Can't Hold On

Man, the bottomless black spiral of our meaningless existence sure made it difficult to meet up sometimes.

I've been impressed by a lot of cartoons/animation projects I've seen recently. It's not that the images are so complex (because they're usually not), but because that the characters portrayed evoke some pretty powerful emotions despite the relative simplicity of their designs. It's something I find pretty inspiring, especially considering how cartoony my own style is.

BONUS PIC:

I'm not all that thrilled with the above picture, mostly because the "speed-lines" (or whatever they're called) wind up looking a little too jumbled. Oh, well. Live and learn (and screw up a couple times along the way).

What Should I Read Next?

A friend of mine posted a link to What Should I Read Next?, a website which purports to be able to recommend books you should read based on books you've previously read. Now, I've seen this feature at work in a commercial setting, like Barnes and Noble, where they tend not to take too many risks ("If you like The Room Over The Fragrant Roses, you might like The Room Over The Fragrant Roses Strikes Back!"), so I'm a little curious how this website will work. I decided to run through a bunch of the books I've been reading recently, and we'll see what we get back.

Cat's Cradle, by Kurt Vonnegut

• Without Feathers, by Woody Allen
• Sharon Osbourne Extreme: My Autobiography, by Sharon Osbourne
• Lies (and the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right, by Al Franken

The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler

• Sandkings, by George R.R. Martin
• The Thin Man, by Dashiell Hammett
• Fat Ollie's Book, by Ed McBain

Still Life With Oysters and Lemon, by Mark Doty

• Living Well Is the Best Revenge , by Calvin Tomkins
• State of Denial, by Bob Woodward
• The Great Cat Massacre: And Other Episodes in French Cultural History, by Robert Darnton

The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins

• The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest, by Stieg Larsson
• Angels and Demons, by Dan Brown
• Catching Fire, by Suzanne Collins

Bossypants, by Tina Fey

• Kiss of the Spiderwoman, by Manuel Puig
• Scott Pilgrim and the Infinite Sadness, by Bryan Lee O'Malley
• The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen

• Mary Poppins, by P.L. Travers
• An Ideal Husband, by Oscar Wilde
• The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged), by Adam Long, Daniel Singer, and Jess Winfield

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs

• Death Comes to Pemberley, by P.D. James
• Johnny Tremain, by Esther Forbes
• Diary of Anne Frank, by Anne Frank

Leadership and Self-Deception, by the Arbinger Institute

• Mind Wide Open: Why You Are What You Think, by Steven Johnson
• The Fifth Discipline: Art and Practice of the Learning Organization , by Peter M. Senge
• Purple Cow: Transform Your Business by Being Remarkable, by Seth Godin

Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, by David Lubar

• I Am the Wallpaper, by Mark Peter Hughes
• Star Wars: The New Jedi Order: Enemy Lines 1: Rebel Dream, by Aaron Allston
• Hitler's Daughter, by Jackie French

Maus: A Survivor's Tale , by Art Spiegelman

• Feminist Theory: From Margin to Centre, by Bell Hooks
• From Hell, by Alan Moore, Eddie Campbell, and Phil D. Amara
• Nausea, by Jean-Paul Satre

The Screwtape Letters, by C.S. Lewis

• Selected Poems, by Emily Dickinson
• How Right You Are, Jeeves, by P.G. Wodehouse, Eddie Campbell, and Phil D. Amara
• Charly, by Jack Weyland

Horrorshow: What Lies Beneath

I'm actually still not sure what to make of this movie. What Lies Beneath didn't come recommended to me in any fashion; it's just something my roommate had sitting on his shelf. And... well, I thought it was pretty good, but there are of course some qualifications.

About half and hour into the movie, I got a feeling that I'd seen this story already. Then, another half-hour later, I felt like I was watching a completely different but still familiar film. In fact, What Lies Beneath felt like a mix-tape of about every horror film trope I've come to be familiar with.

Luckily, the actors carry these tropes off pretty well - especially Michelle Pfeiffer who, considering the only other movie I've seen her in, is a much better actress than I expected. Harrison Ford (who is VERY good) tips his hand a bit early on, revealing the twist within the first half-hour; however, I lay the blame for that on the script rather than the actor.

Above all else, though, there are the bathtub scenes. These scenes are surprisingly intense, even if a little silly (There's a drug that paralyzes completely except for a person's eyeballs?). Still, you get a real sense of dread, especially as the killer maintains a casual tone while filling up the tub. That stuff's pretty chilling.

