis and that same night a pre-planned systematic execution of all high-ranking Tutsis and moderate Hutus began.

From there the insanity spread like wildfire, primarily led by roaming groups of highly organized military Hutus known as the Interahamwe. As I mentioned initially, almost a million people were killed in a little over three months and most were killed with machete. Three million fled the country causing the world's greatest refugee crisis and leading to wars in neighboring countries, further bloodshed and the eventual re-migration of most of the original emigres.

And what did the United Nations do during those critical three months? Reduce its peace-keeping presence from 2,500 to 270. Wait a minute. Did I read that right? Was that a reduction in peace-keeping troops? Huh?!

While Tutsi men, women and children begged to be shot rather than left to the not-so-tender mercies of their Hutu, machete-wielding, fellow countrymen, the UN soldiers and remaining Westerners boarded all available aircraft and 'got out of Dodge', so to speak. In all fairness, there were many individual acts of protest, tears, and disbelief on the part of the departing Europeans and other UN representatives who were not all eager and willing to just abandon the poor victims to their fate. However, with the exception of Paul and the mini-fortress he created at Mille Collines, few acts of heroism had any substantive effect in terms of actual lives saved.

So what made Paul Rusesabagina so special? Nothing outwardly, that is for sure. He knew the value of fine wines, good cigars and even better connections. He was a hard worker. He was a husband and a father. Perhaps therein was the secret. His wife was Tutsi; he was Hutu--by Rwandan standards, a mixed marriage.

But whatever motivated Paul, he was willing to trade every favor, commodity and scrap of money he could lay his hands on for a human life. And he did. By the end of the three months, his hotel residents were reduced to drinking swimming pool water--but they were alive.

I have requested the OKC Metropolitan Library System purchase this film. Although I was mistaken on an earlier post as to the availabilty of an item, this time I am quite sure that we do not have this movie on hand, either in DVD or VHS format. Given the magnitude of the travesty, the failure of nations to respond and the heroism demonstrated by one courageous soul, this is a story which needs to be told . . . and seen . . . and spread . . . and shared . . . as often and as widely as possible.

One doesn't encounter men of character like Paul Ruseabagina very often. May God bless him for his fortitude, his persistence in the face of great adversity and most of all for his love. I take my hat off to him.

Life is Beautiful -- A Movie Review

My daughters don't cry at movies; they bring me kleenex. And the really strange thing is--to me at least--this isn't a sad movie. It is one of the funniest, the most genuinely happy, movies I've seen in a long, long time. Which, when I think about it some more, may be why they did cry.

Life is Beautiful isn't a new film. It's been around for almost ten years but it's new for our family. I discovered it in reading a review for the movie, Bella, which has just come out. The review claimed that Bella was the best thing since Life is Beautiful and Hotel Rwanda. So I decided to check those out. So far so good. (The book about the making of Hotel Rwanda is also good...thus far.)

Life is Beautiful can be compared to Children of Heaven, an Iranian-made film from roughly the same time-period, if by any chance you have seen it. There is something very sweet and pure about both of those movies--something you don't often see.

Life tells the story of a Jewish Italian waiter who lives by a philosophy of life so unsullied and childlike, it reminds one of Christ's injunction to be 'as innocent as doves'. From the Douay-Rheims version it reads: 'Behold I send you as sheep in the midst of wolves. Be ye therefore wise as serpents and simple as doves.' Matt 10:16

And indeed, the characters in the story are dealing with wolves, the Nazis during World War II. At times it does seem as if the waiter is just naive, guileless and maybe even brainless too. He not only has his wits, however, he has a capacity for discernment, a higher wisdom...which only comes from above. And let me reassure you, this is not your ordinary war film. In fact, it isn't even a war film, per se. It manages to tell a story during wartime without ever really getting dark. I cannot say often enough how happy and truly sublime this film experience is.

This movie is about Life and what a extraordinary gift it is. See it! The movie, I mean. As for Life, well, "L'Chayim!"

P.S. I forgot to mention this is an Italian film actually and it's called, La Vita è bella. Isn't that delicious in itself?

World Trade Center -- A Movie Review

Although I usually review books, sometimes it is difficult for me to read--especially when I can't concentrate. Usually when something difficult happens and I most need to lose myself in a good book, I just can't. I usually can't pray at times like that either; I need God most, but He seems farthest away. Of course He isn't--that is when He is closest. And He proved it to me last night. He gave me the perfect movie to watch!

World Trade Center by Oliver Stone is the movie to watch day after tomorrow if you want to pay respect to those who paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country on 911.

I'll be honest, I expected it to be a bit cheesy--guess that's the cynic in me. Or maybe I've just watched too many disaster flicks. This is not a disaster flick! Forget Towering Inferno and all those idiotic portrayals of romantic adventure. This is the real thing--the way the Almighty designs things. Not us.

World Trade Center is a true story about two men, Will Jimeno and John Loughlin, and their families and what happens to them on the day of September 11th, 2001. It starts out like any other day. They report to their jobs as Port Authority police officers and are soon rushed into the burning World Trade Center to help rescue people but became trapped themselves when the tower collapses. They were with a number of other officers--I'm not sure exactly how many--but they are the only two in their group who survive under tons of heavens-only-knows-what.

Have you watched or read anything about 911 since 2001?

I haven't. I can't explain why. At the time it happened, it was all anyone talked about, thought about, dreamed about. The entire world was changed because of it...for awhile. Then time passed. The shock subsided. People got on with their lives. The memory dimmed. We all began to forget. I know I did.

They even touched on it in the movie--talking about and trying to remember the last things they said to their loved ones. The wife of John Loughlin couldn't remember what she'd said last to her husband. The mother of an elevator operator remembered she'd gotten angry with her son.

Why do we stop focusing on what is important? Or rather who is important in our lives?

Are we just too busy? Do we try to do too much? What are we doing wrong? Or what are doing that is superfluous? Can we even tell?

When John Loughlin and Will Jimeno were laying buried under tons of rubble it wasn't hard for them to tell what was important--suddenly it became crystal clear--their wives and families. Miles away and frantic with worry about them, the same was true for those who loved them.

As I watched that movie last night, I remembered how I first felt when I heard about the Twin Towers and the Pentagon. My family seeing how I was affected by the movie kept asking me if I wanted to stop watching it. At many points it did remind me of Mel Gibson's The Passion in terms of the horror of the men's suffering. And maybe that is exactly why I continued to watch the movie.

It felt a little like I was keeping vigil with them. If they had to experience that suffering as innocent Americans serving their country, the very least I could do was keep watch along with them. So I did. It was painful, but it was also cathartic. The problem I had been dealing with before I began watching the movie was put into perspective. What really mattered? My husband sat across the room from me--safe and healthy--my children were also alive and well. Thank God!

Fortunately, Will Jimeno and John Loughlin are found by two incredible Marines and rescued by an extraordinary team of dedicated volunteers.

God bless all of them and everyone who worked so tirelessly to do what could be done! And may God bless all those who died September 11th, 2001, and grant peace to their families. God bless America!