DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 29, 2024

Young Nurses in Love (1987) Sent to pilfer America's top secret sperm bank where DNA from the likes of Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison is being stored, a reluctant Russian spy's mission quickly goes off the rails thanks to gangsters, accidental sex changes, and soap opera romance on steroids. There are some laughs here, but mainly it just reinforces how much better the Zucker brothers were at this kind of thing than most everyone else.

TIL: Unsurprisingly, the Church frowns on donating sperm as it bypasses the unitive conjugal act of marriage and treats potential human beings as objects/products of scientific technology.

I HAVE SOME NOTES - More scribblings on my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 23, 2024

 

Greetings (1968) The setup is three pals roaming around doing random stuff. The payoff is basically Brian DePalma directing an episode of SNL featuring fetal versions of Robert DeNiro and Gerrit Graham improvising their way through skits lampooning the Vietnam War, JFK conspiracy theories, voyeurism, and blind dating. Hard to find for a reason, but if you manage to jibe with its fresh out of college counter culture vibe, it's good for a few chuckles.

TIL: The traditional greeting at mass, "The Lord be with you," is a reference to the many times it appears in Scripture where even angels such as Gideon use it. It's meant to be a reminder of God's promise of “I shall be with you” in those times when we are called to undergo a task or situation something we couldn't normally make it through on our own. In that sense, it's not just a greeting, but a prayer.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: Doodling my way through daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 19, 2024

Superstar: The Karen Carpenter Story (1987) The tragic tale of one of pop music's greatest voices as told through the use of Barbie dolls and avant-garde film school techniques. It's akin to giving a David Lynch a bunch of children's toys and telling him to make an afterschool special with them. Understandably hated by the Carpenter family for its perspective on their culpability and sued into oblivion for not even bothering to ask for permission to use the music, it's still worth tracking down whatever blurry, nearly too dark to watch bootleg you can find as the end result is oddly one of filmdom's most devastating critiques on a culture that drives young girls to develop eating disorders and body dysmorphia.

TIL: Fasting as a form of discipline and penance is an important part of  Christianity, however, it shouldn't be carried to extremes. That lesson was learned the hard way during the Middle Ages when a number of nuns and religious women, most often against the orders of their superiors, took up the practice of anorexia mirabilis, a type of fasting wherein they refused to eat anything but the Eucharist. Unfortunately, this led to many of them dying of starvation. Rather than encourage such behavior, the Church recommends that fasting include at least one full meal or two smaller meals during the day.

Dad Rock Diary: The Incredible String Band - The 5000 Spirits or the Layers of the Onion (1967) Every big city has that block or two where the last of the dying hippies congregate to paint their houses hazy shades of green, maroon and orange and run bohemian-themed businesses while still decrying capitalism. Listening to this album is like walking through that section of town as the psychedelic folk drifts like incense through the open doorways of the the crystal and cannabis shops. Laudable Lyrics: Please let's be easy, please let's be friends, watching and learning like small children.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 17, 2024

Let the Wrong One In (2021) Nice lad tries to prevent his bitten brother from becoming a full-on bloodsucker, but the bridezilla who bit him doesn't take kindly to party poopers. Horror comedy from the Emerald Isle has a heaping dose (near overdose if we're being honest) of Irish humor and Anthony Stewart Head drops by as a henpecked vampire slayer, so it's got it's charms.

TIL: One of the very first questions asked of God in Scripture is, "Am I my brother's keeper?" The Catechism devotes multiple paragraphs to explaining how, in keeping with the social nature of man, the good of each individual is necessarily related to the common good, so seeking the good of each individual is everyone's responsibility. Or, if you want the TLDR version, the answer is yes.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More odd observations on my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 13, 2024

Out of the Past (1947) Having double-crossed a gangster for a dame (naturally), a gumshoe tries to hide from his past sins and start anew with a good girl. Unfortunately, he can't stay hidden forever and when revenge comes calling, both the schemes and the bodies begin to pile up. Inarguably one of the best film noirs in existence. Whatever they paid Geoffrey Homes (aka Daniel Mainwaring, even the writer has a secret alias) to produce the dialog wasn't enough. And as for Mitchum, are you kidding me? If his character from the movie were to walk down the street today, the testosterone levels alone would be enough to destroy wokeness within a ten-mile radius.