My schedule's getting a bit busier this week, so I may not have time for any more horror flicks before Halloween. Wish I'd gotten a few more genuine scares this year. Well, there's always 2013...

This Blog Post Contains Material Some Audiences May Find Objectionable

Okay, so I've been debating writing this post for several weeks now. In fact, I've drafted it, then deleted it, and then drafted it again.

Then someone went and picked on Charlie Brown, and that's a line in the sand you just don't cross.

So here we go.

I like to think I've made my opinion on censorship clear. I'm all for people exercising their own discretion in selecting what entertainment they choose to indulge in - heaven knows I do. But I take issue with people who call for societal censorship towards material that they find offensive - especially when they prove unable to understand what the material they are protesting actually stands for.

A friend of mine posted a link to a Mormon housewife blog decrying violence in the media. Now, this article really ticked me off; however (and this is the reason I've put off writing this post for so long), I ultimately decided that, even though the article is full of argumentative fallacies (see especially the debate the author had with her college friend in the middle), the bulk of my hard feelings were coming from the comments section - and even the most naive internet dweller learns pretty quickly to stay away from the comments section of any post if they want to continue having a good day.

In the Women in the Scriptures post, commenter after commenter condemns the violence in The Hunger Games - and, yeah, I feel pretty strongly about that story. Again, if someone doesn't want to watch the violence of The Hunger Games, I get that. I even understand someone finding a story full of so much violence to be morally offensive. But to condemn the story for glorifying violence - as so many people do - profoundly misinterprets the theme.

Yeah, the violence is jarring and disturbing. It's supposed to be. The Hunger Games is a criticism of the despicable behaviors audiences endorse in their entertainment choices and is meant to shock people out of their complacency. Just because the story depicts violent acts, doesn't mean that encourages them.

That brings me back to the Charlie Brown article above. The author calls "It’s The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" outdated and irrelevant because of the lax attitude the story takes towards bullying. I think I could see the author's point... if I believed for one second that there's some little girl out there who really wants to be Lucy Van Pelt.

Yes, the Charlie Brown stories depict a lot of bullying and a lot of name-calling... BUT (and, in case you missed it, that's a big "BUT") the audience is invited to sympathize, not with the bullies, but with Charlie Brown. As a result, the audience doesn't walk away from a Charlie Brown story thinking that bullying is "cool" or whatever. They are invited to think about how a bullied person feels.

"That's a pretty sophisticated line of thinking," I hear you say. "Are you sure kids are going to pick up on that?" Well, maybe not, but I know I did. As a kid - eight years old - I loved Peanuts. Still do. I remember very distinctly, at eight years old, reading Peanuts and feeling outraged at the way Lucy treated Charlie Brown. To this day, she remains one of the five fictional characters I wish were real so I could punch them in the face.*

That... um... that little confession may counteract my entire argument.

I said it before, but I'm really devoted to making my point clear, so I'll say it again:

A depiction of violence is not an endorsement of violence.

The same goes for all the other "vices" that pop up in media. Characters using foul language may be using that language to underscore a point different that "profanity is cool." Sexuality is often portrayed in decidedly unsexy ways. You're more than welcome to skip out on that stuff, but it does no good to call for a society-wide ban on such material. Most audiences are intelligent enough to suss out the difference between what a story depicts and what it actually promotes.

And, seriously, if you're not smart enough to understand frickin' Charlie Brown, you probably don't have the right to an opinion anymore.

* - If you're curious, the other four are all Katy Perry.

Poem of the Week

Ode to the Bat

By Aldo Gomez

I love your scowl.
Biff bam zow
Let me under your cowl.
Love me now.

***

My buddy Aldo works in a comic book store next to the city library. He texts me the other day: "It sounds like they're doing slam poetry here outside the library. I have people wandering in the store waiting for it."

I think that's funny, so I respond, as if I were a customer, "Excuse me, but is there a poetry reading in here? I hope it's about Batman."

Then Aldo wrote a poem about Batman. The end.

The Absolute, Definitive List of S.R. Braddy's All-Time, Never Been Topped Favorite (for now) Movies, EVER!

I've actually been making a "Top Ten Movies" list for years. Like, literally, back in 2009 or 2010, I sat down at Village Inn and started writing up my list of favorite movies. Ranked it and everything. For some reason, though, I never got around to actually putting it up on the blog.

