At some point, even the most rabid of movie lovers has to leave the comfort of the darkened theater and wander out into the lobby. And on those rare occasions when I can actually tear myself away from the screen, I think I'll use the time to pass along some of the interesting things I run across while preparing my movie reviews.
It looks like Father Roderick and the folks over at SQPN will soon be getting into the movie review business. Of course, while we here at The B-Movie Catechism are content to hang out at the drive-ins and bargain matinées, SQPN can afford to send Father Roderick to the megaplex to review movies with a little higher budget than the fare you'll find here. Check out their first test run at Beyond The Movies where the good Father takes a look at Harrison Ford in Firewall. (Personally, I think that movie could have been much improved by a guy in a rubber monster suit, but what do I know?)
In Eegah related news, The B-Movie Cast (Episode 8) recently scored an interview with Eegah himself, Richard Kiel. Vince talks to Mr. Kiel about his long acting career and his upcoming biographical novel on Cassius Clay (the southern abolitionist, not the boxer). It turns out he's something of a Renaissance giant, who knew? Richard Kiel also comes across as a pretty decent guy. There's an interesting testimonial on his home page where he discusses his struggle with alcohol and how he conquered it through prayer.
And finally, if you don't mind occasionally reading opposing viewpoints, I ran across a blog by Steve Gerber, the guy who wrote the memorable 1970s run of Man-Thing. Gerber is a declared agnostic who recently was given the assignment by DC Comics to write a story featuring an angel/super-hero. In his two part post, here and here, he discusses the problem of writing God and the Heavenly Hosts as comic book characters, especially when he doesn't believe in them. I bring it up for two reasons. One is that he raises some of the basic questions many people have which a Christian should be able to address. But the main reason is simply to point out to some of the Catholic Dads who might stop by just what's going on in comic books these days. A majority of today's comics are aimed squarely at the high school/college age crowd. The stories often have very adult oriented writing and graphics, and the authors freely advance their personal views on politics, sex, religion, etc. (And I think it's a fair statement to say that the majority of them are not orthodox Catholic in their beliefs. The words "openly hostile" often come to mind.) If one of your younger kids has a stack of comics lying around, and you haven't flipped through them, it might be well worth your time to make sure you think they're age appropriate.
Anyway, it's time to head back into the theater where I belong. The main focus of this blog will always be on the movie reviews, but if enough people find this interesting, I'll poke my head back out into the light every now and then. Got to go now, the lights are already dimming.
In Eegah related news, The B-Movie Cast (Episode 8) recently scored an interview with Eegah himself, Richard Kiel. Vince talks to Mr. Kiel about his long acting career and his upcoming biographical novel on Cassius Clay (the southern abolitionist, not the boxer). It turns out he's something of a Renaissance giant, who knew? Richard Kiel also comes across as a pretty decent guy. There's an interesting testimonial on his home page where he discusses his struggle with alcohol and how he conquered it through prayer.
And finally, if you don't mind occasionally reading opposing viewpoints, I ran across a blog by Steve Gerber, the guy who wrote the memorable 1970s run of Man-Thing. Gerber is a declared agnostic who recently was given the assignment by DC Comics to write a story featuring an angel/super-hero. In his two part post, here and here, he discusses the problem of writing God and the Heavenly Hosts as comic book characters, especially when he doesn't believe in them. I bring it up for two reasons. One is that he raises some of the basic questions many people have which a Christian should be able to address. But the main reason is simply to point out to some of the Catholic Dads who might stop by just what's going on in comic books these days. A majority of today's comics are aimed squarely at the high school/college age crowd. The stories often have very adult oriented writing and graphics, and the authors freely advance their personal views on politics, sex, religion, etc. (And I think it's a fair statement to say that the majority of them are not orthodox Catholic in their beliefs. The words "openly hostile" often come to mind.) If one of your younger kids has a stack of comics lying around, and you haven't flipped through them, it might be well worth your time to make sure you think they're age appropriate.
Anyway, it's time to head back into the theater where I belong. The main focus of this blog will always be on the movie reviews, but if enough people find this interesting, I'll poke my head back out into the light every now and then. Got to go now, the lights are already dimming.
2 comments:
As usual, your writings are very interesting so keep it up.
And how strong is a faith that can not withstand hearing an opposing view?
I absolutely agree. But I do present myself as a Catholic oriented blog discussing Church teachings, so I feel a little responsibility to let people know beforehand if I'm linking to a site that doesn't do the same. It's the same reason I separate the links on the side into Catholic Sites and General Entertainment Sites.
It's probably overkill, but after the last few years being involved in the Religious Ed program at my parish, I've learned to tread carefully. I'm telling you, the first time I'm don't it, someone's going to flame me. Kind of like the health inspector from that old Python skit. "Well I hardly think this is good enough. I think it would be more appropriate if the box bore a large red label: Warning Lark's Vomit!"
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