What I Read -- The Conscience of a Conservative

In spite of the recent election, I finally decided to pick up a book I've been meaning to read for a long time. Barry Goldwater's 1960 political treatise The Conscience of a Conservative, is a surprisingly easy read, and short.

The bulk of the theory is contained in the first two chapters of the book, and basically amounts to this: the federal government's job is to do as little as possible while maintaining order in society, because it's entry into spheres where it doesn't belong (1) mucks up the works, (2) steals power from state and local governments more properly suited to address most issues, and (3) destroys the essential, self-reliant nature of man.

The remainder of the book applies his theory to particular issues, all of which I read with interest until the final chapter: "The Soviet Menace."  I skipped that one.

On the whole, this was probably the most readable and understandable work of political theory I've ever read. It was a pleasure to pick up, and I wish I had done so sooner.

What I Watched -- Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves

I have probably seen Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves at least a zillion times.  Maybe even a zillion and one.  Watching it is something I can do almost totally brainlessly, since I know the story so well.

But watching an old movie for the first time in a long time is always interesting, because some scenes are just as funny or poignant as they were before, and some are completely stale.  It has also been interesting to see what has happened to the various stars of the movie in the intervening 25 years.  The lovely (if somewhat helpless) Lady Marian, played by Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio, has gone on to do mostly small screen roles.  We all know where Kevin Costner, Morgan Freeman, and Alan Rickman have been, but who knew that  probably the most famous character Alan Rickman would ever play would come from a children's book?  Then there's Christian Slater, who had some pretty decent stuff through the rest of the 1990s, but then just seemed to disappear.  He's still working, but if you want to find him, you'll have to look for classics like Hot Tub Time Machine.

I was amused, especially after some recent travel, with the scene near the end where everyone is entering the castle grounds.  The guards standing at the gate repeatedly shout, "No blades, no bows!  Leave your weapons here."  It felt like a slightly more refined version of a TSA screening at the airport.

Bottom line: even if it's not as good as it once seemed, it's always fun to come back to an old favorite every now and then.

Happy Thanksgiving!

What I Watched -- Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

I never read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, but I did listen to the audiobook, which I'm totally counting as reading.  So I felt okay when it popped up in my Netflix queue to watch it.

Both the book and movie are based on the true story of a murder during one of Savannah's fanciest Christmas parties.  Kevin Spacey plays the party's host and accused murderer; John Cusack plays the journalist who just happened to be there to write a piece on the party, but stayed for the trial.  While nominally John Cusack is the main character, the one who is telling the story, Kevin Spacey steals the show -- as he so often does.  I particularly like him when he's playing a Southerner; it is a role that seems to fit him well.  Perhaps this is because I am so used to hearing him with a Southern accent on House of Cards.

When listening to the audio, which was some time ago, I recall being enthralled by the first half of the story -- getting to know the characters, the party, the murder -- but somewhat bored by the second half -- the trial.  The movie was more evenly weighted.  I was neither enthralled nor bored.

Bottom line: not great, but good enough.