MOVIES: "CONVICTION"

What if you were someone’s only hope? What if that someone was your brother? That’s exactly the position Betty Ann Waters (the plucky Hilary Swank) found herself in in 1983, when her brother, Kenny (the amazing Sam Rockwell), was convicted of murder. Wrongly, she believed.
Based on a true story that took place in Ayer, Massachusetts, Betty Ann becomes a lawyer in order to exonerate her brother and works unceasingly for 18 years on his behalf.

This fine little drama (could it be that dramas are returning to the Cineplex?) also stars the exquisite Melissa Leo as Kenny’s arresting officer. Minnie Driver is Betty’s law school friend who gets involved, and Juliette Lewis does a truly patheticomic turn as one of Kenny’s old girlfriends. If the highest compliment you can give an actor is that their performance was a “revelation,” Juliette Lewis was a “revelation.”

Betty Ann and Kenny basically grew up wild and running in the streets, were placed in foster homes, and Kenny always found himself in trouble with the law. When he grew up, he was an easy target to pin the gruesome murder of an elderly woman on. The flashbacks of the pair as little playmate-hoodlums explain why they are “joined at the hip” in adulthood and are so fiercely devoted to each other. The filmmakers plant doubt in our minds about Kenny’s innocence, but Betty Ann never doubts her brother.

The actors pretty much nail the Boston accent, cadence and tough-but-charming attitude and swagger, especially Sam Rockwell.

Like Diane Lane in “The Perfect Storm,” and Uma Thurman in “Motherhood,” Hilary Swank is just a little too classically good-looking and refined of carriage, movement and demeanor to convince that she’s “average.” But her acting is truly in the moment and genuine. She can’t help the looks.

It’s difficult to say more about this film without giving away the ending. Was he innocent or not? Does he get out or not? You’ll have to see for yourself. The sacred trust of all movie-goers must not be broken. Remember how well audiences kept secret the ending of “Sixth Sense” and “Harry Potter” books and movies?

In the vein of “Erin Brockovich,” “A Civil Action,” and “The Hurricane,” “Conviction”’s uniqueness lies in that it is a beautiful love story of a sister and brother, of the true meaning of family, and of laying down one’s life for another.

OTHER STUFF:

--Why do I always see Hilary in my mind’s eye in that hideous backwards navy blue clingy dress she wore at the Golden Globes? I need to get over that. And I must go on record to say that I actually loved Bjork’s swan dress at the Oscars (it wasn’t a real swan). Why here? Why now? Because we’re talking about dresses.

--The little kid actors are great (I recognize the little girl from “Letters to God”). It’s scary how good today’s young actors are. Is anyone else scared?

--Kenny’s daughter is played to understated perfection by the always-enthralling Ari Graynor (from Boston!) who looks somewhat like Ke$ha.

--The music is definitely tear-jerking, but not over-the-top: flowing piano and violins.

--Martha Coakley no looka so good in this movie.

--"Massachusetts" was filmed in Michigan. Fooled me.

--Female screenwriter: Pamela Gray. Yay!

--This movie should have been PG-13 (not R)--but for the use of the “f” word. It’s just not fair.

--HD report: Hilary has natural, beautiful facial lines (Minnie Driver? Not so much—perhaps hidden by all those curls?) Could it be that Hollywood is *gasp* allowing women to age gracefully??

--DO NOT READ THIS NEXT PARAGRAPH 'CAUSE IT'S A BIG OLE SPOILER!!!!!!!
OK--you were warned. What if Kenny HADN'T been innocent? Would it have been OK for Betty Ann to keep loving him? I KNEW he would be innocent because we had to have a Hollywood ending and audiences are not allowed to root for murderers (unless they're mafia). Also, in an unrelated(?) matter, it seems, in real life, the murdered woman's children are upset because they weren't consulted for the movie.

MOVIES: "THE SOCIAL NETWORK"

Is “The Social Network” all that? Yes it is. At first, I didn’t even want to see it because while it was still in the making, media pundits were poking fun at it, like: “Who cares?” “Who cares about Zuckerberg?” “Is the beginning of Facebook really a story?” But then the buzz and the box office. Evidently there is a story here.

What’s the hook? I think there are four: 1) Facebook has changed the face of the internet and the world. It’s just a phenom too big to ignore. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QLd9q88ohUs&feature=related (I always like to say that Facebook is what the internet was missing from the beginning—a kind of soul, personalization, the human touch.) 2) Like “The Revenge of the Nerds,” “The Social Network” chronicles the shift of power to the (now-called) “geeks.” Geeks who are not only off-the-charts brilliant, but understand the potential of technology and how people perceive and use it or CAN perceive and use it. 3) Like Bill Gates (an actor portrays him briefly in “The Social Network”), Zuckerberg seems to be a shrewd and ruthless young businessman who--for all his own social awkwardness--really does understand human nature. This understanding just doesn’t seem to work for him personally. 4) Understanding how people use today’s and tomorrow’s technology IS “the next big thing.” Those who cling to outmoded ways of thinking about technology will be thrown on the radiation-exuding landfills of history. The future is always about NEW IDEAS, not stasis, and the young Turks will supersede not only the old Turks, but one another in winner-take-all battles.

I kind of feel bad for the real Mark Zuckerberg. He has been thoroughly skewered in this movie. How much is true? Clearly the legal proceedings against Zuckerberg did not come out in his favor. Or maybe they did (since they were out-of-court settlements that a character tells Zuckerberg is like “paying for a parking ticket”). Zuckerberg is made to look like an ambitious, self-obsessed, controlling, scheming, misanthropic, arrogant, jealous person. And what’s worse, a double-crossing friend. But not greedy, not really. For him, money is only power, it’s only the symbol of a superior being. In the movie, Zuckerberg also finds himself to be superior due to his computer prowess, and says as much.

“The Social Network” is like a young man’s “Wall Street,” in that enterprise and entrepreneurship and VC and investors and stock holdings and forming new alliances and companies are all a great big game in the end. And it’s like “Wall Street” in the “talkie-ness” of the movie. But this is a good thing! The visuals and acting are just superb (our young actors today are pretty amazing). The music—Trent Reznor!—fittingly starts off as heavy electronica, and then mellows out and disappears into the fabric of the rest of the film.

SPOILER ALERT! But at the end, when he’s sitting on top of the world quite literally, Zuckerberg is left without the one thing he wanted most, or at least wanted as much as sitting on top of the world: Erica. What a perfect closing shot: Zuckerberg using Facebook to slowly send a friend request to her. There is little hope it will be confirmed, but he keeps hitting “refresh” over and over, waiting…. Love is the one thing that the masters and commanders of the world can’t master and command, can’t outsmart everyone else to obtain. One has to put self to the side, die to self to even really see the other person, the beloved, as “other,” not just an extension of self. One wonders if the silver-screen Zuckerberg could ever let go of self enough to develop this capacity.

In the first scene where he’s talking at his girlfriend with rapid-fire Spock-like logic, passive-aggressively accusing, attacking, needing and demeaning her all in the same breath, we wonder if Zuckerberg is a kind of savant who is just maladroit at normal social interaction. But he tips his hand too many times in the conversation, demanding that she “be supportive” and grateful because he is such a great boon to her life.

