DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 28, 2024

 

Night of the Living Dead (1968) If somehow you've been in total isolation since the late 60's and don't know, this is the story of a group of disparate strangers who barricade themselves in an isolated farmhouse to escape ghouls who have risen from the dead to devour the living. Classic? Game-changer? Template for all that came after to follow? Sure, it's all that, and more. But, divorce it from its legacy and NOTLD is still a tight little horror flick with some true chills and a bit of sly commentary on the social stratification in place at the time it was made.

TIL: Among the dumbest of asses was Karl Marx, who taught that religion was a co-conspirator in the stratification of society designed to maintain inequality and perpetuate the status quo, this despite most religions' well documented struggles against unjust class systems throughout history. Consequently, Marx's reduction of everything to the mere materialistic resulted in blood-soaked socialist philosophies with body counts that would put any zombie apocalypse to shame.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More penciled ponderings on my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 25, 2024

 

The Mask (1961) A psychiatrist receives an ancient mask in the mail only to find out upon learning its secrets that he would have been better off marking the package return to sender. Most of this is boilerplate B-movie banality, however, the surrealistic hallucination sequences, originally filmed in 3-D, more than make up for having to sludge through the slower parts. Besides, it's Canada's first horror movie, so no fan of Canuxploitation should pass it by.

TIL: While some local Christian communities utilize masks in various celebrations (the Spanish capirote comes to mind), the liturgy of the Mass is typically mask-free, presumably due to the association of masks with pagan rituals designed to invite the possession of the mask-wearer by outside spirits.

Dad Rock Diary: Savatage - Sirens (1983) While their later albums seem to garner more praise, it feels like this debut should have made Savatage one of the poster bands for early 80's heavy metal. There's really nothing missing from the headbanger's handbook here except for maybe that one hook that gets them some radio play. Laudable Lyrics: Hand down the button, the countdown begins. Am I gonna burn in hell for all my lifelong sins?

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 22, 2024

 

Dad Rock Diary: Looking Glass - Looking Glass (1972) Brandy (You're A Fine Girl) is an undisputed jazzy Yacht Rock treasure, but you'll be really hard pressed trying to figure out how the band that produced that single also penned the perfectly acceptable, but not overly remarkable country-rock tunes that fill out the rest of this album. Expect the tonal shift, and you'll be fine. Laudable Lyrics: Like the meadows in the wind, I'm made of straw, and with my wages paid in sins, Lord, I've tried to crawl.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More sketchy commentaries on my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 18, 2024

 

Still Voices - Sleepwalkers (1992) "A cat won't curry favor even if it's in their best interests to do so. A cat can't be a hypocrite. If more preachers were like cats, this would be a more religious country." - Stephen King

Funny Book Philosophy: Universal Monsters - Dracula 004 (2024) Wasn't expecting James Tynion IV  to rework the old Bela Lugosi movie into a tale of Dracula as a mythic symbol of sin and corruption and Renfield as a fallen soul in need of redemption, but it works.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 15, 2024

 

Frailty (2001) At the insistence of an FBI agent, a secretive man recalls growing up with his late father, a serial killer who believed all his victims were demons in disguise whom God personally instructed him to dispose of. Being a good father, his hope was that his sons would follow in his footsteps. But did they? Both starring and directed by Bill Paxton, Frailty is an engrossing little indie horror that makes you wish Paxton had filled both seats more often.

TIL: One of the aspects of Christianity that makes it hard yet worthwhile is that God does actually interact with you and make demands (though not to be an axe murderer). Belief systems like simple deism which promote an abstract, undemanding, hands-off God, are ultimately lazy and unfulfilling. As it is with the other people in our lives, it's the personal relationship with God that makes it all meaningful.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: Sharing more miscellaneous musings on my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 10, 2024

Dawn Breaks Behind the Eyes (2021) A couple in need of serious counseling inherit a castle, which only makes things worse. And then something happens. One of those movies where you can't really discuss anything past the first ten minutes or it ruins everything. Expressly geared towards those who grok on artsy-fartsy weirdness (guilty), but others may wish to avoid.

