MOVIES: "THE CONJURING"

“The Conjuring” is a scary Mary, based-on-a-true-story, supernatural thriller about demonic entities harassing a family in Rhode Island in 1971.

The story is personal and intriguing with much naturalistic acting and loving attention to details. There’s a very gradual build to the full-blown horror stuff. The art direction is impeccable and we are transported to a simpler time (if you can believe the 70’s was a simpler time). The Perron Family: Mom (Lili Taylor—great 70’s Mom), Dad (Rob Livingston) and four girls are of modest means, and have moved into an old farm house with high hopes. It doesn’t take long for things to deteriorate. Bizarre happenings necessitate enlisting the help of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and the born-to-do-preternatural-visuals Vera Farmiga),“demonologists” connected with a “Fr. Gordon” and the Catholic Church. Ed and Lorraine have a daughter of their own. (Yeah, you can guess the demons are going to leave HER alone.)

We become involved in the lives of these two young families and cheer for them as things go from bad to hellish. Unexplainable, creepy little abnormalities begin happening, but then we being to see full-blown hissy-fitting demons and ghosts (which always ruins it for me). I’ve never been scared by or able to get into Stephen King tales for this reason. However, “The Conjuring” IS very scary, even when over the top.

The theology is both accurate and squishy at the same time which, of course, is problematic. Examples:

Accurate: Laypersons are not authorized to do exorcisms.
Squishy: In an emergency, laypersons are authorized to do exorcisms.

Accurate: Phenomena such as cold rooms, bad smells and things going bump in the night can accompany the presence of evil spirits.

Squishy: All kinds of ghosts, demons, birds, destruction, storms, possessions and other paranormal incidents happening wildly all at the same time in the same place.

Accurate: It’s good to have your kids baptized.
Squishy: The Vatican needs to give permission to do an exorcism for the unbaptized (???).

Accurate: The devil doesn’t possess things, things are only vessels in order to be able to possess humans.
Squishy: The house still needed an exorcism because the evil entities attached to “the family” and would follow them wherever they go (???).

There seems to be a heavy-handed Christian message below (with a begrudging tip of the hat to the Catholic Church). My guess? Evangelicals.

Witches are real and they’re evil. Evil humans. They engage in child ritual sacrifice.

The strength of a mother’s love and the love of family is a strong theme. But even stronger than this theme (repeated SEVERAL times) is the chillingly “pro-life” statement: “The demon possesses the mother so she will kill the child.” At one point, Caroline (the mother of the haunted family) asks Lorraine Warren: “But how could a mother [the witch] kill her own child?” Lorraine: “It’s not a child to her. She uses her God-given gift [giving birth, but then killing her child] to raise herself in the eyes of Satan.”

I usually never watch devil flicks (I’ve only seen “The Exorcism of Emily Rose”—excellent! and “The Rite”—good) because they scare the daylights out of me, and I hate making Satan a movie star. This is probably my last devil flick. But Fr. Gabriele Amorth, SSP, one of our Pauline priests, former head exorcist of Rome and author of “An Exorcist Tells His Story,” thinks that any movies about the demonic that help people believe in and understand the reality of evil and the devil are good, even if they’re somewhat theologically off base.

Me, Father Amorth & Andy, 2011
Society of St. Paul Generalate, Rome
(where Blessed James Alberione lived for many years)

OTHER STUFF:

--Lady at cinema ticket booth called “The Conjuring”: “nasty scary.”

--This film will worthily enter the canon of devil flicks.

--"Poltergeist"-like. Even an homage: lengthy shot of a TV gone all static-y.

--I haven’t done any background research on the actual story of either the Warrens or the Perrons (but you will see their photos at the end during the credits).

--Just the right amount of jerky handheld, but not too much! (Common mistake in horror/thrillers.)

--Lotsta rosaries! Yay!

--The pop music soundtrack was too psychedelic 60’s, but the scary soundtrack? Marrow-shriveling.

--There are a few hokey and tension-breaking moments, especially with the skeptical cop and “ghost-hunting” assistant.

--SHOULDA interviewed the young adults in my theater! They were cracking jokes and talking quietly during most of it. Were they scared? Skeptical? Did they think movie was cheesy? Had they seen better, scarier? What did they think of the film? [I think they WERE scared. The girls kept jumping in their seats.] After the film, they turned around, and, on seeing a nun in the last row were kinda transfixed like: OMGosh is this for real?! Is she a nun-specter? I am grateful for their fidgeting ‘cause it made me way less freaked out. Also, Ma kept dropping her water bottle which was a good distraction.