Well, no longer. I know I've done pretty much nothing BUT talk about movies the last few weeks, but now that one of my friends has beaten me to the punch, I can't afford to put this off a day more. So, with great pride, I present to you The Absolute, Definitive List of S.R. Braddy's All-Time, Never Been Topped Favorite (for now) Movies, EVER!

And, no, before you ask, Tangled did NOT make the cut.

10 - Penelope

Of all the movies on my list... this sure is one of them. Probably the strangest choice, too. I can't honestly explain why I'm so fond of Penelope. When I finished watching it the first time, though, I wanted to immediately pop it in the player and watch it again. That's a feeling I haven't been able to shake nor argue with.

If I HAD to give a reason, it'd probably be the cast. Especially James McAvoy and Peter Dinklage. Those two are great.

9 - The Fantastic Mr. Fox

Man, what can I say about this movie that I haven't already said? A combination of old-timey stop-motion animation, top voice acting from some real heavy hitters, and some of the sharpest writing I've ever heard in a film. It's a film that's both heavy and hilarious. Well worth a watch to anyone who hasn't seen it yet.

8 - Porco Rosso

I watched through a ton of Studio Ghibli's films recently, and loved each and every one of them (even the ones that are pretty ridiculously bad ). I may prefer the music in My Neighbor Totoro, the characers of The Secret World of Arriety, or the intensity of Spirited Away; however, for the best balance of humor, adventure, and magic, I've gotta give the top spot to Porco Rosso. Seriously, it's a beautiful pic.

7 - Psycho

What, you didn't think I just watch happy little G-rated kid movies, did you?

I knew everything about Psycho before I watched it. Everything. Every twist, every quote, every surprise. AND YET, this film STILL scared the pants off me. Good thing no one else was in the room, because then they'd have had to see me pantsless.

6 - Stranger than Fiction

Some movies you just can't evict once they've taken up residence under your skin. That's how I feel about Stranger than Fiction. From the first moment I watched it, I related to just about every character - except for maybe Emma Thompson's Karen Eiffel. I wanted to be her... which actually sounds pretty unhealthy, now that I've written that down. I mean, she's kind of a miserable person.

Still wrote a good story, though.

5 - Modern Times

Once upon a time, I hated movies. I thought they were the lowest form of entertainment, and could only be considered worthwhile if they were "intellectual" movies. Then, one day, my English professor broke out this comedy classic, and we analyzed how Chaplin's antics mirrored the anxieties of a newly industrialized society. From that point on, I realized comedy and "intellectual stimulation" could, in fact, go hand in hand. Modern Times literally changed the way I view entertainment. How could I not love it?

4 - 500 Days of Summer

I recently found out there are some people who hate this movie, especially Zooey Deschanel's character. I can't help it, though - this movie speaks to me. I've been Tom. I dated a girl whom I over-idealized, I was devastated by the break up for no good reason, and, from that misery, I made a monumental decision that's made my life a lot more work, but, ultimately a happier one. So suck on that, haters. This is my movie.

3 - The Dark Knight

I loved this movie from the moment the Joker unmasked to the ridiculous line, "The hero Gotham deserves, but not the one it needs right now" (I still don't get that). I loved the magic tricks, the coin flips, and all the crazy twists and turns the plot takes. This is still the best superhero movie - entertaining, optimistic, and yet oh-so-dark.

2 - The Prestige

"Are you watching closely?"

We've come a long way from the kiddie flicks, haven't we? The Prestige is one of the meatiest movies I've ever watched. It's packed with themes of duality, dire warnings against obsession, and the ever-frustrating juxtaposition of childlike wonder and cynicism we all face as we grow up. This movie hurts, and in a good way.

1 - Scott Pilgrim vs. The World

Look, I can't help it, okay? Like with Penelope, I wanted to watch this movie again the minute the closing credits rolled. Like with 500 Days of Summer, I felt like I was seeing an aspect of my life on the screen, only blown up and presented in a truly ridiculous fashion. Scott Pilgrim allowed me to take a look at my life, shake my head and say, "You know, I can do better than that."

Also, it let me watch Michael Cera snark with Kieron Culkin while fighting Brandon Routh, Jason Schwartzman, and Chris Evans, a thing I didn't know I needed until I had it.

Okay, so that's it - my irrefutably set-in-stone favorite movie list, and it will never ever be changed at all ever again, period.

