523. Wedding Anniversary Hymn

I've been thinking a lot about the fact that my parents' (dad and stepmom's) 40th wedding anniversary is coming up in a year or so. And 40 is the number my grandparents (on my mom's side) got to, before my grandma's cancer took center stage. I've known people to pass bigger milestones. I actually interviewed a couple, once, who had been married for over 70 years. Wedding annivesaries are pretty cool, even when the number before the "-th" isn't very high. Something so delicate enduring is to be celebrated. And here is a small attempt to do that in the form of a hymn. In the Common Metre. So, lots of possibilities for tunes; I'm not attached to any of them at the moment.

Rejoice, give thanks, and praise the Lord,
So well disposed to bless,
For joining two in one accord,
In wedded faithfulness!

Through all their years of toil and care,
Shared hours whose memories shine,
Such bracing testaments they bear
As age like choicest wine:

That two were made from thenceforth one;
And giving all in love,
They show the marriage of God's Son,
His blood the cup thereof:

Two made one flesh, each giving all
To serve the other's good;
God's throne of grace their wedding hall,
Their honor servanthood.

Forgiveness is the air they breathe
And patient love their bread;
The blade of pride they meekly sheathe
And cut vainglory dead.

Let all who see their union know
The impress of Christ's love,
And shape their footsteps here below
Toward festal joys above.

ART: The Marriage Feast at Cana by Juan de Flandes (1450–1519), deeded to the public domain via Creative Commons CCO 1.0 license.

Fantastic Four: First Steps

The local movie house gave a preview screening of this movie last night, along with a sneak preview of Disney's trailer for the upcoming Avatar: Fire and Ash. Regarding the trailer, meh. I've still never seen the original Avatar and I continue to hold myself to the challenge of never seeing it in the future. There was a time, not too many years ago, when it was actually difficult to avoid seeing it because it was EVERYWHERE. But I digress.

This Fantastic 4 flick is approximately the fourth attempt to turn this team of Marvel superheroes into a blockbuster movie franchise. I say "approximately" because the first Fan4 film I know of was really made just to keep the film rights and wasn't really commercially released, and the next reboot (the one with Jessica Alba, Michael Chiklis, Chris Evans and Ioan Gruffudd) actually managed to get two movies deep in what was supposed to be a trilogy before it was quietly canceled. And nobody, but nobody, wants to talk about the most recent, tonally inappropriate, disastrous outing featuring Miles Teller, Michael B. Johnson and I'm not going to look up the other two because I frankly don't care. Though the Gruffudd-Alba foursome made some fairly decent movies that were relatively successful at the box office, I've noticed a growing consensus among fans and critics that there just hasn't been a good movie adaptation of the Fantastic 4 comics, and maybe there can never be one. Well, never say never. I think this movie was pretty darn good.

First of all, F4FS is set on an alternate earth, Earth-828, part of Marvel's cinematic multiverse (I guess), which has a 1960s-ish, retro-futuristic look – kind of like the Jetsons, or more to the point, like the original comics – in contrast to the Alba-Gruffudd era's cutting-edge modernism and the gritty expressionism of the Teller-Johnson, um, instant. Despite the dark threat looming over all life on earth, and the earth itself, it has a cheerier, more color-saturated look. It has visual character. It has exciting special-effects sequences, big sci-fi spectacle, action, thrills, property destruction on a massive scale (you actually see a whole planet, 13 percent larger than earth, go through what's essentially a gigantic rock grinder) ... but it also offers sharp dialogue, a thought-provoking storyline, relatable characters with real chemistry and touching relationships, and the rather weird experience of being able to see exactly what's going on instead of motion blur and mud, like you get in (say) Zack Snyder's type of movie, cross myself and spit on the ground. It also skips, thank God, the otherwise seemingly inevitable rehash of the superhero origin story, other than in a sort of bullet-point summary to bring the audience up to speed.