--I kept reaching over to Ma: “Are you OK, are you scared?” Ma: “Ha ha. Of course not. But this music is TOO LOUD!” [covers ears, drops water bottle] And later: "I'm sorry I had to learn about these things."

--The Malaysian director, James Wan, did two of the “Saw” installations. Yuck. He also did "Insidious" cuz he wanted to prove he could scare without gore. Well, he definitely can.

--ALL the horror tropes! Creaking doors and floors; knocking/banging [our quaint Boston cinema had an old wooden door that was making weird noises all during the film]; bogeyman behind the door; haunted Narnia-style wardrobes; bells and chimes tinkling; voices; grotesque dolls; animals see stuff people don’t; remote, dilapidated, old house; creepy cellars [I totally made Ma come to the cellar with me to do laundry after the movie]. A word about Boston "cinemas." Some of them (in the 'burbs) are ridiculous. They look like something Longfellow would have frequented. Some--in wealthy 'burbs actually have loose wooden folding chairs in re-purposed spaces--not built as cinemas. (See Lexington and Belmont.) And forget about decent technology.

--OK. At a certain point I’m like: “GET THE SAM HILL OUT OF THE BLESSED, I MEAN CURSED HOUSE! What?!  You’re too poor too move? Well, are ya too poor to be DEAD? Really? You’re still SLEEPING WITH YOUR KIDS IN THIS HOUSE? And you’re actually SLEEPING?” Did NOT suspend disbelief at these moments.

--The “thing” is incredibly HATEFUL. Yup. That’s about right.

--The camera is wonderfully fluid as it moves around the marvelously rambling and spacious old house.

--The set and props are so right on. Back in the day, I had a bathrobe exactly like one of the Perron girls.

--The only actor not up to snuff was the Dad (Ron Livingston). Way too detached. Earnest eyebrows. Does humble/ordinary rather well, but not Dad or hubby.

--Some of the actors already have other horror movies under their belts.

--SORTA SPOILER: Seemed like way too many hideous episodes connected with this one house going back in history.

--DEFINITE SPOILER: Were there any REAL Salem witches? One figures into the story.

--Witches is real and is bad people.

--Witches is women.

--“It” really is all about women. Satan always attacks “the woman.”

--“God entrusts women with the new person in special way.” –BJP2G “On the Dignity and Vocation of Woman”

--Now I really have to see “Mama,” a critically-acclaimed, “old-fashioned ghost story” (2013) starring Jessica Chastain. It, too, is about motherhood.

--THEOLOGY O’ THE BODY? M-O-T-H-E-R-H-O-O-D.

Fascinating article from "Entertainment Weekly" about the real goings on. Seems the film IS pretty faithful to the reality: http://www.ew.com/ew/gallery/0,,20717859,00.html

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15 MINUTES OF SHEER, EPIC ANNOYING

MOVIE REVIEW: "DESPICABLE ME 2"

Gru and his yellow, gobbledygook-spewing, Contac-capsule-shaped minions are baaaack! “Despicable Me 2” picks up where “Despicable Me” left off, but if you didn’t see the first installment, no worries, “2” is a hoot without it. All you need to know is that Gru (Steve Carell) is former dastardly doer of evil deeds on a planetary scale. A villain stylin’ like a Russian spy from the Cold War, complete with a 1960’s oversized turtleneck and skinny slacks.

Gru has settled down as a “legitimate businessman,” but what matters most to him now is his girls: “I’m a father now” is the excuse that keeps him out of a lot of trouble. He glories in his responsibilities toward his three spirited fillies, and the littlest one, Agnes, can melt his heart with the bat of an eyelash. But, of course, this domestic bliss is not to go unchallenged. Evil forces are at work in the world, and Gru is recruited to counteract them on account of his super villain skills (he stole the moon, but as Gru is quick to remind everyone: “…but I put it back”).

A fourth spunky female enters Gru’s life in the form of red-headed agent Lucy (Kristen Wiig) of the Anti-Villain League. When they become partners in anti-crime, Gru is too frozen in his bad childhood memories of playground rejection and humiliation by girls to even entertain the thought of asking Lucy out. But his daughters pour on the pressure because “it’s time” for Gru to date, and little Agnes would sure love a Mom. Speaking of dating, the eldest girl, Margot, is getting sweet on a boy, and all the fiery Papa Grizzly in Gru comes out (to hilarious effect, of course).

There are so many great scenes and sequences in “2” that it’s hard to know where to start. Gru in love? It’s like the scene in “Enchanted” where Amy Adams’ character flounces through the park. The minions turning purple? The lipstick taser? The ice cream truck? The minion firemen? “El Macho” grabbing a random woman off the street to dance with? The minions as Boys To Men and then Village People cover bands (singing in minion language, of course)? There are just too many to count.

