52 in 25: #49 - Nothing Lasts Forever

Next was a book I have been wanting to read for a while.  I finally got it early this year, but was waiting to read it until December.  The book is titled Nothing Lasts Forever by Roderick Thorp, published in 1979.  Doesn’t sound familiar?  It does when you realize it was the “basis” for one of the greatest Christmas movies of all time.

This novel is told from the perspective of a retired police officer named Joseph Leland, and is the sequel to a novel called The Detective, which was made into a movie starring Frank Sinatra in 1968.  Leland flies to LA on Christmas Eve to be with his daughter Stephanie Gennaro and her children.  He meets up with her at her companies Christmas party, taking place in their 40-story skyscraper.  During the party, terrorist led by Anton Gruber take the building hostage in an attempt to steal $6 million dollars that the company, Klaxon, received in a deal with the corrupt government of Chile.  Leland then takes part in a one-man war to stop the terrorists and save his daughter.

 

Sound familiar?  Of course, this was the basis for Die Hard.  This is one case where the movie is significantly better than the source material.  The book isn’t bad.  It can be hard to follow at times.  There’s certainly some conveniences.  I didn’t really like the main character.  Or any of the characters.  In that way, it’s very 70s.  I guess in the end I would say, stick with the movie unless you really want to hunt down a decent action novel.

52 in 25: #48 - The Wingmen

I actually finished this a few days ago but haven’t had the time to write anything.  Next was a sort-of sequel to the previously read The Cloudbuster Nine.  I read Adam Lazarus’ The Wingmen: The Unlikely, Unusual, Unbreakable Friendship Between John Glenn and Ted Williams.

            Space.  Baseball.  Military History.  You would think that I had read this already (published 2023) or at least knew about their friendship.  Somehow, as far as I can remember, I had no idea about their connection until I heard about his book shortly after it was published.  I’m still kind of baffled by that.  I finally got around to reading it.

            The author does a great job of setting up the story, detailing the lives of Ted Williams and John Glenn, two of the most famous men of their time.  And, of course, he also goes into length about how the two of them got to be wingmen in the Korean War.  And then he has a number of chapters on their post-war lives, highlighting their interactions of the years.  Probably my biggest problem is how quickly the war goes by (in the book, not in real life).  There are some good chapters on the nature of the war and their role in it, and in particular about Ted’s crash, but it almost seems like an afterthought for their lives.  I do have some sympathy, however, if that is simply from lack of more information.  I know this problem from personal experience.

            Overall, it is an interesting, though not essential, read for anyone interested in baseball or military history.  One credit I will give to the author is that before I read this, I loved Ted Williams and didn’t care for John Glenn.  After reading, I have a better appreciation for Glenn and see more of the deficiencies of Teddy Ballgame (though I am still immensely intrigued by his life and personality).

52 in 25: #47 - That Nothing May Be Lost

I think I mentioned this before, but I take my time with my spiritual reading.  This was no exception.  I just completed Rev. Paul D. Scalia’s That Nothing May Be Lost.  If that name is familiar, he is a priest for the Diocese of Arlington and the son of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia.  I first became aware of him listening to his homily for his dad’s funeral in 2016.  It’s the best funeral homily I have heard, it inspires mine, and it is included in the appendix of this book.

 

I had picked up this book a number of years ago, but finally got to reading it.  It is a collection of his work, including some articles he has written and (I think) some homilies.  Topics range from the Sacraments to saints, including Mary, to prayer, feast days, and, of course, Our Lord.  I love this book because it is easy to pick up, read one or two, and reflect on his words.  He also does a great job, since these are written for your typical lay Catholic, of distilling ideas down into something that is easily consumed but will keep you thinking.  I highly recommend this book to enrich anyone's spiritual life.

Movies by Decade: 2010s

Underwhelming is how I would summarize this decade.  There are some good movies, but the overuse of CGI and the overabundance of mediocre superhero movies overtakes just about everything else.  There’s also the beginning infusion of woke, which has successfully destroyed Hollywood (see: 2020s).  Personally, this decade also saw me going from seeing nearly every Best Picture nominee (in grad school) to barely seeing any (in seminary).  The overall quality of the Top 10 is not incredibly high, but it is very close between them.

