movie minute

Mum's the word: A dissatisfied preacher's wife who looks to her golf coach for an affair; an absent-minded preacher who is more focused on God than his own family; a teenage daughter who has a new boyfriend almost everyday; a prepubescent male who is bullied each day at school. All of these combined make up the delightful and funny film, Keeping Mum (Rated R). Enter seemingly kind and gentle Grace Hawkins to bring the family together and get them on the right path. Once Grace appears, however, the population (57) of the town of English town of Little Wallop starts decreasing. Dame Maggie Smith plays Grace who becomes the housekeeper of the Goodfellow family and starts helping each family member rediscover themselves. Kristin Scott Thomas plays Gloria Goodfellow, the preacher's wife. Meanwhile, Rowan Atkinson (Mr. Bean himself) plays the Rev. Walter Goodfellow. This is a very nice and subdued role for Atkinson; it was refreshing to see him in this kind of role. Of course, there is a bit of Atkinson's comedic shtick thrown in for good measure as well as a bit of murder. I didn't expect the plot twist near the end (I should have seen it coming) but the film is well cast and while it is fairly predictable, it's a nice little movie to see on a rainy day.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3.50

paul

movie minute

Rated for some "mature" audiences: (NC-17) This documentary film deals with the very secret and very influential society known as the ratings board. They are (or were, before this film) more shrouded in secrecy than the CIA. The ratings board are the "everyday, normal Americans" who decide which rating a film should get which ends up either benefiting the film or hurting the film. The more independent filmmakers usually end up getting short changed but not for the reasons you may think.

Director Kirby Dick, who made the truly compelling documentary Twist Of Faith, goes all investigative journalist, with the help of a couple of real private eyes, to expose (literally) the secret ratings board and how their system is really a form of censorship; an updated version of the Hayes Code. Many movies today that get the rating NC-17, as this film is rated, end up being seen by a much smaller market which is too bad because many of those films are edgy and provocative and deserve to be seen by a much wider audience. The film details which elements earn a film its rating and how recutting a film can earn a film a more "family friendly" rating.

Several filmmakers, including Kimberly Peirce (director of Boys Don't Cry) and John "provocative" Waters are interviewed and discuss how their films ended up getting NC-17 ratings and why they got those ratings. According to the system of the ratings board, violence is okay but sex is bad. The worse the sex act, the "worse" the rating; the worse the violent act, rating could remain unchanged or unaffected. The filmmakers also discuss the appeals process, as does Kirby who appealed the board's decision to give his own film an NC-17 rating. The only person who introduces himself during the appeal is the attorney, the appeals board does NOT and their are two clergy members on the appeals board (who don't seem to get a vote) just to make sure the process is a "moral" one. Also, the filmmaker cannot cite former movies as examples in the appeals process. For example, a movie in 1978 (Coming Home) showing a woman enjoying an orgasm earns an R rating. A movie in 1999 (Boy's Don't Cry) showing a woman enjoying an orgasm earns an NC-17 rating. The fact that the main character gets a bullet through their head doesn't seem to matter.

The film is quite controversial because it gives the names of all 9 members on the ratings board (at least those that were on the board as of 2005; the board may have changed since this film) and the stats of 8 of those members. The 8 whose stats they give are all over the age of 40; none of them younger than 44 and only two or three of them have children 16 or younger. As one lesbian filmmaker comments, "Are there any parents on the board who are like me?" That answer is a disappointing and resounding, no. Yet, these people are the voice of what the country deems "acceptable" and "family friendly." What happened to parents policing their own kids?

As a result of this film each film that I review, starting with this one, I will give the rating of so that anyone can go back and compare films and ratings. And lest one think that only a few filmmakers have either gotten NC-17 ratings or been threatened with that rating if they didn't recut their film, there have been more than a few who have dealt with it. Some of the biggest filmmakers, Scorsese, Spielberg, Kubrick (and many, many more) have had that "headache."

This film was much better and more insightful than I thought it would be. Critics and studio heads are also interviewed giving their take and insight on the ratings board.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4.50

paul

Here's a winner for you: A 23-year-old man in South Wichita, Kansas attempted to kidnap someone and then went and shot at the victim. The man missed and instead of shooting again decided to put the gun inside of his pants (no doubt to look cool). After he jammed the gun inside the waist of his pants, the gun discharged and hit him in the left testicle (ouch, that smarts...no, that's stupid) at which point the man doubled over in pain (natch) and the gun went off again and hit him in the left calf.

