52 in 25: #35 - Spiritual Works

Next I am combining two shorter works for one, part of my recent spiritual reading.

First is On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius.  St. Athanasius is one of the great Eastern Church Fathers who died in 373.  This is, as you might expect, an argument for the reality that God became man in Jesus Christ.  He includes a brief summary of creation and the fall, the need for salvation, and the saving, loving act of God to come and die for us.  He also makes arguments specifically for Jews and Gentiles.  While some of these arguments may be “dated,” as in refuting ancient gods that no longer have any baring, the overall sentiment is timeless.  Christians, in particulars Catholics, need to keep going back to the Church Fathers to bolster our faith.

The second was Matthew Manint’s With Glory and Honor You Crowned Them: The Female Martyrs of the Roman Canon.  As a priest who uses the Roman Canon often, I wanted to read up a little more on those saints who are named, especially those I am less knowledgeable about.  And, quite frankly, sometimes the virgin martyrs run together.  This is much more modern, published in 2019, but I like how the author highlights different aspects of the saints so that they stand out.  It’s concise, but there’s enough there to gain a better devotion to these inspirational women.

Two short works, similar in that they reach back to the early Church, and both can help enliven our faith.  It is important for us to read as much about the saints as possible, for inspiration and for a greater love for God.

52 in 25: #34 - The Coddling of the American Mind

This next book is something that I have read for “research” for a project I am working on.  And, I will say up front, it is excellent.  The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas are Setting Up a Generation for Failure was a New York Times Bestseller in 2018 by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt.  In it, they focus on “Three Bad Ideas” which are plaguing younger generations today.  The first is the Untruth of Fragility: What doesn’t kill you makes you weaker.  The second is the Untruth of Emotional Reasoning: Always trust your feelings.  The third is the Untruth of Us Versus Them: Life is a battle between good people and evil people.

 

I like that they have a methodical way of looking at this problem of how younger generations are “coddled” (over-protected).  They also call this “safetyism.”  They present the three bad ideas, give examples in part 2, explain how we got to this place in part 3, and then present examples of how to fix the problem in part 4.  I also like how they mentioned the criteria for the untruths: they go against ancient wisdom, they contradict modern psychology, and they do harm.

While their focus is on college campuses, the arguments go far beyond that.  I found myself nodding to much of what they wrote, save for the few times their obvious political leanings entered in.  I also noticed that there were multiple mentions of Buddha and other philosophers, but, as I noticed, only one mention of Jesus or Christianity.  On the plus side, that means that Christianity can be better infused in their arguments by someone else.

One thing I didn’t like is that, by the end, they started to advertise for a few things they are part of or they think are alternatives.  While I appreciated their explanation of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, for instance, I could have done with a little less selling of it towards the end.  Regardless, I think this book has a lot of merits, and addresses an important issue that has probably only become worse since the book was published (*COVID*).  Final thought, I especially loved that they strongly warned against social media, the basis for so many societal ills today.

Movies by Decade: 80s

A breath of fresh air with the 80s.  The biggest difference for me with the 80s is fun.  Much of the 70s is “gritty,” or really more dour, but the 80s is fun, and it’s a much better decade for it.  I truly believe that Spielberg/Lucas are the biggest reason for this, and, therefore, are even higher on my list of favorites.  Basically, the 80s are a massive bounce back decade, and sets up (spoilers) the greatest decade in film history.

Science fiction is really big in the 80s, again thanks to the success of Star Wars.  Even fantasy has a significant corner in the decade.  We see an even greater move towards blockbuster movies.  And, with Stallone and Arnold among others, the rise of action movies (culminating in the greatest of them all in ‘88).  Disney has another down decade, though The Little Mermaid kicks off the “Renaissance.”  And, of course, John Hughes is massive, which means Chicago is everywhere.  And he is part of a much larger collection of movies based around children/teens (it’s clearly the best decade of movies to be growing up).

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: The Elephant Man, Raging Bull, Gandhi (seen parts but not all), Terms of Endearment, Amadeus, Platoon, The Last Emperor, Driving Miss Daisy, Born on the Fourth of July. Add to this Ordinary People, which is incredibly depressing, Out of Africa, which is not good, The Color Purple, ditto, Blade Runner, which is overrated, or Full Metal Jacket, which is half a good movie, half tripe.