As Mr. Fantastic (Reed Richards), it stars the current face of movies right now, Pedro Pascal (Game of Thrones, The Mandalorian, The Last of Us and Gladiator II) portrayed as a ruthlessly logical scientific savant who is so heartbreakingly aware of his shortcomings as a relatable, sympathetic human being that he goes full circle and becomes relatable and sympathetic. There's Vanessa Kirby of The Crown and Pieces of a Woman as the Invisible Woman (Sue Storm), his wife, who is already pregnant with their first child as the story begins, and whose fierce protectiveness of their child brings out both her immense strength (my goodness) and her vulnerability. Ebon Moss-Bachrach, a guy I've seen in other things but whose face never sticks in my memory, gets the motion-capture CGI treatment as The Thing (Ben Grimm), a lifelong friend of Reed's who has become as good as family, and whose ability to emote (or grow a beard) isn't much hampered by his transformation into an anthropomorphic boulder. Finally, in the role of the Human Torch (Johnny Storm), there's an up and coming young heartthrob as usual – in this case, Joseph Quinn, late of Gladiator II and Warfare – as less of a womanizing hotshot than as played by Chris Evans and more of a tragically eligible bachelor (he finally meets a girl who interests him and she's, like, the Silver Surfer) who's always proving himself to be smarter than he looks. But yeah, still good for comic relief.

Also in the flick are Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso), Paul Walter Hauser (Cobra Kai), Mark Gatiss (Sherlock), Julia Garner (Ozark), Ralph Ineson (Nosferatu, The Office) and the voice of Matthew Wood ("General Grievous" in the Star Wars franchise) as HERBIE the robot. It features gorgeous, emotionally stirring music by Michael Giacchino (The Incredibles, Ratatouille, Star Trek 2009, Up, etc.) And its director, former child actor Matt Shakman (Just the Ten of Us), also directed MCU's WandaVision.

So, before I forget to drop a bit of synopsis in this review, here's the idea of this movie. The F4 are already established superheroes when the tale begins, a family unit entrusted with a glitzy skyscraper, lots of technology (such as a reusable rocket that can pair up with an orbiting faster-than-light drive), and the responsibility of protecting the world. So, it falls on them to answer back when a shapely alien on a silver surfboard drops in from outer space to announce that the earth has been marked for destruction by a devourer-of-worlds named Galactus. They stand no chance of stopping him, but they try to reason with him. The only offer he's willing to make, in exchange for sparing Earth-828, is for Sue and Reed to give up their not-quite-born-yet son, Franklin, who is apparently the only being of sufficiently godlike powers to take Galactus' place in a personal hell of world-devouring, eternal hunger.

"Hard no" is the obvious answer, from the Fan-4's point of view, but not everyone on earth sees it that way. At first, the planet kind of turns against them. But then Sue makes a really terrific speech, and folks pull together again on a plan to stop Galactus from devouring Earth. But as the saying goes, no plan ever survives contact with the enemy, and a lot more stuff happens but at the risk of spoiling the ending, the Richards-Storm-Grimm family will be back again, at least for an upcoming Avengers movie – or so the card at the top of the end credits claims. Who knows? Marvel has promised many things that it didn't deliver. But if the promised Avengers flick never materializes, I don't think it will be due to this movie. It's too good and, I trust, the viewing public will recognize it and reward it as such.

Three Scenes That Made It For Me: (1) Franklin Richards becomes the first human being born in faster-than-light space flight. My, what a thrilling scene, with so many moving parts and emotional beats that all hit their target! (2) The Silver Surfer interrupts whatever Johnny Storm is doing as he yells, "Tell Franklin his Uncle Johnny loves him!" (3) The look Ben Grimm gives Sue Storm before he says, "You're pregnant, aren't you?" For a heap of rocks, that dude has an expressive face.

522. Bride of Christ hymn

Here's an attempt to adapt Song of Songs chapter 2 as a hymn. It doesn't say so explicitly, but the hymn is meant to suggest that the subject matter is the Holy Church, of which all faithful Christians are members. Metaphor, don'tcha know. I would like to have colored it in with more circumstantial detail, like lilies and raisin cakes and whatnot, like the original poem by Solomon, but metrical constraints etc. prevented me. So, with that excuse, please view the following kindly – and suggest a tune if you will, because I have none in mind.

Bride of Christ, as fair and pure
As a maiden all demure,
How your heart will soon rejoice
At your Bridegroom's loving voice!
Scented praises upward yield,
Sweetest flower of the field!

Husband gently, Lord, this flow'r,
Planted, pruned for just this hour:
Let no thorn her hue o'erwhelm,
Nor the apple tree by elm.
Stay Your Bride with ev'ry good;
Cheer her heart with heav'nly food.

Cherish her, Lord, with Your hand;
As her wall and bulwark stand.
Let the banner of Your love
Fly before her and above;
In the secret clefts be seen,
Where she'll dwell, safe and serene.

Till day breaks and shadows flee,
Keep her Yours, and hers still be.
Draw her to Your banquet hall;
With a voice of singing call,
And when all is made complete
Set her on a queenly seat.

IMAGE: King Solomon and his wife, Pharaoh's daughter. Public domain per Wikimedia Commons.

