Another Bit of Christmas Cheer

After watching Glass Onion a few years back I decided to give the sequel Wake Up Dead Man a go. I'm not in love with Benoit Blanc, the supposedly master detective character, and the cast of characters from the first film were very unlikeable, but I did think the writing was okay. This sequel is star-studded and filled with a lot of religious hoopla, both downsides for me, but what the heck. It's Christmas!

The premise: a former boxer and currently disgraced young Catholic priest is sent to a remote parish where the old priest in charge is chasing off his congregation with his fiery and highly prejudiced attitude. From the beginning the old priest takes a strong dislike to the young one, and does everything he can to patronize and alienate him. The old priest also has a bizarre control hold on a small group of his most loyal parishoners, all of whom seem to be worshipping him instead of God. Then the old priest is murdered in the middle of mass, and everyone decides to blame the young priest for the killing.

Upside: I did like seeing Andrew Scott in the movie; he's one of my favorite actors from Sherlock, and he plays a washed up SF writer character which tickled me. Downsides: alas, a lot. With the exception of the young priest the characters in this film (including the supposedly master detective) are basically all unlikeable; some you actually hate from the start. My time is precious; I don't want to waste it watching a bunch of people I dislike that much, and I almost wish I hadn't this time. The puzzle, as with the first movie, was almost too intricate. The disrespect to the Catholic faith is obvious, and toward the end almost lampoonish. While I'm not bothered by that I know the faithful will be.

Wake Up Dead Man isn't a terrible film, but it's not a great one, either. Available on Netflix.

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Stuff

After finding this Caron one pound skein of lovely peach yarn in my thrifted lot I raided my stash for two cakes of Mandala in Pegasus, which matches it perfectly. For practice and hand therapy I'm going to make another Worth Street Afghan with this free pattern , but this time I'll use the yarn that was recommended for it plus the one pound skein. I'm not quite ready to do the vintage/recycled linen quilt I had planned (still a bit too nervous about the idea), so I'm going to use some color therapy and make a quilt from these thrifted green fat quarters. I considered doing another Yellow Brick road patchwork pattern, but I might go with a split rail fence like this one.

Journal Find

This is a page from my 2010 poetry journal. My handwriting isn't the best, so I'll transcribe it: If my heart survives to tell all the secrets kept inside it will be an abalone shell in which the beauty did reside. But I think I will always be lost to the tides that rage in me . . . humbling and polishing . . . I don't write many self-portrait poems, but this one isn't too embarrassing. A bit overly dramatic, but the girl I was eleven years ago went through some tough times. I'm in a much more peaceful place today.

Fasten Your Seatbelt

Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds is an epic, dazzling film that hurls you into the Korean version of the afterlife while showcasing some of the most impressive special effects I've ever seen in any movie. The story begins with the death of firefighter Kim Ja-Hong (Cha Tae-hyun) who jumps out of a burning building with a child in his arms. The kid lives, but he dies at the scene. Two strangers inform him that he has passed away right on schedule, and toss him into a vortex that takes him to the world of the afterlife, where he meets his three guardians: Gang-rim (Ha Jung-woo), Haewonmak (Ju Ji-hoon) and Lee Deok-choon (Kim Hyang-gi). At the gates of the afterlife Ja-Hong learns that he is considered a paragon (an exemplary person who lived a noble and self-sacrificing life) and is eligible to be reincarnated -- but there's a catch. First he has 49 days to make it through seven hells in which he will be judged on his sins. His three guardians will help and defend...

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