 

Honorable Mentions: First Blood, The Blues Brothers, Silverado, Rocky IV, Chariots of Fire, The Man from Snowy River, The Terminator, The Breakfast Club, Aliens, Stand by Me, Lethal Weapon, The Untouchables, Predator, The Princess Bride, Empire of the Sun, Willow, Big, Batman, Henry V, Glory, The Little Mermaid

 

Top 10 Countdown:

Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986)

            Wow wow wow, a really good decade for movies, it’s really difficult to pick just 10.  Ferris in some way represents all of the teen comedies of this decade as the best of them.  It was also perhaps the first movie where you had to stay until the credits ended (got to see it in a theater once in college, and it caught off just as Ferris came back on the screen, people were NOT HAPPY).

 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (1987)

            A little more adult John Hughes comedy, and probably the best road trip comedy ever made.  I watch right around Thanksgiving every year, because it is the best (only?) Thanksgiving movie.  If not for one scene, it’s a remarkably clean comedy as well.

 

The Natural (1984)

            So much better than the novel.  I have had a roller coaster of thoughts about the Kim Basinger character.  I hate her, and for a while thought she shouldn’t be in it.  Then I realized that, if this story is a Greek hero’s journey just set in baseball (it is), then she does a great job as the siren you are supposed to hate.  I’m shocked when baseball people don’t like this movie.  “A father makes all the difference” gets me every time.

 

Die Hard (1988)

            Now we are really getting into the best of the best.  It’s not an overstatement to say that this movie set the mold for action movies for over a decade (Die Hard on a plane! Die Hard on a bus! Die Hard on…).  It’s fascinating to think that at the time people laughed at casting Bruce Willis because he was a “comedy actor.”  And Hans Gruber is one of the greatest villains of all time.  Yes, it absolutely is a Christmas movie.

 

Field of Dreams (1989)

            Probably the best baseball movie ever made.  Somehow it lost Best Picture to Driving Miss Daisy (no I haven’t seen it, but does anybody care about that movie any more, or make pilgrimages to see where it was filmed?).  Any red-blooded American man who can make it to the end without getting emotional is a psychopath or sociopath or something for sure.

 

Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back (1980)

            It’s not my favorite Star Wars movie (Return of the Jedi), but it is clearly the best.  On the one hand, you have a perfect hero’s journey taking place, on the other hand you have non-stop action of The Chase.  They brilliantly expand the universe to make you really feel like it’s a universe.  There’s iconic dialogue.  One of the greatest twists of all time.  And, it has a perfect cliffhanger.  Of course, there’s also John Williams continuing to be a genius by adding the best villain theme of all time.

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)

            It is so hard to put this so low, because it is basically a perfect movie.  The cast is perfect, introducing the greatest movie hero of all time.  The story is phenomenal.  The score is amazing.  The cinematography, stunts…  Honestly, the sequences from the fight at the airplane through the desert chase may be the greatest action sequence ever.  There’s nothing to criticize.  That means the top three must be pretty special.

 

Back to the Future (1985)

            If anyone were to ask me to pick the “quintessential 80s movie,” I would pick Back to the Future.  It’s got science fiction, comedy, the main character is a teen, it takes place in the 80s and 50s, a great score and songs, pretty much everything you think of when you think “80s.”  It also has one of the greatest scripts of all time.  And while both Robert Zemeckis and Alan Silvestri had some success with Romancing the Stone the year before, this movie essentially made them as one of the great directors and composers (as a set and individually) ever.

 

The Mission (1986)

            Undoubtedly this is the least “popular” of the top 10, but it is a beautifully haunting movie about the Jesuits in South America.  Jeremy Irons and Robert De Niro are fantastic, and they continue to make me think “which one am I more like”?  It’s not an easy watch, but it is truly one of the most important religious movies ever made.  Especially poignant is the scene of De Niro carrying his armor up the waterfall, which is the perfect example of penance and forgiving ourselves.  And while I often struggle with Ennio Morricone, this is his masterpiece.  This is yet another Best Picture nominee that was robbed.