521. A Worship Hymn

I've covered this ground before, but you don't go writing 520-plus hymns without a bit of self-repetition and, with the Lord's blessing, some improvement. So, hoping this covers the "set apart" and sacramental (from Christ to us) aspects of Christian worship, here's a bit of verse set to no particular tune at the time of this writing. It shouldn't be too hard to find a melody to go with it, though. Suggestions?

This time is Yours, O Lord:
The favored year and hour
Wherein Your saving gifts are poured
With sacramental power.
Grant, then, that we may pause,
Rich blessings to receive:
A rest from cares and carking laws,
From doom a free reprieve.

This place is Yours, O Lord:
A sanctum set apart
For poor in spirit to afford
An entry to Your heart.
Rend, then, the veil that bars
Our access to Your throne;
Draw near, from yon above the stars,
Embrace us as Your own.

The Word is Yours, O Lord,
Though wing'd or spoken plain:
A faithful preacher but accord,
It shall not fly in vain.
Break through the stoppered ear;
The heavy tongue unseal,
That we the saving news may hear
And echo back with zeal.

This meal is Yours, O Lord:
As oft as it is laid,
Your off'ring is once more adored
And peace with God is made.
Forgive the sins that nailed
Your body to the tree;
Imbue us with the blood that trailed
From You to set us free.

Our life is Yours, O Lord,
To give as well as take:
And since Your life in us is stored,
We live but for Your sake.
Until our final breath,
Come ease or bitter strife,
Join us to Your triumphant death;
Perfect us unto life.

IMAGE: Ajuntament de Sant Vicenç de Montalt, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

Superman

I'd like to begin with a non-review of Jurassic World: Rebirth. Though I've heard it's a decent movie (my parents saw it last week), I just can't get excited about it. I'm pretty much over the "Jurassic Whatever" franchise, I guess. Last week I had a choice, at my town's movie theater, of seeing F1 for a second time, the live-action How to Train Your Dragon for a third time or JW:R for the first time. After a moment of reflection, I plumped for the third viewing of HtTYD, and I enjoyed it without a qualm of regret. Today, traveling an hour west for a matinee, I had a choice between F1 again, HtTYD again, JW:R again, or Superman – which I had already seen, when it opened on Thursday. I actually gave the Jurassic pic a moment's serious consideration, then went to see Superman again. And again, I didn't regret it for a moment.

This Superman flick is a great movie. As in the case of Elio, I say that in direct contradiction of a coterie of social media blowhards who are trying to trash it and spread the word that it's a terrible piece of beat-you-over-the-head-with-the-message woketarditude. That is utter and complete balderdash. This is a great movie. I also say this at risk of turning off some movie fans, but I would back this James Gunn-directed movie against anything directed by Zack Snyder. I liked the Christopher Reeve series of Superman movies (though they fell off in quality toward the end). I actually enjoyed Superman Returns with Brandon Routh in the title role. And I think the world of Henry Cavill. But when I saw Snyder's Man of Steel and the series of movies that dribbled after it, and even when I re-saw some of them just to give them a fair shake, I couldn't like them. In fact, I thought, and still think, they are dreadfully written, filmed, edited and produced (by which I mean all the creative things from artistic design to costumes to dear-gawd-CGI). They are, and tune out now if you can't stand hearing this, lousy movies on every metric by which I know how to evaluate movies. They can't even make Henry Cavill look good, damn them.

Yes, that's an opinion of someone who on first viewing Morbius, when friends of mine were enthusiastically praising it, said I hated it and felt insulted by it. That's an opinion of someone who got a headache watching Fast and Furious, who took a long hiatus from watching horror flicks after seeing Jeepers Creepers, and who likes Guy Ritchie's League of Ungentlemanly Warfare despite listing his King Arthur: Legend of the Sword among movies so bad they piss me off. Take it for what it's worth. I'm not saying people who worship at the feet of Zack Snyder and who are spreading the rumor that Gunn's Superman sucks are tasteless idiots or anything. But as the proverb says, wisdom (like good taste) is known by her children.