TIL: While confession and true penitence bring absolution and atonement, the fact remains that not all of the pain and guilt associated with past sins just up and disappears. However, the Church is quick to remind us that when thoughts of past wrongdoing resurface, that doesn't mean you weren't forgiven, it just means you're human. Acknowledge the sorrow, give thanks for the forgiveness, and keep moving in the right direction.

Freeze Frames #015: Hey, at least the good ol' boys tried. "Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently." - Henry Ford

DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 11, 2024

Eye of the Tiger (1986) Released from prison, Gary Busey is disgusted to find that, during his absence, the local authorities have purposely allowed a motorcycle gang full of murderous drug-dealing rapists to seize control of his hometown. The solution to such a situation? Why, to go 100% Gary Busey on them, of course. Now as for that movie title, you might be thinking it would take an enormous set of brass ones to not only name your flick Eye of the Tiger, but also play the song multiple times less than four years after Rocky III came out, and... you'd be right. Any flick with that much testicular fortitude deserves at least one look.

TIL: The Catechism notes that the defense of the common good requires that unjust aggressors be rendered unable to cause harm, though such rendering is usually limited to those who hold the legitimate authority to do so. Where the gray area kicks in, according to some Catholic philosophers, is when said authorities, whether through willful maliciousness or well-meaning stupidity, fail for some period of time to carry out their responsibility to take out bad guys. At that point, vigilantism MIGHT be an option, assuming the vigilante has a fully informed conscience and full knowledge of the relevant facts. So, almost never.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More doodling on my daily bible readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 8, 2024

Good Girls Don’t (1993) For the most part it's Thelma and Louise, with the main differences being this is a comedy (of sorts), the ladies on the lam are played by the never to be nominated for an Oscar duo of Martin Sheen's daughter and Dolly Parton's cousin, and, rather than Ridley Scott, it's helmed by the same guy who gifted the world with Hobgoblins and the Vice Academy movies. So, maybe not too much Thelma and Louise at all. Still, if you find yourself feeling nostalgic for USA Up All Night, this goofy T&A take on women giving it to the patriarchy should scratch that itch nicely.

TIL: While feminist takes on the Bible have traditionally viewed the ancient world as entirely patriarchal, recent scholars such as Carol L. Meyers suggest biblical times may have actually been more of a "heterarchy" wherein each power structure had its own hierarchical arrangement. As such, women in the Bible often did have some spheres of power separate, and sometimes superior, to those of men. A good example is the relationships between Abraham, Sarah, and Hagar, in which Sarah often had the final say in matters despite Abraham being the lofty titled father of nations.

One Sheet Words of Wisdom: American Gothic (1987) "American traditions and the American ethic require us to be truthful, but the most important reason is that truth is the best propaganda and lies are the worst. To be persuasive we must be believable; to be believable we must be credible; to be credible we must be truthful. It is as simple as that." - Edward R. Murrow

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More random scribblings on my daily bible readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JANUARY 5, 2024

 

Galactic Gigolo (1987) After winning a game show on his home planet, a sentient alien broccoli travels to Earth with the intention of bedding every woman in Prospect, CT. Getting in the way of the vegetable's carnal pursuits are a bumbling gang of wise guys desirous of his shape changing skills, as well as a family of swamp dwelling Jewish rednecks who won't tolerate any extraterrestrial commies putting the moves on Earth women. To a certain subgroup of movie lovers, this probably sounds like the best synopsis ever. Don't be suckered in, though. This not only stars a vegetable, it may have been written by one.

TIL: JPII's Theology of the Body notes that while human sexual urges draw us towards the physical and psychological attributes of a person, their end goal is to draw us towards a person who possesses those attributes — not just the attributes themselves. That means for us humans, sexual urges present us with a choice, to either love the person or just use them temporarily for their attributes like they're some object. Which, obviously, is a big no no.

I HAVE SOME NOTES

For my annual read-through (okay, more like listen-through) of Scripture this year, I thought I'd keep a little sketch pad nearby to jot down a quick thought on each day's readings. There's no great art or earth-shattering revelations here, just some weird meanderings I thought I'd share here and there as the days go by.