Kids will love this film (especially for the endlessly entertaining “sideshow” but also “main plot” minions), but adults will love it even more because of all the subtle and sophisticated humor. The only objectionable parts were the way a “bad date” of Gru’s gets treated (the violence done to the young woman is a bit extreme, even though partially unintended), and some heavy-duty, maximum Mexican stereotyping in bad guy “El Macho.” And, I’d like to know who declared open season on fat people and fake people.

“2” is a delightful collaboration (two directors and two screenwriters with impeccable credentials) with a strong dose of what feels almost like French whimsy, brought to you by Universal Studios, not known for animation, but certainly rivaling the best of Pixar. Sharpen your eyes and ears because there’s much to miss in every packed, juicy minute.

OTHER STUFF:

--Funny, funny, funny.

--Ma caught something I didn’t. When a hi-tech scope zeroes in on Gru’s macabre little lower-mandible challenged “dog” (also in the first film), the scope registers “species unknown.” :D

--There are some incredibly great and funny lines that I would love to share with you, but I’m #nospoiler.

--“2’s” equipment and contraptions are better than Bond’s any day.

--THEOLOGY OF THE BODY? Yup! Gru is just so respectful of women! AND so cutely shy! AND: “What is fun without rules?” could be applied to TOB! AND “147 dates”! AND Gru has to rescue Lucy! AND other stuff!

--Revenge of the lab bunnies!

--Once a spy, always a spy.

--One of my fav scenes: the rogue purple minion POV cam!

--Secret weapon: Agnes’ bloodcurdling scream.

--The attack chicken could actually have been funnier. IMHO.

--Lots of DISCO! Yesss! It’s LONG OVERDUE  for a comeback! Thank you, Daft Punk! Props also to Heitor Pereira and Pharrell Williams for great original music.

--Google: “1960’s men’s turtleneck.” Ha ha.

--Google: “lipstick taser.” They exist!

--Very fun, cool and swinging “Mission Impossible-esque” themed soundtrack.

--One of the screenwriters, Cinco Paul, went to USC film school AND graduated summa cum laude from Yale. Um, that’s prolly why the script is so SMART.

--The minions always teeter on the brink of taking over the movie, but never do.

--Minions speak a mixture of Minion, French, Spanish and English!

--LOVE Lucy’s lady-spy turquoise raincoat!

--Gru: “What is fun without rules?”

--“I choose Gru!”

--Look for a quick cameo by Gru’s mother!

--I believe that, perhaps in general, American audiences are spoiled. In the sense that they are ruined. In the sense that maybe they have a surfeit of (often high quality) entertainment and so cannot savor, linger on the genius and joy of something like “Despicable Me.” People hardly laugh at the funniest movies. Have you noticed this??? Is it because they SKIM everything in life now with receding attention spans and nothing sinks in, nothing sticks, nothing deeply tickles the funny bone? Or brings pure delight to the imagination? Are they just mundanely going to watch a piece of something from Netflix on their smartphone in the cinema parking lot or play Candy Crush? FOLKS IN MY THEATER FILED OUT AS THE CREDITS ROLLED AND THEY COULD CLEARLY SEE THAT THERE WAS A TON OF MINION EXTRAS AND STINGERS!!!! MEH???!!!

--I am so ready for “Despicable Me 3” and a gajillion other movies like it.

MEN'S ADVICE TO MEN: "WHAT'S THE ONE THING MEN NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THEIR VOCATION TO BE MEN"?

Mike Landry ‏@mikeisthird2h

Pray to know Christ, pray for those in your care, model prayer for others. Take your God-given passion to your knees.

[THE PRAYERS OF A JUST MAN AVAIL MUCH!]

Fr. Darryl Millette ‏@frdarryl2h

Get to know & follow Jesus to be the man you should be.

Larry Nolte ‏@larrynolte2h

"being a man: find what must be done > do it as well as possible." advice to my son

PrairieRocker ‏@PrairiePete9492h

tell them that God has specifically chosen each man to serve a special purpose in His Kingdom: priest, husband, father, son

Fr. David Hasser ‏@fr_hasser3h

I believe God endows men w/ gifts for real adventure, battle & beauty; modern culture muzzles men & offers fake substitutes.

Fr. David Hasser ‏@fr_hasser3h

This is admittedly bold: challenge them to be ready for battle, off the sofa! Want men to stand up for you? Have to practice!

