Saturday, April 26, 2008

DVD of the week

Evening Story: Just finished watching the independent drama Starting Out In The Evening (PG-13). The movie, based on the Brian Morton novel, tells the story of ailing writer Leonard Schiller (a revelatory Frank Langella) who is struggling to finish his latest novel. Enter Heather Wolfe (perfectly played by Lauren Ambrose) who is writing her master's thesis on Leonard.

As Leonard and Heather continue to meet to discuss Leonard's writing and what makes him tick, their relationship deepens way past the point of physical intimacy. The scenes with Langella and Ambrose crackle with energy.

The scenes with Leonard and Heather are juxtaposed with scenes of Leonard's daughter, Ariel (Lili Taylor), and her relationship issues.

The film is a quietly acted and nicely paced one in which the writing is refreshingly real. When this film came out last year, Langella was being touted as a shoo-in for an Academy Award nomination. The ballyhoo was well warranted but sadly he lost out on a nod. I can think of two reasons; one, the performance is not an over the top one. It's real and honest. Secondly, the movie was not widely seen nor was it widely released. Langella's performance is one of those performances that one only sees two or three times a year. Even compared to all of the other nominees in one year, only a few stand above the crowd and Langella's touching, emotional role is a breath of fresh air.

Rent this movie today. For an added layer, read the book first.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4

paul

Thursday, April 24, 2008

American Idol recap

I don't usually write about the American Idol results show but this week's show was more of a shocker than that time that Karen came out as a prostitute on One Life To Live.

The week's theme was Broadway Week with Suh Andrew Lloyd Webber and the six finalists sang their hearts out; well, some of them, anyway.

Jason "dreads" Castro is so boring I'm surprised he is able to stay awake while he's singing; let alone keeping others awake. He sang "Memory" and sings the exact same way every single week.

Brooke "stop the show for me" White royally screwed up (and not just when she forgot the lyrics and started over) the song "You Must Love Me." If only Madonna had been in the house to show this chick how it's done.

The bottom two in the results show wasn't the above two by far weakest singers of the bunch. No, instead it was Carly "Jesus Christ Superstar" Smithson and Syesha "One Rock 'N Roll Too Many" Mercado. One rocked the house and one got her vixen on.

I can't believe these two talents were in the bottom two and Carly actually got the boot. This Irish lass better cut a record soon. Was America on drugs on Tuesday night? Did they all forget which buttons on the phone to push? Did they all suffer from dyslexsia?

Jim and I were both shocked and have vowed from now on, when we're home, to vote!

Next week we'll have to suffer through another dull-as-dishwater Brooke song and another sung-from-the-dorm-room soft ballad of dreads, um, Jason.

Until next week....

peace,

paul

Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Going, Going, Gone...

Weird Story: In 1982 a man by the name of Larry Walters rose three miles above Los Angeles in a lawn chair with helium balloons attached to it. On April 21, 2008, Rev. Adelir Antonio de Carli was carried away by hundreds of balloons high above the Brazilian skyline equipped with a GPS device and satellite phone. He wore a helmet, thermal suit and parachute and sat atop a chair that floats.

Now, he's missing.

Wanting to break the 19-hour record, the winds pushed de Carli about 31 miles off course during his flight. After initially rising to 20,000 feet, he descended to 8,200 feet as he soared toward the city of Dourados.

Helicopters and rescue boats have so far been unable to find him off the southern coast of Brazil. That's where it's believed he vanished as pieces of balloon were found.

There's so much more fun to be had with balloons by inhaling the helium and NOT letting the helium carry you away.

peace,

paul

Friday, April 11, 2008

Friday Fun

Hope these bring a smile to your face.

paul


Oxymorons-The top 45 (not your average morons...)

