Word: homer
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...collect American paintings because they are American," he said, "but because they are good and often great." It was a declaration that few U.S. collectors, haunted as they were by the specter of provincialism, would have made. He began with those two heroes of realism, Thomas Eakins and Winslow Homer. But Phillips' taste was more for the visionary, especially for the dark, light-mottled sea pieces of Albert Pinkham Ryder, and for the younger painters they inspired--Arthur Dove, Marsden Hartley, John Marin and others. He was convinced that the defining characteristics of American art were more spiritual than stylistic...
When Dante Alighieri compiled his great medieval Who's Who of heroes and villains, the Divine Comedy, the highest a non-Christian could climb was Limbo. Ancient pagans had to be virtuous indeed to warrant inclusion: the residents included Homer, Caesar, Plato and Dante's guide, Vergil. But perhaps the most surprising entry in Dante's catalog of "great-hearted souls" was a figure "solitary, set apart...
...Y2Khaos to lob a few bio-bombs our way? For a preview of life after a biological apocalypse, check out The Omega Man, Chuck Heston vs. a lot of zombies in a ruined LA, and ponder your options. Or better yet, find the Simpsons parody, The Homega Man, with Homer in the Heston role, and giggle your troubles away...
...Part of this believability comes from the strength of the acting. Tobey Maguire plays Homer perfectly. He bings an ideal mix of innocence and naivete to the role, but he also imparts a mature intelligence gained during his days in the orphanage. Homer might be innocent, but he certainly can't be labeled stupid. When dealing with expectant mothers, he learns to read between the lines and sense what's really going on behind the expressions on people's faces...
...also learns quite a bit more than medicine from Michael Caine's Dr. Larch. Caine perfectly embodies the Dr. Larch of the novel. Although he has a gruff exterior, Larch loves all of his orphans, especially young Homer. It breaks his heart when Homer leaves, but he never gives up--just like, you might say, a real father. His signature line, spoken to the orphans before bed, "Goodnight you princes of Maine, you kings of New England," belies an overly optimistic hope for the future all of his young ones, a love and faith that he passed on to Homer...