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY? The seeds are definitely there. The inciting incident (for Zuckerberg to create Facebook) is Erica breaking up with him. His second impetus to expand Facebook is his second rejection by Erica. Sean Parker (Napster) recounts later in the film how he got started himself after being jilted by a girl. As we hear the men in “The Social Network” talk, it seems everything they do is FOR “girls,” albeit mostly to use them sexually, or rather engage in mutual sexual use of each other. But it’s still about the girls.

Erica knows her own worth AND knows that if she hitches her wagon to star Z, she WILL be going places and become incredibly wealthy. But she’d rather have love.

OTHER STUFF:
--Zuckerberg created Facebook while drunk. Imagine what he could have done sober!

--Some great, weighty-in-2010-hindsight* quotes: “We’ll just email it to a few people.” “That’s my roommate!” [one girl states this with horror—making it personal--about her friend’s pic being rated for “hotness”]

--The movie is mostly long legal hearings punctuated by flashbacks. But it works.

--The debauchery portrayed is reality on campuses. Run of the mill. Yawn. Just another day/night on campus. Sad. I’d say PG-15.

--Geeks like Asian girls.

--Geek-characters like Strawberry Twizzlers (or are those Red Vines?) like every other type of character in Hollywood.

--Watching smart movies makes me feel smart.

--Erica—the face that launched Facebook. Erica—the face that launched 500,000,000 friends.

--Guys write code and conduct business while girls do shots, do bong hits, dance half naked, play video games, go psycho on their boyfriends, get coke snorted off their midriffs, etc. Where IS Gloria Steinem when you need her?!

--Bill Donaghy (TOBI speaker) pointed out to me the immortal words of VJP2G: "The task of every man is the dignity of every woman." He said this is his new mantra, and I'm convinced that's it is the solution to everything, especially after seeing "The Social Network"--a great movie--but ALL the women in it are bimbos except for Erica, Zuckerberg's "the one." Men have to think of ALL women as special and worthy of dignity, not just "the one" they want to marry (even when women don't act according to their dignity and stoop to be whatever they think men want them to be--a result of original sin: "He will lord it over you, but your desire will be for him."). The divine order is that men lead. Women are whole persons without "a man," and we can affirm ourselves, but we long for men to respect us, appreciate us, tell us we're beautiful, see us as whole persons, love us as whole persons, interact with/relate to us as whole persons. If MEN did this consistently, women would auto-correct their undignified behavior because it wouldn't get them anywhere: the men wouldn't want it, ask for it, or reward it. I'll say it again: IN THE DIVINE ORDER, MEN LEAD. I don't care how politically incorrect it is to say that, it's the truth. MEN, PLEASE LEAD US WITH LOVE, because the sad truth is that many, many women will do absolutely anything for you and your attention.

--Glimmers of hope? In the movie, Zuckerberg says: "You can find 'hot, naked girls' anywhere on the internet. What people want to do is connect with each other, with their friends--it's the whole college experience." And according to the link above ("What the Hell Is Social Media?"), social networking has overtaken porn as the number one activity on the net. (Not sure how they're calculating that.)

--David Fincher sure knows how to make a movie ("Fight Club," "Benjamin Button").

--How long before we have a movie on the beginnings of Google?

--HD shows that twentysomethings have wrinkles and crow’s feet! Much more realistic. But I still like b & w and soft focus. You may say that I’m a dreamer. But I’m not the only one.
____
*Hindsight is 20/10?

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY--IN THE FIELD

So I'm at Mundelein Seminary, Chicago, this past weekend at a wonderful Marian Day arranged by some seminarians (http://www.materfidelium.org/) giving a talk on "The Handmaid of the Lord and the Feminine Genius." There's about 50 women attending the talk and 7 guys.

Ten minutes into my talk, this little old guy, all bent over, shuffles in with his walker (wife behind him). He turns to me and says: "You were waiting for the king." He sits in the front. I began talking about John Paul II and he calls out: "What does he know?" I ask him if he's my private heckler and he pipes down.

Next I say: "Men, why do you hold open doors for women?" Dead silence. A woman chimes in: "I think it's because they want to be chivalr--"

Me: "MEN."

Dead silence.

The ladies are bursting to fill in. Another woman raises her hand and doesn't wait for me to call on her: "I really think it's because--"

Me: "MEN."

Old guy (the king) in front: "To hold myself up." (I lose it and crumple on the podium laughing.)

Another guy in the back: "To get a better look?"

By now the ladies look very discouraged. "Well, maybe these men DON'T hold open the door for women," one offers.

Me: "John Paul II says it's because we women bear the lion's share of sexuality."
A middle-aged lady wrinkles up her nose like she has no idea what that means. Wow. Need I explain??? Yes. We are so in need of Theology of the Body (myself included). It's "Humanity 101."

Me: "Um, we have monthly cycles, we carry babies in our womb for 9 months, go through childbirth, nursing, nurturing....?"

The conclusion of my talk is that "the feminine genius" is...(drum roll)...MOTHERHOOD! (Whether physical or spiritual.) I cannot tell you the look of relief (and joy) on the women's faces. So many came up to me afterward and said: "I really know this and feel this, but it's so un-PC to talk about it!"

When I told a seminarian about "the king" and his "queen" (easily in their 80's) he said: "Oh yeah! I've been driving them around the campus all day on a golf cart. The wife refused to sit down, but insisted on standing up and hanging off the back of the golf cart. I was so scared she was going to bounce off, I was going 2 mph the whole time!"

Old people are the spice of life.

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY—JP2G’s “LOVE AND RESPONSIBILITY”
FR. LOYA 10-09-10[Sr. Helena’s superfluous comments in brackets]

p. 24—We are persons. Everything JP2G says is based on this. “Nobody else can want for me.” “I must be independent in my actions.”

PERSONALISM:--We are only persons because God is a Person (we are made in the image of)--a person is always worthy of love, honor, respect, dignity--inalienable--we don’t just have instinct like animals, we can choose--self-determination--the only appropriate response to persons is LOVE. We are made for LOVE—to give and receive love. Anything less than this is dehumanizing, depersonalizing--verb “to use” can be used in different ways: tool, pleasure--The opposite of love is not hate but “use.”

In his marriage prep, marriage counseling, Fr. Loya tries to help couples to examine how they’re relating to each other.

p. 34—JP2G critiques “utilitarianism”“Pleasure must be subordinate to love.” We cannot just “use” someone for our pleasure. Only love can raise pleasure to an interpersonal relationship. Use-pleasure can disguise itself as love.

In vitro fertilization (IVF)—there’s a strain of utilitarianism here that is not readily evident because the desires/objectives are sincere and good in themselves: to have and love a child. But the child is subordinated to a subjective desire of the couple and the MEANS used to create this child are unethical.We are raised in a very utilitarian culture so it’s very hard for people to see this.

Utilitarians believe that the primary good is pleasure and tries to maximize pleasure for the majority. But pleasure is accidental, it’s not the primary aim. It comes about in the process of something else, and if it’s ordered properly, it can be totally legit. We can have pleasure in bad things, too, like revenge!

