Category: Musings

Steve Cox and Matthew Walker’s Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, a review

Steve Cox and Matthew Walker’s Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, a review

There’s something strangely satisfying about claymation. Maybe it’s the memories I retain of playing with Playdoh when I was little.

Watching claymation takes me back to a time when I had no worries beyond sharing my toys with my sisters. As I pressed the Playdoh into various shapes with my hands or with the stencils that the company provided with their rainbow-colored doughs, I remember the smell of the clay and the way my hands left fingerprints on it. It’s a viseral memory and, as I said, a calming one.

So, right from the start, Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom, put my mind into a younger and more relaxed state. Let’s be honest- with the way things have been going lately on the national and international stage, calm is becoming somewhat of a precious commodity.

Parents put your mind at ease, this is a film that can be enjoyed without the shadow of artificial intelligence popping out of the screen and making everyone frantic about the future or humanity’s inability to face any problem, even one we created, with a united front. That’s not even considering our propensity to make it worse with our own insecurities.

But I digress.

The Beast of Mossy Bottom is listed as a comedy horror on its Wikipedia page, a designation which I agree with. Horror doesn’t have to be scary to be horror. What I believe makes a horror show “horrible” is unanticipated (negative) consequences stemming from acts done from love or a desire to be of help to others.

There are lots of unanticipated and problematic consequences in this story.

It begins simply enough. (Spoilers ahead, readers beware.) Shaun’s flock creates a secret pumpkin patch. In their hidden field, they are producing pumpkins so lovely that the youngest member of their flock, Timmy, begins to dream about making the perfect jack-o’-lantern from one of them.

For the rest of my review, please go to https://www.patreon.com/TheLightCongress/posts/steve-cox-and-of-170099925

Thanks for reading,

Heidi

Family selecting pumpkins in a field beside an honesty-box sign
WordPress AI’s vision of ‘the Most Sincere Pumpkin Patch’ as a prompt. Tell me, what do you see?

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a review

Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey, a review

Much has been said over the past couple of months about the new film, The Odyssey, by master movie maker Christopher Nolan.

From the sets, costumes, and acting, extending even to the physiques of those involved in the film, no stone has been left unturned in the universal search for meaning from this ancient work of art, which was reimagined and introduced to the modern audience.

Even the translation and author (Emily Wilson) whom Nolan utilized to develop his script has been brought into the fray, with criticism lobbed at both Nolan’s unique vision for his masterpiece as well as the focus of his interpretation.

For, at its root, that is what everyone from Elon Musk and on is talking about, Nolan’s individual creation, how it fits into the universal narrative of story, and how their (the commentators) individual viewpoints differ from Nolan’s own.

I’d like to contribute my particular viewpoint of the film, which I’ve seen three times at this point (as of September 6, 2026). I will not highlight differences in Nolan’s interpretation versus my own for I think we’ve had that type of thing ad naseum.

Instead, I will apply symbols from the film to my work, the Light Congress, which is a narrative story about the soul’s journey, just as much as the Odyssey is the same. Perhaps, with a comparative analysis of a few similar symbols in both works, we can come to a new understanding of the spirit worlds, similarities between the paths of self knowledge from ancient times to today, and a new appreciation of the genius of Nolan, beyond a simplistic criticism of how he shot a scene or his use of modern language in a historical drama.

One more note, before we move on, my favorite element of Nolan’s film was the music. I watched a ‘making of’ documentary of the Odyssey on Disney+ and learned that Nolan hired musicians who utilized ancient instruments to make the haunting soundtrack for the film.

As the notes rose from the flute player’s mouth and fingers, it was like the sound drew me into the screen and I walked with the Greek hero as he faced the monsters, forces of nature, and his own countrymen in his epic journey home again. Thus is the magic of music, a universal language and bridge to the divine, and why it was my favorite element of the film.

Now, for a few similar symbols from my work and Nolan’s own, and what that might mean about the universal phenemonen which could be called the Hero’s Journey. As we say in the Light Congress, game on!

