Homily from a friend Fr. John Antony of the Dioicese of Little Rock.
The meaning of Corpus Christi: just ask a Marine
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Corpus Christi, Homily, John Antony, Marine Corps, Roman Catholic, US Marines on June 27, 2011 by ligurioMy Dog Skip: a time when communities were small
Posted in Movie Reviews with tags Frankie Munoz, Friendship, John Rocha, Kevin Bacon, Luke Wilson, Movie Review, Movies on March 30, 2011 by ligurio
Over Spring Break, the Rocha family has viewed a couple of movies this week. We watched the film My Dog Skip (2000), which stars Kevin Bacon and Frankie Munoz, which I vaguely remember. It is not a coming of age movie per se, but rather an awkward boy who becomes one of the boys when he gets a dog for his 9th birthday. The major theme of the movie is friendship.
The movie is based on the childhood of Willie Morris, who is the author of the book by the same title. The story takes place in Yazoo, MS 
during the early American participation of World War II. Willie’s father is a crippled American veteran from the Spanish Civil War. We do not learn the exact background to his injury, but that he is a respected citizen of the community is seen.
during the early American participation of World War II. Willie’s father is a crippled American veteran from the Spanish Civil War. We do not learn the exact background to his injury, but that he is a respected citizen of the community is seen.The other quiet but significant male character is Dink Jenkins, played by Luke Wilson. Dink is a young man, who is the community’s future, both in terms of his athleticism and natural charisma. Willie speaks of someday being just like Dink throughout the movie. When the movie begins, Dink is at war, so we do not see him until he returns home. His homecoming is not one of hero, but a quiet one in the dark of night with a whiskey bottle in his hand. Earlier in the day, a small crowd gathered at the town bus stop awaiting his return; later during a rainy night he returned quietly in a taxi and bottle in hand…no military uniform, no medals. There was one person who saw him and ran to greet him, his friend and admirer, Willie Morris. 
Dink left home the local hero and returned a coward of war. Dink hides in his parents house for a few weeks, before he sees the public as they now see him.
Dink left home the local hero and returned a coward of war. Dink hides in his parents house for a few weeks, before he sees the public as they now see him.Later when skip is lost and Willie cannot find him, he turns to Dink and asks for help. The following dialogue ensues:
Dink: You bawling like a big baby ’cause you lost that ball game?
Willie Morris: What do you know about it? You didn’t come you big liar. Leave me alone.Dink: That’s how it is, isn’t it? You’re a hero today, and then you’re a goat tomorrow. Now I didn’t come because games don’t mean nothing to me anymore.
Willie Morris: It’s not the game. It’s Skip. He’s gone for good.Dink: For good? Now how do you know that? You some kind of fortune teller?
Willie Morris: I got mad at him and I hit him. And he ran away. Just like you ran away. Skip was never afraid of nothing.Dink: You think I don’t know what folks are saying? That old Dink’s a coward? Huh? Well I know. And you know what? They’re right. I got scared. And I ran. You think it was ’cause I was afraid of dying? Because I wished I was dead plenty of times.
Willie Morris: Then what was it?Dink: It ain’t the dying that scary, boy. It’s the killing. Now look, that dog ain’t lost. You just need to know where to find him. There’s gotta be at least one place around here that you hadn’t thought of to look at, right?[Willy runs off to find Skip]Jack Morris: Sometimes he gets mad and says things he doesn’t mean. He gets it from his mother. When I got back from Spain, I got into accounting. I figured I could hide behind a desk. I looked down, and I didn’t so much as look up for a whole year. When I finally did, people weren’t staring at me anymore. I guess they kind of forgot about it.
Dink: Well, Mr. Morris. You got a purple heart. I got a yellow stripe. You can trust me. They don’t forget about cowards.Jack Morris: Well, folks like to keep things small, Dink. Fit you into one pocket or the other. Give a man a label, and you never really need to get to know him. My son, he looks up to you, Dink. Not because you can run or throw a ball. You’re his hero because you’re his friend. And that’s what he needs. A friend. – IMDb Quotes: My Dog Skip (2000)
The significance of both conversations is that friendship even pierces through the public judgment of a coward. In the eyes of Dink, it is death both of the enemy and oneself that he is not comfortable with, that he fears. Willie relates this not to himself and an enemy but to the one creature closest to him, Skip. The second part of the conversation is between Dink and Jack Morris, Willie’s father. Jack reminds Dink of what friendship really is, and how Willie more than anyone else has offered it to him since his return. Jack’s comments is the arm of friendship reaching out to Dink.
