12 Days of Christmas: Life of Brian

Life of Brian or Monty Python's Life of Brian (1979) is a damn funny movie. It's also an excuse for me to have a Monty Python movie on my list. And it sort pertains to Christmas.

Born in a stable a few doors down from Jesus Christ, Brian is mistaken for the messiah most of his life. He gets involved in all sorts of wacky situations, including getting a group of followers.

Brian: "Please, please, please listen! I've got one or two things to say."
The Crowd: "Tell us! Tell us both of them!"
Brian: "Look, you've got it all wrong! You don't NEED to follow ME, You don't NEED to follow ANYBODY! You've got to think for your selves! You're ALL individuals!"
The Crowd: "Yes! We're all individuals!"
Brian: "You're all different!"
The Crowd: "Yes, we ARE all different!"
Man in crowd: "I'm not..."
The Crowd: "Sch! "

And how can you go wrong with movie that has tag lines like

"A motion picture destined to offend nearly two thirds of the civilized world. And severely annoy the other third."

"See the movie that's controversial, sacrilegious, and blasphemous. But if that's not playing, see The Life of Brian."

"The film that is so funny it was banned in Norway."

"He wasn't the messiah. He was a very naughty boy."

The Python crew aren't pulling any punches in this satire of religion. The jokes fast and plentiful and nothing is spared. The film was banned in Norway for a year, Ireland for eight years, Burma, Bhutan, Malaysia, New Zealand, Oman, South Africa, Vatican City and several towns in both England and the United States of America.

Despite all the controversy the film has endured over the years and it still has a huge following. Plus it's funny.

I Really Like Christmas

It's sentimental, I know, but I just really like it. (Christmas, I mean.)



I don't think this song is nearly as good as the Pomplamoose tune I posted yesterday (which is still my new favourite xmas song ever and holy crap did you check out their other stuff like Hail Mary or Little Things or their cover of September which made me reevaluate my feelings for Earth Wind and Fire? No? You should because Pomplamoose is the real deal.)

So, no, Minchin is no Pomplamoose. But I still like him even if his lyrics tend to be waaaa-a-a-a-ay too preachy for my taste. But there aren't a whole lot of xmas tunes for rabid atheists like myself -- and the chorus is catchy -- and I agree with the sentiment -- so I thought it'd make for a worthy xmas eve post....

Oh, and if the whole drinking white wine in the sun line seems a little weird, it's because Minchin is from Australia so I imagine you do that sort of thing at xmas instead of, say, chugging mulled wine while shivering by the fire. Speaking of which... have to get back to the family.

Merry Xmas Dog Bloggers and Dog Blog readers!

Pick of the Day: Germs! Germs! Germs!

I'm not sure when the Saskatchewan Science Centre booked this travelling exhibit, but considering all the fuss there's been lately over the H1N1 pandemic, it certainly is timely. Germs is a pretty broad category, of course. In addition to viruses like H1N1, it also encompasses microorganisms like bacteria, fungi and protoza. All, apparently, are discussed in this show, which even features a short trip through a human intestine.

According to the Science Centre's website, even the healthiest of humans is home to 100 trillion bacteria (that's 100,000,000,000,000, or roughly ten times the number of cells in our bodies). As well, while many bacteria are harmful to humans (pictured, by the way, is a beaded art work by Ruth Cuthand from a series recently purchased by the MacKenzie Gallery which recalls how First Nations were ravaged by foreign diseases during European colonization of the New World), many others are beneficial, both in the preservation of our health, and in the production of foodstuffs like beer, wine, bread and cheese.

This being Christmas Eve, the Science Centre is only open noon-4 p.m. today. But if you're looking for something to do over the holidays, especially if you've got kids to keep busy, check it out. It's on until Jan. 10. To pique your (and their) curiosity, here's the trailer from the 1966 SF flick Fantastic Voyage. (YouTube)