 

E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (1982)

            It’s debatable whether or not this is Spielberg’s best.  I don’t think it is debatable that it is the best movie of the decade.  Once again, it was nominated but did not win Best Picture, but supposedly even Richard Attenborough, who director the winner Gandhi, said that it should have won.  The genius of Spielberg is filming it from a child’s perspective, which really allows the audience to enter into the story and get swept up by everything that happens.  It’s funny, sad, exciting, and most of all uplifting.  And again, John Williams is there to make it even better.  We just won’t mention the botched 20^th anniversary “update” that was smartly thrown away.

 

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade (Once again, John Williams dominates this decade, and James Horner gives him a run for his money, I am going to choose just one to represent them.  The 80s also sees a number of other composers breaking out: Alan Silvestri, Hans Zimmer, Michael Kamen, Danny Elfman, Basil Poledouris, and even Patrick Doyle.  The only big problem with this decade is the overuse of electronics in scores, even when they don’t fit – Chariots of Fire.)

 

Indiana Jones trilogy (John Williams) (also: E.T., Star Wars V and VI, Empire of the Sun)

Field of Dreams (James Horner) (also: Aliens, The Land Before Time, Star Trek II and III, Cocoon, Willow)

Batman (Danny Elfman)

Die Hard (Michael Kamen) (also: Highlander, Lethal Weapon, License to Kill)

Conan the Barbarian (Basil Poledouris) (also: Red Dawn, RoboCop)

The Mission (Ennio Morricone)

Predator (Alan Silvestri) (also: Back to the Future, The Abyss)

Silverado (Bruce Broughton)

 

 

Other music from the decade: I love 80s music, and there’s so much to point to, from hair bands to metal to pop to hip hop.  Like the movies, the music is fun.  Lots of “one hit wonders.”  But also some truly iconic bands come out of this decade like U2 and Metallica and Beastie Boys.  The other thing to point out is that unquestionably the greatest soundtracks of all time come from the 80s: Top Gun, Rocky IV, Back to the Future, Dirty Dancing (though that’s greatly aided by the 50s).

52 in 25: #33 - Congo

No, I have not stopped reading, nor have I forgotten about this.  Basically, I started one book, then decided I really wanted to read something from Michael Crichton, but I’m doing my best to not read Jurassic Park this year, so I picked up Congo for a reread.  So I've been splitting time between two (actually more) books.

Crichton is my favorite author because, for me, he brings the perfect mix of the old-school serial thriller with “techno-thriller” updates.  I love how “real” he makes his novels, by including all kinds of scientific explanations, real and fictional.  You can tell that he has heavily researched whatever topic(s) he is approaching in that particular novel.  He also is not a luddite, but at the same time he warns about the use, or overuse, of technology.

Congo, published in 1980, was his fifth novel.  Or it’s his 15^th if you include his novels published as John Lange or other aliases.  It is heavily influenced by other stories like King Solomon’s Mines of the lost city in the darkest Africa.  In this case, it centers around a technology company out of Houston ERTS searching for blue diamonds at the lost city of Zinj which will change the course of computing for decades to come.  The expedition is led by Charles Munro, the top mercenary in Africa, and Karen Ross, the representative from ERTS.  Along for the ride are Peter Elliot, a scientist from Berkely, and his gorilla Amy.  While the trek through the jungle, and the circuitous route to get there, are exciting, the real fun starts when the get to Zinj and are confronted by a lost species of grey gorillas who had been trained by the inhabitants of Zinj as an army.  Oh, and meanwhile there is a civil war in Zaire, pygmies and cannibals, and a second consortium from Japan and Germany racing to get the diamonds first.

 

Congo is exciting, though not all that original.  In Crichton’s bibliography, I would probably put it in the lower middle, which means it’s better than a lot of other authors, but not one of his best.  That being said, it is significantly better than the dreadful movie adaptation.

52 in 25: #32 - Tyrannosaur Canyon

I was really wanting to read some Tom Clancy, one of my favorite authors, so I started to reread Cardinal in the Kremlin, which I haven’t read in a while, but then I realized it is not summer reading.  I want “summer reading.”  So I put it down and will probably pick it up again in the winter.