By the end of the movie, particularly the last thirty minutes is an emotional roller coaster ride, my daughters felt good at the end and were definitely tired as they felt the emotional pull of the characters. Their comments were similar in tone…”was that all necessary to get us to the end of the movie?”
I recommend the movie more for tweeners than for the younger children in the family. It is definitely worth watching with the family.
Revisiting Julie and Julia through The Tourist
Posted in Movie Reviews with tags Angelina Jolie, Films, John Rocha, Johnny Depp, Julia Childs, Meryl Streep, Movies on March 24, 2011 by ligurio
http://astore.amazon.com/john_rocha_weblog-20
I enjoyed seeing the previews for the latest Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp movie, The Tourist. I enjoy watching both actors on screen and usually for different reasons. Ms. Jolie’s physical appearance alludes me, in the sense at times she presents herself, elegant and chic, while at other times…too thin and neglectful of her true inner beauty with the outward images of her tattoos. Okay,enough…why write on The Tourist which ultimately is a simple plotted movie with two of today’s well known actors and beautiful scenery as a backdrop…the movie is enjoyable and believe it or not has less sexual situations than Julie and Julia, a movie I recently viewed for the first time. Wow! A movie with Julia Childs has more heated moments than a movie with Angelina Jolie.
I realized two things while enjoying the movie. One that I do tend to watch Angelina Jolie and Johnny Depp for the similar reasons, both of their films and characters have similar modes of presentation and thought. Second, a film with Angelina Jolie does not have to inspire you to want to watch her on screen, but a film about Julia Childs does. Really, we all like food if not love it, but how do does one become moved to want to watch Julia Childs or an actor play her on screen. The answer is two-fold, it is the top notch actors that play the character that draw us to the film, but in the end if the script is good and the actors are on, we will leave the theater without thinking about the actors, but the characters they played on screen. As I recently blogged after watching Julie and Julia, I immediately viewed a biography of Julia Child and her cookbooks that started it all on Amazon.com. When I finished watching The Tourist, I thought of the actors and how they seemed to have fun in their roles and the movie was ultimately just cute.
My thoughts tend to wander, and usually are not very systematic in conversation, or writing…going back to my first point of watch Ms. Jolie and Mr. Depp, I watch them for who they are, and ultimately the lightness of their roles and movies. Recent movies like Salt, Mr. And Mrs. Smith, and Wanted are movies that you go, enjoy the surroundings of a theater and the large bucket of popcorn…and in the end you leave thinking the $40 spent was almost worth it. The same goes for Mr. Depp’s latest series of films, The Pirates of the Caribbean, and even the morally depraved film Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas was enjoyable, just to see Mr. Depp survive the shenanigans of his character.
The Tourist ends with the good guys having victory slip through their fingers and the bad guys die, but our anti-hero type characters find love and wealth throughout the movie and survive. Does it make you feel good? Yes. Do you live to see the “Doge Suite” in Venice? Yes, but we also know we never will. Live to see Julie and Julia again sometime in the future, but otherwise look forward to Ms. Jolie and Mr. Depp’s next films. Perhaps that is the difference between films and movies…
Julie and Julia: a romance of marriage and food
Posted in Movie Reviews with tags Amy Adams, Food, John Rocha, Julia Childs, Meryl Streep, Stanley Tucci on March 24, 2011 by ligurio
Watching Julie & Julia with my wife’s aunts and daughters. The story is well told with great performances by Meryl Streep and Amy Adams. It is a movie that has been on my list to watch for a while. An actor that I have grown fond of ever since his performance in Big Night, I have always looked forward to seeing Stanley Tucci in his next movie. His performance is second to Meryl Streep, as Julia Child, but Julia would not be Julia without Paul her husband.