For the rest of my review, please go to https://www.patreon.com/TheLightCongress/posts/christopher-168807998

Thanks for reading,

Heidi

Sailing ship on a moonlit sea with glowing swirling waves
A sailing ship follows luminous, curling currents across a moonlit sea beneath dramatic clouds. Image created with WordPress AI.

Edward Berger’s The Ballad of a Small Player, a review

Edward Berger’s The Ballad of a Small Player, a review

I recently had the opportunity to watch Colin Farrell’s latest film, The Ballad of a Small Player, and I liked it far more than any of the other reviewers that I could find online when the movie was done. I shall attempt to explain why here.

Also, fair warning, this discussion will have major spoilers for the film. Please do not proceed if you haven’t seen it yet.

Again, major spoilers ahead. Due diligence done.

First, for just a little bit of context if you haven’t seen it, the film is set in Macau, an exotic locale that I have never visited but the crowded and brightly lit casinos were quite familiar as I have been to Las Vegas. The bright lights and lavish interiors of the rooms are beautiful, and they are meant to be so in order to lure high rollers through their doors in order to take their money at the casinos.

Beauty and lavishness aside, I really don’t understand the draw of a place where day blends into night and back again while you gamble away the very thing that keeps a roof over your head and food in your mouth. But, I’m fortunate in that gambling isn’t one of my preferred vices.

We meet the protagonist of the film, Lord Doyle played by Farrell, as he’s waking up in one of these casinos. The room is a mess which suggests he’s been gambling for quite some time. It also leads the viewer to think, despite the evidence of high living, that Lord Doyle has not been successful. If he was, wouldn’t have he allowed the cleaning folks in to straighten the room or at least change the sheets?

The next few scenes continue this failed gambler storyline with the bell boy at the front of the hotel encouraging Lord Doyle to visit another casino because they “may” be willing to extend the unfortunate gambler a line of credit which the current casino is declining to do. Lord Doyle is also given a short deadline to pay off a very major bill and threatened with legal action if he does not comply. It all adds to a growing feeling of pressure and dread which lasted throughout the film.

In the every day world, this pressure to earn, then spend, and earn again, is a vicious cycle. Humanity has become quite adept at providing reasons to spend every cent earned on every day essentials from over-priced housing and food to the luxuries that are required status symbols, the necessary requirements to move up the invisible ladder of the upper eschelons of society into the imaginery rarified air above everybody else.

It’s depressing, isn’t it? To be honest, I had a hard time watching the introduction to this film. I feel enough of that pressure to earn, spend, and conform in my daily life and didn’t really feel the need to explore that discomfort in my free time. But, the minor disruption to one’s inner peace is worth it for what comes next in this metaphorical and highly symbolic film.

For the rest of my review, please go to https://www.patreon.com/TheLightCongress/posts/edward-bergers-170394309

Thanks for reading,

Heidi

Eckhart Tolle’s “The Everyday and the Transcendent”: a Podcast Review

Eckhart Tolle’s “The Everyday and the Transcendent”: a Podcast Review

While I was on my daily walk, I listened to “The Everyday and the Transcendent” a podcast on Spotify in Eckhart Tolle’s “Essential Teachings” series.

Was it worth the listen? I say yes.

I enjoy learning from Eckhart occasionally but not all the time. He has a soothing voice and his stream-of-consciousness delivery style is hypnotizing.

However, after a couple hours of his teachings, they all begin to sound exactly the same. And that’s because his core message never changes- which isn’t a bad thing.

Photo by Sebastian Voortman on Pexels.com

Beware self help or spiritual gurus who hold up a carrot of further secrets. As my hairstylist said after visiting an aura cleanser for the first time, “You can overdo stuff like that.” By which she meant, pouring piles of money into someone’s hands to “fix” something you can’t even perceive.

The cool thing about Eckhart’s teachings is you can begin practicing and perceiving what he’s talking about right this second, no matter your situation or state-of-mind.

