Mark P. Shea's Blog, page 1309

Manalive Sneak Preview

Joey Odendahl, our director, sends along this sneak preview of Manalive. It's the whole scene of which the trailer was just a taste. Kevin O'Brien, our intrepid crew and yr obdt. svt. shot this about two or three days before we wrapped in late March 2009 (it took two days to shoot). It's a pivotal moment in the formation of Innocent Smith's oddly dangerous-and-harmless childlikeness (the childlikeness is more evident in the rest of the story). We showed this scene at the 2010 Chesterton Conference and it seemed to play well. Hope you like it. Now I'm curious to see the rest of the film.  Please be kind if my acting suckage quotient is too high. If you think of it, pray for the success of the project.



When I watch this scene, I think of three things: pizza (cuz that's what we munched together at lunch), hanging around and chatting with Kevin, and sand flies (because Kevin and I went out to the coast that evening with a friend and ate al fresco at a seafood restaurant that had lots of little sand flies buzzing around). 

Here's a couple of shots of us doing the hurry up and wait routine which, as I discovered, is what shooting a scene consists of, at least for actors (the crew works all the time):

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My abiding memory of this scene is of our photographer (the guy with the hat at the bottom) crouched on a handtruck and being wheeled backward away from me as I aimed the pistol right into his camera while delivering my lines. Also, Kevin's curious transition from Serious Pessimist Thinker to channelling Don Knotts still cracks me up.  The things we do for the love of Chesterton.

Prayer Request

A reader writes:

My uncle (not by blood, my aunt's husband) was admitted to the hospital last week. Doctros have discovered a number of tumors on his pancreas and growths on his liver. (Relatively) happily, they've traced it to his stomach, which means that he might have about a year at this point, which is much more optimistic than was originally thought. He is 74.

We would all very much appreciate prayers for him and for his wife--they have been married for 16 years and together for about 25--that he be in as little pain and as much comfort as possible.

Father, here our prayer for this man's complete healing, for him to experient minimum pain and maximum comfort, and for those who love him that they be comforted and strengthened. Grant skill and compassion to his caregivers. Mother Mary, pray for them. We ask this through Christ our Lord!

Urgent Need and Prayer Request

...for a family of Catholics devastated by the recent tornado. A reader writes:

Tuesday's tornado in Oklahoma hit one family particularly hard. The pregnant mother and her children were hiding in the bathtub when the tornado hit. The tornado pulled the children from her arms, critically injuring her and their 5 year old, killing their 15 month old and sending their 3 year old missing. After a two day search, the body of the 3 year old, Ryan Hamil, was found this morning. The dad was away from the house for business. Local news has a fuller account.

A fund has been established to cover medical expenses for the Hamils and the cost of the children's caskets. The Hamils are faithful members of a Latin Mass community in Oklahoma City and could use whatever help, prayers or otherwise, that folks could spare. The donation site can be found here.

Father, pour forth your healing and help to this family in this dreadful time through your Son Jesus. Grant eternal life to these children and give hope to the living till the all meet again in Heaven, where there will be no more tears. Mother Mary, pray for them!

Gone!

...to our Hidden Island Redoubt starting tomorrow, so I will see you all on Tuesday!

Please pray for good weather and good health for our crew as we vacate the premises!

Ciao and God bless you all through our Lord Jesus!

Climate Change, Source of All Evil on Planet Earth

Climate Change will not only scratch your CD collection, hide your car keys, and date your girlfriend behind your back, it will also give you allergies. Is there *anything* it can't do?

Planking is the New Craze Down Under

But it's weird enough it might catch on here. Zac Alstin ponders this odd new phenom, while I check the calendar and see if the 20s are back or something.

A reader writes

A couple of months back I wrote asking that you post a prayer request concerning an American couple's attempt to adopt a child from Russia with Down Syndrome. The Russian judge opposed this because she believed that the child was "better off in an institution". Fortunately, that judge's ruling has been overturned effective immediately and the process of final adoption has begun. Here is a link with more details. Thank you so much.

Thanks be to God through our Lord Jesus!

Reason to Homeschool #43985734985223984722309872

Your kid will not be subjected to ham-fisted agitprop like this:

A one-hour elementary school lesson on gender diversity featuring all-girl geckos and transgender clownfish caused a stir in Oakland on Monday, with conservative legal defense organizations questioning the legitimacy of the topic and providing legal counsel to parents who opposed the instruction.

No gay recruitment here. Shut up and pay your taxes, California.

Interesting followup to the Joe Carter piece

Another refugee from the Thing that Used to Be Conservatism wakes up:



The Empire will end, whether through voluntary recall of the troops and abandonment of our faith in building the Great Society abroad--or through the collapse of our economy and civilization. If you will not obey the law of God and common sense--you will obey the law of gravity.

On a related note, let me say that Catholics are not bereft of guidance if they turn away from the leadership provided by the disk jockeys and Machiavellians who have taken over the Thing That Used to Be Conservatism. It turns out the Church still has some rather good teachers who not only conserve what should be conserved, but give us help in applying it in sensible ways that put human beings, rather than party or ideology, first. If one is an X-Con who has not connection to history and has been living in the Talk Radio Echo Chamber, one good way of escaping that stultifying and fetid cell is to get in contact with a Tradition that has roots going back 4000 years.

Mammon Worship Illustrated

That's not insane or anything.

HT: Caelum et Terra