Let that be a lesson to all the would be kidnappers out there. Just walk away, walk away.

paul

If you are planning on visiting outer space anytime soon then you might want to make sure you check out the image of Col. Harland Sanders. Mr. Kentucky Fried Chicken himself can now be seen from space as you can see from this picture. Workers assembled 65,000 colored tiles over 6 days to create an "all new" Col. Sanders with a red apron. The image is 87,000 square feet of tiles and is located in the Nevada desert. I wonder if the martians prefer the original recipe or extra crispy.

paul

Rant(s) of the week

OJ Simpson has a new book coming out on November 30. The book, called "If I Did It", details how Simpson would have committed the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. This is a hypothetical book and not a confession by Simpson. My question is, Why? After 12 years he has decided to open the wounds of the still unsolved murders of these two people. And I know many people are saying that he should just take the word 'if' out of the title. This is very poor taste and very arrogant and heartless of Simpson to write such a book. I will not buy this book or read it and I feel sorry for his children and for the families of Goldman and Brown-Simpson. I'm not judging Simpson; what I am saying is that he should have had the sense to realize that a book like this would not be well received and not put him in a flattering light. I wonder if his friends or family knew about this and if they gave him their thoughts or opinions. If they did, he obviously ignored it and went ahead with this terrible tome.

peace,

paul

Keisha Castle-Hughes plays a pregnant woman and she is also one in real life. The 16-year-old Australian born Hughes, who starred in the movie Whale Rider (and became the youngest woman ever nominated for a Best Actress Oscar), is getting criticized for being pregnant with her boyfriend, yes boyfriend, not husband. In her upcoming movie she plays Mary (yes, Mary from the Bible) in The Nativity Story. The film follows Mary and Joseph as they travel to Jerusalem before the birth of Jesus. By the way, the film will be screened at the Vatican's Aulo Paolo VI on November 26. It's the first Hollywood film to have the honor to be screened at the capital of the Catholic Church. So, will Castle-Hughes's unwed pregnancy turn me off from seeing the film? Not a chance! I just hope she can fit into that Oscar dress come Academy Award time as her name is already being bandied about for a nomination.

peace,

paul

weekly post from November 12, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

It's a cold, wet and raw morning here in Western, NY. It rained yesterday too and while I wish it would stop raining, at least it's not snow. I keep asking, "Is it summer yet?"

We had regional conference last weekend and coming back to "normal" life and going back to work is difficult after such a high at conference. It was nice with so much good news this past week. Not only did the Democrats gain control of both houses but that yelping noise you hear is the Pentagon door hitting Rummy on his way out of the building. Yes, Rummy is out and Robert Gates is the nominee to takes Rumsfeld's place. Some other good news (in the gay world): 51% of Arizona voters decided to smack down a proposed state ban on same sex marriage. How shocking and wonderful is that? Not only that but Mexico City will recognize gay civil unions. While it's not marriage, it does mean that same sex couples will have the same inheritance and pension rights that heterosexual couples have. It approved 43-17 with 5 abstentions. Now if we could just get rid of Karl Rove.

If you aren't watching Countdown With Keith Olbermann, I'll make a case for it again. It's on 5 nights a week at 8pm and midnight and features the days top 5 stories with the sarcastic Olbermann. Journalists and political figures make their appearance and the oddball segment (it features some strange news stories from around the world) are often jaw dropping and the daily worst persons in the world are often downright unbelievable. Check it out. It's informative and entertaining.

And one final thought: Is there something in the air that is causing animals to run amok? Last week a 600lb bull was captured (after 10hrs) in a NJ parking lot and this past week an 8 point buck entered a Targay, oops, I mean Target and ran around the store for about 20mins. Let's watch out for our 4 legged friends.

paul

G-Man: Another "young'un" has come out of the closet. Earlier this year Lance Bass, formerly of 'Nsync, came out and announced he was also in a relationship with Reichen Lehmkuhl (a former winner on The Amazing Race). Now comes news that former Doogie Howser, Neil Patrick Harris, is out of the closet (officially). And it appears to have happened as a non-issue. It wasn't front page news or breaking news, nor should it be. I've heard rumors before that he was gay but now he's claiming (and I'm summarizing) that he is content living as a gay man. Harris (the same age as me) is currently playing a womanizer on How I Met Your Mother, the CBS comedy. I have to say after having seen this show a few times, he's good and sometimes funny. I was saying earlier this year that we need more young people coming out of the closet so let's hope this is a trend that is here to stay. And let's hope there continues to be a collective yawn as new people come out of the closet. I don't mean that in a negative way, I mean that it won't matter if more and more people come out. It will certainly be exciting to a gay man like me and I'll be right there with a thumbs up but anything more than that that makes a big deal of it is not needed.

