Hale-Bopp Comet and the Star of Bethlehem

The Star of Bethlehem is a celestial signal-flare telling us where to find the truth.

Sometimes the best part of going out to a movie is getting to watch a whole string of previews. The "feature presentation" might be a dud, but if the previews are interesting, the trip is not a total loss. Movie "trailers," or previews, are specifically designed to catch and hold the attention of fidgety 5-year-olds, bored teenagers and exhausted adults.

Basically, "trailers" assume we all have the attention span of a gnat. They assume we need something to explode, catch fire, crash or take off with a roar about every seven seconds in order to keep us glued to the screen. Previews do their best to make even the lamest stories with the most mediocre casts look exciting, new and something not to be missed. Of course, the test of a really great movie is that its plot and characters, its ability to create a new reality and captivate our senses, are impossible to capture on a two-minute trailer. Some of the best movies I've ever seen had preview clips that were ho-hum. And vice versa.

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