about the internet is that sometimes it enables a person to find another person. So here's to my good friend from High School, Joi! If you start reading this blog, a big welcome!
That has really brightened up a rather boring doldrummy week. Seems all I'm tempted to do these days is complain about how expensive life is, and about my health...so I categorically refuse to go there.
Movie Review:
I watched Kingdom of Heaven last night, and I liked it, sort of. Not as a historical movie. I know it wasn't that at all. I watched it as fantasy-fiction, which it is. I really liked Orlando Bloom's character, mostly. He maintained purity in that he refused to kill his nemesis and marry the queen, but he lost it when he was willing to sleep with her anyways. That's just so Hollywood: No concept of sexual virtue. I appreciated the emphasis of the movie that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a piece of real estate, but is rather in the hearts and minds of the people. I expected there to be gross anti-Christian bias, and there was some, but not as bad as I anticipated. Like it only ever showed the Muslims at prayers but never the Christians. And it showed more Christian violence and in-fighting than muslim violence although history tells us that it went both ways during those days. Additionally, I'm wondering about the bit about there being what essentially amounts to a dhimmi tax in Christian controlled Messina that allowed the muslims to practice their prayers. That seems like a convenient twisting of history. Just ask the Orthodox in Turkey and Greece about being under Muslim control for long periods of time...dhimmi tax and all.
In many ways the movie was really naive. Nobody who is willing to kill for the sake of their religion is going to pick up an icon (in this case an altar cross) of another religion and restore it to its proper place.
All that criticism aside, the seige of Jerusalem was so cool, if battle scenes can be called that. I loved the trebuchets and catapults, and the creative ways the siege towers were effectively toppled. War is horrific, to be sure. It makes the battles in LOTR look clean and lovely. For one thing, Orcs bleed black and so one forgets that blood is being spilled. In Kingdom of Heaven there is no covering up the ugliness of war.
All humans bleed red.
That has really brightened up a rather boring doldrummy week. Seems all I'm tempted to do these days is complain about how expensive life is, and about my health...so I categorically refuse to go there.
Movie Review:
I watched Kingdom of Heaven last night, and I liked it, sort of. Not as a historical movie. I know it wasn't that at all. I watched it as fantasy-fiction, which it is. I really liked Orlando Bloom's character, mostly. He maintained purity in that he refused to kill his nemesis and marry the queen, but he lost it when he was willing to sleep with her anyways. That's just so Hollywood: No concept of sexual virtue. I appreciated the emphasis of the movie that the Kingdom of Heaven is not a piece of real estate, but is rather in the hearts and minds of the people. I expected there to be gross anti-Christian bias, and there was some, but not as bad as I anticipated. Like it only ever showed the Muslims at prayers but never the Christians. And it showed more Christian violence and in-fighting than muslim violence although history tells us that it went both ways during those days. Additionally, I'm wondering about the bit about there being what essentially amounts to a dhimmi tax in Christian controlled Messina that allowed the muslims to practice their prayers. That seems like a convenient twisting of history. Just ask the Orthodox in Turkey and Greece about being under Muslim control for long periods of time...dhimmi tax and all.
In many ways the movie was really naive. Nobody who is willing to kill for the sake of their religion is going to pick up an icon (in this case an altar cross) of another religion and restore it to its proper place.
All that criticism aside, the seige of Jerusalem was so cool, if battle scenes can be called that. I loved the trebuchets and catapults, and the creative ways the siege towers were effectively toppled. War is horrific, to be sure. It makes the battles in LOTR look clean and lovely. For one thing, Orcs bleed black and so one forgets that blood is being spilled. In Kingdom of Heaven there is no covering up the ugliness of war.
All humans bleed red.
Comments
And, I've not seen the movie, but it looks good.
I can so understand about being discouraged and getting negative, particularly at the expense of life. It can be discouraging. Finding you again Alana is a bright spot in my week too.