Honorable Mentions

Lilo and Stitch
The Fountain
Hugo
Pan's Labyrinth
City Lights
The Illusionist
Casablanca
Beauty and the Beast
The Rocketeer

Horrorshow: The Changeling

Hey, look! It's a legit horror film! How about that?

The Changeling has been recommended to me more times (and more insistently) than just about any other horror film. I put it off for a while... because apparently that's what I do when people recommend things to me. Got a chance to watch it last night, and... well, I was pretty pleasantly surprised.

I've only ever seen one other George C. Scott movie, despite the fact that he's one of the more prominent actors in Hollywood history, and that earlier film was an adaptation of A Christmas Carol, so it didn't provide me with much insight into the performance I got. Scott's character never seems like he's being terrified by the peculiar goings-on in the house he's rented - if anything, he just gets more and more motivated to uncover the truth. Honestly, I almost prefer that approach in horror films than the usual terrified victim routine. Or maybe that was just this film. Either way, I approve.

My favorite aspect of the film is, surprisingly, the title: it references an element from Irish (I think) folklore that doesn't literally figure in to the plot. However, the titular beastie does appear in a metaphorical sense. It's subtle, but incredibly apt.

As for the scare factor... well, it's strange, but I don't find myself getting all that frightened by these movies - not like the crop I watched two years ago. Dated production values in The Changeling make some of the intended scares seem cheap and almost laughable. There are a few genuinely frightening moments, but nothing that made me squirm in my seat.

Maybe it's just those darn violent video games again.

Okay, so it wasn't all that scary to me. That doesn't mean it wasn't a good movie. In fact, I think The Changeling is in the running for the best horror movie I've seen this year, which, given some of the other films I've seen, may sound like a faint-praise damnation. But, trust me, it's pretty good.

Horrorshow: Red Riding Hood

I... I'm not sure this counts.

Just to be clear: I'm not the one who classified this as a horror movie. I found it at the library with a little orange sticker on the DVD case, which means the library considers it to be either a horror film or an animated feature. And, considering how flat everyone's faces are, there's NO WAY anyone can call this animated.

ZING!

*ahem*

Sorry about that.

Right from the movie poster, we're off to a bad start. See, I happened to know going into this movie that Gary Oldman had a role. Looking at the poster, I see Amanda Seyfried and two pretty boys with anachronistically spiked hair. No Gary Oldman.

Look, movie, when you have Gary Oldman in your movie, you need to make sure people can see your Gary Oldman. Failure to do so is just a poor use of your Gary Oldman. I hope you learned your lesson.

Okay, so this movie was pretty much a failure on all fronts, but most prominently as an adaptation of the Red Riding Hood fable. The original story is FULL of symbolism about, like, adolescence and innocence and stuff. The movie doesn't even ATTEMPT to reference the metaphorical weight of the original. Rather, they take all the visual elements of the fairy tale and hammer them into a plot where they just do not belong. I mean, the whole "Grandma, what big teeth you have" exchange takes place in a dream - meaning, frankly, that it has no influence on the actual plot.

There is exactly one scene which I thought looked good - At one point, High Inquisitor Oldman decides Amanda Seyfried's character (who is NOT named Red and, therefore, I don't care what her name is) would make good bait for the werewolf, so he parades her around in the village square and places an iron wolf mask on her face. We get a few shots of Seyfried's friends coming around and accusing her of being a witch, all shot through the eye sockets of the mask. The effect is claustrophobic, oppressive. I actually said, out loud, while watching the movie, "Okay, THAT was pretty good."

Other than that, you just have a bland teenage romance that encourages young girls to disobey their parents and go off with the first boy they fall in love with who might literally eat their faces off. Which... is actually pretty scary, but not in the way the movie intended.

Horrorshow: The Turn of the Screw

So far this year, my horror movie selections have pretty much been limited to what's been on the shelf at the local library. That's led to some pretty interesting selections (more on that later). I saw this title, though, and remember that a friend recommended it, so I checked it out.

Truth be told, I had a lot of trouble following the story in the Masterpiece Theatre adaptation of The Turn of the Screw. I'll credit most of that to a breakneck pace set by a very condensed script. I suppose I could also shuffle some of the blame onto the low volume I play most movies at now, since my roommates go to bed at 9:00 most nights.

Subtitles are important, and some movies just don't have them.

That said, there were some good moments. The supposed "ghosts" were sufficiently ominous and impressive in their appearances (although the music in this particular production does them no favors). The scenery and some bits of cinematography were also pretty impressive for a "made for public TV production." But, for me, the real draws to this show are the children.

