Homeward Bound

I will admit, and my wife will agree, that I am a little bit of a nerd. I love strategy. I love learning about fatal maneuvers in wars and battles gone by. Like Hannibal's double envelope at Cannae, or Stonewall Jackson's flank march at Chancellorsville. I enjoy reading about critical night marches and feinted movements that left the enemy lost in the dark.  I think, in fact, that my love for sports is due largely to my love for strategy. Soccer in particular is a game of tactical precision--where the faster, stronger player by no means has the advantage over the skilled technician. I also relish board games where each movement has to be perfectly calculated; and the cost of each thrust and parry must to be carefully weighed before engagement. Games like chess. I have been dabbling in chess for the last few years online through chess.com. And though I am quite the novice (and lose frequently) I am ...

My “Force Awakens” review *With Spoilers* As a traditionalist wary of changing the beautiful past, I was skeptical going into theater to see Star Wars The Force Awakens last night. Having been burned before (I still have not picked up the pieces from that animated Hobbit prequel to my beloved Lord of the Rings classic) it is understandable that I would be critical when change comes to great things of the past.   Though I was never as invested in Star Wars as I was with Lord of the Rings, I was still invested. Star Wars is after all a legendary series with light sabers, lasers, space travel, and eastern religion. Who would not like that? Exactly. Everyone likes Star Wars and I am no exception to everyone. But it was more than the “newness” that made me hesitant for the much anticipated film. George Lucas had stepped down and Disney had stepped in—not maybe my prescribed recipe for success. The cherished characters had now become really old, which always brings challe...

Today I ran across one of those online slideshows that have no other purpose than to waste your time entitled: Every Pixar Movie, Ranked From Worst to Best . Of course I clicked on it and was slightly disturbed by the conclusions that were made ( Inside Out was listed as the best...). Below is my own list: 10. Monsters University . As most sequels generally never live up to the grandeur of the original(except for the Toy Story trilogy), Monsters University was far from the first. But I am still glad they brought the beloved Mike Wazowski and Sullivan back. Great characters--and good story. 9. Inside Out . I have only seen this movie once. It was creative, colorful, and intense--but it lacked the quality of the earlier Pixar masterpieces. I was also disappointed that they showed the funniest scene in its entirety in the previews. Why do we watch movies anyways? 8. Toy Story I . This is a classic that keeps getting better and better. As a kid, I was slightly distu...