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Last night Terri and I went to the movies. It was there that I realized ...

If you're on a date, the best place to sit in a movie theater is directly behind two short people. Because nothing is more irritating than a giant cranium rising like a black hole sun into the horizon of the screen. But if you can find two short people to sit behind, there is a one hundred percent chance that that will not happen.

***

Before the movie started, there was a commercial for 3D televisions. During it, Terri remarked to me: "It would make me nauseous to watch stuff in 3D all the time."

I replied: "But dear, we see stuff in 3D all the time."

She remained silent for a few seconds, before replying: "Shut up."

It's nice to win one every now and then.

***

The film Terri and I watched, by the way, was Toy Story 3. Terri and Mark give it two thumbs way up. I say it is the funniest and most suspenseful of the three, with a truly Mission Impossible-esque storyline. Great fun.

Came across Psalm 125 yesterday:

Those who put their trust in the Lord
are like Mt. Zion, that cannot be shaken,
that stands forever.

Trust is difficult for someone like me. Someone who is very cerebral and likes to have all the answers all the time.

It is good to know God and know HIs word and His ways as much as we possibly can. But we can never know even our closest earthly friends so well as to completely understand everything they want and exactly what they are up to all the time. There will always be moments where they have to say to us, "Trust me."

How much more often, then, will God say to us, "Trust me," and how foolish would we be not to oblige.

In a relationship with an earthly friend, provided the friend is reliable and trustworthy, clarity as to what he is up to often comes only after our trust is placed in him.

Like in the movie Aladdin when the title character asks Princess Jasmine:

Do you trust me?

She doesn't know what he's up to until after she says, "Yyyeeeesss?"

Now again it is true: "Trust me" moments are easier the better we know someone. The better we know a person, the more confident we can be that he will not use our trust to take advantage of or hurt us. The second time Aladdin asks Jasmine if she trusts him, she says "Yes" with much greater ease and confidence that everything will be all right. So with God*.

But as with a regular person, we are limited by our singular vantage point. We can't know anyone completely. To demand to know a person completely before trusting is to trust no one ever.

So with God, when we stop trying to completely understand Him and His motives and simply trust Him, and let Him do His work in our hearts, the answers we wanted so badly before we trusted Him will naturally come to us. But trust has to come first.

Every morning when we wake up, God asks us: "Do you trust me?" And we have to answer Yes or No. If you answer yes, don't be surprised if He grabs your hand and tells you to jump.






*who similarly is trying to win our hearts, though dissimilarly not by disguising who He really is.

Last night, T, her maid of honor, and I watched the Disney film The Princess and the Frog.

I've only been to New Orleans once in my life, which is weird for a Cajun boy from Lafayette. But based on my limited experience, it's pretty spot on. Spot on in a cliché way of course, but as my fiancé observed, they were respectful of the Cajun people. The writers could have been a ot more ridiculous and poked a lot more fun at Cajun culture. But then, if they had, the last thing you would see is a group of politically correct Cajuns protesting the movie. There's no Association Against the Defamation of Cajuns or anything like that.

Some parts of Cajun culture are omitted from the film -- including its deep religious elements. I found it interesting that the clearest depiction of religion or the supernatural was the voodoo villain Dr. Facilier. There is a good-guy voodoo lady in the film as well, but of course, she fights voodoo with more voodoo. Other than them the closest thing to religion in the film is wishing on a star. The central character recognizes at one point in the film the utter futility of doing so, while the voodoo powers are clearly very real from beginning to end.

This is not a big surprise, of course. It's a Diseny movie, and Disney has never been about the kind of religion one finds in the real world. Disney is about "magic." Disney characters don't pray. They "wish upon a star," because that is supposedly more appealing to a mass audience.

None of this is a deal-breaker, mind you. The movie is fun and laugh-out-loud funny at times. The characters are all endearing in their own way. The coolest one is Ray, an adorable firefly who helps guide the central characters through the swamp. Ray's Cajun accent is uncanny. He is voiced by Jim Cummings, who among other things has provided the voice for WInnie the Pooh (and Tigger too) going back to the 1980s.

I give it three stars out of four, which in the world of Ebert and Roeper is a thumbs up. I liked it.

... Ha! I just looked up Roger Ebert's review and he gave it three stars too! He actually makes the good point that the film reverts back to classic Disney animation. No CGI, no 3-D chicanery. Just great and simply drawn characters living in a world of painted backdrops. Awesome.

And the film got 84 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. If you haven't seen this movie yet, and you're looking for some funny, classically animated Disney adventure, this won't knock your socks off but it is a safe bet.

This past weekend, my fiance and I went to see the recent DreamWorks animated feature, "How to Train Your Dragon," which I think should have been called "The Dragon Whisperer." Perhaps that would make a good title for a sequel?

But my qualm with the title is pretty much the only thing wrong with the film, which has scored a phenomenal 98 percent at Rotten Tomatoes.

Everything about the movie is done well. It kicks right off with a fiery bang, like a U2 concert. The art and animation are excellent. The score is awesome. The character and relationships development is deep and feels real. And, it's funny.

Most of the film feels real, even though it's about dragons, and depicts a community of Vikings some of whom have heavy Scottish accents. (review continued below)

The movie seized the top spot at the box office again this weekend, after being released March 26 and falling off the top spot. My suspicion is that word will spread, and more people will recommend seeing the movie in 3D. If Avatar is any indication, movies shown in and made for 3D will start have a lot more longevity. This movie is a perfect 3D experience. The flying and battle sequences are pitch perfect.

But the characters who occupy the 3D world, both the Vikes and the dragons, are moving and relatable.

When the main character, Hiccup, first encounters the dragon up close, we react exactly as he does. The relatioship that develops between the two is almost on the level of E.T. or the Iron Giant. Indeed, certain moments may move some viewers close to tears.

I don't want to give away too many details. Suffice to say, you will not be disappointed. It is funny, exhilirating, and warm-hearted. Go see it.

... Oh and in case anyone's wondering, my fiance liked it too.

I sure didn't.

From the Catholic News Agency:

While resting up at Castel Gandolfo, the Holy Father will be taking the time to catch a film on Friday. The Pontiff will watch "Under the Roman Sky," a movie about Hitler's treatment of the Jews in Rome and his attempt to kidnap Pope Pius XII.

Whoa. Seriously?

At least some people seem to think so. In 2007 a book was published on the subject by Washington reporter Dan Kurzman. The broader aim of the book, "A Special Mission," was to refute the myth of Pius XII as "Hitler's Pope."

The kidnapping story is not without its skeptics. Wikipedia actually has a page on Hitler's "alleged" plot to kidnap Pius XII. Some say it did happen, and some say it was just a rumor that was spread by allied propagandists.

As for the movie, Pius XII is played by actor James Cromwell, who played a chauffeur with superhuman strength in Murder By Death (1976), a kindly sheep farmer who befriends a pig in Babe (1995), and Jack Bauer's evil dad in season 6 of 24.

The mini-series is set in the streets of Rome during the Nazi occupation. According to Italy's AGI News, the plot develops along the course of nine months, and features Jews being taken from the ghetto and a failed attempt by the Nazis to abduct the Pope.

The film, made by the Italian production company Lux Vide, also illustrates the Church's efforts to protect and save Jews during the war, the very subject that raised a considerable amount controversy after Pope Benedict declared Pius XII "Venerable" on Dec. 19, 2009

I can't help imagining what Quentin Tarantino's version of this whole scenario might look like. The SS surrounds St. Peter's square, and hiding in the chapel is the Holy Father with his Swiss guards, who morph into a band of super-assassins. ... I'll just stop right there.