Creepy kids are a common trope in horror fiction, and The Turn of the Screw has got two notable examples. The young girl is all sweet and innocent, but she's got a certain edge that makes you question her sincerity. The fact that she looks a bit like a Culkin kid doesn't make her any more sympathetic, either.

The same goes for the boy who plays Miles. His odd familiarity with the governess unsettles the viewer far more than any loud strikes at the piano keys, and the actor keeps his face a blank just enough to hide whatever he's thinking while still presenting a veneer of innocence.

So, yeah, it wasn't my favorite movie, but it does make me want to go pick up the book - which, unless I'm very much mistaken, is probably exactly what the masterminds behind Masterpiece Theatre would want. Well, that and maybe for me to fill up my gas tank.

It was sponsored by ExxonMobil. That's all.

End of the Trail

Well, THIS is worse than a burr in the chaps!

Decorating the vest and chaps with little hatch marks creates an effect I'm much more pleased with than the regular hatching I put on the hat.

Horrorshow: Night of the Living Dead

Yet again, I've dipped my hand in the zombie well, only for it to come back up all goopy and brainy.

Actually, I found that I liked Night of the Living Dead a lot more than 28 Days Later or any of the other zombie films I've seen before. The violence is a lot more subtle - it's still present, but much of it happens just off-screen, so it's a little easier to stomach, if a bit more traumatizing to the psyche.

And isn't that what horror is all about?

It's nice to see the "genesis" of most zombie tropes. Most plot twists and devices now considered cliche come across as new and terrifying when witnessed in their first context. When the audience is introduced to a little girl who's been bitten by a zombie, her conversion into a full-blown walking dead brain muncher comes as a terrible shock.

Finally, I have to say something about the protagonists. Barbara is a far cry from most horror "scream queens" we've gotten used to today, but the real star of the show is Ben, a man who drowns himself in pragmatism to keep from giving in to the horror of the situation. A pretty impressive character, I thought.

Poem of the Week

Where Does The Temple Begin, Where Does It End?

By Mary Oliver

There are things you can’t reach. But
you can reach out to them, and all day long.

The wind, the bird flying away. The idea of God.

And it can keep you as busy as anything else, and happier.

The snake slides away; the fish jumps, like a little lily,
out of the water and back in; the goldfinches sing
from the unreachable top of the tree.

I look; morning to night I am never done with looking.

Looking I mean not just standing around, but standing around
as though with your arms open.

And thinking: maybe something will come, some
shining coil of wind,
or a few leaves from any old tree–
they are all in this too.

And now I will tell you the truth.
Everything in the world
comes.

At least, closer.

And, cordially.

Like the nibbling, tinsel-eyed fish; the unlooping snake.
Like goldfinches, little dolls of goldfluttering around the corner of the sky

of God, the blue air.

***

The formatting of this poem is actually a bit different than I'm able to manage in HTML. It's worth it to look up the print version.

Several years ago, just after I graduated from college, I got into a discussion with a friend about the "right" way to write religious poetry. Most poems on religious subjects I find a bit too saccharine and sappy. Mary Oliver's "Where Does The Temple Begin, Where Does It End?" gets it right - it communicates a strong sense of wonder at both the natural world and the hand that crafted it.

Horrorshow: Pan's Labyrinth

I think my brother may have been a little upset that I wasn't overly fond of the last movie he recommended me. Well, today's post should make him feel a little better, I think.

I had some misgivings going into Pan's Labyrinth about the level of violence. I mean, this is a pretty disgustingly violent movie - even worse than I'd anticipated. But... gosh darn it, if I didn't think it was good all the same.

I mean, this film is STUNNING. Ironically, the more "modern" CG effects look pretty dated now, but the "old school" puppetry and costuming is gorgeous. Some of the best-looking special effects I've ever seen in anything, ever, and that without any Dayglow Blue Smurf People.

Pan's Labyrinth is going into the same category as Lolita - a story I'm really glad I experienced, but I'm not sure I can bring myself to go through again. Then again, the juxtaposition of ambiguous darkness in the fantasy world and genuine evil in the real world create a wonderful tension I honestly think I'd like to experience again.

It's a very confusing film, that's all I'm trying to say.