 

Instead, I returned to Douglas Preston, whose Extinction is #16.  I turned to another “dinosaur” themed book in Tyrannosaur Canyon.  I’ll cut to the chase, there is a dinosaur in it, but barely.

 

It actually starts with the Apollo 17 lunar landing in 1972.  Ok, I’m listening.  Something mysterious happens.  Jump to present day, where a “treasure hunter” in the badlands of New Mexico is murdered.  Before the bad guy can get to his body (he was shot from the top of the canyon), the hero, Tom Broadbent, heard the shots and finds the body.  Before the man dies, he hands Tom a diary and tells him to give it to his daughter Robbie.  Being a man of honor, he has to honor the man’s last request, and so he does not take it to the authorities.  Thus begins a race to find out what the treasure is and where it’s buried.  Along the way, Tom befriends a former CIA agent-turned-monk Wyman Ford.  I mention that because this is the second Tom Broadbent novel (I haven’t read the first The Codex, but it’s basically spoiled in this book) and the first of the Wyman Ford series of books).

 

Where does the dinosaur come in?  Spoilers.  The “treasure” is a basically fully intact T-Rex, including skin and everything, which turns out to have died during the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs but, twist, it actually died from an alien organism that was attached to the asteroid, was also found on the moon, and could become a dangerous weapon.  Basically, you have a little bit of a treasure hunt, a little bit of a detective story, a little bit of a conspiracy story, and a little bit of Andromeda Strain.

 

Overall, it was enjoyable.  I definitely realized that I really like the “serial” type of novel, from Dumas to Burroughs and Crichton (sort of) to now Preston.  He reminds me quite a bit of Crichton, but with a lot fewer scientific details to lend it more credibility.  In the end, he writes a fun, engaging thriller that keeps you coming back to find out what’s happening to the different convergent story lines.  That being said, I will no longer assume that a book with a dinosaur or other extinct animal on its cover features dinosaurs or other extinct animals.  As a man once said, "fool me once, shame on...shame on you. Fool me...you can't get fooled again."

52 in 25: #31 - The Dialogue of Catherine of Siena

I just finished my spiritual reading, which for some time has been the Dialogue of St. Catherine of Siena.

St. Catherine was born in Siena in 1347, the 25^th child of her mother and a twin (her twin sister and about half of her other siblings did not survive childhood).  From an early age she wanted to devoted herself to God.  To that end, she eventually joined the Dominicans.  At 21, she experienced a “mystical marriage to Christ” and she had many visions in ecstasy.  Some of these were eventually dictated and written down as the Dialogue, which was finished in 1378.  She died just two years later.

Since she is a Doctor of the Church, this, her most famous work, has been on my list to read for awhile.  I also have been trying to make a concerted effort to read more female saints, to try and help that part of my ministry.  It is a dialogue between God and a soul, though God does most of the talking (as He should).  I will admit that it took me a long time to get into it.  Another priest concurred, saying that getting one idea out of a few pages was on the right track.  I persisted, slowly, until the section on obedience which really spoke to me.  I’ve known it before: God expects much more from priests, but it hit me in a special way this time.  I was happy that I could take away some very meaningful insights.

52 in 25: #30 - Riders of the Purple Sage

I love Western movies.  It’s long been one of my favorite genres.  So it’s somewhat unusual that I have only read 2 or 3 Western novels.  I decided to venture into the Western with what is considered one of the best, if not the best, ever written.  That is, Zane Grey’s Riders of the Purple Sage.

Written in 1912, it takes place in 1870s Utah.  There are two main interlocking stories.  First is Jane Withersteen, a wealthy single Mormon woman who is battling between her faith and her longing for freedom, and Jim Lassiter, a gunfighter known for killing Mormons looking for the man who killed his sister.  The second main story surrounds Bern Venters, a rider, and Bess, the mysterious Masked Rider he almost killed but nurses back to life.  This second story, which becomes “Adam and Eve in Eden” is far less interesting than the intrigue of Jane, Lassiter, and the Mormon hierarchy trying to wear them down.

