Haiku #358 - Fare Thee Well, 2010

1

Written on 11:09 PM by Jack B.

The year that was not
Bad as I thought it would be
Remembered fondly

Apophysis: Auld Lang Syne

0

Written on 1:50 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Gold Strikes

0

Written on 10:49 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Slow Motion

0

Written on 6:37 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #357 - The 8th Night of Chanukah

1

Written on 10:16 PM by Jack B.

Victory of faith
Spread the word forever more
Festival of Lights

Haiku #356 - The 7th Night of Chanukah

2

Written on 10:39 PM by Jack B.

Presence evident
Lights flicker; do not flame out
Continued burning

Haiku #355 - The 6th Night of Chanukah

1

Written on 9:28 PM by Jack B.

More time is needed
To make fresh supply of oil
Can light last longer?

Haiku #354 - The 5th Day of Chanukah

2

Written on 8:39 PM by Jack B.

Drip, drip goes the oil
Into candelabra arms
Tiny flames appear

Haiku #353 - The 4th Night of Chanukah

3

Written on 10:17 PM by Jack B.

Not enough oil left
To light up the menorah
Need a miracle

Haiku #352 - The 3rd Night of Chanukah

2

Written on 10:15 PM by Jack B.

Only made possible
By the hammer of Judah
Called the Maccabee

Haiku #351 - The 2nd Night of Chanukah

3

Written on 11:24 PM by Jack B.

Antiochus reign
Veiled the Holy of Holies
We must cleanse temple

Apophysis: Flaming Eagle

2

Written on 12:30 AM by Jack B.

Haiku #350 - The 1st Night of Chanukah

1

Written on 10:59 PM by Jack B.

Victory is won
False gods gone; light must return
Someone get the oil

Apophysis: Purple Band

5

Written on 10:45 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #349

2

Written on 10:22 PM by Jack B.

Plenty leftovers
Can last one several weeks
Always cook too much

Apophysis: Feathering

0

Written on 12:08 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #348 - For Thanksgiving

2

Written on 12:00 PM by Jack B.

Thankful for blessings
Yet for the bad things in life
Whom do we thank then

Apophysis: Burst

0

Written on 10:43 AM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Wayward Wind

0

Written on 5:31 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Pot

0

Written on 10:16 AM by Jack B.

Haiku #347 - Halloween

1

Written on 4:55 PM by Jack B.

Dressed up like turkeys
Asking Santa Claus for treats
On All Hallow's Eve

Apophysis: Bramma Waves

0

Written on 12:34 AM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Half-Wing

0

Written on 10:06 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Caverns

0

Written on 8:22 PM by Jack B.

Luc Besson's "The Messenger": How NOT To Make A Film Based on a Historical Personage

9

Written on 8:19 PM by Jack B.

Back in August, The Mad Monarchist had a review of a truly terrible film, Luc Besson's 1999 purported biography, The Messenger: The Story of Joan of Arc. It's well worth reading (and if you haven't seen the film and may one day be considering it, please do so - it'll save you 2+ hours of your life).





As someone who loves Joan of Arc and believes, much like that legendary cynic Mark Twain, that she was "by far the most extraordinary person the human race has ever produced" I find the film nauseating and disrespectful and don't want to waste time explaining it. But it is a foremost example of what NOT to do if you are planning on making a film on a historical person.
When you have to begin your movie about one of the most chronicled people in pre-modern history (we know more about Joan through her trials and re-trials than virtually any other person in medieval history) with a gigantic lie - that of her sister (who DID exist and was NOT murdered) being murdered and raped all because the filmmakers could not imagine Joan actually being motivated by anything so "silly" as patriotism or religious sentiment then you know the movie is not worth it. And it doesn't help when you pretend your main characters is Joan of Arc when it's really someone you made up - the thing about Joan was (and this struck people at the time) is that all the while she said God had sent her she was very normal, plain-spoken, even keeled, she was even very witty, smart and sharp (read some of her testimony and see what I mean). Milla Jovovich portrayed her a screwed-up manic religious fanatic - not the kind of person that could have scared the English or inspired the French.


Filmmaker/writer Ron Maxwell wrote an in-depth takedown of "The Messenger" when it first came out that points out virtually everything wrong with the film.  And Virginia Frohlick's Saint Joan of Arc Center website has the lowdown on the "real" Jehanne la Pucelle (Joan the Maid).

Apophysis: Roses Bloom

0

Written on 8:17 PM by Jack B.

The Playoffs are Here!

0

Written on 10:55 AM by Jack B.

So the baseball playoffs are starting. I haven't really blogged throughout this season if only because - as a Yankees fan - I was just expecting my team to make the playoffs. The fact they lost to the Rays for the American League East title doesn't really mean anything these days (sad but true). Wild Card Teams have gone on to the World Series. THIS is when the season really begins. THIS is why Brian Cashman (and every other GM) stockpiles players with zillion dollar contracts who don't do much in the regular season (yes, I'm looking at you AJ Burnett). THIS is the time to start paying attention - because in a limited series anything can happen and any pitcher can shut down a team and anyone can get a lucky bloop hit and POOF! the series is over and the underdog has won.

Sooo, having said that.....GO YANKEES!

Apophysis: Shake

0

Written on 11:27 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #346

1

Written on 10:48 AM by Jack B.

Enough of rainy days
How can anything get done
By staying indoors

Haiku #345

1

Written on 1:56 PM by Jack B.

This a dying month
Opening with such promise
Goes out with a sigh

Apophysis: The Pond

1

Written on 6:17 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Battery

0

Written on 10:37 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #344

1

Written on 9:46 PM by Jack B.

A moment of peace
Amid the world’s distractions
Hard to attain it

Haiku #343

1

Written on 10:28 PM by Jack B.