I may actually PURCHASE the two disc DVD set, if only for the "Making Of" featurettes on disc two. I love hearing artsy people discuss stuff they feel passionate about, and Guillermo Del Toro doesn't disappoint. I ALMOST liked the featurettes more than the film, and that's pretty impressive.

I guess some people might question categorizing Pan's Labyrinth as a horror film. Wikipedia calls it "dark fantasy." I call it, "Why does that guy not have any eyeba... AAHH!!! RUN! RUN! STOP EATING, YOU STUPID GIRL! AAHH!"

I say that counts.

I Believe In Heroes

Maybe I'm the only one this ever happens to.

I caught The Amazing Spider-Man at the dollar theater last night, and I drove home with just this enormous swell of energy in my chest. I was seriously pumped up, like I wanted to go out and punch up all the lizard monsters I could find. As I reflected on the emotional responses I had to the film, I realized that, no, I didn't really want to hurt anything. Rather, I wanted to create. I was inspired, as I often am after a good story, to go out and make something good.

I'm of the opinion that we've been blessed by the recent deluge of superhero movies - and yes, I do mean "blessed." "Blessed" as in "bestowed with good," because as campy, silly, and completely unrealistic as superhero stories are, I believe them to do a very good thing, beyond the pure escapist entertainment they provide. Yes, I loved The Avengers for being a furious fist-pump of a movie, but I also appreciated that it illustrates how important cooperation is. The Dark Knight Rises, though flawed, showed how one man refused to give in to despair despite overwhelming odds. It was a pretty fitting and inspiring conclusion to the best movie portrayal of Batman since Adam West (Yeah, that's my opinion, and I am NOT backing down).

However, of the three prominent superhero movies that came out this year, I think I liked The Amazing Spider-Man the best - which is odd, considering I have next to no real history with the character. Something about the way Peter Parker was portrayed in the new film really spoke to me - a gifted if somewhat awkward young man is granted a lot of power that doesn't immediately make his life better. Rather, he uses that power for selfish ends and learns (the hard way) to accept the responsibility that comes from his growth. More than just about any other superhero movie, The Amazing Spider-Man shows the main character develop in a way I found both profound and deeply personal.

The fact that he got to make out with Emma Stone was just gravy.

Sweet, sweet gravy

At its heart, the superhero concept is a very childish one. Frequently, these stories follow characters who are stuck in a situation beyond their control. By mere chance, they receive some type of gift that grants them power over their circumstances. It's a fantasy a lot of children can relate to, although I know many adults who often feel the same way.

What makes the superhero story so compelling, though, is that in nearly every instance, once the character receives their great power, they ultimately use that power to improve, not only their situation in life, but the lives of their neighbors, their cities, or, in the most dramatic examples, the whole world.

It's basically the only reason a character like Superman exists at all. He's got so much power that, from a narrative perspective, there's almost no illusion of danger. Of course he's going to save the day. He's frickin' Superman.

So if we're not enjoying Superman stories for the action, there's got to be some other reason people keep going back to the man in the red-underpants, and I don't think the reason is hard to grasp. We so often see people in power abuse their position, it's reassuring to think that there could be someone who chooses to use his power for the benefit of others rather than himself. And if someone like Superman can use the strengths he has for good, then, maybe, so can we.

I won't lie. I read this panel in Silver Surfer: Parable and about cried. You can shut up.

Most of these characters are people thrown into situations beyond their control. Rather than just giving up and letting the world run its course, and rather than indulging in their basest cravings, the superhero stands up and fights for what is right. Often, that desire to do good is symbolized by a literal fight, but there are always those scenes of heroes rescuing children that tend to get an honest-to-goodness smile from most audience members. What we see on the screen isn't just the hero winning. It's the hero protecting the less-fortunate and passing on to the next generation the lesson that one person can make a positive difference.

That's the central metaphor behind the superhero. These stories acknowledge that we live in an imperfect world, beset on all sides by corruption and dischord. Those negative forces exist, but, as long as there are good men and women willing to do the right thing, those forces can not win.

And that is amazing.

Horrorshow: 28 Days Later

As much as I love all things nerdy, I've never been a big fan of zombies. Mainly, I just can't stomach zombie violence. So in asking for recommendations for horror movies, I tend to gloss over anything that has the shambling, undead metaphors for the mass-consumption of society.

So why'd I opt to watch 28 Days Later? Well, partially because it came so strongly recommended by my brother, and partially because I'm kind of a big fan of Cillian Murphy. Oh, and the zombies in this movie aren't real zombies, so there's that.