 

I really wanted to like it.  I liked parts of it, but there were also parts that got under my skin.  One thing that bothered me to no end was the chapter titles which often spoiled what was going to happen.  At least I could sympathize with the authors clear dislike of Mormonism.  I might someday read the sequel, The Rainbow Trail, but not likely too soon.

Movies by Decade: 70s

Moving onto the 70s.

Ugh.  

A lot of critics claim that the 70s is the greatest decade for movies.  It’s not.  In fact, I think it’s the worst.  It’s certainly the most overrated.  And that goes for music, too.  We see an influx of sex, drugs, and profanity, thanks in large part to “gritty” “urban” movies.  New York is all over.  Disaster movies are another big thing.  Oh, and Disney animation has probably its worst decade, but a solid decade with “live-action” movies (most of which are unknown today: The London Connection, Snowball Express, The World’s Greatest Athlete, The North Avenue Irregulars, and even Freaky Friday, which I finally watched, was pretty good).  Bond also has his worst decade by a mile (I can’t stand Roger Moore).  But…we have the first blockbusters, the rise of Spielberg, and some massive franchises are born, so there is some good among all the drivel.

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: MASH, A Clockwork Orange, The Last Picture Show, Cabaret, Chinatown, Barry Lyndon, Network, Annie Hall, The Deer Hunter, Kramer vs. Kramer, Apocalypse Now. You also won’t see any Scorsese (most I haven’t seen, if I have seen it, it’s not worth mentioning) and you definitely won’t see The Godfather (the single most overrated movie of all time, it’s really, really bad).  Also, I finally watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail.  People actually find that funny?  I didn’t even chuckle once.

 

Honorable Mentions: The Muppet Movie, Big Jake, The Wind and the Lion, Robin Hood, Tora! Tora! Tora!, The Andromeda Strain, American Graffiti, The North Avenue Irregulars

Top 10 (counting down):

10. The Thirty Nine Steps (1978)

            This isn’t a bad movie, obviously, but you can tell how little regard I have for the decade when this is in the top ten.  I’m guessing few people today have seen it.  It stars Robert Powell, i.e. Jesus from Jesus of Nazareth (which, if I were considering miniseries, would definitely be on this list).

 

9. Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

            Again, it’s a good movie, but probably not in the top half of Spielberg movies.  Thanks to it, however, I did go out of my way to visit Devil’s Tower when I went to Mount Rushmore (it’s pretty cool to see in person).

 

8. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)

            Here I am blatantly cheating, because it’s actually a collection of short Winnie cartoons that were originally released in the 60s but packed together in 1977.  But it is wonderfully fun.

 

7. Fiddler on the Roof (1971)

            Now we get into movies that deserve at least consideration for any decade’s Top 10.  One of the greatest musicals of all time, and it’s even more beautiful when you know the historical context.  A timeless (at least for recent generations) struggle over tradition vs. change.

 

6. Patton (1970)

            George C. Scott is nothing like the real Patton, but he’s an amazing cinematic Patton.  And it gets the disdain for “Monty” right, he was a loser.

 

5. Alien (1979)

            The top 5 is almost impossible to pick between.  Here we have the greatest scifi horror film of all time, introducing us to one of the greatest creatures of all time.  When Ridley Scott is on, he is amazing.

 

4. Superman (1978)

            The greatest superhero movie of all time.  There’s no debate.  Don’t even try to argue for any of the recent movies.  The whole sequence from saving Lois in the chopper through his first night of heroics is perfect.  And the entire movie is elevated by a perfect score by John Williams (no surprise there).  Christopher Reeve will always be Superman.  The only knock on it: Marlon Brando, who is clearly phoning it in for a paycheck (not even trying to pronounce Krypton correctly).

 

3. Star Wars (1977)

            To watch the original cut of this movie is to fall in love with movies.  George Lucas was a genius of story telling (dialogue…maybe not).  Darth Vader is the greatest villain of all time.  Jaws created the blockbuster, but this created the cinematic event with all the tie-ins.  It remains the most important movie ever made.