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: The Kids Are All Right, The Descendants, The Help, Midnight in Paris, The Tree of Life, Amour, Beasts of the Southern Wild, 12 Years a Slave, Dallas Buyers Club, Nebraska, Philomena, The Wolf of Wall Street, Boyhood, Selma, Whiplash, Brooklyn, The Revenant, Room, Moonlight, Fences, Lion, Manchester by the Sea, The Shape of Water, Call Me by Your Name, Phantom Thread, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing Missouri, Green Book, BlackKkKlansman, Bohemian Rhapsody, The Favourite, Roma, A Star is Born, Vice, Parasite, The Irishman, Little Women, Marriage Story.  There’s plenty of overrated movies: Inception, Birdman, Get Out, La La Land, everything Marvel, The Social Network, etc.

Honorable Mentions: Mad Max: Fury Road, Mission:Impossible – Rogue Nation, Split, Hacksaw Ridge, Hidden Figures, Les Miserables, Source Code, Argo, All Is Lost, Edge of Tomorrow, We Bought a Zoo, The Town, The Fighter, There Be Dragons, Soul Surfer, Moneyball, Hugo, The Adventures of Tintin, War Horse, For Greater Glory, Lincoln, Wreck-It Ralph, Oblivion, Gravity, Saving Mr. Banks, Calvary, The Lego Movie, Chef, Godzilla, Sicario, Spotlight, The Martian, Creed, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Patriots Day, Rogue One, Coco, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Christopher Robin, Knives Out

 

 Top 10 Countdown:

A Quiet Place (2018)

            This list was one of the more difficult ones to decide on, and there’s a few in the Honorable Mentions that could have made the Top 10.  I will also say that in the Top 10, almost any of them could have been the top movie.  I start with one of the great Pro-Life movies ever made, which people cannot believe because it is sci-fi/horror.  But you have a family, sticking together, and (spoiler alert) a mother choosing to give birth when it could mean her death while a father sacrifices himself to save his children.  It’s a great message and a great movie.

 

Paddington (2014)

            This is legitimately one of the funniest movies made in recent years, and it also has so much heart.  It is great to see that you can still make successful, good family movies.  I love Paddington.

 

The King’s Speech (2010)

            This movie is ranked so high largely due to its amazing cast.  Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are amazing together.  It’s one of those movies that, if I’m sick and can’t keep my eyes open, I can just listen to it and be at peace.

 

True Grit (2010)

            Hardcore John Wayne fans will never agree with this movie being so high, but you have to understand that the Coen Brothers went back to the original source material and not Wayne’s movie. It’s gritty but heartfelt.  The cast (outside of Rooster Cogburn) is miles better than Wayne’s movie.  It’s perhaps the best Western of the 21^st century (depending on how you judge what a “Western” is).

 

Ford v Ferrari (2019)

            Ok, Matt Damon.  I’m not that into cars, but I got sucked into this story.  It stands out as a great “guys” movie in an era where that is looked down upon.  And the cinematography, particularly during the race and the sunset scene, is beautiful.

 

Wind River (2017)

            If it wasn’t for some nudity, this movie might be #1, and certainly it would be higher.  It’s a truly powerful look into the wilds of America (some consider it a Western).  The shootout is one of the most devastating that I have seen.  And it’s also a captivating mystery, and a great story of a “fish out of water.”

 

13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi (2016)

            This is ranked so high because few movies have left me as emotional as leaving the theater after seeing this.  It is not quite as good as, say Black Hawk Down, but it pulls the audience in and makes you feel like you’re there.  And I can’t see how anyone could watch this and be okay with a certain previous administration.

 

Of Gods and Men (2010)

            This little-known French film tells the true story of 9 Cistercian monks living in a monastery in Algeria until 7 of them are kidnapped and martyred during the Algerian Civil War in 1996.  It is beautifully moving, and it is a shame that more people do not know about it.  Yes, Christians and Muslims can live in peace together.  Yes, Christians are still martyred.  Yes, living your life for Christ is worth it.