For example, in this podcast, a practical tool he offers for spiritual insight is to simply observe what he calls your “inner body”. His focus, which he says he’s used over the years to great success, is to monitor what the energy of his hands are doing.

Photo by Meryl Merlin on Pexels.com

How do you do that? Simple- feel your hands. Act like you’re going to pick up a pencil, but don’t move. There! You can feel that can’t you.

Do this multiple times a day or just once in awhile and you’ll begin taking your focus away from what Eckhart calls “thought forms” and enter the state of “the now”.

This particular podcast deals with “the everyday” which Eckhart describes as your job, your family, your home, all of the trappings of the physical life. He says most people never move beyond the everyday. We can get lost in the world around us, which he reminds us, are simply projections that we create through our perceptions.

Photo by Ricardo Esquivel on Pexels.com

He describes the everyday as a horizontal line- a visualization that I found very helpful.

When you are lost in anxiety or fear, you’re moving either forwards or backwards on this line and not staying in the present moment, which is where the second part of his visualization comes in.

Eckhart describes “the transcendent” as a vertical line that intersects the horizontal line of daily living. He says we travel upwards and downwards on this line through our thoughts as we go about our lives.

Photo by eberhard grossgasteiger on Pexels.com

The thing is: most of humanity isn’t aware that we’re doing this. We unconsciously move about our day, responding in a kneejerk way to things we perceive as “happening to” us. And, Eckhart says, they actually are “happening to” us because we aren’t aware we are doing it.

If only we could realize our own internal processes, then, he says, we would realize that nothing really “happens to” you. It is all movement along the metaphorical everyday and the transcendent lines of our lives.

Photo by Anna Roguszczak on Pexels.com

We break the power that thoughts have over us and enter into the timeless state of the Now. The holy grail, so to speak, of spiritual experiences.

Highly recommended for spiritual seekers who are looking for practical ways to practice being present. Thanks for reading!

If you’re interested in Eckhart Tolle’s further teachings, here my book review of his “Stillness Speaks”:

Stillness Speaks by Eckhart Tolle

And you can listen to the podcast yourself here:

Nobilis by R. Sean Borgstrom, Bruce Baugh

Nobilis by R. Sean Borgstrom, Bruce Baugh

Though not a traditional “book”, the rules and world-building instructions for the fantasy role-playing game, Nobilis, has more than 300 pages in it. And reads like a beautiful work of fiction.

“His eyes open, black as night. A star falls through them. ‘It is strange,’ he says, ‘how humans need but a taste of power to grow arrogant. You walk in a world of things greater than you can imagine, and you speak defiance.”

Nobilis by R. Sean Borgstrom, Bruce Baugh
Photo by Achraf Alan on Pexels.com

The game itself has been labeled so complex that, after reading the rules book, some gamers don’t bother to try it. Therefore, I think it’s fair to rate it on Goodreads where it can be appreciated more for its fantastic literature rather than its playability as an actual game.

“The Imperator Ananda rules Murder, the Infinite, and (some say) the Fourth Age that is to come. His glory is terrible: humans and Powers weak in spirit dare not face him, lest his countenance drive them mad with joy.”

The basic premise is there are major forces behind the every day reality that we all know. These forces are striving to either preserve the universe or end it.

Photo by Engin Akyurt on Pexels.com

They work through intermediaries and lesser servants to influence what goes on in the real world. The point of the game is to create a story with levels and nuances rather than to brute force your will into existence.

“More beautiful than the angels are the Excrucians, whose eyes show darkness full of ever-falling stars. It is said that the Creator bargained with them long ago, that he or she might capture a touch of this beauty in the world of Ygg- and then failed to carry out his or her end of the bargain. It is said that this is why the Excrucians on their pale horses seek the destruction of all that there is…”

Photo by Anastasia Zhenina on Pexels.com

The rules book describes all of these powers in extraordinary detail, or the manner for choosing a custom name and backstory of your own. There’s no limit to what you can create except your imagination.

The players embody the ruling powers and all of their minions simultaneously. So, a game scene can go from the real world, to the divine, to a place where a god resides and back again.

