Archive for December 3rd, 2006

There weren’t any animals in the manger, but jackasses still managed to show up.

PETA mistakenly targets church’s nativity scene

The pastor at Anchorage First Free Methodist Church was mystified. Why was the activist group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals chastising him? No animals are harmed in the church’s holiday nativity display. In fact, animals aren’t used at all.

People, however, do dress the parts — Mary, Joseph, the wise men, etc. The volunteers stand shivering at a manger on the church lawn in a silent tribute to Christmas.

The Rev. Jason Armstrong was confused by an e-mail this week from PETA, which admonished him for subjecting animals “to cruel treatment and danger,” by forcing them into roles in the church’s annual manger scene.

“We’ve never had live animals, so I just figured this was some spam thing,” Armstrong said. “It’s rough enough on us people standing out there in the cold. So we’re definitely not using animals.”

So I went and saw the new James Blond Bond picture, and I must say that I’m fairly impressed. Fairly. It ran a little long for my tastes, but it was good. The action was good, and the new James Bond, Daniel Craig ,was pretty good. Throughout the whole picture, I really couldn’t get past that light hair, but as I looked, it kinda made sense. If I remember correctly, dark hair is less distinguishable than light hair, so it makes sense that he would’ve changed as he got more into the business of being James Bond. That did seem to be the theme of the picture, after all. Yeah, he was James Bond, but he was a rookie at it. He got better.

As far as the picture itself, the most impressive character to me was the first mini-villain he chased. That dude was like a real-life Spider-Man. Dude was runnin and jumpin and flippin through windows, and all that stuff. I was sorely impressed. I remember thinkin that if it took all that for me, I would’ve just given up the secret. Some of that stuff was pure madness.

One thing that was interesting for me was watching the movie the way I tell my students to watch, maintaining sight of all the elements of plot that I teach. I was in the movie theater, drawing the same story map that I put on the board for them to copy.

****

Jared has an interesting post on the Christian themes present in the character of Rocky, particularly as typified in the new film, Rocky Balboa.  

All that’s well and good, but I’m tryin’a tell you:  I’m a Rocky FAN.  I’m not gettin the boxed set, I been had the boxed set.  And if that dude does not die in the ring, I will be this close to disavowing myself of the entire series.  I’m not sure what it is that’s irking me about it, but something about this last entry is just rubbing me the dead wrong way.  Unless he dies in the ring.  It’s not necessarily about him losing the fight.  Of course he should lose the fight, and it really shouldn’t even be close.  But this is Rocky, so it’s gonna be close.  But if this dude lives, the possibility for another movie will remain.  And it shouldn’t.  Okay, let’s break it down scientific-like.

Rocky was about 30 years old when he got the call from Apollo, give or take a year.  Which basically means that his career as a name-brand heavyweight started when most fighters’ physical tools are diminishing.  Then he has two wars with Apollo.  Okay.  Then there are the ten title defenses against less-than-stellar opposition.  “Good, but not hungry,” as Mickey described them.  Then there’s that brutal loss to Clubber Lang, and the Apollo-like regaining of the title.  Rocky’s next fight is against Ivan Drago, and we all know how that turned out. 

So now the premise of this next film, per the preview, is that some computer program has, in a set-up of all-time great fighters, pit Rocky against the reigning champion.  My first problem is this:  how is Rocky an all-time great?  In all honesty, he should never have even won the belt, because if Apollo had used an ounce of sense, he would have stayed away in the 15th round, and that would be that.  But taking things as they “actually” happened, the mark of a champion is his opposition.  His inquisitors, Clubber Lang excluded, were tantamount to a Bum of the Month club.  The win over Lang was quality, and I suppose the win over Drago should count, but then that makes 2 title wins and 11 defenses.  That’s not an all-time record.  Sorry.

But then that’s my beef with the premise of the picture.  I can suspend my disbelief for a lotta things, but the idea that a 60-year-old heavyweight would be able to contend with the heavyweight champion is beyond laughable.  Especially one WITH BRAIN DAMAGE!!!  If Rocky was some dude who had kept himself in shape all these years, and had never had any health problems, livin nice and easy, stayin in the gym, then I still wouldn’t buy it, but it would make a little more sense that he could actually get a license to fight.  Hardscrabble hand-to-mouth?  Are you serious?  And I know much of the plot is probably supposed to address these concerns, but I ain’t buyin it.  The only thing I’m evaluating this movie on is whether he dies in the ring. 

May be kinda morbid, but that’s how it is.