 

Toy Story 3 (2010)

            Toy Story 3 was the perfect ending for the most consistently great trilogy in history, and is basically a perfect movie.  It hits everything you want in a movie (funny, exciting, etc.).  It expertly weaves in a few new characters without discarding your favorites from the first two.  And it is one of the few times that an animated movie can legitimately make you emotional in the end (twice actually, first when they are nearly destroyed, and then the perfect send-off at the end).   

 

1917 (2019)

            After recently rewatching this movie for Veterans Day, I moved it up a spot to take #1 of the decade.  This movie is more than just the “single-shot” gimmick.  It is perfectly directed, you can tell that Sam Mendes put his heart into it in honor of his grandfather.  It is tense.  You can feel the mud and grit of the trenches.  Thomas Newman’s score is (as always) beautiful (how did he lose to the noise of Joker?!?!?).  It is a nearly perfect movie.

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade (there’s not a lot to love this decade, because movie scores started to become more like “atmosphere” and “wall of sound,” thanks in large part to Christopher Nolan and Hans Zimmer, and don’t even get me started on how terrible Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters (Bear McCreary; also 10 Cloverfield Lane, Happy Death Day)

Passengers (Thomas Newman; also 1917)

How To Train Your Dragon (John Powell)

Mission: Impossible: Rogue Nation (Joe Kraemer)

Mad Max: Fury Road (Junkie XL)

Mission: Impossible: Ghost Protocol (Michael Giacchino; also Jurassic World, Rogue One, Coco)

True Grit (Carter Burwell)

Planes (Mark Mancina)

Godzilla (Alexandre Desplat; also The King’s Speech)

The Adventures of Tintin (John Williams; also War Horse, Lincoln, Star Wars trilogy)

Tron: Legacy (Daft Punk)

The Wolfman (Danny Elfman)

X-Men: First Class (Henry Jackman; also Wreck-It Ralph, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle)

Predators (John Debney)

Toy Story 3 (Randy Newman)

Hugo (Howard Shore)

After Earth (James Newton Howard)

Oblivion (M83)

Edge of Tomorrow (Christophe Beck)

 

Other music from the decade: pass

52 in 25: #46 - Wild at Heart

A couple of months ago, I watched an interview with John Eldredge and was fascinated with his book Wild at Heart: Discovering the Secret of a Man’s Soul.  I'm kind of shocked that I had not heard of it or him before, since it was first published 25 years ago.  I was given it for my birthday, so I was happy to get to read it.

 

            It is very thought-provoking.  I don’t agree with everything, but a lot of it I find very powerful.  It has definitely seeped into my homilies recently.  It is about reclaiming masculinity.  Too many men today have become emasculated or gone the “toxic masculinity” route.  For Eldredge, it boils down to three things: a battle to fight, an adventure to love, and a beauty to love.  These are the basics of what makes a man.

 

            I especially liked this book because it is a call to action.  Too many times, as men, and even in the Church, we are called to be passive.  That has caused deep wounds, and, in the case of the Church, has made it uninteresting to too many men.  I see this in the priesthood, where it has been proven that the focus on the priesthood being “easy” has contributed to the vocations crisis, whereas dioceses that emphasis the difficulty of the priesthood tend to have more vocations.  Men need a challenge.  A call to action.  Any man who is worth a lick knows this is true.  Of course, as Eldredge says, we don’t want that to go too far to unmitigated violence.  There must be a balance, a focused energy, but one that is not afraid to take risks.

 

            I will say the one downfall of this book is that in the “beauty” section it might get a little…graphic for some readers.  Kind of a “clinical” graphic, but it might still be too much for some.  Aside from that, I highly recommend this to all men, especially any going through an identity crisis, and even for women to help “their men.”  I understand that there is a series of other books, for the woman’s soul, for couples, which are probably good as well.

52 in 25: #45 - No Greater Glory

I received a number of good books for my birthday, and the first one I went to, in preparation for Veterans’ Day, was No Greater Glory: The Four Immortal Chaplains and the Sinking of the Dorchester in World War II by Dan Kurzman.

