DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 27, 2024

 

Shivers (1975) Believing the world has become far too reliant on intellect, a crazed scientist living inside a ritzy high-rise apartment complex unleashes slug-like parasites that turns anyone infected by them into an insatiable sex maniac. One doctor fights to keep his head while all those about him are losing theirs, but can he hold out long enough to stop the epidemic from spreading outside the building? This debut from the master of body horror is, whether he meant it to be or not, about as unsubtle an allegory on the perils of the Sexual Revolution as one can get. That's fine, though, as nobody really comes to early Cronenberg looking for nuance anyway.

TIL: Thanks to penicillin and the pill, the Sexual Revolution was in full swing by the time Pope Paul VI released Humanae Vitae. In that 1968 encyclical, the Pontiff warned that the so-called freedoms promised by that cultural movement would actually result in widespread divorce, the destruction of the nuclear family, the collapse of traditional marriage, an unprecedented increase in abortions, and ultimately, the overall devaluing of human life. Most of the world laughed... at the time.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More thoughts on my daily Scripture readings as filtered through my suspect sensibilities.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 22, 2024

The Mummy’s Hand (1940) A pair of down-on-their-luck archaeologists discover the coveted resting place of Princess Ananka, but must confront her tomb's bandaged bodyguard to claim it. Even though Boris Karloff played the crusty title character in the 1932 original, chances are when you think of The Mummy, it's the shambling enswathed Kharis, who makes his first appearance here, that comes to mind. While hardly the apex of the classic Universal monster flicks, the movie's likable leads, a sort of proto-Abbott and Costello, and the brisk running time, barely over an hour, help it all go down easy.

TIL: There's not a lot of mummies in Scripture, but the most notable is probably the preserved corpse of Joseph, which was embalmed, sunk into the Nile River, and eventually retrieved by Moses. In fact, along with the Ark of the Covenant, the Israelites carried Joseph's remains with them the entire time they wandered the desert. Why? Many Talmudic scholars believe it's because Joseph, who rose from slavery to be the de facto ruler of Egypt, represented the ideal of the successful faithful Jew in exile, and his body was afforded honor so the people wouldn't forget his example as they searched for a home.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: Continuing to take note of little details that popped out during my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 19, 204

Super Fuzz (1980) A big-hearted patrolman gains unreliable super powers after being exposed to atomic radiation. Ernest Borgnine tags along as his sidekick. For some inexplicable reason the director of Django decided to try his hand at something akin to those live action movies Disney used to crank out on a regular basis, things like Unidentified Flying Oddball or Condorman. The result is... well, just like one of those live action movies Disney used to crank out on a regular basis. It's lightweight, pleasant, and easily forgettable 15 minutes after it's over. Except for that cheesy "Super, Superrrr!" theme song, that's gonna stick with you for awhile.

TIL: When it comes to the necessity of having a police force, the Church teaches that protecting society from crime is an essential moral value, as crime endangers individuals and robs communities of a sense of well-being and security. In their efforts, the police must remain moral, however. Speaking to the the Gendarmerie Corps (the Vatican police), Pope Francis suggested, "Pray often so that, with the intercession of St Michael the Archangel, the Lord may safeguard you from giving in to every temptation, from every temptation to corruption for money, for riches, from vanity and arrogance. And, like Jesus, the more humble your service is, the more fruitful and the more useful it will be for us all."

I HAVE SOME NOTES: More scrawls and scribbles on my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 17, 2024

 

The Kiss of the Vampire (1963) Honeymooners stuck in a small Bavarian village accept an invitation to dine at the local creepy mansion, unaware that it is the headquarters for a bunch of Nosferatu-adjacent cuckolding cultists. This non-Dracula outing from Hammer ditches all previous lore and makes up its vampire rules as it goes along (who knew vamps hated bats), but manages to retain the studio's expected level of lavish production quality. Even merely adequate Hammer is Hammer worth watching.

TIL: With a statement in the Catechism such as “a married person who has sexual relations with anyone but their lawful spouse, even transient sexual relations, commits adultery,” it's pretty obvious that the Church condemns extra-marital actions (voluntary, not vampire induced) such as cuckolding, swinging, polyamory, etc. Why? Because a sacramental marriage must be characterized by total self-giving, even in sex. Involving third parties (or more) for pleasure is instead willful self-centeredness.

Near Dark (1987) A good ol' boy becomes infatuated with a hottie, only to learn she's a reluctant part of a roaming band of vampires. Together, they try to escape the clutches of the group's charismatic leader. Yes, it's kind of the same story as The Lost Boys (also released in 1987), but Kathryn Bigelow takes the idea, rolls it in the Texas mud, spits on it, and kicks in the teeth. In short, this one isn't for laughs. The highlight is watching Bill Paxton and Lance Henriksen ooze danger as they try to out-intense one another.

TIL: It's hard to get away from a bad crowd. Even from the very beginning, peer pressure to maintain one's old non-Christian ways has always been one of the big stumbling blocks for new converts. As noted in 1 Peter 4, "They are surprised that you do not plunge into the same swamp of profligacy, and they vilify you." However, "If you are insulted for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you." As for those trying to drag you back into the muck, "they will give an account to him who stands ready to judge the living and the dead."

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 14, 2024

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead (1990) Secondary Shakespearean characters stumble around Hamlet's castle in an existential daze trying to figure out what they're doing, why they're doing it, and ultimately, why they exist at all. Tom Stoppard adapts and directs his own Absurdist play, so the film retains whatever philosophical faults the original work may have had, but it's undeniably a joy watching Tim Roth and Gary Oldman bang their befuddled heads against the walls of life's seeming futilities.