Pleasure and pain are always connected with a concrete action, so it’s impossible to plan them exactly like the utilitarians want us to do. They are somewhat elusive things.
If I accept utilitarianism, I must see myself as a subject who desires maximum pleasure, and must see myself as an object who must be at the service of the pleasure of others. [It doesn’t acknowledge persons! You can divide all philosophies into those that acknowledge persons and those that don’t. If you don’t, you’re already in trouble.]

A subjective understanding of “the good” leads to egoism. Mutual use, mutual egoism can happen where two agree to use each other (thinking it’s love). But they can’t confront each with anything unpleasant or it all falls apart! “No honor among thieves”—thieves like working together to steal, but when it comes to dividing up the loot….

We can only love God because He first loves us. So even the “need” we have for God comes from him.

Follow the “gift” trail. See what’s twisted and what the real gift is there underneath it.

Q: “Do men ‘use’ more readily than women?”A: “Yes, because they are task-oriented, goal-oriented, and so begin using things as tools to the goal. They also compartmentalize in their brains and can divide a woman’s personhood from her body, for example.” [But this is not what they’re called to be/do or meant to be/do by God. Society often gives men a pass on their “use,” but it shouldn’t.]

[We have to have a sense of OURSELVES as persons first. But people today don’t think they’re that great, that man is that great. There’s a great reductionism, minimalism. So we don’t aspire to anything greater than having some basic needs met, sometimes!]

The world sees things in terms of FUNCTION and POWER.The Church sees things in terms of SIGN and SACRAMENT.

“Empty nest” syndrome—couples didn’t take care of their relationships enough! They—in a utilitarian way—united around running the household and raising the kids.

What kind of gift can you give to another person if you don’t have a sense of yourself as a person? You can’t bring two half-persons together, or expect the other to supply your personhood.

[It has to be this order! 1st—sense of yourself as a person—love thyself 2nd—marriage relationship, person to person—love your spouse3rd—parent/child relationship—love your kids]

Parents feel pressured (by other parents) today to run around and be frantically busy or they’re almost “abusing” their kids! But what does it mean to be a successful human being?

Don’t answer questions for people! Just help people examine the words within the questions!
Why does the Church “go into the bedroom”? Because that’s where God is! AND that’s where all the problems of the world start because it’s so fundamental! It’s the fundamental place of love and life.

Justice—a person’s “due” is always to be treated as an object of love.

Same Sex Attraction (SSA)—is based on need and use because of the intrinsic disorder where the person struggling with SSA is trying first of all to become the complete male or female person that they are, so that they CAN be a gift to “the other.” But it can translate itself into a sexual expression (which goes nowhere). Men DO draw strength from each other’s masculinity (male bonding, etc.) because men are socialized externally, from things outside themselves. [Female SSA operates differently. See book: “The Heart of Female Same-Sex Attraction” by Hallman]

[Sr. Helena had to take over the techie operations here so there will be a gap in notes.]

Fr. Loya’s parting warning: Prudes and sexual libertarians both deny God’s saving power when it comes to lust. Father says that overbearing Catholic families who control and squelch their children are in danger of creating another [sub]sexual revolution that will rebel against this. He sees kids going hogwild for the first time when away from parents, eloping, etc. In confession, he says that these super-Catholic kids who know their faith inside and out are having huge sexual problems because they are completely unintegrated in their sexuality. [I have heard a lot of these stories, too. Yikes!]

THEOLOGY OF THE BODY

Dr. Janet Smith------------Dawn Eden-----------Dr. Pia de Solenni

Dr. Janet Smith answers Dawn Eden's thesis on Christopher West: http://t.co/Gm7AwPN

Dr. Pia Solenni answers Dawn Eden's thesis on Christopher West:
http://piadesolenni.com/janet-smith-weighs-in-on-dawn-edens-critique-of-christopher-west/

MOVIES: WALL STREET--MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

This is an excellent movie. A lush, talkative New York film, done up in an older dramatic realism style (that I miss) which caters to a longer attention span. Lengthy conversations—that are not boring or verbose but rather absolutely necessary and organic—demand the very finest acting from the very fine cast. Each actor nails their part. Shia LaBeouf (Jake Moore) is winning, and those of us who feel nostalgia for Michael Douglas (boy does he look like his father now), are so happy to see him shining once more--larger than life despite his real-life cancer--one of our best American actors. In fact, the mix of young talent (LaBeouf, Carey Mulligan) with seasoned stars (the great Frank Langella, Susan Sarandon) is a rare delicacy we should be hungry for more of! There is one small scene of Jake with his mother (Sarandon) that just screamed Oscar! What I’m trying to say is that we haven’t seen dialogue like this in a while that actually imitates real life—people speaking quickly and naturally, interrupting each other, and filled with logical, yet unexpected emotional reactions. What a concept! Definitely a film for grown-ups. Reminded me of Robert Altman’s work, except nothing seems ad-libbed. Today’s visual effects/sound blended with old-school masterful timing and pacing makes “Wall Street 2” a sensory delight. (With absolutely NO explosions! Yay!)

This sequel to 1987’s classic “Wall Street” segues smoothly. This achievement is probably due to the fact that Oliver Stone got to make his own sequel (not everyone does)! Stone’s father worked on Wall Street, and Stone captures the financial world so well. Gordon “Greed is good” Gekko has been released from prison, and things have certainly heated up at his old playground. 2010 couldn’t be a riper time for another look at how the money markets (dysfunctionally) operate. Gekko sums up what has changed since his absence: “Now greed is also legal.”

Gekko’s estranged daughter, Winnie (Carey Mulligan), is marrying Jake. Gekko is using Jake to reconnect with his daughter, and Jake—although a trader with a conscience—is out for vengeance against whoever destroyed his mentor’s (Frank Langella) company and life, and is using Gekko to that end. Gekko and Winnie both warn Jake that he is acting an awful lot like Gekko used to. But has Gekko actually changed? Do people like Gekko change?

In typical Oliver Stone fashion, there’s lots of big, intense thinking-out-loud going on about mega-issues, all the way back to…wait for it…the Cambrian Explosion! The connection? Bubbles. Where do these pesky bubbles come from? Then he launches into, or rather situates the question of humanity (and therefore ethics) in a Darwinian framework, leaving a slight possibility for “design” rather than “chance.” I feel a rant coming on!!! I am soooo sick and tired of almost every single newspaper/magazine article referencing evolution! They could be talking about potato chips and suddenly there’s some desperate attempt to connect to a bigger picture (not a bad impulse) and an attempt to posit the theory of everything right there on the spot and all it winds up being is a very minimalistic, impoverished view of blind nature blindly leading us. Yuck! Where are the Victorians when you need them? The Victorians with their reading of science as the grand divine order of which we are the crown with our magnificent works of art and ability to appreciate the BEAUTY in nature and the ability to CREATE BEAUTY modeled on nature which they did and thank God their truly beautiful works of art and textile and architecture are still extant. End of rant.

