DC Trip Pics 1

Below are some pics from my wife and kid's trip to Washington DC.

DC came across her cousins Chris, Brianna
and Michael in the airport on the way
to Washington DC

Dea at the WW2 Memorial

The White House

Dea and Father Mike

DC on the way to the Washington Monument

Book of Daniel Gets Shelved

After only a few episodes it looks like NBC is shelving the controversial The Book of Daniel, where a prescription drug addicted minister with an alcoholic wife, gay son and lesbian sister who talks to Jesus in person somehow didn't connect with the average family viewer.

Reeeeeally? How could that be? I mean, how could of all of that Hollywood market research have been so wrong?

I tried to watch it... I really did, in order to be objective and give it the benefit of the doubt. But it was so damn ludicrous and openly offensive to standard Christian viewpoints, I really didn't want to give up any of my limited time on this planet absorbing its content.

I'm sure the show business intelligencia are licking their wounds and making themselves feel better by assuring each other that the show was just too edgy for us poor simpletons who don't appreciate art or thought-provoking shows. After all, they're so much better than us and after we've discarded these arhaic notions of God and Jesus, we'll elevate ourselves to their illuminated state of being.

Ahhh, right.

As one person mentioned on the web, the only thing Daniel was missing was a serial killing dog to complete the most dysfunctional family in television history.

It was a perfect example of how Hollywood intends to tear down people of faith in an effort to reprogram us. I'm certain this won't be their last attempt. After all, they've successfully programmed society to believe that divorce, abortion, children out of wedlock, gay marriage and casual sex are all acceptable.

The only thing left to tear down is the big JC.

In their pursuit for such a goal, I can't imagine what they'll come up with next.

The Exorcism of Emily Rose (2005)

The film The Exorcism of Emily Rose is one scary, distrurbing flick. The story is based on the real life possession of Anneliese Michel in the 1970s and takes you down the path of a country girl, Emily Rose, who, after attending college, believes she has becomed possessed.

The story unfolds with an interesting twist for a horror film... it takes place in a court room. The main character is Father Moore, played effectively by Tom Wilkinson, who is on trial for neglience in the death of Emily. As the court drama unfolds, testimonies are recalled by flashback, first from a possession perspective, then from a scientific perspective.

This decision is a good one, as you get both potential explanations for the symptoms Emily displays. What is so disturbing is watching someone become possessed who does not want to, who fights it, and ultimately loses. Some of the imagery still stays with me and I don't know how long it will take before they completely leave me.

Exorcism is a great cinematic tool and the filmmakers here do a very good job of making a horror/court drama. You'd think such a combination would not be effective, but they make it work. The talented Laura Linney, portraying the agnostic defense attorney, and Campbell Scott, playing the Methodist prosecutor, are both excellent at offering different viewpoints on the trial.

I remember listening to a priest on the radio who had been involved in exorcisms and he said something that has stuck with me... he said that when we sin it is on the spiritual "public record" and that demons will use these sins against us. They attack priests during exorcisms by openly calling out there most harmful sins, forcing them to face their own frailty. He said that priests who are unsuccessful at an exorcism are rarely "right in the head" again.

He also relayed a story to exemplify Jesus' forgiveness of those same sins. He told the true story of a small child who was having visions Jesus. The child told a priest and the priest, knowing demons can mimic divine images, said to the child "I went to confession last week. The next time you see Jesus, ask him what I confessed." The next week the child returned and the priest asked "did you see Jesus again?" The child said "yes." "Did you ask him what I told you to?" the priest asked? "Yes" the child said, "but he said that he forgave you and could no longer remember what your sins were." "Then you saw Jesus" said the priest.

Anneliese Michel

The Exorcism of Emily Rose puts into sharp perspective the immortal battle for souls and it is a frightening prospect to think of the evil that pursues us. How they trick us by presenting sin to us as something initially beautiful, but that is truly destructive to our souls.

It reminded me of a line from the film Constantine. A friend of Constantine says she doesn't believe in the Devil. He responds... "You should. He sure believes in you."

I don't know how well I'll sleep tonight. I'm sure I won't be able to get a good nights sleep without reciting a few Our Fathers and Hail Marys. And if that doesn't work, I'm wearing my crucifix to bed.

If you like to get scared or if demons creep you out, then The Exorcism of Emily Rose is for you.

Serenity (2005)

Serenity, the feature film story inspired by the Firefly television series (see blog below) is an effective, albeit much darker story. The entire cast returns and writer/director and series creator Joss Whedon does a good job of quickly introducing the characters and relationships for those who had not seen the short-lived series.

The story revolves around the Alliance (i.e., powers that be) trying to capture River, who's hiding out on Serenity with her brother and who was once used as a human experiment by the Alliance to foster her psychic abilities. The Serenity ship and crew, captained by Malcolm Reynolds, does their best to avoid the authorities and other baddies while saving their own necks. The story moves with relative speed and the $40 million dollar budget shows up on screen with excellent special effects and action sequences.

What is missing from this film is humor and charm, two components that made the television series so effective. As the character Captain Reynolds goes, so goes the rest of the film. He begins and maintains and edge and anger that eliminates the sarcastic wit that made him so endearing on the show. It's as if we walked onto a ship where everyone's been on each other's nerves for the last six weeks. On the television show, the crew seemed more close knit, where you accept everyone's idiosyncrasies because they're considered family. In the film, they treat each other more like co-workers.