TIL: Something’s rotten in the state of Denmark, and apparently it’s the math. There's a running gag in the movie in which a coin flipped by Guildenstern (or maybe it was Rosencrantz) always lands on heads, even after nearly 100 tries. Well, Evelyn Lamb, Ph.D. ran the numbers and decided that you would have to flip a coin at least two octillion (that's 27 zeros) times to achieve a run in which you get that many consecutive heads. In other words, Guildenstern’s feat is statistically improbable.

Of course, Rosencrantz (or maybe it was Guildenstern) himself had some non-mathematical guesses as to what was going on including time being frozen, some kind of purgatorial punishment, or maybe just plain old miraculous divine intervention. The Catechism reminds us that miracles “are the most certain signs of divine Revelation, adapted to the intelligence of all; they are ‘motives of credibility’ (motiva credibilitatis), which show that the assent of faith is ‘by no means a blind impulse of the mind’.” In short, they are occurrences which help the rational mind accept a reality which it cannot otherwise see. Given that, would nearly 100 consecutive heads on a coin flip be enough to convince you of the miraculous and to reject Absurdism?

I HAVE SOME NOTES: Continuing to jot down notes on my daily Scripture readings until  they take my pencil away.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

The City of the Dead (1960) A college student working on her thesis disappears while researching witchcraft in an uber-creepy small town. Things don't go well for those who come looking for her. The movie pretty much follows the story beats of Psycho, but with an overlay of the supernatural and, more importantly, an atmosphere as thick as the fog which permeates every frame. Highly recommended for Fall viewing, especially during the spooky season.

TIL: In November 2023, the Vatican's "City of the Dead" was finally opened to the public. This necropolis, which contains tombs dating from the first to the fourth century AD, was first unearthed in the 1940's during excavations searching for the tomb of St Peter, with more found in the late 50's during the construction of a parking garage. Along with the the suspected grave of the first Pope, the tombs also house the remains of slaves, freedmen, and various artisans of the city of Rome.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: Still jotting down random thoughts that came up during my daily Scripture readings.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 9, 2024

  

The Hunchback of Notre Dame is the film that made Lon Chaney a bona fide superstar. Incredibly, despite its release date, this was already like the sixth or seventh film adaption of Victor Hugo's novel about a gypsy girl falsely accused of murder and the malformed bellringer who comes to her rescue. This was the first real classic interpretation of the tale, though, thanks mostly to Chaney's astounding body and soul performance as Quasimodo. Sure, Laughton arguably outdid him in 1939 and a whole generation of 90's kids swear by the Disney version, but Chaney set the standard. Of course, I could be biased, as anyone who built Aurora monster model kits as a kid will always have a soft spot for this rendition of the character.

TIL: Being somewhat accustomed to (though still irritated by) Hollywood's tendency to show the Church in the worst possible light, it's always interesting to see how many filmed versions of The Hunchback of Notre Dame actually do the opposite. As with other adaptations, this one changes the antagonist of the novel, the corrupted Archdeacon Frollo, into Quasi's benign benefactor, while assigning main villain duties to a non-religious type. Alas, this change was probably a financial decision, as Hollywood at the time was facing almost one hundred separate film censorship bills in 37 states due to a string of recent scandals. What, you thought they did it because they had an actual come-to-Jesus moment?

Freeze Frames #018: Nice of this guy to sit still and pose for me. - "The restless grasshopper only finds rest in the gizzard of a bird." - African Proverb.

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 6, 2024

 

Digital Man (1995) In the sketchy early days of CGI, a poor man's Robocop in possession of the nation's nuclear launch codes blows a fuse and terrorizes a small desert town full of Tremors rejects. A special ops platoon, many of whom unknown to themselves have also been transformed into cyborgs, team up with some of the local yokels to rectify the situation. This low-budget effort from the prolific Phillip J. Roth could have easily been a disposable slog, but a parade of familiar faces including the likes of Susan Tyrell, Clint Howard, Paul Gleason, and many many others keeps things moving along just enough to justify the 90 minutes.

TIL: The Church does not yet have an official position on cyborgs, however, speaking at Église Saint François-Xavier in 2019, Cardinal Robert Sarah had some things to say about things such as excessive body modification. "It is my duty to warn the West: behold the flames of barbarism threaten you! And who are these barbarians? The barbarians are those who hate human nature... the West refuses to receive, and will accept only what it constructs for itself. Transhumanism is the ultimate avatar of this movement. Because it is a gift from God, human nature itself becomes unbearable for western man." He ain't wrong.

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

DAILY CALL SHEET: SEPTEMBER 2, 2024

 

Dawn of the Dead (1978) Who could have guessed that a relatively low-budget indie feature about a small band of friends boarding themselves up in a shopping mall to escape the zombie apocalypse would become one of the most analyzed films in horror movie history? Come for the genre-defining gut-munching effects that made Tom Savini a household name (well, in Addams Family type houses at least) and stay for George Romero's go for the jugular critique of American consumerism.

TIL: When thinking about movie taglines it doesn't get much better than Dawn of the Dead's "When there's no more room in Hell the dead will walk the Earth." Theologically, it makes no sense as, fiery metaphors notwithstanding, Hell is just the term we use to describe the final state of those who have willfully chosen eternal separation from God. There will be resurrected bodies involved, but as with Jesus after he came back, normal physical rules don't apply to those, so there's no way Hell can get full. Still, it's a cool line, and it looks great on a one-sheet.

I HAVE SOME NOTES: Just jotting down random thoughts on my daily Scripture readings.