January 10, 2008
All about Austen
Here's a reminder for you Auten fans - the new Masterpiece Theater Jane Austen movies start this Sunday with Persuasion. You can download the schedule for the next few months here: Masterpiece | The Complete Jane Austen
And check out the new host for MT Classics - here's a hint - Although you were used to her chasing aliens, you loved her in Bleak House!
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April 27, 2007
Foyle's War IV in US
We feel like we've been waiting forever for Foyle's War VI to appear in the US on Masterpiece Theatre/Mystery ! It will finally be showing on June 17. We can't wait!
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April 12, 2007
A New S&S Adaptation
I was excited to hear that Andrew Davies was doing a mini-series adaptation of Sense and Sensibility. There has been a lot of discussion about it on various Austen blogs and I'm eager to see how it all turns out!
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February 27, 2006
Movie Night: The Baxter
If you like romantic comedies, quirky (or as Brian would say, bizarre) characters, and if you once bought a "vote for pedro" t-shirt, you should check out the movie The Baxter. It has become a quirky favorite!
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July 13, 2005
Movie Night: Bon Voyage
What is one of my favorite modern conveniences? Netflix!
My suggested movie of the week for you is the French comedy Bon Voyage. Set in 1940's France, it is a great little tale (enough romance for me & enough intrigue for Brian) that is smart and subtly funny. Although nothing explicit in it (other than some PG-13 fist-fight type violence) wait until the kids go to bed to watch so you can read the subtitles in peace. Enjoy!
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June 22, 2005
Movie Night - "I Am David"
The other night Brian and I finally got to see the movie I Am David. We loved it. It was beautifully filmed and intriguing to fit together all the puzzle pieces. The story had me in tears by the end (granted, that's not hard to do.) I’ll now be reading the original children’s book by Ann Holm, which was at one time published under the name “David” and “North to Freedom.”
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May 6, 2005
Inside "The Monastery"
There are certain reality shows that are inane and others that Brian and I find interesting, such as the BBC/PBS that have people living in another time period. The upcoming BBC reality show "The Monastery" is one we're definitely interested in watching once it finally gets to the states.
Five men, ranging from an atheist in the pornography trade to a former Protestant paramilitary, have found their lives unexpectedly transformed in the latest incarnation of reality television - the monastery.More Oh Brother! than Big Brother, the five underwent a spiritual makeover by spending 40 days and 40 nights living with Roman Catholic monks in Worth Abbey, West Sussex.
The experiment, which will be shown on BBC 2 this month, was designed to test whether the monastic tradition begun by St Benedict 1,500 years ago still has any relevance to the modern world....
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December 31, 2004
12/9/04 - Holiday Hints
Wow, it�s been a long time since I had a full 1/2 hour just to browse the internet and catch up on some reading and posting! I�m sure many of you are running around trying to finish your Christmas shopping (except for the slackers who wait until Dec 24 to start worrying. ;-) If you�re stuck for an idea here are some DVD�s we recommend �
CHOICE 1: How can you go wrong with the upcoming Return of the King? On second thought, with over 50 minutes of extra film footage and numerous hours of bonus features, fans won't possibly wait until Christmas to get it! Well, if you don't already own every version out so far, you can treat yourself to Foyle's War Set 1 or Foyle's War Set 2. (Or try just a single episode such as The White Feather or A Lesson in Murder.)
CHOICE 3: For a complete change of pace, chick-flick lovers should check out this updated version of Pride and Prejudice. I know that nothing replaces the �95 version and Austin purists will most likely balk at this quirky film but I loved it. It's an independent, lower-budget film put out by the Church of the Latter-Day Saints but quite frankly it is refreshing to see a modern movie where the girls don't have breast, belly and behind hanging out and living with your boyfriend is not seen as the norm. In this version the girls are roommates rather than sisters. (Who would have imagined Jane as an Argentinean beauty?) There is the usual tension and sparks from Elizabeth Bennett, an aspiring writer, and her future book editor Darcy. (Not to mention, Collins is exactly as I would picture him today!) It's a great girl movie, with a cool soundtrack, worth buying or at least renting!
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6/2/04 - What's your favorite Catholic movie?
The National Catholic Register and Faith & Family Magazine (two of my favorite Catholic publications) are putting together a poll for people's favorite Catholic movies. To nominate your top three movies visit the NCR Movie Poll.
In the meantime, feel free to tell us your TOP THREE Catholic movies in the comment box! I'll let you know my favorite tomorrow when I think about it for a bit, since my computer time is up! take care, b.
