Wifis Rockandrollicus
In response to my criticism that she was not a “music person”…somehow the Chris DeBurgh t-shirt just says it all…
Author: James McNally
Eyes…Glazing…Over
We’ve seen four films in the past couple of days. I’m unable to form any coherent criticisms right now but here they are, listed in order of enjoyment (my own idiosyncratic rating out of 10 is in brackets):
Peace on Earth
In the bleak midwinter,
frosty wind made moan,
earth stood hard as iron,
water like a stone;
snow had fallen, snow on snow,
snow on snow,
in the bleak midwinter,
long ago.
Our God, heaven cannot hold him
nor earth sustain;
heaven and earth shall flee away
when he comes to reign:
in the bleak midwinter
a stable place sufficed
the Lord God incarnate,
Jesus Christ.
Angels and archangels
may have gathered there
cherubim and seraphim
thronged the air;
but his mother only,
in her maiden bliss,
worshiped the beloved
with a kiss.
What can I give him,
poor as I am?
If I were a shepherd,
I would bring a lamb;
if I were a wise man,
I would do my part;
yet what I can I give him
give my heart.
–Christina Rossetti, 1872
Merry Christmas, everyone!
So Long Joe
Joe Strummer has died at the age of 50 of an apparent heart attack.
The Clash were probably my favourite punk band and my appreciation for them has only grown over the years. This is also sad news because Joe was still making music, having scored several films as well as recording with his band The Mescaleros. Another one of punk’s pioneers is gone. Godspeed, Joe…
The Two Towers
Brooke and I went to see Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) this afternoon, and although I enjoyed it immensely, there were a couple of things I didn’t like. First of all, I resented the fact that Gimli the dwarf has been reduced to comic relief. I didn’t mind the occasional joke at his expense in the first film, but in this segment he’s been stripped of all dignity. Conversely, it seems like the filmmakers felt the need to make Legolas the elf a bit more macho, giving him some of the film’s more outrageous stunts. I found this shift in emphasis sort of cheapened the characters I’d grown to love in the first installment. My only other criticisms would have to do with the more episodic nature of the story, cutting between three different plot lines, but I know that director Peter Jackson did the best he could. My friend Brent, who’s read the books numerous times, was dismayed to find that there are many more deviations from the text in this film as well, though he hasn’t outlined them for me yet. All in all, I didn’t find it as satisfying as the first film, but it still has me excited about the finale. I just have to wait another 12 months!