To his credit, Stone sincerely makes more than one heavy-handed reference to marriage and children being the only thing that really matters, not the money. And in the end, as Gekko explains how Wall Street really works (including housing bubbles, “moral hazard,” bail-outs, “too big to fail,” insider trading, you-name-the-buzzword), it’s not really about the money but the games between people (which I have long thought to be the case), and he doesn’t say it, but the game is really about power. How much more power can I acquire than the next guy, the next company, the next bank, just because I can, because I figured out how to do it (legally or illegally), and figured out also how not to get caught, and I have the guts to actually do it no matter who goes down because of it, even if it’s the whole country, the whole world? It’s kind of like the mob, where the only loyalties are not to friends or even kin, but just to the self left standing.

The ending is not a downer, but I didn’t buy it. “Wall Street 2” didn’t end with a bang but a whimper after such a great story, set-up and slow build. It looked very, very rushed up. In fact, the ending was so simplistic that it didn’t even really make sense, lots of threads hanging, inconclusions, dangling participles (and not the kind that are MEANT to be there, or are priming us for “Wall Street 3”). Pity.

OTHER STUFF:

--If you haven’t seen the old “Wall Street,” do. It’s not an absolute requirement for appreciating “Wall Street 2,” but it helps.

--There are some great lines, too. “Are you an idealist or a capitalist?” “Privatize the gains, socialize the losses.”

--Lots of good Big Questions are proposed.

--The time-line is a little confusing. Toward the beginning of the film, the date “2008” pops up, and then there are a few stock market crashes. Fictional?

--Stone seems to be warning us that the next crash will be the crash to end all crashes. The End. This is how the world ends. Fictional?

--Stone puts his mug in the film more than once. Muy distracting!!!

--Instrumental soundtrack nicely understated and sparse. A few songs-with-lyrics from the 60’s fit aptly.

--There was no physical drama, chases, escapes, hunts, etc. The drama was all in the human interplay. Well done.

--Wholesale rudeness in my theater. Dude in front of me with bright iPhone surfing for an apartment. His phone “booping” the whole time. (He was big and scary looking or I would have said something to him.) Old lady runs to back of theater to answer her phone. From the back of the theater. Where I’m sitting. (She was little and frail looking or I would have said something to her.)

--Prominently in the film, Winnie has a news website called http://www.frozentruth.com/ . Knowing Stone is a leftie activist (remember his recent film tribute to Hugo Chavez: “South of the Border”?), I checked out the website to see if it was some real thing that Stone wanted us to go to. Um, no.

A WORD ABOUT THE PREVIEWS:

--Yet ANOTHER Boston film is coming out about boxing starring Mark Wahlberg and Amy Adams.

--They are using Channing Tatum solely as beefcake in an upcoming rom-com. This is a great tragedy. The guy can really ACT, and my hope for him is that he could even start filling the “Russell Crowe roles” that only Russell Crowe can seem to fill.

--THEOLOGY OF THE BODY: In the same rom-com, a male character asks how he knows if he’s in love with a particular girl. Buddy says: If you only use a condom with all the OTHER girls. Pathetically sad, but do you hear the ring of truth here?

MOVIES: "RUST"

Recently, I had the privilege of interviewing Corbin Bernsen (Yes! Sean's father on "Psych"!) about his new movie, "Rust," releasing on DVD October 5.

First of all, the story of "Rust" is probably the most unique story of the genesis of a movie EVER. http://www.rustmovie.com/ Do you remember several years ago that guy in Montreal who wanted to see how far he could get bartering online? He started with a large red paper clip and wound up snagging a house. Well...that house was bartered away for A PART IN A CORBIN BERNSEN HOLLYWOOD MOVIE. It involves a collector's item KISS snowglobe, so it gets a little complicated, but here's the kicker: it was actually the WHOLE TOWN of Kipling, Saskatchewan, CANADA, (population 1,100) who bartered the house. Therefore, Corbin decided that the whole town had to have, and star in, a movie of their own. And that's exactly what "Rust" is.

"Rust" is a term used to describe a crop blight, but also what's happening in the life of an ex-minister, Jimmy, returning home after a long absence. There's a developmentally-challenged adult in town, Travis, who gets blamed for a tragic fire (this actor totally steals the whole show). Nothing is making sense in Jimmy's life, and there are hard-hitting questions from the past to be dealt with, all swirling around the ever-present underpinnings of the classic problem of evil--as persistent as permafrost. The long shots of snow--although beautiful--speak to the deep freeze in Jimmy's soul. He is surrounded by a warm, rooted community who nevertheless have dark flaws of their own. The town needs a light, but Jimmy is too immersed in his own dark night to be that beacon for them just yet.

There are some interesting relationships, explored in an original way in the film, such as Jimmy's empathetic sister, the old minister Jimmy goes to to hash out his problems, Travis--his buddy from youth.

The actors are so natural and raw that it's a welcome respite from anything polished. Canadians are truth-tellers any way, so the unvarnished "performances" are doubly authentic.

The tagline is "Sometimes losing the path...is the only way back," but I prefer a line from the film: "It's not ours to question the plays, but to play the game. God has his plan." And there's more where that came from, but you'll have to watch the movie.

Here's my interview with Corbin (after telling him what a fan of "Psych" I am!):

SrH: Since "Rust" has a such a unique backstory, did you think of taking film to do a "making of"?

C: Funny you should ask! Yes, we did, and yes, we're going to do a documentary. [So Sr. Budinski later TEXTED CORBIN a title idea: "How about 'The Town That Made a Movie'?" Corbin replied: "Not bad." (Do NOT ask me for his cell phone number.)]

SrH: Why did you write THIS story for THIS town?

C: It's semi-autobiographical. My father passed away, and I've been on my own journey with that.

SrH: So, at the end of the film when the words come on the screen: "For Father," it's for your Dad? [I actually didn't get that feeling when I saw the film, it felt to me more like God the Father.]

C: It's open to interpretation. [Random sidebar: Corbin also has four boys of his own.]

SrH: How has Jimmy's struggle and the words of wisdom in the film played out in your own life? What religion are you and where are you from?

C: I was raised Christian Scientist in Los Angeles. I'm not what I would call "practicing anything," but I've always known God was there, all my young adult life. There's always been a sense of role-play in my life. I didn't go to church, but I always communicated clearly with God, for example, running marathons--you get closer to things, but just not in an organized sense. See what's going on now. The country is so divided. But everyone's trying to get to God. I believe God has a plan for me, not MY plan, clearly. With this movie, I want to bring more people into the discussion, the philosophical discussion. It used to be commonplace for people to go to church on Sunday, but now we're going to the store to buy large screen TVs. But with the economic downturn, people are having to live more simply, maybe return to God.

I don't identify as a particular denomination, but I don't want to sound like I'm sitting on a fence. I'll leave it up to others to say what I am. A "Christian"? I just want to follow the journey.

Kipling is real people, a real town, real issues, real community--not a Hollywood veneer.

I always see the good, the silver lining, I always believe there is good around the corner, a rose around the corner. I love flowers. Children born with tiny fingers. Each thread is a part of a larger blanket of God's grace. Even the most devout Evangelical Christian doesn't see the whole picture. We can never be close enough to God, to light. In the weirdest, darkest times of my life, there has always been a rose. After the freeze, there will always be a thaw. I hate to say that there's a "message" to this film--I think of it as a kind of primitive folk art, but if there would be a message, it would be simply this: HAVE FAITH. HAVE FAITH.