I have slowly become more sensitive to sexual situations in film; like most films today, one may question the use the intimacy that is portrayed as appropriate or even necessary. What is uniquely different and deliberate is how the sexual situations for both characters, Julie or Julia, are plainly put in the context of marriage. The appreciation Julie and Julia have for their husbands is one that is rarely seen in movies. Julia’s love for and devotion for Paul is not set in the time period of the 50′s, but one that is love lived out in it’s fullest. Julie’s love for Eric is tested in a modern sense as she is truly coming to learning who she is as a person and wife.
This week has gone by fast, so as life keeps moving I will keep my note short on Julie and Julia.t
I do recommend the movie,as most who have seen the film, I turned off the computer (not television) and had already looked up the book the movies was based on, a biography and Julia Child’s first two cookbooks. I inspired to know more about her and not only want to cook, but eat good food.Food like movies should be taken in moderation, so except for a few sexual situations, probably unnecessary, I recommend movie; those who have probably seen it either at the theater or when it was released on DVD, I would suggest it is time to see it again.
Nothing like the First Robin Hood
Posted in Movie Reviews with tags Casablanca, Errol Flynn, Friar Tuck, Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman, John Rocha, kingship, Michael Curtiz, Rights and Duties, Robin Hood on March 18, 2011 by ligurio
Our second movie we recently watched as a family was the 1938, Adventures of Robin Hood. To classify this as the original hero movie, is not hyperbole. I believe that Errol Flynn is at his best in this film. Michael Curtiz is the director. He does a noble job with a big plot and big actors (Errol Flynn and Basil Rathbone) at his disposal. I first became familiar with Michael Curtiz when I discovered Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman in Casablanca as a high schooler who was learning about good movies and how to swoon the girls. I think Errol Flynn would have been a much better help regarding the girls than Bogart, but not necessarily the quality of movies. Casablanca is
still on the top of my list of best movies.
I have to say that I was touched by Robin Hood’s sincere love and loyalty to King Richard. The divine right of kingship and the political rights of England’s subjects is not explained in any thorough way, but their king is their king until death, and since he is not dead, Richard is the king and not John who is his younger and more sinister brother.
Robin Hood and his Merry Men were loyal subjects to the king, but they also knew they were not yet complete as they needed the moral authority to complete their cause. It was subtlety done, but the Merry Men were not complete until they had a clergyman on their side and there to offer them the sacraments. What is nice, is that Friar Tuck is not just a jolly size friar, but as Robin Hood goes to challenge him and mock him, the Merry Men speak softly with one another saying how Friar Tuck is one of the best swordsman of the wood. The scene is one of light and humor as Robin Hood discovers for himself that the friar is no mere push over, but a man interior and physical strength.
Although the movie is light and humorous while delicately presenting some serious subject matter regarding, tyranny, oppression and the rights of English countrymen, both aristocratic and peasant. An example 
is when Errol Flynn interrupts a Prince John’s dinner party by carrying a freshly slain deer around his neck. The dialogue between the two carries a heavy tone of the rights and duties of a king and his people; all the while a deer is around Flynn’s neck and he is smiling the whole time. This scene is probably my favorite of the entire film.
My daughters enjoyed the movie and thought it was a “fun old movie” and my son thought it was great to see the hero, Robin Hood along with all of the sword fighting. I think the next time we watch the Princess Bride they will enjoy it a little more than they did before. Let me know your thoughts after watching this classic.
Meet Me in St. Louis
Posted in Family, Movie Reviews, Movies with tags Family, John Rocha, Judy Garland, Leo Ames, Moral Imagination, Movie Review, Movies, Russell Kirk, Russell Kirk Center, Twilight, Vincente Minnelli on February 27, 2011 by ligurio
I have had a book on my shelves entitled The Best Old Movies for Families: A Guide to Watching Together by Ty Burr. It was recommended from somewhere or someone who was suitably trustworthy…NPR or the like. As my daughters ask about watching a movie together or even during the week, they ask what movie do I have for us to watch come Friday or Saturday…I know that I need to enjoy the time with my children before they are not home on the weekends.
The trouble is that I have run out of movies that I know are worth watching and those that are more than just safe, but tell a good story, have good acting, or even just good fun. The Twilight movie series just does not fit that thinking. Also, as I tend to think of movies more and more not in the sense of an artistic criticism, but in terms of the Moral Imagination. One can get lost defining, much less reflecting on what is the moral imagination. My introduction to the term was Russell Kirk and I defer to him here as well.