UPDATE: Here are our picks-
Bobbi (How can I narrow it down? Here�s are five I love � I know there will be more as I think about it.)
The Passion of the Christ (Coming on DVD in Aug.)
Lord of the Rings (Does that count as �Catholic�?)
The Keys of the Kingdom
The Sound of Music
Brian:
The Reluctant Saint (St. Joseph Cupertino)
The Song of Bernadette
Bella
Francesco's Friendly World: The Last Stone
Francesco's Friendly World - The Broken Cross
Day the Sun Danced:Story of Fatima (CCC)
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2/26/04 - A Passionate Review
Last night Brian and I saw the Passion of the Christ. I am still speechless. It had been so hyped up that I wondered if it would be as moving as everyone says. It went above and beyond. Yes, it was violent but no more violent than other movies of historical nature (ie. Schindler�s List or Saving Private Ryan � and why, may I ask, is that violence permissible while the Passion�s is reprehensible??). But the violence is secondary � it is the story of Christ that shines above all else. I was moved to tears � I would have been literally sobbing if I hadn�t fought it back. Instead I reached for Brian�s hand and we cried silently together.
There are so many aspects of the movie that moved me I don�t know if I could express it all now. However, the major points are the following:
1. The depth of Christ�s love. Not only the depth of his love for us but the length He went to in order to share that love. It was hard to be angered at the Jewish rabbis or the Roman soldiers when it was my personal sins that sent Jesus to the cross. Each blow brought back to mind sins I have committed and the vice I still live with. But even more so � it struck me of how deep Christ�s love is and how superficial mine is. I want to love Christ more � not just intellectually knowing him or having an emotional, fickle love for him � but a deep love that permeates my being.
2. The value of the cross. How often do I complain about this and that or roll my eyes when I have to deal with so-and-so again. God gives me countless moments of grace throughout my day and I�ve thrown them away with my (interior and exterior) complaining.
3. The relationship between Jesus and Mary. The Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary were united in the sorrowful passion. My heart was renewed in my love for Our Lady. And in a lighter moment, I loved the scene with Mary when Jesus was building a table. You could see the tender love they had for each other as Mother and Child. It also brought out a playful, affectionate side to Jesus. In other Jesus movies I�ve seen Jesus is either very stern or flippantly joking.
4. The power for the Mass. It was a power punch to see the parallel between the Passion of Christ and the Mass. I don�t think I can attend Mass again without the images of Jesus replaying in my head. And even more so, there have been many times I have not gone to daily Mass for legitimate reasons. But how hard have I been trying to make daily Mass (and Holy Hour and daily visits etc)? If Jesus went through all that to give me the grace of the Mass, what am I willing to do to receive those graces? And what better way to deepen my love for Christ than to receive him more often and more fervently in the Holy Eucharist?
5. The seduction of evil. The portrayal of the devil was powerful. This morning I was supposed to do something I didn�t want to and as my mind was rationalizing it away I pictured the devil whispering those excuses in my ear. That was a wake-up call and I quickly accomplished the task God desired me to do.
6. Christ thirsts. Christ thirsts for souls and we are the tools that will bring those souls to Him. And there are souls hungry for Christ. The sound of crying and sobbing during the movie emphasize that. Afterwards even some "tough guys" were shaking as they smoked their cigarettes. It reminds me to pray for the conversion of sinners � especially those I love, whom are far from Christ, and those who have no one to pray for them. I can't help but ask myself how can we better help to extend Christ's Kingdom � whether in the little daily things or the bigger apostolate things. It reminds me of one of my favorite quotes: �If you are what you should be, you will set the whole world ablaze!�
7. Applying all this to my life. This movie was powerful but emotions are quickly forgotten and old ways are eager to reign again. I don�t want to be like Peter, who one moment says he will never leave Jesus� side, and the next moment he denies ever knowing Christ. This Lent is a perfect time to work on the areas in my life that need attention. And there are ample opportunities to grow closer to Christ through the Mass, Confession, Stations of the Cross, Scripture study, the Rosary, Holy Hours, etc.
There is so much more that can be said but I'll leave it at that for now. If you�ve already seen the Passion, your comments are welcome. If you haven�t yet, may you be blessed when you do!
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December 31, 2003
9/29/03 - The comment that became a post.
In the 9/26/03 comment box I received a letter from Maria in Mass. Since I also received another email asking about SCOL and previously someone else asked me about LOTR I decided to post my answer in the blog instead of the comment box to make things easier.
You are getting me interested in "Lord Of The Rings". I never read any of the books or saw the movies. Do these books and movies have some kind of Catholic influence?