"Rust" will be available October 5 from Christian retailers, Walmart, Amazon, Netflix and others.

FILMING THE ALBERIONE FILM PART 2

TV: FALL SHOWS 2010

On the heels of the Emmys, are you looking for something good to watch this Fall? Yeah, I know it's hard to keep up with the bizarro changes in schedules, seasons, times, even shows jumping to other channels. Suddenly the tube tells you: "Stay Tuned for the Late Pre-Midsummer Finale of Your Favorite Show!" and you just figured out its new time (CST) and day of the week one week ago. Oh sure, there's internet TV and Hulu and all that, but don't you still prefer getting all excited for that night of the week when your favorite show comes on, and you know you're having some kind of communal experience with other people across the country watching the same show at the same time? It's a great feeling. Nothing like it.

Here are my picks (and I'm not telling you when they come on because it will probably change by the time you read this):

1. "Psych"—two boyhood pals, Sean and Gus, run a psychic detective agency and get hired by the Santa Barbara police to solve cases. Only Sean is not psychic, just very observant. If I had kids I would make them watch this show. So funny and sweet with hilarious and constant use of 80's pop culture references. Lassiter—a bumbling but arrogant lieutenant—is comic relief to the comic relief. Occasional blue humor, and unfortunately Juliette (Sean's love interest) is now sleeping with Declan. Corbin Bernsen--who plays Sean's retired cop Dad who trained him to be observant--just released a very unique Christian film: http://www.rustmovie.com/ USA NETWORK
   
   
2. "White Collar"—a young art thief (with electronic cuff) is recruited by the FBI to help solve cases. He's paired with an older agent and proves to be a thorn in his side, even while unorthodoxly cracking tough cases. Tiffani Thiessen is perfectly cast as the older agent's wife. Great, warm, "genuine" relationships throughout. Classy. USA NETWORK
   
   


3. "Medium"—Although the core of the show deals with something strictly forbidden by, oh…say, GOD AND THE BIBLE (viz., contacting the dead), it's more like the dead contact HER (although she will do a few favors for living loved ones and send a psychic text to the next world….) Patricia Arquette (the medium) is an incredibly believable Mom of three girls and has simply THE most down-to-earth, everyday, unhyped-up relationship with her husband and kids. Actually, this is one of the most realistic, almost mundane portrayals of family life all around—except for those extraordinary gifts (like a sixth sense) that have been passed on to the girls. By BEING realistic and seeing all the "ordinary love" in this family—not without their trials—family life is appealing. Allison (Patricia Arquette) helps solve murder cases because she sees murders in her dreams. My cousin, Alexandra Breckenridge, recently guest-starred. CBS
   
   
4. "Dog the Bounty Hunter"—Why does everyone laugh when I tell them this is one of my favorite shows? They usually stop laughing when I tell them it is THE most Christian show on TV. Duane "Dog" Chapman shows forth the mercy of the Father. How many shows do you know do that? When I attended "Act One—Hollywood," a Christian screenwriting bootcamp, we got to listen to Ron Austin (former head of the WGA—Writers Guild of America), a profound, devout Catholic. He said that there's a lot of justice in the movies and on TV, but not a lot of mercy. Mercy for even bad people. Dog (an ex-convict himself) is a Christian who believes in giving every man a "second chance," because God gave him a second chance. He and his family are colorful to be sure, but watch how he treats people with great dignity and love and challenges them to be better. Watch how he prays and preaches and concretely helps people (without being a bleeding heart and having false compassion), often with tough love. Listen to his piercing and effective pep talks, reminding people who they really are, calling them to their responsibility as parents, etc. A & E
   
   
5. "Covert Affairs"—A brand new show about a wet-behind-the-ears female CIA operative who faces plenty of opposition everywhere, including inside the agency. Not quite the eye candy that "Alias" was, but satisfying cloak and dagger storylines. USA NETWORK
   
   
6. "Cold Case"—Yeah, I know it's old, but it's still good, isn't it? Old murders ("cold cases") are resurrected by a determined cop (Kathryn Morris) who isn't out for vengeance, but to honor the life that was snuffed out, and bring peace to all involved. The flashbacks always end with a shot of a grateful "victim" finding a way to thank her. Oops! Just found out that this show "went cold" as of May 2010. RIP. We can always watch re-runs. CBS
   
   
7. "NCIS"—This consistently top-of-the-ratings show features Mark Harmon as the head of a team of internal Navy investigators. It's filmed like a movie—tons of creative, complicated camera angles with fancy editing. Lots of robust, jockeying relationships. I'm not biased towards this show in any way, even though my cousin, Michael Weatherly, plays Agent DiNozzo. CBS
   
   
8. "House"—You either love him or hate him. I love him. People argue with me all the time: "But he's so self-centered!" ME: "No! He loves his work." PEOPLE: "He's just a curious medical geek!" ME: "No! He really wants to help people!" PEOPLE: "No, he doesn't!" ME: "Yes, he does!" PEOPLE: "No, he doesn't!" ME: "Yes, he does!" PEOPLE: "No, he doesn't!" ME: "Yes, he does!" (last word) Dr. House solves medical mysteries (the show's writers are supplied actual medical mysteries by the same doctor who works on the medical mysteries article for the Sunday New York Times Magazine). FOX
   
   
9. "The Dog Whisperer"—Not to be confused with "Dog the Bounty Hunter." Cesar Millan is a genius with dogs. It's not that he has some magic way with them, he really understands "dog psychology" and he can train pet owners to do exactly what he does in a very short time. It's really a kind of simple behaviorism. As Cesar says: "I rehabilitate dogs, I train people." He tries to get people to stop treating dogs like people, and treat them like the dogs they are. If YOU are the pack leader, your dog will follow. You can also get your puppy fix with this show. (Not to be confused with "getting your puppy fixed.") NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC (NATGEO)
   
   
10. ANY "Real Life" TV show—Not to be confused with fake "Reality TV" like Survivor, Big Brother, Bad Girls Club, Really Obnoxious Housewives of Anycity, etc. (where people are put in unnatural, scripted situations and swear at each other and pull each other's hair out), "Real Life TV" is usually just job-shadowing regular people during their regular lives (usually work-related). It's endlessly fascinating to see people carry out all kinds of exotic skilled activities: "Ax Men" (lumberjacks) HISTORY, "Billy the Exterminator" (just like it sounds—in Louisiana!), "Deadliest Catch" (Alaskan King Crab fishermen) DISCOVERY CHANNEL, "Dirty Jobs" (just like it sounds) DISCOVERY, "Animal Cops" (don't even think of abusing an animal) ANIMAL PLANET, "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" (host goes cross-country to talk to cooks and customers and sample the local menu) FOOD NETWORK, "Jerseylicious" (big-haired, orange-skinned New Jersey hairdressers…oh wait..that's "Reality TV"), and my favorite: "Ice Road Truckers" (big rig truck drivers risk their lives to bring goods to the northernmost reaches of the planet as they trek across frozen bodies of water in the winter--there's now also a trucker-chick) HISTORY.
    
    

"Breaking Bad" is a critically acclaimed show about an addicted schoolteacher who makes and sells drugs to pay for his expensive cancer treatments. My nephew, Jere Burns, has a critically-acclaimed recurring role on the show. I find the show too depressing to watch. "Mad Men" is a beyond-genius show, but also beyond-bleak.

