HOME TO HOLLY SPRINGS is Jan Karon's first book in the new Father Tim Series. Having completed the Mitford Series, Ms. Karon has continued Father Tim's story, taking a closer look into his past, his family, and his hometown of Holly Springs.
At 70 years of age, Father Tim receives an anonymous note that simply reads "Come Home". It grabs his curiosity, and he ends up planning a trip "home" to see what he can find out. He leaves his wife, Cynthia, at home, as she has broken her ankle and isn't much up to traveling. So Father Tim and trusty dog, Barnabas, hit the road.
As he arrives in Holly Springs, he visits some of his old stomping grounds, and he begins to remember a lot of events from his childhood. Tim's history is mentioned throughout the Mitford Books, and with this book, we take a closer look at some of the things that have haunted him for many years. For example, he wonders why his father always hated him. He wonders what happened to his beloved caregiver Peggy, who disappeared many years ago without a word. He wonders what became of his childhood best friend Tommy Noles. He also comes face to face with his old flame Peggy Cramer - and we learn the painful secret of their relationship's breakup.
He was able to see his life's history from other people's perspectives once he returned home. The same event can have different memories for different parties involved. It made me think about how we have a certain understanding of events that occur when we're children, but when we become adults or spouses or parents, we understand those things a little differently. We can look back with a grown-up perspective and understanding that we couldn't possibly have had as children. Father Tim goes home and finds answers to many questions he's long carried in his heart and mind. This book is full of secrets revealed!
I'll have to say that it was slow in some places, but about halfway through, I started to feel more interested in what was going on. I read a few reviews from faithful Mitford Fans that felt disappointed in this book, but personally, I enjoyed it. HOME TO HOLLY SPRINGS was released in 2007, but I'm disappointed to discover that so far, it's still the only book in the series. Hopefully we'll hear more from Father Tim in the near future!
Monday, February 09, 2009
Thursday, February 05, 2009
THE WRESTLER
This isn't a movie that I ordinarily might have wanted to see. But I did want to watch all the Academy Award nominees, and this was one of them. Once I started looking into this movie, I was quickly intrigued by the praise Mickey Rourke was receiving for his performance. He won a Golden Globe for this role, and now he's up for an Oscar. After seeing THE WRESTLER, I'm thinking he just might win.This is the story of a Randy "The Ram" Robinson, a professional wrestler past his prime. He was BIG in the '80's, and 20 years later, he's still wrestling - but now he plays smaller venues, like VFW halls. He's on a steady diet of painkillers and booze to numb the beating that his body takes at his bouts. He lives alone in a trailer, and gets locked out when he's late on his rent. He's got a dead end job in a grocery store. We eventually find out that he has a daughter who despises him because he abandoned her. The only person in his life is a stripper named Pam. Pam is played by Marisa Tomei, who, by the way, is also up for an Oscar. Pam and Randy don't actually have a relationship, they just sort of have a soft spot for each other.
So here's this washed out wrestler, barely getting by. One of his wrestling matches turns out to be especially brutal, and afterward, he passes out on the dressing room floor. When he wakes up, he's in a hospital. Turns out he's got some serious health issues that will force him to retire . So he tries to find some meaning in his life - and he feels pretty alone. He reaches out to Pam, who keeps him at arms length because she's afraid of crossing the line with a "customer". He reaches out to his daughter, but she is angry and he knows he deserves that. He doesn't know what to do - he's got nobody to love him, and the only thing he's ever been good at, he isn't able to do anymore.
This story is pretty rough and raw. We get to go behind-the scenes in professional wresting, and it isn't pretty. The actual matches were tough to watch, too. There were a few times I had to turn away - one particular match included staple guns and barbed wire, if that gives you an idea. There's also a lot of nudity. Since Pam is a stripper, many of the scenes take place in the strip club. But none of it felt as if it was just thrown in for no reason. It was a very real part of the story.
The movie poster says, "Witness the Resurrection of Mickey Rourke".