In total contrast to Man of Steel (last mention, i promise), the new Superman is beautifully written, beautifully shot, filled with thoughtful character-building scenes, attractive imagery, a vivid color palate, camera movements that serve a narrative purpose, and action and special effects that don't leave you wondering what the hell is happening. It is devoid of muddiness, blur and weightless, uncanny valley-triggering digital cheats. It has a Superman who's maybe a bit more vulnerable than you'd expect him to be (but there turns out to be a legit reason for that), and despite not being a Henry Cavill fresh off The immortals, this Corenswet guy really looks good as both Clark and Kal-El. You feel his frustration, his feelings of betrayal and confusion, and ultimately, his courage and joy. He's a Superman your heart goes out to, and you become emotionally involved as other people's hearts start to turn toward him as well. The movie has lump-in-the-throat moments, laugh-out-loud moments and gosh-wow, awesome spectacles, fights and threats. And also, like I said, well-written scenes. It goes above and beyond expectations for a popcorn flick.

The cast deserves comment. I wasn't aware of having seen David Corenswet in anything before, but he did have a minor role in Twisters. I think his Superman strikes a beautiful balance between stoic, altruistic hero (the kind of guy who saves a squirrel from being crushed beneath a giant monster) and a very human, relatable dude (hence many of my "scenes that made it for me," below). Everyone seems to know Rachel Brosnahan, who's won major awards for her role in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, but I haven't seen it. As Lois Lane, she's a smart, tough, hard-hitting journalist with eyes wide enough open to crack the shell around her heart when Supes' true nature becomes apparent to her. A shaven-headed Nicholas Hoult (Mad Max: Fury Road, The Great) plays a version of Lex Luthor who almost, but not quite, could be right if you follow the logic of his arguments (apart from being an evil bastard, of course). Anthony Carrigan, who wouldn't have to shave his head to play a comic book villain (e.g. Victor Zsasz in Gotham), instead plays a sympathetic mutant who can change parts of his body into other elements. Nathan Fillion (Castle, Firefly), in a blond, pudding-bowl haircut, plays Green Lantern as something of a cocky idiot. Edi Gathegi (House and the Twilight franchise) gets a susprisingly big role as a superhero named Mr. Terrific (not Fantastic; that's another guy in an upcoming movie). Wendell Pierce, whom I know from TV's Eslbeth, plays Perry White, editor of the Daily Planet. Bradley Cooper has a small role as Kal-El's Kryoptonian father, Jor-El; Alan Tudyk (Firefly, Resident Alien) plays the lead robot at Supes' Fortress of Solitude; John Cena apears briefly as a superhero named Peacemaker; and I'm informed that Christopher Reeve's son, real-life news reporter Will Reeve, appears as a reporter in the movie.

And now for some Scenes That Made It For Me. I don't think I can restrict myself to just Three. (1) Clark's human father, who (against all odds) has somehow survived to the present day in this version, gives him some heartfelt advice when it's really needed. I appreciated the fact that this movies casts regular, unknown actors as John and Martha Kent, instead of beautiful middle-aged stars like Diane Lane and Kevin Costner (who deserved, and got, a better movie in which to play a couple – but I promised not to mention Man of Steel again, so sorry). Nevertheless, Pruitt Taylor Vince as Pa Kent delivers a moving performance in that one brief scene. They're good, down-to-earth people, and I kind of love them for the way they love him. (2) Two scenes, that I'll count as one for the sake of this list, in which Clark and Lois have a private conversation in an apartment – first hers, then his. The former, when Lois interviews Clark as Superman, is the parade example of what I meant about this movie being well-written with well-blocked, character-building scenes. And it's well acted, too. The latter, when Clark tells her "I love you; I should have told you before," while metahumans battle an interdimensional imp in the background, is a visually and emotionally layered scene that I think turns a corner for Lois, in her understanding of Superman. (3) "Get the toy, Krypto." I love the dog. Superman's concern for him, despite him not being a very good dog (and not even, really, his dog, either), actually turns some gears in the plot machinery, including the disposition of Lois' heart with regard to Clark. He's cute, vexing and terrifying all at once. I'm talking about the dog, now.

There are a lot of Honorable Mentions, though: Like Mr. Terrific rolling his eyes at Superman's stated desire to save the giant monster rampaging through downtown Metropolis. Or Lois and the Daily Planet staff plunging off the roof of the newspaper building in Mr. Terrific's flying saucer (a laugh-out-loud moment for sure). Or Lois' incredulous "How do you do it?" when she notices the effect freckly, red-headed Jimmy Olson has on women. Or, particularly, her parting shot to Green Lantern: "Your haircut should be against your vows!"

Stop listening to the naysayers. They seem to have a vested interest in tearing things down that they couldn't begin to create, and calling things bad that they would know how to begin to do better. And in the case of this movie and others that I've enjoyed recently, they're just wrong. This is a terrific movie. It's a terrific Superman movie. And I wouldn't just see it again; I've already seen it twice. With, as aforesaid, no regrets!

