$12 million. Four weeks. 1,500 extras. No storyboard.◆ ◆ ◆
Spielberg didn’t storyboard the D-Day sequence in Saving Private Ryan. He wanted spontaneous reactions — from the cameras, from the actors, from the chaos itself — and refused to plan it the way a conventional blockbuster would.
Cinematographer Janusz Kamiński removed the protective coating from the camera lenses to mimic the blurred look of 1940s newsreel footage. Spielberg drained 60% of the color from the film — television broadcasters later turned the saturation back up after viewer complaints that something was wrong with their sets. Matt Damon was kept completely isolated from the rest of the cast during production so the squad’s resentment of Private Ryan would feel real. The opening D-Day sequence cost $12 million — nearly 20% of the entire budget — took four weeks to shoot on a beach in Ireland, and used 1,500 extras including members of the Irish Reserve Defence Forces.
When the film opened, many WWII veterans described the Omaha Beach sequence as the most accurate depiction of combat they had ever seen. Some had to leave the theater. Spielberg later received the Distinguished Civilian Service Award — the U.S. military’s highest civilian honor. He described the film as a tribute to his veteran father.
✦ DID YOU KNOW?
The opening scene of the film — an elderly man collapsing in grief at a Normandy cemetery — was based on something Spielberg witnessed in real life. He saw a stranger walk into the cemetery, spot the flags, and collapse sobbing. His family had to help him to his feet. Spielberg used the exact sequence to open the film.
God tells us, “I have brought you to myself”, and because of Jesus Christ and in His Word and Sacrament, forgiveness and love are poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit. We are called together to be Christ’s priestly people for the sake of the world.
The Cubs lost to the lowly Giants in 10 innings on Sunday Night Baseball last night, 2–1, as they continue to fall farther out of first place.
The trouble started early for Chicago as starter Jameson Taillon gave up a run in the first inning. Taillon then exited the game with an injury after walking the leadoff batter in the second. He told reporters after the gamethat he hurt his hamstring and believes he will end up on the injured list.
Javier Assad pitched well when pressed into action in relief of Taillon, but Chicago’s offense couldn’t help him out. The Cubs went 1-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left 10 runners on base. Their lone run scored on a single by Moisés Ballesteros in the third. Chicago only had three hits over the final seven innings of the game.
The Cubs have now lost 10 of their last 12 games at home, a rough stretch that began immediately after a 15-game home winningstreak. Chicago’s only two wins at home after May 7 were walk-off victories on Thursday against the A’s and Saturday against the Giants.
The Cubs’ troubles began shortly after that early May homestand. They’re 7–20 since May 9, the worst record in the majors over that span. They’ve gone from having a 3 ½-game lead in the division to sitting in fourth place, 7 ½ games behind the first-place Brewers.
Chicago’s season isn’t lost, though. Fangraphs still gives the Cubs a 43.1% chance of making the playoffs. That’s a far cry from the 91.2% chance they had before this recent skid, but they’re certainly not dead.
Nelly Korda’s dramatic win
Kiyoshi Mio/Imagn Images
Nelly Korda’s dream season just got even better.
Korda, the No. 1 player in the world, is in the midst of a historically dominant LPGA season, and on Sunday, she won her first U.S. Women’s Open.
The U.S. Open had been feast or famine for Korda. She had three previous top-10 finishes (including a runner-up finish last year) but also missed the cut three times and finished well off the pace in her three other appearances as a pro.
So you can imagine the thoughts that must have been swirling through Korda’s head as she stood over a three-foot putt on the 72nd hole, needing to sink it to win the tournament. She pulled the putt to the left and it swirled around the edge of the cup before finally dropping into the hole.
“Obviously, I’ve had doubts, like even mid-round, I was like, ‘Well, will I ever win it, right?’” Korda said. “I mean, you always have those doubts. But I think you’re just a human being if you have them.”
