Miracles

Miracle on 34th Street (Special Edition)
$14.98
This is the "Miracle on 34th Street" I remember from childhood. It is one of my favorite movies of all time and none of the remakes compare.

The set includes both the black and white and colorized versions. The colorized version is the one shown on television, not something new and improved. The opening scene was grainy and the color was distorted, as if to remind us this is an old movie. The black and white version is crisp, as it was meant to be shown. Both versions offer the option to view the movie with the Maureen O'Hara commentary, which she does throughout the movie.

I found O'Hara's commentary interesting. Sometimes, she just described what was happening in the scene, which we could see for ourselves. Other times, she would describe what it was like to work with an actor or what was happening behind that scene or on the set. That was a special treat and I sat glued to the set to watch the movie a second time just to hear her talk.

"AMC Backstory" gave a history of the movie and some of the problems behind the set. I found it fascinating, but I did not like that it was cut into clips and run like on television with all the pauses put in for commercials, except we didn't see any commercials. Certainly those pauses could have been edited out.

Also included are the Thanksgiving day parade footage, promotional shorts and the poster gallery.

I was looking forward to the little booklets often inserted into DVD sets, but this set lacks one. Still, it is a wonderful set.

Miracles
$13.99
After finishing C.S. Lewis's MIRACLES, I was reminded of a comment by one of the participants leaving a seminar on some convoluted, abstract subject: "We still don't understand," he said," but now we feel we don't understand on a much higher level." Lewis's book might well have been the topic of that seminar, and for that reason I rated MIRACLES 3 stars worth of understanding.

Lewis begins his case for miracles by defining them as "...an interference with Nature by supernatural power" and devotes the better part of his book laying the groundwork to prove the existence of the faith-based phenomenon. The author's argument is a series of proofs progressing from the concept of Nature to that of Supernature--the Supernatural; Lewis establishes that a Supreme Being--God, the King--exists, a necessary proof if one is to believe in miracles.

Lewis applies logic to validate religious faith, the Christian faith, in particular; rather than simply saying, "I believe," he makes his thesis an exercise in logic (Lewis contends that Man's reasoning, logical thought, and moral choice are manifestations of the Supernatural at work):"If one accepts A, then B must follow." One has to attend closely to this proper Brit's thoughts; because of Lewis's formal style, I sometimes found myself simply decoding words instead of following the thread of his arguments.

It is when Lewis applies his logic to the miracles themselves: Old Creation miracles and New Testament miracles (The Incarnation, Resurrection, and Ascension) that MIRACLES comes to life. Of particular interest to me in this section is the author's attempts to shed light on the nature of Christian Heaven: where it is, what it is, who will gain its glory and in what form. [It is because of the Ascension miracle, I believe, that Heaven has always been thought of as UP THERE somewhere.] Those of faith might take heed when Lewis states, "The letter and spirit of scripture, and all of Christianity, forbid us to suppose that life in the New Creation will be a sexual life..." and address such worldly concerns while they are still "in the, and of the flesh."

You might look at Lewis' book as an attempt to reconcile the doubters and scoffers of the world with those who steadfastly believe in the Christian story by applying logic to the issue. And while Lewis makes you ponder--perhaps question--your own beliefs, the truth of the matter is, whether you believe in a Divine Power, that there is a God and a Heaven, whether miracles have happened, can happen, or whether the whole thing is merely fol-de-rol, just a fanciful story, where it concerns faith, you either have it or you don't. No Venn diagram will convince you otherwise.

Miracles - The Complete Series
$49.98
"Miracles" is a riveting and addictive TV series that ended too soon. It is about a team of investigators that look into strange occurrences. These occurrences cannot be explained by laws of reason or logic. Each episode takes you on a journey of mystery and intrigue. It is often dark but you can't turn away. The writing is excellent-the actors make you care about the characters. Each member of the team is brought to this time for different reasons. It is a show that touches your emotions-all of them. One moment you will feel hope and then the next, you feel fear. But, over all, you are on the edge of your seats-not sure where the journey will take you-but, you must continue. There are only 13 episodes, the last 7 were never aired. As much as I love each episode, my favorites were these last ones. It is a shame that this compelling series didn't have a chance to capture an audience. If you enjoy suspense and unique drama-"Miracles" is a must for your library.

Miracles: Updated/New Size!
$6.95
This book was very enlightening. I would recommend it to any one and have recommended it to many of my friends.
Thanks Stuart.