Movie Review: Moon (2009)

Moon (2009) co-written and directed by Duncan Jones

Sam Bell (Sam Rockwell) works alone on the far side of the moon where harvesters gather Helium 3, a substance that provides clean energy for most of the Earth. The base (owned by Lunar Industries Inc.) has a computer assistant named Gerty (voiced by Kevin Spacey) that monitors various situations and gives Sam someone to talk to. But Sam has been talking to himself lately. He's in the last month of his three-year contract and ready to go home. If you haven't seen the film, I recommended watching it before reading on in my review. This is a film that is best watched without knowing too much about it ahead of time, at least for the first watch. I've seen it twice now.

So don't get spoiled if you don't want to. This is your last chance to turn back.

Sam goes to check on one of the harvesters that is having problems. He's distracted by his deteriorating mental state and crashes his lunar crawler into the harvester. Then Sam wakes up in the base infirmary where Gerty asks what he remembers of the accident. Not much is the answer. Gerty keeps Sam inside the base until he can fully recover and get back to work. Sam discovers some things that make him suspicious, eventually leading him to escape and go to the wreck. At the crash site, he discovers the driver of the vehicle...himself as an older man. But only three years older. The two Sams have an awkward relationship back at the base. Gerty is blithely evasive about what's going on. The younger Sam realizes he is a clone and suspects the older Sam is also a clone. Older Sam is reluctant to agree but eventually comes around. They plan to get back to Earth before a "rescue" ship arrives in a couple of hours to fix the situation.

The movie starts off slowly but pays off with a lot of thoughtful developments. The story is anchored by Rockwell's excellent performances. Playing the same guy but with different perspectives on the situation must be hard but he delivered. The script is lean enough to leave out any fluff, barely commenting on the callous indifference of the corporation or the growing understanding between the two Sams. The movie is very well worth the watch and even a second watch.

Recommended.

For a more in-depth discussion, check out Episode #308 of A Good Story is Hard to Find podcast.

Book Review: Socrates' Children Vol. 1 by Peter Kreeft

Socrates' Children Volume 1: Ancient Philosophers by Peter Kreeft

Unable to find a satisfactory introduction to philosophy text for beginners, Peter Kreeft wrote his own four-volume work. His idea was to have a text that covers the history of philosophy by discussing the one hundred greatest philosophers. The text has four volumes, covering (1) the ancient philosophers (roughly 1000 BC to AD 400s), medieval philosophers (500s to 1300s), modern philosophers (1400s to 1700s), and contemporary philosophers (1800s to present). Most books that cover all this range are too long or too dry or too simplistic (or some combination of the three) for someone first learning about philosophy. Kreeft argues that the best thing is to read these authors in their original texts, but sometimes that is not easy. Like Netflix or YouTube, there are too many options to choose from without some sort of guide. This series provides that sure start to further investigation.

He calls the book "Socrates' Children" because Socrates is both the prime example of what a philosopher should be like and it can be argued that every thinker after him grappled with one or more ideas Socrates philosophized about. Twentieth-century philosopher Alfred North Whitehead is famous for saying that European philosophy is "a series of footnotes to Plato." Plato was the student of Socrates and wrote extensively about his teacher, though at some point in Plato's works he switched from presenting Socrates' ideas to using Socrates as a mouthpiece for Plato's own ideas. Socrates never wrote anything, so we rely on Plato and other authors. Since they were contemporaries of each other and of Socrates, they surely would have ratted each other out if they misrepresented the Socratic method.

Socrates did not claim to be wise but to be a lover (philia) of wisdom (sophia). He went about asking questions of people, trying to clarify their thoughts and ideas, which were often muddled and imprecise. This method leads to a deeper understanding even when it didn't come to a decisive conclusions. He used logic and common sense to get to the bottom of things, or as close as he could come. This method, which tends to point out errors and misjudgments, was not very popular with people on the receiving end of a Socratic conversation. Socrates was tried for impiety (he taught the Greek gods (Zeus, Hera, Ares, etc.) were not true gods) and for corrupting youth (he passed on his "impiety" to others). Found guilty by the court, Socrates was executed, a martyr for the truth.

