In 1944, a group of disaffected German officers attempted to assassinate Adolf Hitler (portrayed here as cranky middle-aged duffer badly in need of a nap). They failed, due to a combination of poor planning and execution, bad luck, and loss of nerve. Valkyrie follows the unraveling of the plot in a perfunctory manner devoid of suspense, raising the question of why bother? Tom Wilkinson, who wears a weirdly askew toupee throughout, looks embarrassed to be a part of the whole endeavor (the movie, not the plot); an unrecognizable Bill Nighy must have been glad to be unrecognizable. Luckily for Kenneth Branagh, the High Command whisks him off to the Russian front shortly after the film begins. But Terence Stamp is the luckiest of all: He gets to shoot himself.
There is a story here. The plotters comprised the remnants of the German aristocracy, a dying breed whose doom was foretold by the French Revolution and sealed by World War II. For the most part, their actions -- whether motivated by a sense of honor, patriotism, or self-interest --were the death throes of a band of ultraconservatives hoping to restore their idea of a glorious era, a time that had passed no matter what the outcome of the war. The movie could have explored this dynamic, but didn't. But then, what do you expect out of a mainstream Hollywood movie, the most imaginative idea of which is to cast British actors as German officers? Why can't I ever come up with great ideas like that?...
From 1939 to 1986, exactly three men played left field for the Boston Red Sox. Monday, a deserving Jim Rice joined Ted Williams and Carl Yastrzemski in the baseball Hall of Fame. Here, Captain Carl recalls turning over left field duties to Rice...
Citizen K. is guest blogger today at Time Goes By...
I would go ballistic if I found out that there was even the possibility that my kids would be taught about Creationism or Intelligent Design in a science class, especially in the guise of promoting critical thinking. I realize that I'm preaching to the choir here, but for the record, these Trojan horse quackeries have no -- as in zero, zip, zed, zilch, nada -- scientific validity whatsoever...
A group of travel writers learn about the ways Mardi Gras is celebrated outside of New Orleans: "'They were amazed,' said St. Landry Tourism Director Celeste Gomez. 'They knew about New Orleans' krewes but had never heard about this. They couldn't get over the depth of our traditions...'"
Don't miss the recipe for pinto beans and potatoes on Robert Frost's Banjo...
Coach Mora holds his first press conference...
See the St. Louis Cathedral by twilight here...
Empire waist?...
Red Apple Elegy critiques a suburban parking lot design here: "Lesson #1 - Try to make the walkers as comfortable as the drivers."
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