And you begin to see why so few people attempt this game in the first place… 🙂

“Powers bridge divine nature and human nature, the supernatural and the natural. They fight battles on all those levels, facing the challenges of gods and ordinary humans alike. They must learn to move fluidly from a world of spirits and myths to a polluted world of highways and computers, and from their Imperator’s custom reality to the broad Earth.”

Recommended for gamers who are looking for an incredibly detailed fantasy world to romp around in or readers who like open-ended works of fantasy. Beyond simple enjoyment as a game or work of literature, I could see Nobilis being a useful tool as a writing prompt for fantasy authors.

Just Nuisance A.B.: His Full Story by Terence Sisson

Just Nuisance A.B.: His Full Story by Terence Sisson

This is a biography about a very special dog, Just Nuisance, the only dog in history to be enlisted in the Royal Navy.

He was a great dane who befriended the sailors around the port of Simon’s Town, South Africa, in the days before the outbreak of the Second World War. The sailors fed the enormous dog and even gave him portions of their lager. In turn, he guided drunken sailors home and protected them from any ruffians on the street.

Just Nuisance received his name because he loved to fall asleep on the gangplanks leading to the decks and so the sailors would have to choose another way to board the ship, because they couldn’t move the enormous animal. So, they called him, “Nuisance,” as well as a variety of other colorful adjectives.

Photo by Laura Stanley on Pexels.com

He was enlisted in the navy because Just Nuisance was causing an issue on the train. He liked the ride the train to and fro with the sailors, but the officials running the line said the great dane was taking up a space that could be filled by paying passengers. They threatened to put Just Nuisance down if the sailors couldn’t keep him off the train.

However, sailors in the Royal Navy were allowed to ride the train for free. So, they came up with a creative solution to their problem. Just Nuisance would join their ranks and be issued a pass. Then he too could ride the train for free.

And so he was.

“The first problem arose when it came to filling in the heading listed as Christian Name. … “No dog has a Christian name, what the hell should I put here?” … “Well I can’t see any other way out than to leave it blank and give the name as just Nuisance.” The petty officer looked at the lieutenant with a broad smile on his face: “That’s it, sir, his Christian name, write ‘Just’ in that column.”pg 26

Photo by David Jakab on Pexels.com

This is a very sweet book. It is composed of the reminiscences of sailors who served with the great dane and shares how he affected each of their lives. He had a prodigious appetite, multiple “wives,” and took his service in the navy seriously, showing up at fundraisers and participating in parades.

But his broader legacy, how he raised the spirits of the men of the Royal Navy prior to one of humankind’s darkest sagas, deserves to be remembered.

I recommend this biography for readers who like small, forgotten moments of history and enjoy reading about the extraordinary way our canine companions can make our lives so much better.

Thanks for reading!

Here’s The History Guy’s video about Just Nuisance (I didn’t write the script for this one, Lance did.):

See the five most popular reviews from The Help Desk book blog

See the five most popular reviews from The Help Desk book blog

First, I’d like to thank all of the readers of my book blog. I’ve been sharing my thoughts about books since May 2016. It hardly seems like any time has passed at all.

Thank you for taking the time to read the reviews and comment. I wouldn’t be here without you.

Without further ado, here’s the top five of my most read reviews on The Help Desk book blog:

5. How The Secret Changed My Life: Real People. Real Stories. by Rhonda Byrne – How the Secret Changed My Life adds nothing new to the Secret franchise, but it’s still fun to read if you enjoy hearing success stories about people who utilized the Law of Attraction.

4. Diary of an Oxygen Thief by Anonymous – Did you like the emotionally disturbing/psychological train wreck that was Gone Girl? You may really enjoy this one.

3. It Works: The Famous Little Red Book That Makes Your Dreams Come True! by RHJ – It Works by RHJ is a short book, pamphlet really, on the Law of Attraction.