For about the first half of the movie, I watch Murphy's performance and thought to myself, "Hum. He looks a lot like Christopher Eccleston in this movie." Then Christopher Eccleston showed up...

28 Days Later gets a well-deserved R rating, but I'm not sure how necessary the "content" is. I get that violence is the foundation of any good zombie movie, but I REALLY would have liked a good five minute stretch without hearing the F-bomb.

Oh, and was there any point in having Cillian Murphy wake up completely naked in the hospital? Seriously, for the rest of the movie, I wasn't thinking about when the next zombie scare was coming. I was thinking, "What kind of terrible hospital leaves their post-op patients lying naked and completely uncovered on top of their beds?"

Seriously irresponsible medical practice, guys.

Cooking with Braddy: Lebanese Pizza

As a child, I was always a picky eater. I hated just about everything that didn't end in "-aroni," as were the rest of my siblings. My mother was always very restricted in what she could make during the week, because anything more exotic than a cheeseburger would be left cold on the plate.

Several years ago, just after I returned from serving a mission in the Czech Republic, my parents took me out to a steak house. I ordered my dinner with mushrooms and onions. My mother about fainted - she'd never seen me eat mushrooms and onions before.

Every now and again, I get the desire to try something that I've never had before or, in rare cases, something I've always hated. Yesterday, it was tomatoes.

Oh, I eat things with tomatoes in them. I don't mind tomato sauce. But something about raw tomatoes has always set my stomach on edge.

So I found this recipe for Lebanese Pizza in my favorite cookbook (or, at least, the one I use the most). It looked fantastic - a tortilla topped with an oil and spice mix, mozzarella cheese, and mint leaves. But it's topped with little cherry tomatoes, and I didn't want to try to make any dish that would trigger my gag reflex.

At length, I decided I wasn't going to let my gag reflex boss me around, so I gave it a go.

The final result - a colorful and surprisingly mild dish that comes together pretty quickly. All told, the pizza took maybe twenty minutes to assemble and cook, and most of that time was spent measuring out the spices. Plus it left me with enough of the oil mix to spread on a few more tortillas for quick meals in the coming weeks.

You'll be happy to know that I ate the whole thing, tomatoes and all. But I'll probably still look for an alternative topping in the future.

Poem of the Week

Little Lyric (Of Great Importance)

By Langston Hughes

I wish the rent
Was heaven sent.

***

Langston Hughes is one of the great poets of the 20th century. He's got some incredible lyricism to his verses - no surprise, as there's a strong vein of the blues running through his writing. While I generally prefer "Harlem" ("What happens to a dream deferred?"), I find his little verse (of great importance) tends to speak more to my current situation than just about any other poem I've read.

Horrorshow: The Woman in Black

Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand we're back!

Two years ago, I decided I'd spend the month of October watching horror movies. I didn't really watch too many last year, so I'm pretty excited to have another go at the Horrorshow in 2012.

The first horror movie I ever watched was Sam Raimi's Drag Me to Hell, so I think it's only fitting that I kick off this year's horror movie marathon with THE EXACT SAME MOVIE!

Okay, maybe that's a little unfair, but the entire time I watched The Woman in Black, I couldn't help but notice several similarities between this movie and Drag Me to Hell, ESPECIALLY as the films near their conclusions. If you've seen them both, then the dark night in the rain and mud, the fake out resolution, and the finale at the train station all feel suspiciously familiar.

However, The Woman in Black trades Raimi's comedy for a slow-boil creepy atmosphere that, personally, I prefer. There are some nice long stretches of near-silence that just ratchet up the anticipation of future scares very nicely.

Also, I don't know what they did with the lighting, but everyone's EYES just stood out in nearly every shot. There was one seen where Daniel Radcliffe's eyes actually looked like they were different colors. I don't know if the intent was to highlight the eyes or just add some deep shadows, but I liked it.

I have a few misgivings about The Woman in Black. It's a pretty formulaic movie, but (at least for me) the formula's still relatively new. I enjoyed the heck out of it, even if I spent a few minutes yelling at the screen because WHY THE HECK WOULD YOU LET GO OF YOUR CHILD'S HAND WHEN THERE'S A GHOST ON THE PROWL?!?!

GAH! Harry Potter's an idiot sometimes.

The Worst She Can Do

People always say "the worst she can do is say 'no'" (*ahem*). They forget that her saying "no" is EXACTLY THE THING WE'RE AFRAID OF.