peace,

paul

#1 again

The tv journalist from Kazakhstan is #1 at the box office again with a greater total this weekend than last. Borat, the man played by Jewish British comedian Sacha Baron Cohen, made $29 million this weekend upping the gross from last weekend which was $26.4. Borat knocked The Santa Clause down to #2 last weekend and that's where it stays again this weekend. The Will Ferrell-Emma Thompson comedy Stranger Than Fiction posed no threat to the foreigner as it landed at #4.

paul

movie minute

Want to see a shocking and hilarious film? Hmmmm...., what could your choices be? How about one that's creating a lot of controversy and is certain to be polarizing. Check out Borat: Cultural Learnings Of America For Make Benefit Glorious Nation Of Kazakhstan. Yes, that's the whole title of the film. It's the story of Kazakhstanian tv reporter Borat Sagdiyev (fictional) who decides to travel to the U.S. and A. with his sidekick Azamat (Ken Davitian) for to get some ideas on how to be more welcoming and accepting. Along the way he encounters "everyday" people in America; shocking and hilarious encounters. This movie is hysterical but I honestly did not know whether to be shocked (that I was laughing) or offended (that such demeaning stuff was being shown). In the end, both my spouse and I laughed. I'm glad he laughed with me because the undertone of the movie is just plain mean. Most of the scenes are of real people who are being, in essence, set up by an observant Jewish man who is pretending to be from a foreign country and trying to broaden his mind while they come off looking like jerks and bigots. Two people in the theater walked out during one shockingly gross yet funny scene. What did they expect? This movie offends just about everyone. Apparently Sacha Baron Cohen (the British comedian who doesn't really have a mustache who plays Borat) got everyone to sign documents permitting them to be on film but much of it was probably under false pretenses. I hope Cohen and director Larry Charles (Seinfeld) made sure all of their i's were dotted and t's were crossed. Two S.C. college students (yes, they are in the film) are suing the filmmakers because the producers plied them with alcohol and got them to say the racist and offensive things they said on camera. Methinks they did that all on their own. You'll either laugh or be offended but if you're laughing you won't have time to be offended; but your jaw may be dropped for most of the movie. Not all of the scenes are real, some are obviously staged and while those are still funny it's the ones that are truly duping people that will elicit the most laughs (or people being offended). The rodeo scene and the hotel scene where Azamat finds Borat's magazine are two of the highlights. It's always interesting seeing movies with my spouse because in the movie when Azamat speaks the Kazakh language. Borat was speaking certain words in Armenian and Hebrew and Yiddish. Also Kazakhstan was actually Romania (yes, they filmed the Kazakhstan scenes there). What I want to know is how Cohen's family is reacting to his treatment of Jews. Borat actually came from Baron's variety show Da Ali G Show in which he had three different characters and duped people on a smaller scale. He also managed to dupe former U.S. Congressman Bob Barr and former Presidential contender Alan Keyes (who himself is controversial). This movie was #1 last weekend (Nov. 3-5) which is surprising since it was only showing on 800 some odd screens. This weekend it will be on over 2,000 screens and will rival the Will Ferrell movie, Stranger Than Fiction, for the #1 spot. See this movie at your own risk just don't say I didn't warn you.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4.5

paul

Ed Bradley, one of the greatest and most honored newscasters, has passed away of leukemia. Bradley, who scored numerous interviews with some of the biggest names in the world, was a consummate professional who broke ranks in the barrier of race. He received 19 Emmys (3 at the 2003 awards show) and joined 60minutes as a newscaster in 1981. Bradley will be missed by many in the industry and he credited Liza Minnelli with convincing him to get his ear pierced. Bradley was 65.

Also passing is actor Jack Palance. The 87-year-old passed away of natural causes and had been acting since 1950 when he played a murderer in the film Panic In The Streets. When he won the Academy Award in 1992, he got down on the floor and started doing one-handed push-ups to show that he was still a physical powerhouse. He won the award for his role as Curly Washburn in the film City Slickers. The role was a self-parody of the many cowboy/western roles that Palance starred in. He once said, "Most of the stuff I do is garbage." And of the directors he worked with, he said this: "Most of them shouldn't even be directing traffic."

