Free at last! And sick, too!

I am free - finally graded the last exam, and then spent hours desperately trying to post the grades through our rinky-dink campus computers. The college server was "under attack," whatever that means, and consequently wasn't functioning at a time when several hundred people were trying to input their grades. Total virtual chaos.

But I finally did it - so I'm free.

And, of course, promptly got sick. Right in the middle of watching "Apocalypto." No, it wasn't the gore and blood, but a stomach virus. I stayed and watched the movie through to the end, ducking out to the bathroom on occasion so I missed a few key scenes. Maeréad's dad drove me home -I wasn't up to it.

So what did I make of the movie? It's an exciting film that puts an interesting and much neglected people front and center. I live in a community where some of our residents actually speak Mayan and it was a real kick to hear a whole movie where every character uses it. The violence and blood are real but I don't understandd the critics' reaction to it. They raved about "Sin City," and other movies about as bloody. They generally don't get too upset over routine gorefests like "Hostel." Or at least the don't question the film maker's sanity.

And in our society at any rate film makers are usually not criticized for making lots of money.

There is, however, Gibson's twisting of history. Even criticism of this, though, seems wrongheaded, or at least besides the point. Did anyone care that most of the 'history' in "Gladiator" was bunk. Besides, as I saw at least one reviewer point out, Gibson was bending the historical details to suit his own little morality tale. There is actually a message behind the gore.


But that will have to wait for a day when I am feeling better.


And I don't want to spoil the end, but when we finished watching the movie one of my friends who teaches Spanish history said "Is Mel Gibson Catholic?"