Remember that day
One you wanted to forget
Well it just passed by

Apophysis: Splatter

0

Written on 8:07 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #342

1

Written on 3:24 PM by Jack B.

High humidity

Sweat pours down in bucketfuls

Perspiration sucks

Haiku #341

2

Written on 7:40 PM by Jack B.

Insurance issues

Coverage so byzantine

Hard to decipher

Haiku #340

13

Written on 5:43 PM by Jack B.

Waiting on the door

Open and reveal what lies

Beyond that first step

Apophysis: Purple Rays

0

Written on 6:52 PM by Jack B.



Apophysis: Reflect

0

Written on 9:33 PM by Jack B.



Haiku #339

1

Written on 10:27 PM by Jack B.

What is this thing sleep

Lethargy fills the body

Overcome the senses

Haiku #338

5

Written on 5:00 PM by Jack B.

These things are too tight

Leave an imprint on the skin

Size is deceiving

Apophysis: Lost Spaces

1

Written on 7:30 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: StormEye

3

Written on 10:49 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #337

4

Written on 9:11 PM by Jack B.

On a crowded bus

Barely room enough to stand

The price of cut backs

Apophysis: Discordant

0

Written on 5:52 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #336

1

Written on 10:16 PM by Jack B.

Saw a sign that said

Certified pre-owned autos

In other words - used

Apophysis: Hold Back

2

Written on 8:57 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Busy

0

Written on 6:09 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Ancient

2

Written on 5:36 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #335

4

Written on 3:53 PM by Jack B.

I had things to say

They just slipped my mind a bit

It happens often

Haiku #334

1

Written on 7:06 AM by Jack B.

How does one respond

To questions with no answers

Just fake your way through

Apophysis: Want A Cracker

0

Written on 11:38 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #333

2

Written on 11:27 PM by Jack B.

In the afternoon

The heat rises to ninety

Too hot to do much

Haiku #332

2

Written on 8:36 PM by Jack B.

Making travel plans

Harder than it first appears

Just too much to do

Apophysis: Overlap

0

Written on 8:44 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #331

4

Written on 8:09 PM by Jack B.

Some illnesses still

Aren’t healed by medicine

Like pain of heartbreak

Apophysis: Diamond Tail

0

Written on 9:39 PM by Jack B.

Apophysis: Blue-Limb

1

Written on 9:55 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #330

2

Written on 10:48 PM by Jack B.

Says ninety-nine cents

But after you add the taxes

More than a dollar

Apophysis: Radiowave

0

Written on 10:00 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #329

1

Written on 11:33 PM by Jack B.

I dream of silence

Words appear but say nothing

They have no meaning

Haiku #328

2

Written on 11:30 PM by Jack B.

Stuck in between two

People yakking on their phones

My ears start to ring

Apophysis: Connected 2

0

Written on 5:36 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #327

2

Written on 11:20 PM by Jack B.

Heat wave upon us

Who knows how long it will last

Time to get out fans

Apophysis: Break in the Road

0

Written on 1:39 AM by Jack B.

Haiku #326

2

Written on 8:33 AM by Jack B.

Who pays attention

To what’s on television

It’s all the same thing

Apophysis: Branches

1

Written on 5:58 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #325

0

Written on 11:02 PM by Jack B.

Nothing more thrilling

Then the Yanks win in the ninth

Beating Papelbon

Apophysis: Vanishing Man

0

Written on 12:03 AM by Jack B.

Haiku #324

1

Written on 10:59 PM by Jack B.

What is the purpose

Day by day on floating rock
Why us and why now


Haiku #323

2

Written on 1:20 PM by Jack B.

Met a man today
Had the face of a bulldog
Bark of a gerbil

Apophysis: Looping

0

Written on 6:17 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #322

1

Written on 2:41 PM by Jack B.

A lazy day’s snooze
Worries take a holiday
What the weekend’s for

Apophysis: Gazelle

0

Written on 11:01 AM by Jack B.

Haiku #321

3

Written on 1:58 PM by Jack B.

A dark empty space
Cavity within the heart
Where a soul once lay

Haiku #320

2

Written on 10:52 PM by Jack B.

Use some strategy
Time to go on the offense
Or no chance to win

Haiku #319

2

Written on 10:24 AM by Jack B.

Allergies abound
Sneezing despite the weather
Pollen stay away

Haiku #318

1

Written on 11:17 PM by Jack B.

Alarm clock goes off
Effort to get out of bed
Another Monday

Haiku #317

1

Written on 9:09 PM by Jack B.

Season starts again
Summer boys return to play
Head for bleacher seats

Haiku #316 - For Good Friday

2

Written on 11:18 PM by Jack B.

Tied and nailed to wood
One beaten body cries out
The rest is silence

Apophysis: Sea Foam

0

Written on 8:24 PM by Jack B.

Haiku #315

2

Written on 10:13 PM by Jack B.

Alone he lies still
Arm falls off the bed and hangs
A shabby ending

Haiku #314

1

Written on 6:10 PM by Jack B.

Storms don't stop coming
One right after another
What global warming

Haiku #313

2

Written on 10:29 PM by Jack B.

Clumps of snow fall fast
City covered in white mist
Careful how you walk

Haiku #312

1

Written on 11:14 AM by Jack B.

Snapping chewing gum
Annoys people next to you
Spit or swallow it

Haiku #311

1

Written on 11:07 AM by Jack B.

In the wake of storms
Clean up takes twice the effort
When forecasts were wrong

Haiku #310

1

Written on 10:05 PM by Jack B.

People talk so loud
Listener inches away
Inexplicable

Haiku #309

5

Written on 10:49 PM by Jack B.

Month passes quickly
January like a stone
Rolling right by us