Subsequent philosophers (and the handful before Socrates) all looked for truth, even if it was hard to find. This volume starts with the pre-Socratic philosophers and even goes back further to the ancient sages like Solomon, Zoroaster, Shankara, Confucius, and Jesus, who provide great insights and have had substantial influences on intellectual life the world over. After Socrates, Kreeft presents Greek and Roman philosophers, working his way through skeptics, cynics, hedonists, and ending with Plotinus, the founder of neo-Platonism. Well, that's the end of the ancient philosophers.

Kreeft presents brief overviews of each philosopher (though Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are much longer than others because they had much more to say and much more impact). He recommends key texts and secondary sources for learning more. And he tells their stories, often humorous incidents that show their beliefs in action. A reader can easily skip to people of interest (or come back to them) and branch out into other works to get an even better understanding. Kreeft's style is very readable and accessible. This book is an excellent start to learn more about philosophy and how it grew.

Highly recommended. I am looking forward to the other three volumes.

S'edav Va'aki Museum, Phoenix, AZ

Formerly known as the Pueblo Grande Museum and Archeological Site, the S'edav Va'aki Museum is very close to the airport and is an excavation of one of the many platform mounds found in Arizona. The mounds were built up over long years by the O'Odham natives (also known as the Hohokum). A Va'aki is a ceremonial house. Some were simple round, one-room structures. Others were the large, rectangular mounds that had dozens of rooms and multiple levels. The park traces the history of the O'Odham and shows how they lived long before the Americans of European descent came.

The front entrance is both impressive and unassuming. I was walking along the canal path and came into the museum over a bridge at the back.

Front entrance

The way to the back door

The O'Odham people worked hard to live in the harsh climate. In addition to developing an extensive canal system for irrigation, they also harvested various crops and would grind them into flour by hand. Some of the grindstones are on display.

Tools for grinding flour

This platform mound is large, with trails going around it. Some of the corners are well preserved, some are still being excavated away. 

Southwest corner of the mound

Less excavated

More of the mound

The "platform" part of the mound is the upper level, that had several rooms. Some were for storage, some for ceremonies. Archeologists determine the purpose by what they discover inside the room. If there's a lot of pot shards and no area for a fire, it probably stored food and other things. People probably did not live in there or spend any significant amount of time.

Roof rooms

A one-door room

This mound was part of a larger town, making this spot like a town square or gathering area. Other smaller structures were scattered around going north along a canal that we will see shortly.

The size of the town

The nearby structures below the mound show that they were probably used for ceremonies and for crafts, not as a residence. Again, the lack of fire pits and other archeological evidence indict their purposes.

View down to other buildings nearby

View to the museum

This pit has several layers in it, reflecting various periods of O'Odham civilization, from the early period to their Classical period from 1300 to 1450. 

Many additions were made over the years

Another rooftop room shows evidence of additions as the mound was expanded. The doorway in front leads to a doorway that looks like it was sealed.

Adding on and making changes

Another room on the roof

Vegetation in the distance (though not too distant)

A canal leading to the Salt River shows how the O'Odham built out their communities along the waterways. They could irrigate crops and have fresh water to use. I saw some ducks swimming by!

The ducks are barely visible

Trees growing along the canal

The museum has some recreations of homes. First on the trail is the later adobe homes. These required less wood to build. The frame structure was covered in clay that hardened into adobe. They put small walls around the homes, much like suburban homes in the area today!

Adobe homes

Inside the courtyard

A shaded cooking area

Inside the house

Weaving

The ceiling and some cotton drying

Further along are pithouses. People dug a bit into the ground and then used wood to make a more rounded house. The pit made a foundation and provided a little coolness.

Pithouses

The O'Odham built large pits called Huhugam ha Kovolka, or ancient sunken patios. Archeologists call them ballcourts. They were used for large gatherings, often inter-village events. Games would be played or trade would be held. This ballcourt was excavated and reinforced to preserve it. It is 82 feet long and 38 feet wide.

Ballcourt

Nearby is a sample of an outdoor kitchen and a garden.

Kitchen wall

Gardening in a dessert

A modernized kitchen (the O'Odham did not invent cinder blocks!)

To bake goods, the people dug a pit and put a fire in it. The hot coals were covered with food then buried. Another fire was put on top, heating the food from top and bottom. 

