The following snippet from Pixar’s “The Blue Umbrella” short might seem a bit desperate at first — a teaser short for a short? — but for a Pixar Short fanatic like me (or maybe Michał Oleszczyk), it’s as exciting as a feature-length trailer. The various online pieces I’ve seen so far focus either on the unusually “photorealistic” look (which is a bit of a Pixar first) or on the musical collaboration of Sarah Jaffe and Jon Brion — a creative... Read more
View image | gettyimages.com “When we look down at the Earth from space we see this amazing, indescribably beautiful planet – it looks like a living, breathing organism. But it also, at the same time, looks extremely fragile.” – Ron Garan Despite the fabulously futuristic (and costly) efforts of Richard Branson and Friends, the Overview Effect – “an experience that transforms astronauts’ perspective of the planet and mankind’s place upon it” — is not something I am likely to experience... Read more
With the Feast of the Epiphany just around the corner, I complete my whirlwind, inexhaustive journey through the world of Foreshadowy Christmas Music with my favorite example: Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen, the finale of J.S. Bach’s “Christmas Oratorio.” Nun seid ihr wohl gerochen An eurer Feinde Schar, Denn Christus hat zerbrochen, Was euch zuwider war. Tod, Teufel, Sünd und Hölle Sind ganz und gar geschwächt; Bei Gott hat seine Stelle Das menschliche Geschlecht. Translation: Now are ye well avengéd... Read more
The Christmas compilations are in heavy rotation in the Susanka household these days. The boys — ring-led by our resident head-banger, Cormac — clamor for the upbeat (if liturgically …questionable) tones of Mannheim Steamroller and John Denver & The Muppets, while I iron-fistedly demand (and sometimes get) more traditional fare. This year, my leanings manifest themselves most markedly in the frequent playing of “Menus & Music for Christmas” — a recording I prize for its inclusion of John Linton Gardner’s setting of... Read more
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again — that charmingly counter-cultural period where we get to celebrate Christmas in all its glory despite the earnest (even desperate) efforts of department stores and advertisers to make us to think about Valentine’s Day. Sorry, Mr. Retail-man; I’ve still got Twelve Days worth o’Christmas left in my system. Keeping Christmastide suitably festive will be easy in the Susanka Household this year, thanks to the safe-and-sound arrival of the quickly-beloved Nathan Borromeo... Read more
They scarcely waked before they slept, They scarcely wept before they laughed; They drank indeed death’s bitter draught, But all its bitterest dregs were kept And drained by Mothers while they wept. — Christina Rossetti I’ve been at this Cradle Catholic gig for nearly 35 years, so you’d think I’d have learned a thing or two by now. But no; it’s happened again, as it has every year for as long as I can remember. I’ve been surprised by the Feast... Read more
Tonight, as I gear up for the inescapable insanity of a Six-Boy/Seven-Ring Christmas, I’m listening to what may well be the most famous secular bit of Christmas art of all time (Dickens’ “Christmas Carol”), performed by the man responsible for the most terrifying radio event ever (Orson Welles). Spectacular stuff, to be sure — due in no small measure to Welles’ wonderful narration, and Lionel Barrymore’s equally-wonderful Scrooge. (And a warm Christmas thanks to OpenCulture for the link). Read more
It’s one of those “Fourth Week, we hardly knew ye” years, where Week Four of Advent feels more like a vestigial than a full-blown liturgical event. But two days is more than enough to highlight some of the memorable melodic edifices built upon today’s introit: “Rorate Coeli Desuper.” Rorate caeli desuper, et nubes pluant justum: aperiatur terra, et germinet salvatorem. Translation: Drop down ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: Let the earth open and bring forth... Read more
This past weekend, I joined millions of moviegoers around the globe in what will doubtless become a Christmas tradition (whether we like it or not): I Hobbited. Having now experienced Peter Jackson’s latest extravaganza for myself, I can safely say that I have very little to add to the critical consensus. The film features many of the visual and imaginative flairs that make his Tolkien adaptations so beloved, but it suffers the same storytelling and thematic flaws that make them so frustrating. The criticism... Read more
Among my favorite December phenomena are the “Year in Photo” pieces that begin to crop up in the feedreader as 12/31 draws near. This morning’s browsing revealed not only a link to the Wall Street Journal’s wonderful “Photos of the Year” contest, but an equally wonderful “Behind the Images” piece exposing the stories behind a few of the most memorable snaps. Unsurprisingly, the statue of Our Lady of Breezy Point caught my eye: As they approached Breezy Point, they saw thick black... Read more
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