45. Act naturally
44. Found missing
43. Resident alien
42. Advanced BASIC
41. Genuine imitation
40. Airline Food
39. Good grief
38. Same difference
37. Almost exactly
36. Government organization
35. Sanitary landfill
34. Alone together
33. Legally drunk
32. Silent scream
31. Living dead
30. Small crowd
29. Business ethics
28. Soft rock
27. Butt Head
26. Military Intelligence
25. Software documentation
24. New classic
23. Sweet sorrow
22. Childproof
21. 'Now, then ...'
20. Synthetic natural gas
19. Passive aggression
18. Taped live
17. Clearly misunderstood
16, Peace force
15. Extinct Life
14. Temporary tax increase
13 Computer jock
12. Plastic glasses
11. Terribly pleased
10. Computer security
9. Political science
8. Tight slacks
7. Definite maybe
6. Pretty ugly
5. Twelve-ounce pound cake
4. Diet ice cream
3. Working vacation
2. Exact estimate
1. Microsoft Works

Saturday, April 05, 2008

A monster wouldn't stand a chance against this 3-year-old.

Enjoy,

paul

Thursday, April 03, 2008

Remembering the "Dream": 40 years ago, today, one of the greatest speakers and advocates of minorities' rights was assassinated. And 40 years later, the question is asked, what would he be doing now and what would he have done had he lived? The question, asked about the great Martin Luther King Jr, has a purely speculative answer. King biographer David J. Garrow says that the 79-year-old King would be speaking out against the Iraq war. Garrow also believes that King would not have chosen to run for elective office. That, in my opinion, seems right since in 1967, when King was being courted to run for President on a third-party ticket, King ultimately decided his calling was outside of the political stage.

King is still missed and quoted and given props for the challenging speeches he made in reference to the rights of African-Americans.

Rest in peace, brother.

paul

Wednesday, April 02, 2008

Shhh, here she comes...

Don't mess with these third graders. Nine boys and girls at Carter Elementary School in Georgia planned to attack their teacher. After a teacher was tipped off by a student that one of the girls bought a weapon to school, the authorities were then notified.

The kids, each one with a different learning disability, planned to knock the teacher out with a glass paperweight, handcuff her, duct tape her mouth and then stab her with a steak knife, and a broken one at that.

The teacher had scolded one of the students because they were standing on a chair. Police chief Tony Tanner (great name) had this to say, "We're not sure...how many of the students actually knew the intent was to hurt the teacher...because they are kids, they may have thought this was like a cartoon..." A cartoon with some very realistic consequences. Luckily, those were averted.

paul

Tuesday, April 01, 2008

Tuesday funnies

These have been around the web more than a few times but still worth pondering....

paul


The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as a substitute for blood plasma!

No piece of paper can be folded in half more than seven (7) times. Oh go ahead...I'll wait..

Donkeys kill more people annually than plane crashes or shark attacks. (Watch yourAss )

You burn more calories sleeping than you do watching television.

Oak trees do not produce acorns until they are fifty (50) years of age or older.

The first product to have a bar code was Wrigley's gum.

The King of Hearts is the only king WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE !

American Airlines saved $40,000 in 1987 by eliminating one (1) olive from each salad served in first-class.

Venus is the only planet that rotates clockwise. (Since Venus is normally associated with women,what does this tell you!)

Apples, not caffeine, are more efficient at waking you up in the morning.

Most dust particles in your house are made from DEAD SKIN!

The first owner of the Marlboro Company died of lung cancer so did the first ' Marlboro Man.'

Walt Disney was afraid OF MICE!

PEARLS MELT IN VINEGAR!

The three most valuable brand names on earth: Marlboro, Coca Cola, and Budweiser, in that order.

It is possible to lead a cow upstairs...but, not downstairs

A duck's quack doesn't echo, and no one knows why.

Dentists have recommended that a toothbrush be kept at least six (6) feet away from a toilet to avoid airborne particles resulting from the flush. (I keep my toothbrush in the living room now!)

Richard Millhouse Nixon was the first U.S. President whose name contains all the letters from the word 'criminal.' (who thinks up this stuff???) The second? William Jefferson Clinton (Please don't tell me you're SURPRISED!!!)

And the best for last.....Turtles can breathe through their butts. (I know some people like that, don' t YOU?)