 

2. Jaws (1975)

            Speaking of the movie that created the blockbuster.  Some people today knock it because “the shark looks fake.”  Talk to audiences in 1975.  But it’s also much more than just the shark.  It is the perfect example of slowly introducing the monster, horror through inference, and a perfect payoff.  And, of course, it truly introduced the world to Spielberg and Williams, the greatest director/composer combo of all time.

 

1. Rocky (1976)

            All that being said about Jaws, it doesn’t take the top spot because Rocky is the perfect underdog tale.  Again, people knock it because of Stallone, but if you really pay attention he is incredible in this movie.  And don’t forget that he wrote it, too.  It is one of the few examples of the gritty 70s movie done right.  All of the top 5 created franchises, some bigger than others, and most of them work.  And again, any one of the them could take the top spot, but Rocky and its triumph through adversity, the true American story of grinding to the top, and the genius move to have him win without winning, puts it just over the top.

 

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade (John Williams and Jerry Goldsmith absolutely dominate this decade, so rather than listing theirs individually, because it would only be them, I’m listing theirs collectively)

 

John Williams (Star Wars, Superman, Jaws, Close Encounters, Midway, Towering Inferno…)

Jerry Goldsmith (Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Alien, Patton, MacArthur, The Wind and the Lion…)

King Kong (John Barry)

Robin and Marian (Barry)

Big Jake (Elmer Bernstein)

 

Other music from the decade: Again, the music is so overrated, and not just terrible disco.  I like a little bit of classic rock, the problem is a little bit of classic rock means roughly two songs for 15 minutes. 

52 in 25: #29 - Public Bonehead, Private Hero

Next up, returning to baseball with Public Bonehead, Private Hero: The Real Legacy of Baseball’s Fred Merkle by Mike Cameron (not the former baseball player).

At one point in time, Fred Merkle was the most (in)famous player in baseball history, though today only hardcore fans know his story.  The pennant race in 1908 is one of the closest in baseball history (American League too, but that’s not part of this story).  On September 23, two of the leaders, the New York Giants and Chicago Cubs, met in an important match.  Merkle was a 19-year-old rookie, though many regarded him as an extremely intelligent player.  He had played in about 40 games that season, but this would be only his second start of the season.

The game was tied 1-1 in the bottom of the ninth.  With one out, Art Devlin singled.  Moose McCormick followed with a ground ball, but the Cubs were only able to get the force out at second.  Merkle was up next, and he his a sharp single to the right-field line.  McCormick stopped at third.  In most other situations, Merkle could have easily had a double, but, being smart, he knew his run didn’t matter so he stayed at first to not risk making the third out.  Al Bridwell came up next, and hit a single into center field.  Giants win the game!  The fans storm the field (much more common in those days)!  Except…

In those days, it was common practice that in this case, with a clear game-winning hit, the winning run would touch home and the other runners would make their way to the clubhouse.  By the rules, however, the run does not count until all other runners have safely reached their next base to avoid a force out.  Again, this was not enforced at that time until about a week earlier when the Cubs attempted to catch another team.  That time the out was not called, but the league sent a warning to the umpires and a few clubs that the rule would be enforced going forward.  The Cubs knew this, the Giants didn’t, so Merkle didn’t.  As mentioned, he did wanted dozens of others had done up to that point.  The Cubs ran down the ball, stepped on second, and though the umpires said the game was over, the Cubs appealed to the league president, and the game was officially ruled a “tie” to be made up later.

Again, this is a difficult situation to understand if you’re not a baseball fan.  At the time, however, newspapers all over started calling Merkle a “bonehead,” and so fans followed suit.  To make matters worse, the game was replayed at the end of the season, October 8.  The Giants and Cubs were tied for first (the Pirates were just a half-game back, but it was too late for them).  The Cubs won the makeup 4-2, and went on to win the World Series.  Again, the newspapers blamed it all on Merkle.

To his credit, Merkle hung on, including through a disastrous 1909 campaign, to play 16 seasons and play in 5 World Series (though not winning one).  The “Bonehead” epitaph stayed with him throughout, even if players and coaches knew he was one of the smartest players in the game.