Did I mention there are actors in my family?

There was an article in the Wall Street Journal recently about USA Network doing so well in the ratings with all their ("characters welcome") character-driven dramas. The WSJ believes this is what TV should be about. I didn't mention "Burn Notice" (USA NETWORK) because they are just blowing up half of Miami and that's not right. But you will learn how to make all kinds of explosives out of what you find in your medicine cabinet, how to do hostage negotiations with a Super Soaker, and how to rappel down a burning building with only a fishing line.

Please stop screaming at your screen about YOUR favorite shows that I left out and just leave a comment telling me what they are and why. Thank you.

If you are still confused about scheduling or want to break out of my little box of selections, pick up the latest issue of "Entertainment Weekly—All the Buzz on 86 Shows—Fall TV Preview" #1120/1121, Sept. 17/24, 2010 (double issue, so it'll be on stands for a while).

VOCATION MEDIA RETREAT--PART 1

VOCATION MEDIA RETREAT--PART 2

VOCATION MEDIA RETREAT--BONUS VID--CHARADES!

VOCATION MEDIA RETREAT--BONUS MUSIC VID!

JOIN OUR ONLINE THEOLOGY OF THE BODY STUDY WITH FR. THOMAS LOYA: "LOVE & RESPONSIBILITY"

PARISHES: Gather a group and project from computer!This flyer can be downloaded in .doc or .pdf at: http://hellburns.terapad.com/index.cfm?fa=contentGeneric.xbhgllbbvqgqzsdw

MEDIA LITERACY ASSIGNMENT: EMBARRASSING FAMILY PHOTOS DEPICTING FASHIONS INSPIRED BY MEDIA INFLUENCES

My sad attempt at a Dorothy Hamill haircut--NEW HAMPSHIRE.
Note my brother's mop top.

My mother's Jackie O look. NOT embarrassing. She looks fantastic (Mom's also French).
SAN FRANCISCO. Note that my brother and I have windbreakers with our NAMES EMBROIDERED ON THE ARM. This was a fashion requirement. At least in New England. No idea where the trend started.

My brother's later John Travolta 'do. More Vinny Barbarino than Saturday Night Fever.

MOVIES: “BLOOD MONEY—THE BUSINESS OF ABORTION”

"Blood Money—The Business of Abortion" is a much-needed and thorough examination of the history, industry, personal impact and human toll of abortion in America. Who should see this? Everyone. Age-appropriateness? High school and up. A great film for college campuses. There are no gruesome photos of dismembered or salinated babies (on purpose, although those have their place, too), but former abortionists and post-abortive women do describe abortion procedures and procedures gone (very) wrong.

This extremely professional, engaging, precisely-edited 2010 documentary was written and directed by David Kyle (david@bloodmoneyfilm.com) with an emphasis on educating Americans about how abortion became legalized in this country, about the incredibly blatant lies, deceit (e.g. "abortions" on non-pregnant women), lack of regulation and bundles of money (much of it undeclared) being made off of abortion, as well as the physical/psychological/spiritual ramifications on everyone involved in abortion. Men (fathers) as both victimizers and victims of abortion is also touched upon, but not at length.

Narrated by the elegant Dr. Alveda King (Martin Luther King Jr.'s niece), there is added attention to what many call "the Black genocide" in this country. Planned Parenthood's founder, Margaret Sanger, was a racist and eugenicist who gave directives to her followers to HIDE the fact that Planned Parenthood wanted to decrease the inferior Negro populations (by setting up shop specifically in their neighborhoods). An excellent magazine-style synopsis of how this continues to effect African Americans today is available free in .pdf format at: http://www.humanlife.org/did_you_know.php --multiple full color print copies also available.

Heavy-hitting pro-aborts turned pro-lifers Carol Everett, Dr. Bernard Nathanson (founder of NARAL and Jewish convert to Catholicism), Norma McCorvey (Roe of Roe v. Wade) tell of their odysseys. There's also input from long-time pro-lifers Joe Scheidler, Fr. Frank Pavone, and folks from HLI, Operation Rescue, etc.

"Blood Money" starts off like a hardcore History Channel investigation. All kinds of legal minds and politicians explain to us—in heavy legal, political jargon--the strange, unconstitutional, anomalous travesty of justice and usurpation of the power of "We, the People" that Roe v. Wade was. It's a little hard to follow, but one gets the message loud and clear that something went very, very screwy in 1973. And America needs to wake up and realize that this is exactly how social engineers pull the carpet out from under our feet literally overnight. Better we understand the democratic system we're living in. The film states that even the pro-abortion radical left (in 1973) thought taking away the inalienable right to life was completely indefensible and were astounded at the outcome.

How might post-abortive women and men react to "Blood Money"? They would definitely have to relive their pain--as survivors of the abortion ordeal tell their stories, but the film ends with accounts of self-forgiveness, healing and hope. I think it would be imperative, in a group setting, to have immediate post-abortion counseling available for women and men, but I would think that survivors would feel that THEIR story is finally being told, perhaps even their long silence is being broken by people who are ON their side and not pointing fingers.

This is not a hyped-up, overdramatized presentation. The subject matter is dramatic enough. Everything is so well-put. There is talk of those on "the other side" of the abortion issue, but there is no animosity or demonization. The closest the film would come to that is by simply revealing heinous facts (some revealed by former abortion providers themselves), especially the lack of care/compassion/cleanliness in abortion clinics, and how a kind of passionate missionary zeal FOR abortion seems to boil down two things: post-abortive women tragically needing to justify their own abortions AND the almighty dollar.

OTHER STUFF:
--We need to make sure we remember that those who have had abortions are all around us. Our family, our friends, the people in the pews with us, the people at the mall. We should always talk about abortion as though the people who hear us have had abortions. This doesn't prevent us from speaking the truth at all, but if we speak with compassion, it will signal that there is hope, that someone understands what they're going through.

--ABORTION DOESN'T PLAY FAIR. IT'S LEGAL. NO ONE TELLS US THE RISKS/CONSEQUENCES. IN FACT, THE RISKS/CONSQUENCES ARE SURPRESSED. LEGALLY.

--One thing I would like to have seen developed in the film is the role (or seeming non-role or prohibited role) of men in abortion. I have a theory that the time has come for us to "make" abortion the man's issue that it is. Pro-lifers tried making it about the baby. But nobody cares about the baby. Pro-lifers tried making about the woman which is much more to the point, but this also isolates her from both the baby and the man involved, as well as the larger community. Feminists also wanted to keep abortion a "woman only" issue because it was "her body" that was primarily involved. But no one is an island. Women are distraught, confused and desperate when confronted with a crisis pregnancy. So many of the women in the documentary said: "I felt I had NO other CHOICE." Many are coerced into abortion by boyfriends, husbands, family members, girlfriends. And abortion is supposed to be all about CHOICE and FREEDOM. Nothing could be further from the truth. And who is getting all these women pregnant??? Men. Men who demand that the woman gets an abortion, AND men who are willing to do whatever is necessary to bring their baby to term, but are silenced or ignored. It's time for men to be included—to call them to their responsibilities, and to honor their rights. But maybe that's a whole 'nother documentary.