So last night I was asked what movie do you have for us? I looked through a few new releases on DVD at Redbox and was disappointed. I then turned to my trusty Netflix streaming video app. Looking through the Netflix catalog as I have done many times before, is like looking through a movie studio library without any direction…I was lost. Then I remembered The Best Old Movies for Families. At least now i had some sense of direction looking through the video streaming library that Netflix offers.
Using the Chapter One: “Starter Kits: First Old Movies to Watch”, I par roused two lists: five movies for toddlers and the five movies for “tweeners”. After slimming the list down by what is available for streaming, I had three choices: Meet Me in St. Louis(1944), The Day the Earth Stood Still(1951), and Stagecoach(1939). In short, a musical that had both comedy and drama, an early science fiction that may appear too outdated, or a serious Western by one of the greatest movie directors, John Ford.
Based on last week’s choice, which I only mention here, but do not give any kind of commentary, Carolina, I decided to go with the movie that I consider the “lightest” of the choices, Meet Me in St. Louis. You can never go wrong with Judy Garland…or at least this performance.
The movie was a hit. It takes a while, no matter how many old or even black and white movies my children have watched, they have to adjust themselves that it is not going to be a loud, color filled-flashy movie they are going to watch. One of my daughters immediately recognized the star of the Wizard of Oz. The songs were all over, not just over, season oriented, but really moved the story along and of course Meet Me in St. Louis was catchy enough that some were singing it today. Both boys and girls enjoyed the movie.
As a side note: while popcorn was popping, there were two major questions that were asked and we discussed during the brief intermission: What is the World’s Fair? (do they still happen?) and How did the telephone work back then? (and why were they yelling over the phone?). I can easily get carried away with history lessons, but the questions were definitely thoughtful and I kept my answers brief.
I do not remember ever seeing Meet Me in St. Louis before, so it I consider it my first viewing. Judy Garland was magnificent as an actress and her character was feisty enough to stay within the conformity of society and family, but the earnestness of love was always reaching. The father, played by Leon Ames, has a small but subtle role. As all fathers he is pivotal in the end. All families need a father and likewise, all men naturally are moved to fatherhood.
Movies with the family
Posted in Family, Movie Reviews, Movies with tags Family, Films, John E. Rocha, John Rocha, Judy Garland, Moral Imagination, Movies, Vincent Minnelli on February 27, 2011 by ligurioAs a family we enjoy watching movies on the weekends or when other opportunities allow. I hope to write on each movie I see with the family, both in terms of some thoughts for a review, but also how did the children react, enjoy or not enjoy the movie. Always in the background is the moral imagination. How do the movies we view throughout our lives influence our growth or disintegration of the moral imagination in each of our lives, but also in our society.
I hope you find these brief thoughts useful and edifying in your own movie viewing and understanding of the moral imagination.
The Haunted Souls of Readers
Posted in Books, Liberal Education with tags Christopher Morley, Harry Potter, John Rocha, Moral Imagination, Russell Kirk, T.S. Eliot, The Haunted Bookstore, Twilight on December 29, 2010 by ligurioMy latest post at the imaginative conservative blog; more or less reflections on reading, and visiting used bookstores.
Reading Dick Cavett’s “Talk Show”
Posted in Books, Daily Words, Education, Politics with tags Dick Cavett, Hollywood, John Rocha, Liberal, writing on November 21, 2010 by ligurioI am slowly reading Dick Cavett’s “Talk Show”. (http://astore.amazon.com/rocha-booksreviewed-20) To describe him as a liberal, who cannot stand President Bush and anyone who served in the White House for any of those eight years, I would be choosing my words lightly. Yet, I am still reading and believe Cavett is worth the time. Would you agree?
St. Josemaria and the IPad
Posted in Uncategorized with tags Brad Birzer, Catholic, faith, John Rocha, Roman Catholic, St. Josemaria, Winston Elliott on August 20, 2010 by ligurioI recommend the Imaginative Conservative blog and especially their latest posting on St. Josemaria and the IPad. http://www.imaginativeconservative.org