The book itself is interesting, I just wish there was more about Merkle himself.  Maybe the author used all that was available.  The final chapter he basically presents him as a saint, a heroic figure, but with little evidence to back that up outside of “he was unfairly branded a loser but he forged on.”

Finally, just a little background on why I read this book.  My first assignment as a priest was in Watertown, WI.  Somehow I noticed a baseball field there named after him.  Knowing his story already, I had to search it out, and came to this book.  He is honored there because he was born there, the son of a Lutheran school teacher, but they moved away only 15 months after he was born (interestingly, about as long as I lasted there).  So while he’s “from” Watertown, he certainly would not have considered it home.  And, I promise this is my final note, my parents gave me the book on my 1 year anniversary as a priest.  Mom and Dad, it only took me 4 years to read it!

52 in 25: #28 - Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar

The problem with Tarzan is you can’t read just one.  So I continued on with the next book, Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar.  I was particularly wanting to read this because I can remember really liking Tarzan going to Opar, but I quickly realized I was thinking of his first excursion there in The Return of Tarzan.

This is the fifth Tarzan book, originally appearing in a weekly in 1916 and published as a book in 1918.  Lord and Lady Greystoke (Tarzan and Jane) are hurting for money, so Tarzan decides to return to Opar to bring back gold that he had seen there before.  He is followed by an outlaw Belgian army office, Albert Werper, who is working with an Arab, Achmet Zek, to try to destroy Tarzan.  While recovering the gold, an earthquake strikes, and Tarzan is buried in the treasure room.  Worse, he is hit in the head by falling debris and loses his memory.  While he is away, Achmet Zek destroys the Greystoke farm and kidnaps Jane.  The adventure goes from there.  Tarzan eventually regains his memory, largely by coming across Jane, and they live happily ever after (sort of) while the bad guys get their comeuppance.

The memory loss gimmick is basically a way to revert Tarzan to his more beastly form, and to help the story go on a bit longer (it would have been much shorter if he knew who he was and how to resolve the kidnapping).  Opar and the Oparians are barely in it (La, the high priestess in love with Tarzan, returns), the title refers to some jewels that Tarzan came across and they become a secondary device for the characters to fight over.  In the end, it’s another solid story in the Tarzan line.  Part of me wants to keep going, but I will be going elsewhere for my next book(s).

Movies by Decade: 60s

Here come the 60s.

My biggest problem with the 60s is that there are so many epics, it becomes a bit tiresome to try to get through them.  A good chunk of them could lose 30+ minutes and be just as good if not better.  The catalog for the decade is quite diverse, though Westerns are still all over.  Spy movies are definitely on the rise, thanks in large part to James Bond (and the Cold War in general).  There’s plenty of sandal epics, war movies, some musicals, some solid comedies, and some science fiction, particularly towards the latter half.  I would also say fewer Disney animated movies, but plenty of Disney live action movies (not in the way we think of today, of course). One last weird note, an odd number of movie titles included exclamation points!

Before my list (remember this is “best,” not necessarily “favorite”), a few notable movies not mentioned, because I have not seen them: The Apartment, Tom Jones, Becket, Doctor Zhivago, A Man for All Seasons, In the Heat of the Night, Bonnie and Clyde, Oliver!, Midnight Cowboy, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, The Hustler. Breakfast at Tiffany’s is terrible.  2001: A Space Odyssey is bad and boring.

Honorable Mentions: Hatari!, Lilies of the Field, McLintock!, Those Calloways, The Agony and the Ecstasy, The Jungle Book, The Odd Couple, The Shoes of the Fisherman, True Grit, Goldfinger, On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, Hello, Dolly!, The Alamo, Psycho, The Magnificent Seven, The Longest Day, Charade

Top 10 Countdown:

10. The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly (1966)

            Until I just rewatched it, I would have had this higher, as most people do.  Unfortunately, I think it’s a perfect example of this decade having movies that are much longer than they need to be.  Yes, the end showdown is classic, but it gets to be a chore getting there. 

9. It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World (1963)

            Quite possibly the funniest movie ever made, which is why it has to be in this top 10.  It does get a bit long, especially for a comedy, but the craziness of all the different story lines keeps it going.  It’s impossible to pick out a best scene or actor.  “Except you lady, may you just…DROP DEAD!”