--We need to call men to sexual responsibility. It's way easier for men to be selfish in this area than for women. We can't let them. Not just for the sake of women and children, but for their own sakes. Men CAN'T have their cake and eat it, too. Men CAN'T be pro-life and play around. (I think some men don't even realize they're pro-life until the woman they are with gets pregnant.) I have a friend who converted to Catholicism. She has slowly been helping her teenage son to become very pro-life in his thinking. One day she said to him abruptly: "Do you want to be responsible for an abortion?" "No!" he countered. "If you fool around before you're married, that girl could abort your baby and not even tell you, or even if she tells you, there's nothing you can do about it." Said teenage son promised he would not fool around before marriage.

--Women of ALL ages tell their abortion story.

--Some of the re-enactments and "sad teenage girls" looked a little staged.

--"Blood Money" just made me see the crying need for Theology of the Body as the ultimate abortion preventative. I was recently at Dr. Michael Waldstein's week-long classes on the writings of VJP2G on women and on the family. There was a 57-year-old woman there who had been part of the early hippie movement. She had 2 abortions and then went on to have 8 children. She was still grieving her 2 aborted children and had a lot of profound things to say. One of them was simply: "We have to get the word out that pregnancy is GOOD for women" (biology proves this). She explained that the earliest hippie movement (starting in the 50's) was a back-to-nature reaction against industrialization and what it was doing to the family (including taking the man out of the home). The hippie motto was "women and children first." But then the Pill came a long and they debated what to do. They embraced the Pill. Then abortion came along and they debated what to do. They embraced abortion. And the whole hippie movement fell apart.

--Pope Benedict's (unwitting, perhaps) summation of Theology of the Body applicable to our sexual behavior: "WE NEED A BETTER WAY OF RELATING TO EACH OTHER AS PERSONS."

--The biggest lie of the sexual revolution perhaps is that sex ≠ babies. But it does. Or rather, the lie that we CAN separate sex from babies, love from life. It simply can't be done, no more than we can tear God apart Who is both Love and Life. It's one of the most basic equations on the planet (like "drop this plate and gravity WILL take it to the floor") that we are in total denial about. We can TRY to prevent conception, but we KNOW it's Russian roulette (unless we get sterilized). We KNOW life is persistent and often finds away. But we act totally and completely surprised when we have sex and get pregnant. Of course this denial is often PLANNED IGNORANCE created by deliberate misinformation from the abortion industry that PRETENDS its giving us accurate information about contraception, PRETENDS it doesn't want us to get pregnant, BUT IT DOES! THAT'S THEIR BREAD AND BUTTER! WHY WOULD THEY NOT WANT US TO GET PREGNANT? They want to us to think they're in the birth control biz, but THEY'RE NOT IN THE BIRTH CONTROL BIZ, THEY'RE IN THE ABORTION BIZ! Just do the math and follow the money. The blood money.

The same place that is telling you have sex and not get pregnant (and not making much money off that end of it) is also the same place you go to get an abortion? Hmmmm. Conflict of interest, perhaps? I am still amazed that people don't know that PLANNED PARENTHOOD GIVES OUT LOW, INEFFECTIVE DOSES OF BIRTH CONTROL AS WELL AS THE CHEAPEST, ALMOST-DEFECTIVE CONDOMS AVAILABLE (AND THEY KNOW WOMEN FORGET TO TAKE BIRTH CONTROL OR TAKE IT IMPROPERLY). IF WE DON'T GET PREGNANT, THEY'RE OUT OF BUSINESS! That's why I'm all about INFORMATION, EDUCATION, INSPIRATION. INFORMATION, EDUCATION, INSPIRATION. When I talk to teens (even ones from great youth groups) about Theology of the Body, porn, etc., I always ask them: "Is anyone telling you this stuff?" They always answer "no." (Of course, the youth group has invited me in to talk about it at least once, but they should be talking about this stuff non-stop.)

--"Blood Money," without even trying, brings out the huge connection between contraception (we have firmly decided to have sex, but just as firmly decided NOT to get pregnant, as if getting/not getting pregnant were really up to us and we could absolutely control it once we are having sex) and abortion. So abortion becomes back-up contraception because we have already firmly made up our minds.

--If I wasn't a Daughter of St. Paul, I would totally be in the pro-life movement, EDUCATING. But I felt part of my call as a Daughter of St. Paul is to get to the roots, to work on preventative measures. I have found none better than Theology of the Body.

--There were people actually munching popcorn during "Blood Money." Probably the same ones who munched during "The Passion."

--I hope the filmmakers think about making the script available. Loaded with stats and great quotes of all kinds!

--For a showing in your parish or organization, of for copies of the DVD, contact: david@bloodmoneyfilm.com

--There's still time to see in Chicago—Park Ridge! Click on "screenings": http://www.bloodmoneyfilm.com/

--Cool pro-life idea: No need to re-invent wheel! Take your students to the Museum of Science and Industry (in Chicago)—57^th Street and Lakeshore Drive—to the "YOU!—the Experience" permanent exhibit. It has real preserved fetuses, embryos, etc., and a fantastic 6-minute CGI film of life developing in the womb. All the plaques, the script of the film, the literature is TOTALLY PRO-LIFE. (Science is on the Creator's side.) It just keeps saying over and over again that the fertilized egg is YOU and that EVERYONE starts the journey of life the exact same way, as this tiny little thing…. Also has a kind of model of pregnancy from the woman's POV. Everything is totally personal, not cold and clinical. http://www.msichicago.org/whats-here/exhibits/you/the-exhibit/

--"Planned Parenthood" used to be called "The Birth Control Society," but "control" sounded too intimidating and not beneficial enough. Check out the old version of "Cheaper By the Dozen." The Birth Control Society lady is portrayed as an old biddy while families were cool. My how times have changed.

MOVIES: "EAT, LOVE, PRAY"

Big fat disclaimer: Sr. Helena has only skimmed the book and has not seen the movie, but I found this article very interesting.

"Eat Pray Love": Spiritually capitalistic
by Meghan Daum

I was hoping to avoid writing about "Eat Pray Love." The movie's been out for two weeks, and the book has been out for four years, 184 weeks of which it's been on The New York Times best-seller list. Not that you need to be told, but "Eat Pray Love" (often EPL) chronicles writer Elizabeth Gilbert's post-divorce spiritual quest through Italy, India and Bali.

Gilbert, played by Julia Roberts in the film, has appeared on "The Oprah Winfrey Show" three times (most recently with Roberts), and the tale of "Eat Pray Love" — not just what's told in the book but the story of

Sr. Helena: I had to use the pic with the half-nun :]

its head-spinning success and the anointment of its author into something resembling a modern-day guru — has become a bona fide cultural meme. It has also become a major merchandizing opportunity. There's an EPL-themed product line at Cost Plus World Market (incense burners, beaded jewelry and Eat Pray Love™ tea from the Republic of Tea). The Home Shopping Network offered 72 straight hours of movie promotions and product tie-ins (an organic cotton T-shirt reading "Nourish Your Soul" for $39.90, an Eat Pray Love™ Sony™ Pocket Edition e-reader with special case for $229.95).