520. Another Sacramental Christmas Hymn

It hardly seems possible that it was nearly five years ago when a dear friend suggested that I write something like this. And now I'm taking another stab at it. What do I mean by "sacramental"? I mean a dimension of the faith that focuses on the gifts that Christ delivers through the means He has promised to use. As for what I mean by "Christmas," behold the following, for which I currently have no tune in mind:

Word to a Virgin once was passed:
Without the need
For mortal seed,
Her womb the Son of God would bear.
So be it, Lord: the First and Last,
Becoming human then and there!

Dreams to a carpenter were shown,
Commending both
The maiden's troth
And that which in her was conceived.
So Joseph took them as his own,
And on the saving Child believed.

To humble shepherds came the news:
A chorus bright
Outstarred the night,
Messiah's glory to declare.
They went and saw, and did not lose
An hour, this newborn hope to share.

When portents in the stars gave way
The wise mean heard
Prophetic word,
Borne though it was on evil lips:
To Bethlehem, the scriptures say,
The King of ages softly slips.

What ingots, incenses, and myrrhs
We'd gladly give!
And yet we live,
Lord, on the power of Your word,
Which living, saving gifts confers
Wherever faith by it is stirred.

Then let us praise that holy birth
Which made us one
With God's dear Son,
And to His precious promise cling,
Whereby salvation comes to earth
And mortals hear the angels sing!

ART: Luca Giordano, The Annunciation, dedicated to the public domain by the Metropolitan Museum of Art per Creative Commons CC0 1.0.

F1

Last night, I was taking a walk when I paused in front of the local movie theater and discovered that I was right on time to see this movie. So, I went on an impulse and saw it. It was good.

The title, F1, is short for Formula One, which for those of you who've been living in caves, is an auto racing format. Brad Pitt, still decent looking at 61, plays a once up-and-coming race car driver named Sonny, who washed out of F1 when his risky behavior got him seriously injured. Since then, he's been gambling, womanizing, and living in a van (albeit a nice one), traveling around and finding adventures that mainly involve motor vehicles. Like winning the Daytona 500 and then walking away without even keeping the wristwatch, despite the team's owner begging him to stay.

Sonny hasn't been looking to return to the F1 circuit, but a former racing opponent named Ruben, played by Javier Bardem, whose investment in a racing team is about to go down the tubes, begs him to do so. They're now halfway into their third season without getting a single point, ever. This means they've never placed in the top 10. They're down a driver and their other driver, a cocky kid named Pearce, is facing career oblivion if he doesn't start winning. Or at least placing.

Against his better judgment, Sonny shows up and joins the team. He clashes with Pearce, with the tech team, with the crew, with Ruben, with the car. Boy, does the car take a beating. Little by little, he wins the team over to his aggressive, combat style of driving, which after a few initial setbacks starts to pay off. But then this happens, and that happens, and my goodness, two-and-a-half hours goes by, heavy on the racing but with lots of drama packed into the interludes, and ... I mean, you're going to watch this, right? I've given away more than enough.

I love Pitt's work in this movie. It's hard to believe that I once considered him a lousy actor. And though I don't, as a rule, watch racing, I'm always down for a racing movie. Also and more generally, I don't, as a rule, watch sports, but I've always enjoyed a good sports movie. Even at a run time of 156 minutes(!), F1 succeeds in the thing that sports movies, and racing movies, generally get right: keeping you (by which I mean me) invested in the story and grabbing for the emotions. I mean, I didn't get teary-eyed or anything, but I did catch myself grabbing at phantom controls during some high-intensity racing scenes. So, the action is good. The photography is good. The soundtrack is fun. The characters come to life, which is to say, the cast is good. Other cast members whose names ring a bell include Kerry Condon as the team's Irish-accented technical director, Tobias Menzies as a mendacious team board member, a bunch of people as themselves, and as Pearce a young fellow named Damson Idris who probably should be going places – though my saying so hasn't made it so, many and many a time before.

Three Scenes That Made It For Me: (1) Bardem comes to Condon's hotel room, looking for Pitt. She huffs, "First of all, how dare you? Second of all, I would never! But anyway, he's right here." (2) Pearce's mother tells Sonny that if he gets her baby hurt one more time, she'll – you know. I mean, listen to that Nigerian accent! (3) Any of the probably hour-and-a-half worth of racing footage spaced throughout the film. Gripping stuff! But probably, best of all, the moment when – you'll know it before Condon says it out loud – Pitt feels himself flying.