Faz ‏@FaasDaddy3h

must read for every Catholic man. The 3 Marks of Manhood: How to Be Priest, Prophet & King of Your Family by G. C. Dilsaver

Alex Hey ‏@A_R_Hey3h

Know Love Serve The Lord #Godfirst

Paul Johnson ‏@olbap553h

Contrast the false masculinity promoted by our pop culture with true models of masculine virtue such as St. Maximilian Kolbe.

Alex Hey ‏@A_R_Hey3h

"Noble purpose"

DRO ‏@drosef103h

remind them that Jesus wept! We are capable of showing great love and affection, it's part of manhood!

Adoration Servants ‏@AdorationServe3h

Regarding lust, saying "Doesn't hurt to look" leads to mortal sin (Mat 5:28). The ONE thing: IT DOES HURT TO LOOK

Harrison Ayre ‏@christian_state3h

to make decisions. Decisions about vocation, life, family. Be confident in The Lord!

Ordinary Mike ‏@MikeCGannon3h

My mom read lots of great books to me and my brother. My dad taught through sheer force of example.

Ordinary Mike ‏@MikeCGannon3h

Like there's a whole song called "Be A Man": "...swift as a coursing river, with all the force of a great typhoon."

Ordinary Mike ‏@MikeCGannon3h

I actually don't much care for that film, but the song is annoying catchy and memorable.

Ordinary Mike ‏@MikeCGannon4h

Oh, and mercy. Most guys, especially young guys, are naturally geared for smiting judgment. Mercy is something we learn.

Lisa Graas ‏@CatholicLisa3h

I tell my sons: "I can't teach you how to be a man. Only a man can do that."

Derek ‏@BadCatD3h

"Porn ruins lives" - please tell them *how* it ruins lives. I was in the dark for too long, to ill effect.

Friar Matt Foley ‏@frathermatt4h

I loved this book and it is a warning against the eternal adolescence many men experience today http://www.boysadrift.com/

JamesHXN ‏@JamesHXN4h

Have you ever checked out http://www.artofmanliness.com/ They get into everything, including relationship & family.

[AND THE ART OF THE MANLY HANDSHAKE:

How to Give a Manly Handshake [VIDEO] http://ow.ly/lR4ge ]

Friar Matt Foley ‏@frathermatt4h

Real Men love Jesus, Pray, Strong and compassionate aren't opposites, porn ruins lives and uhmmm that is about it for now

Mahtee J ‏@mjj10904h

Patience and prayer. #dadlife

Ford O'Matic ‏@stuedal4h

The Importance of Men Being Men http://shar.es/xJBYC

Maxime Villeneuve ‏@CrusaderMaximus4h

St. Joseph

Alison Griswold ‏@alisongriz

Can I interrupt? No skinny jeans, guys! Unless you are truly skinny! (That is, built like one of the Ramones.) ("Girlfriend jeans") http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxK_1JsO6k8 …

JamesHXN ‏@JamesHXN4h

To wear skinny jeans, a man must have actively avoided ever doing a squat his entire life.

peter palladas ‏@PeterPalladas4h

If they are unmarried, tolerably sane and not mired in debt tell 'em to go be a monk at Quarr Abbey in England. #MoreMonks!

peter palladas ‏@PeterPalladas2h

We are all become media slaves/whores. We have a carapace of habituation and inurement; immured monks naked under the habit.

Ford O'Matic ‏@stuedal4h

A genuine man is a protector of the weak and the suffering, whether he ever gets any earthly credit/gratitude for it, or not.

Bill Dykstra ‏@billdykstra4h

Tell them that instead of Dwayne Johnson, Jesus is actually the Rock. Be like Him.

Ordinary Mike ‏@MikeCGannon4h

St. Joseph as a model of service, sacrificial love, and authentic masculinity. With a TotB tie-in, of course!

Thomas Pringle ‏@thomaspringle4h

To not be afraid to pray--publicly, with friends, with family. #RealMenPray

Holy Family Radio ‏@WJTA8894h

That faith is a strength and not a weakness!

RegularRon ‏@RegularRon4h

How you can be Masculine and Catholic, think would be a good talk Sr.

Fr. Nathan March ‏@fathernathan4h

strive

Devoutly Catholic ‏@CatholicPio4h

The importance of love and compassion.

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DVDS: "MESSENGER OF THE TRUTH" & "POPIELUSZKO--FREEDOM IS WITHIN US"

Scene from "Freedom Is Within Us"

Two recent films on the life of “Solidarity” labor priest and modern martyr of communism, Blessed Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko (murdered at thirty-seven years of age) are now available: www.MessengerOfTheTruth.com is a documentary. “Popieluszko—Freedom Is Within Us” is a feature film available from Ignatius Press (Polish with English subtitles) and reviewed here.
_______________________________________________________________________________

The documentary MUST BE SEEN FIRST! Unless you are intimately familiar with the events of Fr. Jerzy's life/Poland's recent history/Solidarity, you will NOT understand the feature film, like, at all. It was made primarily for Poles and is very sketchy with the historical framing and even the story flow. The documentary, www.MessengerOfTheTruth.com is EXCELLENT and was made by two Americans who gathered lots of actual footage (fascinating!) and tell us the whole story as if we knew nothing.