The win was Korda’s second major victory of the season after she won the Chevron Championship in April. She has two other victories, two solo runner-up finishes and one tie for second. The only tournament in which she did not finish in the top two was last month at the Queen City Championship in Cincinnati, where she finished in a measly tie for eighth.
Wild sports week on tap
Geoff Burke/Imagn Images
This is going to be a sports week for the ages.
It gets started with Game 3 of the NBA Finals tonight—the first Finals game in New York this millennium. It should be a raucous scene inside the Garden, although enhanced security measures to accommodate President Trump’s appearance could cause headaches for fans.
I know the NBA is much more popular than the NHL, but I hope you’re equally excited for Game 4 of the Stanley Cup Final on Tuesday. The Hurricanes-Golden Knights series has been fantastic. Game 1 was a 5–4 barnburner, Game 2 went to overtime after a bonkers third period and Game 3 was decided in doubleovertime. At that rate, Tuesday’s game will go to triple overtime.
The main event, though, is the World Cup. It only comes around once every four years and this time it’s being hosted in North America. You probably can’t afford a ticket, but the fact that the games will be played in our hemisphere means you’ll be able to watch them at convenient times. The first match is Mexico vs. South Africa on Thursday at 3 p.m. ET. The other co-hosts, the United States and Canada, kick off on Friday. Canada will play Bosnia-Herzegovina at 3 p.m. and the U.S. plays Paraguay at 9.
The NBA and NHL have carefully crafted their schedules to not interfere with the first U.S. game, but the fact that we have two championship series intertwining with a World Cup on home soil is a once-in-a-generation occurrence.
Breer also tells the rest of the story behind the A.J. Brown trade and examines the Browns’ future, the Packers’ wide receivers and the Steelers’ investment in edge rushers in this week’s takeaways.
How does Norway reconcile its humbling Law of Jante with having one of the biggest stars in soccer? As Norway approaches its first men’s World Cup match in 28 years, Thore Haugstad writes about what it means to be a fan of the national team in a country that doesn’t often allow itself to forge the superstars it needs to succeed.
1. An utterly bizarre double play by the Dodgers’ Triple A affiliate. The left fielder tried to make a sliding catch in foul territory, but the ball bounced out of his glove before being caught by the third baseman, who then threw to first to double off the runner.
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A Night Prayer
Jesus Christ, my God, I adore You and thank You for all the graces You have given me this day. I offer You my sleep and all the moments of this night. I place myself and all my loved ones, wherever they may be, in Your sacred side and under the mantle of Our Blessed Mother. Let Your holy angels stand watch and keep us in peace. Amen.
Quote of the Day
“Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” -1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
Today’s Meditation
“In the mystery of the Annunciation, Jesus, the eternal Word of the Father, the second Person of the Most Holy Trinity, is made flesh in the womb of the Virgin May. Jesus comes to live in Mary – Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity – because her soul is perfectly receptive to the workings and will of God.” —Manual for Eucharistic Adoration
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The daily examination of conscience is an ancient Catholic practice. It’s very simple, and it’s designed to help us identify our sins and weaknesses so that we can improve and grow stronger in the spiritual life, while providing an excellent ongoing preparation for regular Confession. It consists of taking a few minutes at the end of the day to prayerfully review our actions in the light of God’s commandments, followed by the Act of Contrition.
Reflect on the victories and losses
Actively reflecting on the high and low points of the day can help you live more intentionally and bring a renewed sense of resolve into the following day.
Review your actions, words, and thoughts today. Did you actively guard yourself against temptation? Where did sin creep in?
In what moments did you practice virtue and moral courage?
Were you attuned to the Holy Spirit’s promptings today? Where did you feel His inspiration?
Ask Him for the graces necessary to follow His Will more purposefully tomorrow.
Act of Contrition
O my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because of Thy just punishments, but most of all because they offend Thee, my God, Who art all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve with the help of Thy grace to sin no more and to avoid the near occasions of sin. Amen.