2. Thank & Grow Rich by Pam Grout – There is a disclaimer written in the description of this book on Goodreads that states that is not for everyone, but it was awesome in my opinion. I am going to admit that I am incredibly biased. I absolutely adored Pam’s other books on New Age thought and had some unbelievable experiences with them.

1. Amish Confidential by “Lebanon” Levi Stoltzfus and Ellis Henican – I wasn’t expecting much from Amish Confidential, a tell-all memoir, by Amish mafia reality television star, Lebanon Levi Stoltzfus. Despite my expectations, it was quite good.

And happy reading to all of you!

Heidi’s 2017 Year-end Review

It’s the last day of 2017! As usual, this year I’ve enjoyed an eclectic mix of fiction and non-fiction.

I had a lot less time to read this year because of my full-time job, but I surprised myself with how many I was able to get through.

I’d like to take a moment to say thank you to all of my friends here on WordPress and Goodreads. Reading and reviewing wouldn’t be nearly as fun without all of you.

And without further ado, here’s my end-of-the-year book recommendations:

Total books read: 165

Overall favorite: Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Non-Fiction: Inspired!: True Stories Behind Famous Art, Literature, Music, and Film by Maria Bukhonina or When Bad Things Happen to Good People by Harold S. Kushner.

Favorite Book Club Pick: Dark Matter by Blake Crouch (Good work, Kathy!)

Best Fantasy: Life After Life by Kate Atkinson (I did not like the sequel, but this book was excellent.)

Funniest Self Help: How to Be Ultra Spiritual: 12 1/2 Steps to Spiritual Superiority by J.P. Sears or How to Be Happy, Dammit: A Cynic’s Guide to Spiritual Happiness by Karen Salmansohn.

Book I Thought I Wouldn’t Like but Did: Heartless by Marissa Meyer

Book I Thought I Would Like but Didn’t: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

Most Overrated: Paper Princess by Erin Watt

Most Disturbing: Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed (fiction) or The Only Girl in the World: A Memoir by Maude Julien (non-fiction).

Most Inspirational: The Four Agreements: A Practical Guide to Personal Freedom by Miguel Ruiz or Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes (memoir).

Most Far-Out: Surviving Death: Evidence of the Afterlife by Leslie Kean or A Field Guide to Lucid Dreaming: Mastering the Art of Oneironautics by Dylan Tuccillo.

Nerdiest Read: Level Up Your Life: How to Unlock Adventure and Happiness by Becoming the Hero of Your Own Story by Steve Kamb.

Most Depressing but Worth It: Night by Elie Wiesel (non-fiction) or Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks (fiction).

Book about books: Bizarre Books by Russell Ash, Brian Lake.

Classic I Should Have Read Before but Hadn’t: Animal Farm by George Orwell and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (read a bunch of classics this year, these were my top two).

Best Graphic Novel: Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson (This whole series is a lot of fun.)

Strong Female Role Model: #GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso (non-fiction) or Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (fiction).

Best Book about Music: Vivaldi’s Virgins by Barbara Quick (fiction) or Instrumental: A Memoir of Madness, Medication and Music by James Rhodes (non-fiction, very dark).

Best Book about Trivia: Fox Tossing, Octopus Wrestling and Other Forgotten Sports by Edward Brooke-Hitching.

Best Memoir: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami.

Best Book about a Foodie: Born Round: The Secret History of a Full-time Eater by Frank Bruni

Best Historical Fiction: The Confessions of Young Nero by Margaret George or Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.

Best political: Gnarr: How I Became the Mayor of a Large City in Iceland and Changed the World by Jón Gnarr

Work-related: Linchpin: Are You Indispensable? by Seth Godin.

Family-related: How Not to Hate Your Husband After Kids by Jancee Dunn.

Happy New Year, my friends. And, happy reading, to all of you.

Video guest post: Hayreddin Barbarossa, The King of Pirates

Here’s another entry in the collaboration between the Help Desk and, my friend, The History Guy.
He has a degree in history. He likes history. And if you like history too, this is the video for you!

 

 

Thanks for watching and reading!