He's had quite a tumultuous career and life. He was one of the most promising actors in the '80's, but he derailed his own career. He became undesirable to work with. He was angry. His marriage failed. He was arrested for spousal abuse and for a DUI. 
He says, "After ten years went by and I wasn't working, I thought I'm never comin' back. The only thing I had going was hope." You might think that at 56 years old, he was given a generous opportunity by being offered a part in this film. But I can't imagine any other actor taking his place in this gritty role. I'm sure Director Darren Aronofsky knew what he was doing when he ignored the advice of all the "suits", who wanted him to cast a more "commercial" name.
He says, "After ten years went by and I wasn't working, I thought I'm never comin' back. The only thing I had going was hope." You might think that at 56 years old, he was given a generous opportunity by being offered a part in this film. But I can't imagine any other actor taking his place in this gritty role. I'm sure Director Darren Aronofsky knew what he was doing when he ignored the advice of all the "suits", who wanted him to cast a more "commercial" name. THE WRESTLER didn't contain a lot of Hollywood glamour or special effects. As I mentioned before, a lot of it isn't pretty. It was honest and raw - a very sad story. If you want to see a skillfully crafted story of pain, sadness, regret, fear, loneliness, and even perseverance, go see THE WRESTLER.
Monday, February 02, 2009
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON
I'm sure by now you've heard of THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, and even if you haven't seen it, you probably know the premise anyway: he is born old and ages backwards. Nominated for 13 Academy Awards, it stars Brad Pitt, and also features the beautiful Cate Blanchett as the love of his life, Daisy.
The movie begins with an aged and dying Daisy asking her daughter, Caroline, to read a "journal" to her, which turns out to be Benjamin's life story. Caroline, played by Julia Ormond, doesn't know anything about this "Benjamin" person that she is reading about. We realize that Daisy is unloading some long-kept secrets on her deathbed. It sort of reminded me of TITANIC, with an elderly woman telling the story of the great love of her life. Well, that - and the fact that both movies are 3 hours long.
Benjamin's story begins with his startling birth. No one was as as startled as his father, who grabbed him and ran out of the house, eventually abandoning him on a doorstep. It just so happened to be an old folks home, where a young woman who worked there took him in as her own, expecting he would die soon anyway. Of course, he didn't die immediately, he lived for many years.
When he's about 9 years old, he meets Daisy, who is a child visiting her grandmother. Daisy knows that Benjamin is different, and they become friends. They spend a lot to time playing with each other. He is, after all, a child. In one scene, where they are playing under a table, Daisy's Grandmother pulls her away, and - assuming Benjamin is a grown man - tells him he "should be ashamed" of himself. He cries on his "Mama's" shoulder and asks, "What's wrong with me?". It was heartbreaking.
We see him gradually getting younger, and stronger, growing more hair, etc. Like any young man, he eventually leaves home and tries to find his own way in the world. He works, makes friends, learns how to drink, learns about women, sends Daisy frequent postcards, and once in a while he comes home. Daisy, meanwhile, has gone to NYC to pursue her career as a dancer. After some time, they meet up again, and this time, Benjamin is as good looking as...well, as good looking as Brad Pitt. Benjamin and Daisy's relationship endures many ups and downs before they end up giving in to their love for one another. Soon they discover they are expecting a child. Benjamin is conflicted as reality sets in: He won't be able to be a father to his own child as he continues to grow younger. He also doesn't want Daisy to have to care for "two" children all by herself.
This story was quite thought provoking. It made me think of love and life, and how much time we have with those we love, and how committed we are to them, and that we are who we are, regardless of what we look like. Ironically, even though Benjamin is getting younger instead of older, we are keenly aware of how limited his time is. I also thought about how we look at old people - our grandparents, even our parents - thinking they've always been conservative people. Yet they have a whole lifetime of stories they could tell. Just like Rose on Titanic. And just like Daisy in Benjamin Button.
