On Proposition 8

I don't support gay marriage. I've had gay friends, and I have nothing against gay people generally, but marriage between people of the same sex is a societal perversion. If this is offensive to anyone, I am sorry that you are offended. But I refuse to be among the silent majority on this issue.

I've recently quoted Orson Scott Card regarding Obama on this blog, and I'm about to do so again. The primary reason for this is that I consider some of his articles to be required reading for people who care about this country. He's not very widely-read--no one is anymore. So I'll do my part to get his words out to a slightly greater number of people. This is how the article starts:

On one extreme, we have the idea that the Constitution is a written document that can only be altered by a deliberately time-consuming process of amendment.

On the other extreme, we have the idea that the Constitution means whatever a group of judges says it means.

The Constitution itself belongs to the first group -- it declares that it can only be changed through the amendment process.

Later, regarding Proposition 8, he says:

In California, if Proposition 8 fails to pass, gay-marriage proponents will claim that this constitutes public approval of gay marriage.

Of course this is not true. Many people who have telephoned people about Prop. 8 have heard the person who answers the phone say, "No gay marriage! I am voting no on Prop. 8!" But when you try to explain that if you don't want gay marriage, you have to vote yes on Prop. 8, they often get confused.

But let's step back a little. There should never have been a Proposition 8.

You can and should read the whole thing here. I hope that many more wise people will begin to offer similar sentiments in the near future, but for now, digest this article. I guarantee it will be the most important thing you read today.

Perceiving Persepolis

An-EMT has been, more or less, a success. Last Tuesday was the third week running. And what An-EMT it was.

We went with animation. Not specifically because it was animated, but because it was a highly-acclaimed film (95% on Rotten Tomatoes), and it was very different from the film we'd watched the week before (The Fall).

Persepolis is an uncompromisingly great animated film, meaning it was strong both as a film and as cutting edge, high-minded animation. The film is based on an autobiographical graphic novel by Marjane Satrapi, and it is French, even though Sister Satrapi is Iranian.

The story is a powerful mix of Iranian history and rich character development, and it's hard to gauge which of the two is more compelling. The historical aspect is so personal that it altogether avoids coming off as didactic. And the character development reaches far beyond the main character and lifts up every significant face in the film. Satrapi revealed each of them with utmost sincerity and affection, and, to no lesser an effect, with incredible skill.

This animated adaptation of what I'm sure must have been a superb graphic novel also does what you always hope an animated film will do: it uses the medium. No transition was wasted; no possibility for visual illustration of theme, idea, attitude or emotion was left unused. The film was able to wander all over the artistic world it built for itself without ever sacrificing efficiency of storytelling or losing the audience.

I could barely contain myself after this film. Because though I can't define this masterpiece as a "feel good" film, it made me laugh, made me sad, made me hope, and made me love. And at the end, I felt very, very good--because I felt like it had just given me something valuable and rare: a uniquely artistic insight into a profound life's experience.

I'm a Conservative, Yo

I just spent the last hour watching stuff this guy has posted on YouTube. It was time well spent. I know the video below is almost ten minutes long, but you spend three times that watching an episode of The Office. Get on this. It's good stuff.

"I fell..."

Last night, as I was walking down the long flight of stairs on my trip back home from campus, I took quite a spill. Just one of those foot-too-far slips that brings you down onto the hard, hard concrete. I'm fine. The skin of my forearm took all of the weight as I came down, so all I've got to show for falling down stairs yesterday is a pretty awesome, deep six-inch scrape between my wrist and my elbow. It'll be a sweet scar.

I was on my way home, but not home home, since I was actually on my way to my neighbor's to watch a film called The Fall. Yes yes, I know, soooo ironic--you're very clever for thinking, "Hey, you fell on your way to see a movie called The Fall!" I'm so impressed by your cleverness.

This post isn't about me falling. It's about THE Fall, a magnificently stunning film that I've now seen twice within the space of approximately four days.

First of all: See this film. See it because it's beautiful; see it because it's heartbreaking; see it because it's sweet, funny, moving, and epic. But, most of all, see it because there will never be another film like it. Ever.

The Fall was filmed in about 18 different countries over a period of around four years. None of the locations were altered or enhanced by CGI effects--they are all completely real. The places you will see in this film actually exist. They are awe-inspiring, breathtaking, unbelievable, and you will never forget the journey.

The story: A five year old girl with a broken arm meets a man in his twenties with a broken back. They're both in the hospital, waiting to be well again. Which, for her, means having her arm healed, and, for him, is less certain, since he will likely never walk again.

When she meets him, he offers to tell her an epic story. She, a bottomlessly curious and imaginative little girl, accepts immediately. As he tells the story, we see what she sees in her mind: beauty beyond words.

The actual themes and story of this film are quite good, but not life-changingly so. The film's final strength lies in the delicate, dazzling visual feast, the near perfect score and sound design, and the fact that the story, characters and dialog never once distract by not being good enough. They are all good enough to allow the audience to become fully immersed in the fantasy and glory of the true strengths.

I should also mention that Alexandria is possibly the most enchanting little person I've ever seen on screen. She is perfect. Lee Pace is very, very good as the charming but depressed Roy, but Alexandria steals every frame she's in.

One more time: See this film. It is rated 'R,' but for no good reason. You'll see some blood, but nothing you haven't seen in a hundred comic book movies. This particular movie would have been the best example all year of what a PG-13 film ought to look like. But such is our ratings system.

And finally, here is a link to the trailer. Be sure to watch it in HD if you can. 480p is usually safe.