_______________________________________________________________________________

The style of feature film “Freedom Is Within Us” is European, the soundtrack often compelling. “Freedom” is well acted, and begins by cutting in deep to the time of Fr. Jerzy’s mandatory military service. Fr. Jerzy refused to cooperate with his commanding officers by praying aloud whenever he could, suffering bodily punishment for his infractions. This was good training for standing up to the government he would soon be in much more dire conflict with. Popieluszko was a humble, refined man—who attended to all the most delicate details of pastoral care--but he was also tough as nails.

The real Fr. Jerzy

The cohesiveness, religious faith and resistance of the Polish in the face of violent repression is well portrayed. The amazing thing about Polish culture is its unique unity across social strata: from the poorest manual laborer to the university professor to the students to the arts community to the episcopate (often of noble lineage).

We who lived through this period remember all the names, dates and places. For those who did not, the film is a bit chaotic at times, as it tries to organically introduce this information in a dramatic way, often incorporating actual footage of protests, news reports, strikes and John Paul II’s visits to Poland. But no matter. This is a story about a priest of the people who went out among them, participated in their deepest concerns, and “smelled like the sheep,” as Pope Francis has been telling priests they must.

The large-scale re-enactments are convincing, but the smaller action often lags with short vignettes meant to build relationships among characters, but it is often so choppy, disjointed, intricate, and arcane that it is unsuccessful. Coming in at 149 minutes, there are many small scenes that could have been eliminated. However, it’s a good film to watch to understand what must be done, what strategies work in the face of oppression. The lies, evil genius and devious tactics of the communists are on full display here, as well as the Polish people’s outwitting of them. Popieluszko had opposition from all sides, including his superiors in the Church. What was the prudent thing to do? What was the courageous thing to do? What was the right thing to do? For Fr. Jerzy, silence was not the answer.

OTHER STUFF:

--The intelligent, caring young adults (with a sense of history) I watched this film with did not understand that Russia occupied Poland after WW2, and that it was not a part of the USSR. They didn’t know that the Polish people themselves were the communists in their own country (instigated by Russia, of course). They had never heard of Cardinal Wyszynski or Lech Walesa, and didn’t know what Solidarity was. They also didn’t realize that the Polish people were forced to speak Russian in public matters (thus many Poles chastise their fellow Poles in the film by saying: “Speak Polish!”) How quickly history is forgotten and/or not passed one, especially recent history!

--Fr. Jerzy was ONE BIG PAIN IN THE POSTERIOR for those Commies. :D (Sorry, child of the Cold War. I say “Pinko,” too.)

The real Fr. Jerzy

--The Poles’ ability to spot the secret police. Ha ha.

--Rich European humanity.

--“What if they held a war and no one came?” What if martial law was imposed and everyone ceased obeying? That’s exactly what happened when they killed Fr. Jerzy. (This is not in the film, but a Polish monsignor told us all about it.) Fr. Jerzy’s death was THE turning point. The people said: “YOU KILLED OUR PRIEST? WE DON’T OBEY YOU ANY MORE.” (They had been complying with things like curfews, etc.) BJP2G threw the pitch and Fr. Jerzy hit the homerun. There is audio in the film of BJP2G praising Fr. Jerzy after his death saying that he should be a patron of Europe (must have been thinking of how Communism ravaged Europe).

--“Weak are the people who accept their own defeat…. But mighty are the people who build on truth.” –Fr. Jerzy.  In regard to his enemies: “I fight evil, not the victims of evil.” I would love to find more of his words/sermons/writings in English!

--Fr. Jerzy was brutally murdered. Probably horribly tortured while still alive. Scenes of his killing are in virtual blackness with sound effects. Interesting way to do it that spares us!

--The gargantuan role that Pope John Paul II played in the liberation of Poland is subtle but sustained. “Man creates his identity through culture, but not alone: through society.”--BJP2G Society matters and it’s about more than individual rights.

--There are many light and delightful moments, often in the midst of the tensest moments, and lots of witty Catholic humor. The humor is not dark, gallows humor, but more upbeat humor at the expense of the absurd communist system. The filmmaking missteps are mostly toward the beginning of the story. It’s too bad that film editors don’t often go back and fix faulty beginnings!