If anything could have been cut to make this movie shorter, it certainly could have been the story of the clockmaker that is included in the beginning and again at the end. It was told that a man made a clock that was hung in a train station. To everyone's surprise, he made it to run backwards. He explained that perhaps time would go backwards and bring back the young men that had been killed in the war. At the end of the movie, the clock is eventually replaced with a updated working model. We keep waiting for that "A-ha" moment that ties the clock in with Benjamin's case, but there is none. Similarly, when Daisy is on her deathbed, we see that they are waiting for Hurricane Katrina to hit. This fact is emphasized, and we keep thinking that this might also be relevant to the story. It isn't.
But despite those faults, Benjamin Button was a good, entertaining movie. And while it reminded me of Titanic, it seems that this movie reminded others of another movie. So on that note, I'll leave you with this video for your entertainment.
The movie begins with an aged and dying Daisy asking her daughter, Caroline, to read a "journal" to her, which turns out to be Benjamin's life story. Caroline, played by Julia Ormond, doesn't know anything about this "Benjamin" person that she is reading about. We realize that Daisy is unloading some long-kept secrets on her deathbed. It sort of reminded me of TITANIC, with an elderly woman telling the story of the great love of her life. Well, that - and the fact that both movies are 3 hours long.
Benjamin's story begins with his startling birth. No one was as as startled as his father, who grabbed him and ran out of the house, eventually abandoning him on a doorstep. It just so happened to be an old folks home, where a young woman who worked there took him in as her own, expecting he would die soon anyway. Of course, he didn't die immediately, he lived for many years.
When he's about 9 years old, he meets Daisy, who is a child visiting her grandmother. Daisy knows that Benjamin is different, and they become friends. They spend a lot to time playing with each other. He is, after all, a child. In one scene, where they are playing under a table, Daisy's Grandmother pulls her away, and - assuming Benjamin is a grown man - tells him he "should be ashamed" of himself. He cries on his "Mama's" shoulder and asks, "What's wrong with me?". It was heartbreaking.
We see him gradually getting younger, and stronger, growing more hair, etc. Like any young man, he eventually leaves home and tries to find his own way in the world. He works, makes friends, learns how to drink, learns about women, sends Daisy frequent postcards, and once in a while he comes home. Daisy, meanwhile, has gone to NYC to pursue her career as a dancer. After some time, they meet up again, and this time, Benjamin is as good looking as...well, as good looking as Brad Pitt. Benjamin and Daisy's relationship endures many ups and downs before they end up giving in to their love for one another. Soon they discover they are expecting a child. Benjamin is conflicted as reality sets in: He won't be able to be a father to his own child as he continues to grow younger. He also doesn't want Daisy to have to care for "two" children all by herself.
This story was quite thought provoking. It made me think of love and life, and how much time we have with those we love, and how committed we are to them, and that we are who we are, regardless of what we look like. Ironically, even though Benjamin is getting younger instead of older, we are keenly aware of how limited his time is. I also thought about how we look at old people - our grandparents, even our parents - thinking they've always been conservative people. Yet they have a whole lifetime of stories they could tell. Just like Rose on Titanic. And just like Daisy in Benjamin Button.
If anything could have been cut to make this movie shorter, it certainly could have been the story of the clockmaker that is included in the beginning and again at the end. It was told that a man made a clock that was hung in a train station. To everyone's surprise, he made it to run backwards. He explained that perhaps time would go backwards and bring back the young men that had been killed in the war. At the end of the movie, the clock is eventually replaced with a updated working model. We keep waiting for that "A-ha" moment that ties the clock in with Benjamin's case, but there is none. Similarly, when Daisy is on her deathbed, we see that they are waiting for Hurricane Katrina to hit. This fact is emphasized, and we keep thinking that this might also be relevant to the story. It isn't.
But despite those faults, Benjamin Button was a good, entertaining movie. And while it reminded me of Titanic, it seems that this movie reminded others of another movie. So on that note, I'll leave you with this video for your entertainment.
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