1. I think I’ve shared this before, but it’s funny and brilliant and bears repeating: “From time to time, as we all know, a sect appears in our midst announcing that the world will very soon come to an end.  Generally, by some slight confusion or miscalculation, it is the sect that comes to an end.” - Chesterton
2. Congratulations on completing your first semester of diaconal studies!
3. Are you familiar with the stage production of Les Miserables?  If so, are any songs cut or truncated for the film?  There are a couple numbers, which I do think should be shortened or deleted for a better story arc.
4. Any word on Zero Dark Thirty?  I was initially not looking forward to it (not being the biggest fan of The Hurt Locker), but the review at Christianity Today made it sound promising.

Evan:
 
1. Yes, that’s awesome! Thanks for sharing!
 
2. Thank you! I am coasting on a high of the past week’s accomplishments and looking forward to relaxing next week for the first time in…gosh, I don’t want to think how long it’s been.
 
3. I’ve seen the musical on Broadway once. A friend of mine with extensive theater experience who has been obsessed with all things Les Miz since she read the unabridged novel at 13, and who loved the film, says that they made mostly judicious cuts that eliminate redundancies and so forth — and that interestingly the film eliminates many of the more morally dodgy lines/verses.
 
4. Nothing yet on Zero Dark Thirty. I’ll let you know.

Congratulations on completing what I have no doubt was a successful semester! At times during the latter part of this past semester I was actually hoping the world would end…but since it wouldn’t happen until finals were over anyway, there was little point.
 
Anyway, great job as usual on the 60-seconders. But why does David keep mentioning the Oscars as if they matter or something?

They’ve completely altered the story of Eponine from the stage version in a way that was jarring and took me right out of the film.  This movie is a disaster of poor directing and editing and wastes some really fine performances.

And why make edits when you’re going to throw in a song like “Sunddenly”, that would have more at home in a Disney movie?

Yes, Les Miz was largely a wonderful movie but we’re missing a small evangelizing word: Catholic.  This film is a profoundly French, Catholic film.  Think: if all the religious characters, themes,  content and imagery (the rosary! Crucifixes! Kneeling in prayer in front of crucifixes!) were of any other religion, this would be touted as a very Jewish, Muslim, what-have-you movie.  But starting with the bishop and his un-asked-for forgiveness, and especially the scene where Jean Valjean paces in the chapel, first towards the altar, towards Christ, forgiveness, redemption and then away and then back, how come we aren’t claiming this for what it rightly is? It’s Catholic. And magnificently so.

I am catholic and proud of being one. However, this movie did a really good job of mixing “catholic symbols”, etc, with trashy scenes such as: breast popping out any time, the scene in which the man is having sex with her; the innkeeper peeing in a glass and handing it to the man to drink, the woman riding “santa” and doing what? After that, I thankfully walked out. Why were these scenes necessary to show? What purpose did they prove?
How was it that movies were once made without “having” to show anything? Are we that dumbed down or blind?  I dare say, these producers would have us believe that good can exist with evil—which was apparently done cleverly to some—but they are wrong!!!!!!!  When going into a movie, remember your eyes are the window to your soul.

I agree. I was disappointed with the scenes and it made me uncomfortable. I was really looking forward to a good movie after seeing the play years back. Needless to say, I cannot recommend this movie in good conscious.

Don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater people. Yes, those particular scenes probably could have not been included. However, their inclusion does not mean one should dismiss the whole package since the good greatly out ways the bad, as the great St. Basil advocates.

*sigh* Puritanism is alive and well, unfortunately. And remember, they were protestants.
How can you read, contemplate and meditate on the bible if you can’t deal with the ugliness of sin?  How can you read Shakespeare?  I don’t believe a Catholic is really an educated Catholic unless one has a basic grasp of Shakespeare. (& the first one to tell me “well, Shakespeare wasn’t dirty like this movie” has just proven themselves ignorant of Shakespeare.).
The arts rightlly belong with the church; to eschew the reality of man’s fallen nature is to Thomas Kinkade up (down?) the arts and that ends up being kitsch, not art.

Yes. What a refreshing comment. I wholeheartedly agree. Thank you for your observation concerning perhaps the need for Catholics to grasp Shakespeare.