Prometheus

National Review summed up the value of Prometheus perfectly - a movie deserving an A for its stellar cast, brilliant cinemetography, and haunting themes. Yet, also a movie deserving a C for its cramped plot, unsatisfying characters, and silly contrivances. Perhaps what is most perplexing about the movie is its unclear message. The story has so many large ideas - the origin of life, the significance of the soul, the meaning of faith - and yet fails to harmonize them into a single theme. I appreciated the heroine's understated Christian faith, yet was uncertain as to its significance. Ultimately, I left the cinema with the images of the heroine's botched-alien-abortion-attempt swirling in my mind, greatly disturbing my thoughts. Ah well, that's what you get when you see a sci-fi horror flick.

John C. Calhoun

I had never given Calhoun - a seemingly racist menace who hawked strange theories such as nullification - much attention until I started to read Russell Kirk:

"The concurrent majority itself; representation of citizens by section and interest, rather than by pure numbers; the insight that liberty is a product of civilization and a reward of virtue, not an abstract right; the acute distinction between moral equality and equality of condition; the linking of liberty and progress; the strong protest against domination by class or region, under the guise of numerical majority-these concepts, provocative of thought and capable of modern application, give Calhoun a place beside John Adams as one of the two most eminent American political writers. Calhoun demonstrated that conservatism can project as well as complain." - Russell Kirk, The Conservative Mind.

The Man in the Middle

Timothy Goeglein is one of the most endearing men you will ever meet, and his recent book - The Man in the Middle - reflects his compassionate heart. Geoglein writes deeply concerning his career and, more particularly, his role as the 'middle man' between Bush and various conservative organizations. Yet while the book is ostensibly a reflection on his personal experiences, it gradually becomes a manifesto of his conservative beliefs. Indeed, there are chapters that could easily be their own essays, attentively discussing how culture precedes politics, virtue precedes culture, and faith precedes virtue (indeed, his writings could easily serve as an elementary introduction to conservatism). Most of all, though, his book breathes religious conviction and love for his country. While I am uncomfortable with his unquestioning adulation for President Bush, his book nonetheless reflects a compassionate heart, and thereby makes for a pleasing read.