8. Planet of the Apes (1968)

            It’s not perfect, there are a few plot holes, but it remains an incredibly important movie, especially for its commentary on race relations during that time.  As usual, Charlton Heston is great.

7. The Sound of Music (1965)

            I might get in trouble with someone for having this so low, but the competition is fierce.  Julie Andrews and Christopher Plummer are great.  A few points docked for the music used during the wedding.

 6. The Great Escape (1963)

            Another movie with a great ensemble cast.  It’s thrilling, especially starting with the escape.  Steve McQueen really shines, even with so many other great actors.

5. The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)

            Jimmy Stewart might be a touch old for the part, but that doesn’t really take away from this unconventional Western.  John Wayne, Vera Miles, and Lee Marvin are great as usual.

4. West Side Story (1961)

            It’s certainly in the running for best musical ever made, something I never thought I would have said even 10 years ago.  The dancing is particularly remarkable (the gym dance is probably second only to the barn razing in Seven Brides for Seven Brothers).

3. Spartacus (1960)

            Apparently it was a difficult shoot, to say the least, but the end product is great.  Once again, the casts for some of these movies are unbelievable: Kirk Douglas, Tony Curtis, Jean Simmons, Peter Ustinov winning an Oscar, Charles Laughton, and, oh yeah, Laurence Olivier.

2. My Fair Lady (1964)

            Audrey Hepburn is wonderful (though I wish they let her sing).  Rex Harrison is amazing.  The music is top-notch.  Everything about it is great.

1. Lawrence of Arabia (1962)

            The most beautiful cinematography of all time, and it’s not a competition.  The desert truly is a character in this movie.  Peter O’Toole is Lawrence.  Omar Sharif and Anthony Quinn are awesome.  You can’t really find anything negative to say about this epic.  This movie is why theaters were made.

Extra fun: the best movie scores of the decade

The Alamo (Dimitri Tiomkin)

El Cid (Miklós Rózsa)

Goldfinger (John Barry)

The Great Escape/The Magnificent Seven (Elmer Bernstein)

Jason and the Argonauts (Bernard Herrmann)

Spartacus (Alex North)

 

Other music from the decade: It’s a very interesting decade for music, dominated by rock and roll.  Elvis, The Beatles, The Beach Boys, The Monkees, folk bands like The Mamas & the Papas, Simon & Garfunkel, The Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix… There’s also a good dash of R&B with Aretha Franklin, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, The Righteous Brothers, etc.  And, of course, some of the best music is war protest songs.  For some reason, “Summer in the City” has always been my favorite song of the decade.

52 in 25: #27 - Son of Tarzan

When I was a teenager, I read a bunch of the Tarzan books.  I loved them.  Edgar Rice Burroughs has a great way of having multiple stories occurring concurrently and in the end they all come together.  A couple of years ago I started to reread them, but then put them down to read others things.  I decided I wanted to tread back into Tarzan.

The next up for me was Son of Tarzan, which I know I read before, but I didn’t remember at all.  This was the 4^th of the 24 Tarzan books, published in 1915.  Of course, the funny thing of wanting to return to Tarzan is that I picked up with the only novel where he is not the main character.

Essentially, one of the apes from the previous story, Akut, is brought to London and Tarzan’s son Jack (who is around 11) befriends him.  He helps Akut escape to Africa, and then reluctantly joins Akut in the jungles of Africa until he becomes Korak, or The Killer.  Then, the story really gets going when he rescues a young Arab girl named Meriem.  By the end of the story, Korak has been in the jungle for 5-6 years.

While the story is fun, my biggest problem with it is that Tarzan and Jane (we find out towards the end of the story) have been in Africa for years but never went looking for their son.  I have a hard time believing, knowing his character, that Tarzan would not have hunted him down relatively early on.  But it has to be that way for the story to happen, so you just kind of have to go with it.

It's not the best of the Tarzan novels, but it’s still pretty good.  It definitely keeps the reader engaged and is fun, which is what it’s supposed to do.  Tarzan isn’t for everyone, but for those who like Burroughs, it’s hard to go wrong.