             This is a truly fascinating book.  It is largely focused on telling the tale of the Four (Army) Chaplains who gave their lives when the troop carrier SS Dorchester was sunk on its way to Greenland in the early hours of February 3, 1943.  These four brave men were George L. Fox (Methodist), Rabbi Alexander D. Goode, Clark V. Poling (Dutch Reformed), and Fr. John P. Washington.  I really appreciated how the author gave background for each of them and how they each in their own way worked to bring together those of different faiths by focusing on a good and loving God.  This was true in their lives, their preaching, and in their service.  As the ship was sinking, each of them gave their life preservers to someone in need, and encouraged those who were scared to jump into the ocean (it was, after all, a troop carrier, so most of the men were in the Army not the Navy or Coast Guard).  The last time they were seen, as the ship plunged into the water, they were joined together, praying.  They were a true witness of faith and unity to men in a desperate situation.  Of the 900 men on board, only about 230 survived the sinking.

            The author also does a good job of conveying the terrible situation of the sinking (literally freezing cold water).  He also touches on the questionable, to say the least, decision by the commanding officer of the escort ships not to search for survivors until it was too late for most of the men in the water.  This is contrasted with the heroic, and humane, decision of the commander of the Coast Guard cutter Comanche to defy orders and rescue almost 100 men when we was supposed to be patrolling for the U-boat that was long gone.

             Overall, it is an inspiring and thoroughly human story.  In the end, the big question left with the reader is: how would I have acted in that situation?

52 in 25: #42-44 - "Research reading"

I am slogging through my “fun” reading right now, but remember I should mention the reading I am doing for “research.”  Here’s “3” books that I have read for a project I am working on.

The first is Soul Searching: The Religious and Spiritual Lives of American Teenagers by Christian Smith with Melinda Lundquist Denton.  I first came across this book while listening to the Bible in a Year podcast.  It is a little bit dated, since it is focused on teenagers at the turn of the century and a lot has happened since then, but it is an insight into how many Americans still view God.  Essentially, it is based on a survey and a series of interviews with teenagers around the year 2005.  The end result was their conceptualization of a new belief system they call “Moralistic Therapeutic Deism.”  Moralistic means that God wants us to be good, nice to each other.  It is Therapeutic because it is all about being “happy” – and rejects things like repentance from sin, observing the Sabbath or holy days, and redemptive suffering.  Deism is a revision of 18^th century deism in that God is distant, but intervenes when needed to solve a problem.  The sad thing is how much I see this in so many people I encounter today, especially from my generation.  So, again, while it is dated, it remains important for understanding how to evangelize or re-evangelize some people who still hold this worldview.

Next is After Evil by Robert Meister.  The less I say about this the better.  Meister is a professor of social and political thought in California, and a Marxist.  This particular book is about so-called Human Rights Discourse following the evils of the 20^th century, and the search for true justice.  Some of it is good – calling into question moral logic that states that suffering is never good.  Most of it is really bad – essentially arguing that colonialism led to racism, which lead to genocide, and all because of democracy.  And to make matters worse, he writes in such a way that you know he is looking down his nose on anyone who is reading this; he is much smarter than you.  Again, the less I say the better (he should have heeded that advice).

 

Finally there are two small booklets which I will consider together a book.  A Catechism of Modernism by the Reverend J.B. Lemius, O.M.I., originally published in 1908, is basically a copy of Pope Pius X’s encyclical Pascendi Dominici Gregis (“On the Doctrines of Modernists”).  But it is a “catechism” in that it breaks up the encyclical into questions and answers, as old catechisms did.  Honestly, this format does not do anything to help clarify, and in fact is probably less helpful (IMHO) than just reading the encyclical.  Then again, how available were encyclicals at the time?

Then there is Hope for Hard Times by Scott Hahn.  It is a self-titled “30-minute read” (probably, if you’re not taking notes).  I love Hahn, and this is no exception.  He breaks down hope and how it should be a remedy for suffering (hence the title) into eight chapters, which essentially consist of a premise, some teaching, usually using saints, and a take away.  Simple and effective.  It is also a direct contrast to Dr. Meister: suffering makes us holy.