TIL: As Pope Paul VI noted, "The well-being of the individual person and of both human and Christian society is closely bound up with the healthy state of conjugal and family life." So, if your marriage needs a little help, get it. It'll make things better for everyone.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: Have notepad, will make odd observations on daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 8, 2024

 

Equalizer 2000 (1987) After the apocalypse, the guy with the biggest gun wins. That's the idea, anyway, so most of the movie consists of people dressed in leather and big shoulder pads fighting for control of a cartoonishly modified LMG. In short, it's Mad Max if Rob Liefeld had served as the art director. Good enough for a diversion if you're into the genre.

TIL: Historically, the Church has never been fond of escalation in weapon technology. For instance, in 1139, the Second Lateral Council declared the use of bows and crossbows murderous, and called for a ban on such weapons. Then, as now, such pleas went mostly ignored.

One Sheet Words of Wisdom: A Piece of the Action (1977) "If a man's religion does not affect his use of money, that man's religion is vain." - Hugh Martin

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 6, 2024

Funny Book Philosophy : Zip Comics 003 (1940) While there are some disagreements over what the Book of Revelation has to say about the end times, most Christians agree there will be a final cosmic battle in which Jesus returns and the forces of Satan are defeated once and for all. However, according to Zip Comics, Satan himself may be a no-show because some off-brand Zatara named Zambini finished him off in 1940 by turning up the air conditioner in Hell. Not sure why they left that part out of the Bible.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More dippy doodles on my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 2, 2024

 

One Sheet Words of Wisdom: Zardoz (1974) "If you look deeply into the palm of your hand, you will see your parents and all generations of your ancestors. All of them are alive in this moment. Each is present in your body. You are the continuation of each of these people." - Nhat Hanh

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More daft doodles from my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: JUNE 1, 2024

 

The First Omen (2024) A young novitiate travels to Rome to take her vows, but soon discovers the order she is joining might not be so holy. As a long time fan of the Omen series, even managing to find some good laughs in Part IV, I was rooting for this one. Unfortunately, despite some strong horror vibes and one outlandish over-the-top gross-out scene tailor-made to send women running from their seats, this ends up being little more than Rosemary's Baby as if written by Dan Brown, and the end result is exactly as stupid as that sounds.

And now, WARNING, I'm going to spoil the Hell (so to speak) out of this movie.

For brevity's sake, let's ignore all the continuity errors the filmmakers introduce in their efforts to change things up and make some lame, easily debunked criticisms of the Catholic Church. The main problem here is that the film seems to have no idea what made the Omen series so popular to begin with.

One of the main appeals of the original Omen movies is the simpleness of their primary conflict. You know, God good, Satan evil, just the basics. But, like far too many current writers, the minds behind The First Omen just can't grasp that concept. Instead, they travel down what has increasingly become the road most taken, which is to make the good guys be the bad guys. I'm past being tired with that concept even when it's done well, and frankly, it's not done that well here.

To wit, the central conceit of this film is that there is a significant portion of the Roman clergy who want to purposely breed an antichrist so he will do bad things and scare people into running back to the Catholic Church. This idea increases in idiocy the more I think about it. Not only does this not gel with what Damien actually does in the original movies as he reaches maturity, but it's a basic misunderstanding of what Satan does according to Catholic theology. The Devil is a tempter; he entices people away from the Church with the promise of pleasures and power. He doesn't frighten them into the pews. It's a moronic plot device, and no amount of style can overcome it.

So, sorry The First Omen, I'm going to have to go against the generally favorable reviews you've been getting. You're just too dumb.

FREEZE FRAMES #016: This week's strange visitor to the deck (we get a lot) turned out to be a White-Marked Tussock Caterpillar. Pretty neat looking.

"To regret the exchange of earthly pleasures for the joys of Heaven, is as if the groveling caterpillar should lament that it must one day quit the nibbled leaf to soar aloft and flutter through the air, roving at will from flower to flower, sipping sweet honey from their cups, or basking in their sunny petals." - Anne Bronte