Meanwhile, EPL tourism has become its own niche, with travel companies offering packages through Italy, India and Bali, usually with the single female traveler in mind. Lonely Planet travel guides offer tips on how to eat the same gelato Gilbert ate in Rome and how to find the Balinese medicine man who, according to the book, told her to "smile in your liver."So you get the idea. It's not just a book-turned-movie. It's a lifestyle-turned-consumer-phenomenon-turned-quasi-religion. Never mind that this lifestyle — at least the part that entails airfare, lodging and vacation time — requires an independent income and an extended break from responsibilities. Never mind that these consumer goods tend to run the way of colorful paper lanterns you think will transform your yard instantly from a dirt heap into a Balinese paradise but fall apart when you attempt to remove them from the box. Never mind that "quasi-religion" is surely an overly generous way of describing what you get after months of eating, praying, loving and, to go by the movie, riding your bike past glistening rice paddies while wearing adorable hats.

To my mind, Gilbert has epiphanies with more regularity than certain bodily functions, and that stretches the limits of credulity, but that also may be beside the point. After all, people (women especially but not exclusively) are digging this thing. EPL is apparently winning hearts and minds, filling a need, getting people excited. And for all the quasi-ness of this quasi-religion, this sort of engagement is something a lot of established, non-quasi religions aren't having much luck with. Still, I'm not suggesting that people are snapping up "Nourish Your Soul" T-shirts out of an overt frustration with organized religion or that the cult of personality around Gilbert portends the demise of more traditional objects of worship. If anything, Gilbert's breezier-than-thou tone has the same earnest ring you often hear from the pulpit (when it's called holier than thou). This brings me back to why I couldn't help but write about EPL. Now that her musings are a brand, the real epiphany is less about New Age pabulum than old-school capitalism — and, specifically, about how brilliantly the two work together. It's a bit queasy-making, sure. But it's also kind of like smiling in your liver. If you can manage that, maybe you deserve your own line of incense burners.

Los Angeles Times Meghan Daum is an essayist and novelist in Los Angeles.

mdaum@latimescolumnists.com

MORE TRANSFORMERS 3

OUR BACK ALLEY DURING SHOOTING

OUR BACK ALLEY AFTER SHOOTING


You see the crews all over Chicago. They have that same "top of the world" look, like they are doing and enjoying the best job on earth: Making movies. Creating worlds. Like God.

So this crew is walking through our back alley (tool belts, etc.). They always fan out like a bunch of hunters or soldiers with a look of ownership over every piece of ground they walk on.

Me (lots more hoof-in-mouth disease): "Did you guys clean up the alley?" (Our alley has been nicely cleaned since they stopped shooting in it.)

One of the crew: "No, we're the electricians."

Me: "Oh, you're the grip." (Duuuuuuuuuuuuh--the grip are lowly go-fers! I meant to say "gaffer," which is the head electrician.)

Same crew member: "No. We're the electricians."

Me: "Yeah, the grip."

Same crew member: "No. The grip are the ones with the blank looks on their faces."

"TRANSFORMERS 3" FILMING IN OUR BACK ALLEY

Rosie

Rosie & Shia

AAA guy

smoke & asphalt

"Transformers 3" has been filming around Chicago since mid-July and in our back alley for the past few days. Our entire alley has been shut off to the public, with all kinds of police and security. But our bookcenter/convent is smack-dab in the middle of the "Action!" and it has its perks.

This morning, I let a 15-strong, red T-shirted, junior high youth group race up the fire escape to snap furtive pictures and video. Said police and security were not amused.

Later in the day, we absolutely HAD to get our van to the shop for a new battery, but it first had to be jumped by AAA. Sooo...we cleared it with security and some P.A.'s and AAA nosed into the alley, just out of the shooting line of the cameras. Suddenly, leading lady Rosie Huntington-Whiteley (Megan Fox's replacement) and Shia LaBeouf came running--through a scene--off camera to our loading dock. (I was, like, 20 feet away from them with the AAA guy. ) "Shia LaBeouf at 1 o'clock," I hissed to the AAA guy. "Yeah, I see," he whisper-grinned. "Aren't you glad we called you?" I beamed.

To my horror, Sr. Lusia Yvonne OPENED OUR BACK DOOR, like, 10 feet away from Rosie (now sitting on our loading dock) and Shia. "Hi! I'm Sr. Yvonne!" to Shia and Rosie. Both of them shook her hand. Then she proceeded to talk to them in the most natural and wonderful way, treating them like "ordinary people doing a job, except they make a lot more money" (Sr. Yvonne's words to me later). She invited them to stop in the bookcenter or ring the bell if they needed anything, told them about our media mission, told Shia we have a place in New Orleans (Sr. Yvonne keeps up with the celebrity stuff online, so she knew Shia is from Louisiana), MADE SHIA LAUGH when she told him: "I read all about you--but I know it isn't true." She told Rosie she looked tired, and Rosie said: "I am! It's a long day!" Shia asked how many Sisters lived in the building and if we got to get out and go to baseball games and the like. Sr. Yvonne said: "Yeah, if we get free tickets." SHIA LAUGHED AGAIN.

Meanwhile, I--who, have been trained as a proper Angeleno after having lived in L.A. for 5 years--was totally intent on NOT MAKING EYE-CONTACT AND GIVING THE STARS THEIR SPACE WITHOUT OGLING OR APPROACHING, but found myself shaking Shia's and Rosie's hands because Sr. Yvonne introduced me to her new best friends.

Then came the hoof-in-mouth disease. Earlier that morning I had asked one of the red shirts who the new actress was. He said: "Some Victoria's Secret model." So there I was in the back alley with two of the stars from the biggest movie of 2011 that has been filming in our fair city for over a month and I didn't know the female star's name. No, wait! I remembered! As I shook her hand I said: "Are you Victoria?" Yes. I really said that. Luckily, I don't think she made the connection, but very sweetly said, "No, I'm Rosie." I had absolutely NO IDEA what to say to Shia when I shook his hand, so I said--referring to his smudgy-flesh-wound-make-up--"Wow. They really messed you up." Yes. I really said that. What could he do but agree? "Yes, they did," he said, and he and Rosie raced off into the smoke machines and broken asphalt, out of sight.

A lot of the crew are from L.A.--the best movie crews in the world. They are so gracious (as I always knew them to be in L.A.). So, I took my courage in hand and told a P.A. they should put our good friends, the Flood Brothers', dumpster in the film, instead of Waste Management's. I told them it was "more Chicago." Next thing I knew OUR Flood Brothers' dumpster had disappeared. Could it be...? No! It was just shoved to the end of our alley.

Sr. Margaret Michael, our national vocation directress, arrived for our vocation retreat, driven by a priest who dropped her off near the back alley (Fr. Brian, the Archdiocese of Chicago's new vocation priest). She wanted me to meet him, so he said he'd drive around to the front of the bookcenter. It took him forever. Turned out, some of the crew saw the Roman collar and asked him to conduct an impromptu prayer service!!!

How did I get the above (cell phone) pics? I pretended I was making a phone call. You press "camera" and then put it up to your eye, er, ear.

And I think I saw Michael Bay.