JR Tolkien, the author of the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, was a Catholic. The story may not be "Catholic" in name but it contains many beautiful "Catholic" lessons. I find it incredibly uplifting although it is rather dark at times. My worldview sees Catholics as fighting a battle for God. (Hence the name "revolution of love.") So the battle of good vs evil in LOTR is more than just a story to me; it is something I can apply to my own life. There are also more subtle images that will evoke thoughts of Catholic elements such as the Sacraments.
I would highly recommend you reading the books! If you are the type that likes to read first before watching the movie, do that. (I saw the LOTR and TT first then read the trilogy before I see ROTK.) If you are not that motivated to actually read the book you should at least watch the first movie Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Rings. It is so beautiful. (If you rent it, get the extended version with extra footage.) More than likely you will get so into it you'll want to read and see the rest! Do watch it and let me know what you think!
I do not have anyone my age around here who are Catholic....and my church does NOT have a singles group...yet...I am working on encouraging our Pastor on forming one though.
The last time we approached our pastor about starting a YA group church, he agreed if we were the ones to put it together. It is easy to tell the Pastor "You should do this..." but it is another thing to say "I would like to do this for you...". Perhaps you should offer to start and run the group? (But only after prayer and discernment that it is what God wants.) If you do this and the Pastor still says no, then you'll have to brainstorm something else! But, yes, I do wish we were all closer to each other! I long to be able to see you (and the others around here) face to face instead of email to email!
Can you believe nobody has written me yet from Ave Maria Singles? I just updated my profile again...I need to just trust God on this and keep praying...please keep me in your prayers!!
As far as AMS goes, hang in there! I know how hard it is! Although I am married now I still keenly remember how hard it was to wait and be patient for my future husband! Personally, I would not wait for a guy to write you. (I didn�t and look where it got me! haha!) Don't forget there are hundreds of other girls on there and it is quite normal for girls who "won't write first" to get to NO messages. (And some are very pretty, intelligent and faithful!) It's just the nature of the situation. There are so many people on there! Look through the guys profiles. See who has common interests and a strong faith. Don't worry so much about his pic. (Some guys take terrible photos and others that are "not so handsome" become extremely attractive to you once you get to know them. In the end you will fall in love with his "soul", not his face!
With that said, however, don't feel bad if you write a guy and he says he is not interested. Don't take it personally! And when you do begin corresponding just take it slow and really get to know the person. Don't get emotionally involved until you discern that it's what God desires. (That will save a lot of heart ache when friendships do not develop into something more!) In the end, whether online or in person, you'll find him! In the meantime, continue to develop your relationship with God, keep busy serving Him, and pray for your future husband, particularly entrusting your future marriage and children to Our Lady.
Okay I think I've stood on this soapbox long enough! I hope that helps, Maria. And do know that you (and all those looking for a holy spouse) are in my prayers. Don't worry. I'm the poster child for "Yes, it can happen to you!" In the end it will be worth the wait! Trust me!
Love and prayers to you, dear Maria.
Bobbi
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8/22/03 - A & E Movies
Good morning. It seems that the days I come around to post are on Tues & Fri. There's no possible way I can post daily (I don't know how you other moms do it!) so I figure twice a week is sufficient.
The other night I taped the movie THE MAYOR OF CASTERBRIDGE that was on A&E. I absolutely love all those literary classics (particularly anything Austen) and I hadn't read the novel by Thomas Hardy. It starred one of my favorite actors Ciaran Hinds (of Persuasion, Ivanhoe and Jane Erye fame.) Two of the actreses (I don't know their name off hand) were in other movies - one was Jane Fairfax in the hollywood Emma and the other was the young Jewish girl from Daniel Deronda. (That was also a good movie - I just got the DVD of it.)
Anyway, I watched the movie with Brian and man, if you're the type that needs a happy ending don't watch it! It has a lot of twists and turns and people from one scene will later tie into people from another scene, sort of Dickens style (Our Mutual Friend come to mind.) The movie felt a bit choppy at times but that could have been because of the stupid commercials. I'll know better when I watch the DVD. So although it was sad it was still enjoyable to watch and moral lessons could be gained. Besides sometimes you just need a hankie moment to have a good cry!
If you want to watch the movie it's playing again tonight on A&E. And if you liked to buy the movie there's a special through A&E, the DVD and the book for $29. And for those who've asked, yes I'll make a list of my favorite literary adaptions to post on RoL. I'll let you know when it's up. Have a great weekend guys! keep praying, b.