Weekend Reads (May 7): Ranking MCU Movies, Narnia, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Black Holes
Recommended weekend reading material for May 7, 2022.
Every week, I compile a list of interesting and thought-provoking articles to offer you some enjoyable weekend reading material.
Now that Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness is in theaters, Alonso Duralde has ranked all 28(!) of the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies. Let the nerdy debates and nitpicking begin.
Related: My review of the first Doctor Strange movie, which I saw on election night of 2016 and turned out to be rather comforting in light of the results.
Also Related: My roundup of critic reactions to Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness.
Here in America, comic books are usually associated with superheroes like the aforementioned Doctor Strange. But in Mexico, comic book offerings were much more diverse.
While in the United States “comic book” can be read as a synonym for “superhero,” such a correlation has not traditionally existed in Mexico. Mexican artists during their Golden Age were more interested in other kinds of content. This doesn’t mean there weren’t any superheroes — Fantomas, El Santo and Kalimán come to mind — but you were more likely to find other sorts of local comic books. And when people thought comic books, they probably thought historietas, monitos, una de vaqueros, all of which conjure something very far from Superman, Batman or the X-Men.
Mere Orthodoxy recently published the winners of their Chronicles of Narnia contest, in which various authors made a case for their favorite book in the series. Chandler Moore submitted this defense of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
To some extent, arguing for the best book of Narnia feels wrong, almost like choosing a favorite book of the Bible. Does not all Scripture point us to Christ? Is it not all to be treasured as God’s Word and therefore equally adored? In a similar vein we may hesitate to choose our favorite tale from the magical pen of Lewis. Does not each story add to the collective wonder that is Narnia? Shall we really compare the silver curves of Luna to that joyful giant Jove? And yet, just as I have my favorite book of Scripture, I also have my most beloved adventure in Narnia. Indeed, it my belief that it is only through The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe that we discover the real heart, and true wonder, of Narnia; it is only at the Stone Table that we behold the complete glory, and full power, of Aslan.
Click here to see all of the contest winners.
The Arts & Faith community has compiled a list of the top 25 spiritually significant movie musicals. Some of the titles on the list should be obvious, but a few — like The Muppet Movie and What’s Opera, Doc? — might take you by surprise. You can read more about the selection process here.
I think the final list shows the type of growth that comes from expanding our horizons. Much like Mary Poppins was a gateway for me to other riches that movie musicals have to offer, I hope this list will be a springboard for whoever encounters it — either to more movie musicals or to other Arts and Faith film lists.
Arts & Faith have also published similar lists on topics including growing older, horror, marriage, and mercy.
Brett McCracken reviews several recent movies and TV series that explore the ramifications and effects of technology.
In recent years, one theme has shown up again and again in movies and television: technology. From Black Mirror to Bo Burnham’s Inside, from The Social Network to The Social Dilemma, there’s no shortage of thought-provoking reflections on the moral dimensions and ethical questions arising in a world where technological development often outpaces the cultivation of wisdom. It’s not just limited to the science-fiction genre, either. These days, comedies, dramas, and even martial art action films (see below) are also wrestling with technology-related themes.
The 2022 inductees into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame have been announced, and they include Pat Benatar, Duran Duran, Eminem, and Dolly Parton. Parton originally turned down her nomination, claiming she hadn’t earned the right, but the Hall of Fame said they would induct her anyway. The induction ceremony is on November 5.
Artists who were nominated but didn’t make the cut this year include Beck, Kate Bush, New York Dolls, and Dionne Warwick.
Google has announced Noto, “a typeface for the world” that’s designed to be “perfect for harmonious, aesthetic, and typographically correct global communication, in more than 1,000 languages and over 150 writing systems.” The typeface contains 184 families, including Arabic, Bengali, Cherokee, Hebrew, Japanese, and Korean. Via Kottke.
If you give an article a title like “How Black Holes Radiate God’s Glory,” then I am contractually obligated to read it.
The insight or genius of general relatively is that space and time, instead of being abstractions or kind of empty spaces, are now understood as these dynamic quantities. As energy moves through space and time, it actually warps space and time, and they could become so warped that they would rupture. If you get a star that’s massive enough, the gravitational pull is so strong that it collapses on itself and that’s a black hole. So people started thinking about black holes theoretically and eventually found evidence. We even found that in the center of our galaxy there is this massive black hole.
The connection here is that when we look at creation, we expect to see an orderly, coherent creation. For Einstein, it is a philosophical idea that ultimately derives from the notion that there is a unified order. And that’s what you would expect if there is a God who created it.
I used to be heavily into apologetics (i.e., rational defenses for the Christian faith). I think apologetic are incredibly useful, but in my own life, it led to little more than argumentation and smugness on my part. That being said, I’m always fascinated by the ways in science can lead us to reverence, awe, and yes, even worship.
Finally, a woman in Texas bought a stone bust at a Goodwill for $34.99. It turned out to be a 2,000-year-old Roman antique.
This week, it went on display at the San Antonio Museum of Art, next to signage acknowledging Ms. Young’s role in discovering it after the bust’s improbable, 2,000-year journey from ancient Rome to the Goodwill Boutique on Far West Boulevard.
Next year, it will be returned to the Bavarian government under an agreement with Ms. Young that ended her own complex relationship with the ancient artifact, which she had kept on a credenza in her living room for the last three and a half years.
That’s way cooler than the coolest thing I ever bought at a thrift store: a vintage Winger t-shirt like this one.
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