I'm ruminating on this wholly unexpected observation from Robert Eggers about his latest movie 'The Northman': "This sounds super uber-precious, but I think it's hard to do this kind of creative work [directing] in a modern secular society because it becomes all about your ego and yourself. And I am envious — this is the horrible part — I'm envious of medieval craftsmen who are doing the work for God."
Tag: movies
Living in Tolkien’s Groundhog Day
A journey through the Old Forest looks totally different from my day-to-day existence. Yet this passage from Tolkien is a pretty apt description of what I found life to be like in 2020, and continues to be like in 2021---a description that resonates more deeply with me than the Groundhog Day metaphor.
Measures Against Porn Abuse Are Not Enough
Last month Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times wrote a sobering investigative report about the dark side of the porn industry. His work inspired some concrete reforms designed to protect victims of crippling shame and sexual abuse. But are these reforms enough as long as porn continues on? Is the widespread availability of porn, now so easy to access via smartphones and the internet, a "stealth public health crisis" as one feminist scholar argues? If so, what other steps can be taken to address it?
Fani’s Vision in ‘A Hidden Life’
What enables you to endure suffering? What gives you the hope to go on? In Fani's case, it is a glimpse of a restored world where everything sad comes untrue.
On ‘Ready Player One’ and Questions about Tech
The movie was plagued by cliches, and yet it raises important questions about the role of technology in our lives.
Richard Rabil, Jr. 