In the end, film is a different medium than television and the story reflects that. It appears that Whedon was going to take this one last shot and Hollywood money to encapsulate numerous seasons of the television storyline into one, two-hour film. In order to do so, you have to strip away the excess and get down to business. Unfortunately, in that excess is part of the elements that generated such a following of the Firefly series.

Don't get me wrong, Serenity is still a good film, but if you want to see what all of the talk is about in terms of the Firefly series, this film does not capture it. You'll need to rent or buy the DVDs of the original television episodes and indulge in some high-quality television viewing.

Firefly - The Television Series (2002)

One of the shows on the TRIO network is called Brilliant But Cancelled which features episodes of great television shows that, for whatever reason, did not jell with the audience and garner the ratings to remain afloat. Firefly should lead that category.

Firefly is a science fiction show which aired on Fox in 2002, but was not given enough time to generate an extended following. There were, however, enough hardcore fans for there to be a feature film called Serenity as an extension of the show. Firefly, created by Joss Whedon, is, simply put, an excellent piece of television. It mixes western themes and simple folk with smuggling illegal cargo and science fiction.

Adam Baldwin, Jewel Staite, Ron Glass, Sean Maher, Morena Baccarin,
Nathan Fillion, Gina Torres, Alan Tudyk and Summer Glau

The key to what makes Firefly so special is the characters in the show and the actors who portray them.

Firefly gets its name from a class of spaceship used by the main characters to transport goods, mostly illegal, from one planet to the next. The name of the ship is Serenity and run by Captain Malcolm Reynolds, played with perfect humor and honesty by Nathan FIllion. Fillion expertly fulfills the Robin Hood-esque thief with a moral code character to great affect.

The Captain's old war buddy, the naturally beautiful Zoe Washburn, is Reynolds second in command and is played by actress Gina Torres. She is one of the most naturally beautiful women I've seen on television and I am surprised I have not seen her more since.

Zoe is married to pilot Hoban Washburn, portrayed with perfect timing by Alan Tudyk. Adam Baldwin plays the slow-witted and heavily armed muscle on the crew. Jewel Staite plays Kaylee Frye, the adorably cute mechanic that keeps Serenity afloat... or should I say, air tight.

Ron Glass, from Barny Miller fame, plays a preacher with a past and Sean Maher and Summer Glau play a doctor and mentally damaged, yet brilliant daughter, respectively, who are on the run from the authorities.

Rounding out the cast and crew is Morena Baccarin, who plays the professional "companion" Inara Serra. To put it bluntly, Baccarin is one of the most stunningly beautiful women ever to grace the airwaves.

What makes this show hum is the writing. It is smart and funny and touching and warm and real. And what makes the writing click is the cast. They are all so incredibly talented and able to elevate the terrific writing and interweaving plotlines so effortlessly that it is a joy to watch each episode. I have rarely seen an example of such perfect casting than in this show.

Why I am glowing about a show long since cancelled? Well, the Sci-Fi channel recently ran 12 of the 15 existing episodes in a row, of which I recorded on my DVR. I was only able to catch the first few episodes when it originally aired on Fox before it was yanked. However, over the past two weeks I've been firing up the DVR indulging in a Firefly binge. I have loved every minute of it.

Gina Torres as Zoe Washburn

Television is so often predictable and blandly written. Firefly is just the opposite. After spending a few episodes you find yourself enjoying spending time with these characters. The western feel makes you comfortable and the sci-fi element adds a mix of the unknown. You find yourself feeling as if you, too, are part of the crew, part of the show.

And that's what makes it so special.

I can barely remember a television show as unique and so completely effective in its vision as Firefly. It is what Star Trek could have been, but never was. I hope the Serenity film has earned enough money to generate a sequel. And I hope the growing number of fans, like myself, who have recently discovered this show will inspire the powers that be at Sci-Fi Channel to pony up the cash and bring this special show back to life.

If Stargate and Battlestar Gallactica can find a renewed existence on Sci-Fi, I can't imagine Firefly could not do the same. We can only hope.

If you are a fan of science fiction or just good television, make a trek to the video store and check the series or the film out. You won't be disappointed.

Fun Times in DC

I've received a few calls from my wife and daughter of over the last few days, during their trip to Washington DC. They have had a VERY busy time. They've seen the capital building, the Washington Monument, Lincoln Memorial, WW2 and Vietnam Memorial, Arlington Cemetary, the cathedral and more and more and more.

They're all cranky up there because they've had almost no sleep. Last night they went to sleep at 1:30 a.m. and woke up at 5:30 a.m. Today is the actual March for Life, so they will offer up their exhaustion and make the March a success.

My son and I have been working in bachelor mode, which means a lot of macaroni and cheese, sandwiches, chicken nuggets and grilled cheese... with nary a vegetable to be found. So, we are anxiously awaiting their return tonight in the wee hours of the morning.

I'm certain tomorrow my wife and daughter will sleep all day just to catch up. I can't wait to see the pictures and hear all of the stories. It's amazing how much they are a part of our lives and how incomplete we are without them here.

Tomorrow cannot come quick enough.

SEVERED Fini

It's 1:51 in the morning and I just gave birth to the first draft of Severed. As with the panacea felt after the completion of any first draft, I'm feeling very good about this script. It comes in currently at 96 pages and it moves along at a very hefty pace.

I'm printing out the last 30 pages I wrote this evening. After getting some shut-eye, I'll take a look at it tomorrow and make any "what was I thinking" changes to the script. After that, I'll send it out to some people I trust to get their feedback, make some notes and then let it sit for a while. I'll start working on the next script, a comedy called The Flu, then I'll come back to Severed with fresh eyes and see if my current state of panacea is justified.