Pit oven

Some nearby cactus

Roger Lidman, long-time director of the museum, has a small memorial just outside the museum. he died in 2015.

Lidman's hat

In the museum is many of the items found in the area, along with a nice recreation of the platform mound. 

The mound in its heyday

The canal and village network

Artifacts from O'Odham life

Food stuff!

Housewares

Ancient petroglyphs (rocks with decorations) have been found in the area as well.

Petroglyph

Another map shows various trade routes used in the area.

Commerce in the old days

A display shows some balls from the ballcourt!

Balls

Another display shows how archeologists use the trash to find out more about people from the past. 

One man's trash is an archeologist's treasure!

When I visited, there was an art exhibit featuring many fine paintings. My favorite was "Mesa Verde," acrylic on canvas, 2012, by Ronnie Cachini. It is both expressive and detailed.

"Mesa Verde"

The museum and archeological park is a great place to learn about the area's past and the people who left their mark on the landscape.

Book Review: A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat

This autobiographical story chronicles Dan Santat's first trip to Europe during the summer between middle school and high school. Middle school was a terrible experience for him, highlighted by having to read a poem in front of all the students and doing a less than stellar job. Kids that age think they make funny comments but really come off cruel. So Dan's self-esteem was very low going into the trip. The trip was a mixture of kids from his small town middle school and other schools across the United States.

His experience in Europe was one of discovery. As the title suggests, he tried a lot of new things, some good (like Fanta soda and kissing a girl), some not so good (like beer and stealing a bike). He met a lot of new people and learned a lot along the way. Most importantly, he learned more about himself and became comfortable with who he is. He even let Amy (the girl he kisses) watch him sketching, something he didn't even let his mom do (the book is a graphic novel).

The story is sweet and relatable. Everybody has some negative memories from school and has faced the challenge of being yourself when you don't even fully know yourself. The honest portrayal of the good and bad things he did makes him easy to like and to understand. The reader learns more about Dan and is comfortable with who he is. It's a heartwarming, well-told story.

Highly recommended--this is a great coming-of-age story, all the better because it is true.

Saint Mary's Basilica, Phoenix, Arizona

Saint Mary's Basilica in Phoenix, Arizona, was first built as the Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary in 1880. It was the first Catholic church built in Phoenix and only the second Christian church. It was a sixty-by-forty foot church built from adobe. A string of priests served as pastor until 1895, when the parish was entrusted to the Franciscans. By 1902, the church needed a lot of repairs and it was decided to build a new, larger church. Due to budget constraints, a two-phase project commenced. A "basement church" was built first after the old church was taken down. Then a larger, Mission Revival style church was put on top beginning in 1913. It was registered as a historical place by the Arizona Historical Society, the State Inventory of Historical Places, and the National Register of Historical Places. In 1985, Pope John Paul II declared it a minor basilica. Basilicas are especially designated as places of pilgrimage, often because they are a saint's burial place, they have historical significance, they are architecturally beautiful, or they have some liturgical significance. Or a combination of factors. This one definite scores with beauty as well as historical significance.

Saint Mary's Basilica

While the exterior is Mission Revival, the interior is more Romanesque, with a classic central nave and side aisles.

Nave

One of the attributes of a basilica is to have a special umbrella for processions. Theirs is near the main altar.

Altar, umbrella, presider's chair

The pulpit is quite ornate with some apostles encircling it.

Pulpit

A beautiful side altar is dedicated to the Sacred Heart.

Sacred Heart Altar

View from one aisle to the other

The Stations of the Cross are bas relief and well painted, giving a vivid portrayal of Jesus's Passion.

Stations 12 and 13

The stained glass windows are numerous and luminous. They also are well integrated with statues and other parts of the church.

Infant of Prague flanked by windows

The organ and rose window at the back

Pieta with saints looking on from their windows

In the back is a statue of Peter holding the keys to the kingdom.

Peter in charge

This statue was in the vestibule and I cannot figure out who it is supposed to be. The sword would indicate someone martyred (beheaded, most likely). The chalice denotes a special eucharistic devotion. I am not sure about the small tower on the side. The donut-like halo is a little odd.

Statue of the Unknown Saint?

Certified awesome