Practice gratitude
It is God’s love that has brought you into existence and to this exact moment. Practice looking for His hand in your day.
Where did you feel His loving gaze upon you today?
What people or moments helped you see God in your life?
Thank God for all these moments!
Ask Him to help you recognize His blessings and providence tomorrow.
Renew your commitment to Christ
Remember: our Faith is founded upon a Person—Christ! Renew your personal love and devotion to Him.
Thank God for the gift of His Son Jesus and our call to be His disciples.
Tell the Lord of your desire to know Christ more personally.
If possible, set an intention for your day tomorrow. Ask Our Lord to guide you in this act.
Pray a Hail Mary, Our Father, or another beloved prayer.
Rest with God
[He] made the Bear and Orion, the Plei′ades and the chambers of the south; Who does great things beyond understanding, and marvelous things without number. — Job 9:9-10
(14) Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live: and so the LORD, the God of hosts, shall be with you, as ye have spoken. (15) Hate the evil, and love the good, and establish judgment in the gate: it may be that the LORD God of hosts will be gracious unto the remnant of Joseph. King James VersionChange email Bible version
How can this calamity be averted? The solution is so simple and obvious that God seems to spend very little time on it within the book of Amos. In reality, every word of the book screams what Israel needed to do then—and needs to do today.
“Seek good and not evil, that you may live; so the LORDGod of hosts will be with you, as you have spoken. Hate evil, love good; establish justice in the gate” (Amos 5:14-15). A person does not need to seek God if He has already revealed Himself to him. Thus, seek means “to turn” to Him in repentance, not necessarily “to look for.” It is a way of saying, “Set aside your time and life for God.”
Seek in the Hebrew is imperative; it is a command. Seeking good, or seeking God (verse 4), is an act that we must set ourselves to do, as it is not a natural inclination (Romans 8:7). But it is worth the effort, for its product is life—not just physical existence, but life as God lives it (John 17:3). If we resolve to seek good and continue in it, the result—truly living!—will follow. Seeking the Lord produces godly life.
In living by every Word of God, we should notice the order in which He lists these commands: “Seek good and not evil. . . . Hate evil, love good” (Amos 5:14-15). The action of turning to good precedes the emotions of hating evil and loving good. Holiness involves action and emotion: seeking and shunning, loving good and hating evil. He wants us to turn to the good and make it a target in our daily lives. If we wait for God to infuse us with the right kind of feeling before we try to do good, then we will wait a long time because it will never come. We must take action first by faith, and the corresponding right feeling will follow.
If holiness does not involve both action and emotion, it becomes something that we can put on and take off. We could hypocritically live one kind of life during the week, and on the Sabbath put on our holy look and go to services. Action and emotion combine to make a whole way of life.
Holiness is not just a way of life or a rule to live by. It also produces the very best quality of life—the way God lives eternally. God’s people must constantly think about holiness, appreciating that He has chosen us out of this world and given us grace to be holy.
AI expansion and nuclear buildouts have energy security back in focus. Uranium demand is climbing but supply hasn’t caught up. That’s how cycles begin. A recent NYSE IPO holds historic ground inside that move. See Why This One is Worth Watching. This message is sent on behalf of Jaguar Uranium Corp. (JAGU). Musth Corp receives a fixed fee for each subscriber that clicks on a link in this email. See our disclaimer for further details.Ford is recalling nearly 420,000 vehicles for a seat belt issue
Jim Cramer recommends buying Reddit slowly, UBS upgrades Starwood Property Trust, and Cramer notes BorgWarner as a winner but parabola stock. More Info ➔SpaceX’s New ‘Dark Energy’ Division – Ad
A Texas man is accused of using a fake boarding pass to get on a United Airlines flight before he was found hiding in a restroom, forcing the plane back to the gate before it could take off at Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental Airport, court documents say. More Info ➔
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