R.I.P.

paul

paul

movie minute

Year of the wine: Once again Russell Crowe proves what a solid actor he is in the new film A Good Year. The alluring Aussie is back as Max Skinner, an overworked and underrelaxed stock trader who finds out his uncle Henry has died and left him a chateau in France. As we see in flashbacks, Max has fond memories of growing up with Uncle Henry and the chateau. Now Max must decide if he wants to continue his workaholic ways or live the relaxing life. It does help that he meets a very attractive woman by the name of Fanny (played by Marion Cotillard). It is wonderful seeing Freddie Highmore (Charlie in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory; Peter in Finding Neverland) back on the big screen. This young lad promises to be an actor to be reckoned with if he continues acting as he gets older. Albert Finney is back as well (another fine actor) in flashbacks; he plays Uncle Henry. The movie is based on the book by Peter Mayle and is much better than the book. Having said that, the story the book tells is not a particularly interesting one and that would explain why most of the scenes in the movie are not in the book. Director Ridley Scott (Gladiator, GI Jane) and screenwriter Marc Klein (Serendipity) do a great job of keeping the film moving and interesting. One of the rare occasions when the film supercedes the book.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

possible Oscar nods

Best Adapted Screenplay

Babel-ling stories: Babel, the new movie by Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, is another one of those movies that feature seemingly disparate stories but all of the stories and characters are brought together by something they all have in common. In this case it is a rifle and the characters all end up speaking the same language but in different parts of the world which means it's quite difficult for them to communicate with each other. A Moroccan villager is given a powerful rifle and his two sons are more than eager to try it out. When they tire of trying to hit jackals, they aim for a tour bus (full of people, needless to say). After seeing that the rifle is not as powerful and does not shoot as far as they believed, the gun is suddenly able to hit a bus and smash one of the windows and hit one of the passengers on the bus. The passenger hit is Susan (Cate Blanchett), husband to Richard (Brad Pitt who is going the "George Clooney in Syriana route" with the graying hair and facial hair. Hey, Clooney ended up with an Oscar, so whatever works.). Richard is suddenly faced with the daunting task of getting his wife to a hospital before she bleeds to death. The film also features a storyline with a nanny (Adriana Barraza, who gained 30lbs to play Amelia) and the two young kids she carts off to Mexico to attend her son's wedding. She attends the wedding with her thug-like nephew (Gael Garcia Bernal, once again proving that, yes, he can play bad to the bone). The other story is of a deaf-mute girl Chieko (real life deaf actress Rinko Kikuchi) and her determination to act out her sexual urges. I won't tell you how she or her father or Amelia and the kids figure into the equation but I will tell that this is the kind of movie that Academy Award voters love to honor with the Best Picture prize. Witness last year's winner, Crash, a movie that also featured intersecting story lines and characters. Crash, however, told a more compelling story and the characters were more layered. Babel suffers in that the stories are stretched to fit together and yes, it's meant to be global but it is crushed by the weight of its own grandiosity. Inarritu also directed Amores Perros and 21 Grams (two other films that are quite similar to this film but much much better; probably because the story lines are more believable and not as global). The acting is just fine, however, the film (which will probably be the front runner in the best picture race) is just too thin.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.75

possible Oscar nods

Best Picture
Best Director
Best Supporting Actor: Brad Pitt
Best Supporting Actress: Adriana Barraza
Best Original Screenplay

peace out,

paul

movie minute

Scissor Story: The movie version of Running With Scissors, Augusten Burroughs's best-selling book has come to the big screen and while the film deals with some serious themes, it lacks some things in the translation from page to film. Relative newcomer Joseph Cross plays 13-year-old Burroughs who struggles to deal with the strained relations of his parents. His parents are played by Annette Bening and Alec Baldwin (yes, him again) and as their relationship deteriorates, the presence of Dr. Marion Finch promises to help things get better. Soon, however, Burroughs's mom, along with Finch, are deciding that Burroughs would be better off living with the Finch family. Soon bible dipping, dog kibble, and poop prophecies are figuring prominently in his life. The family includes Gwyneth Paltrow (Hope), Evan Rachel Wood (Natalie) and matriarch Agnes, played by Jill Clayburgh. Dr. Finch is played by Scottish actor Brian Cox and as Burroughs is forced to deal with their dysfunction, he soon becomes friends with younger sister Natalie. I want to say that Evan Rachel Wood is a talented actress, however, she needs a new role; the role of tortured-too-much-eyeliner-wearing teenager who smokes is wearing thin. Cross does a very nice job as Burroughs who loves his mother so much but has to deal with the fact that she doesn't want him; she's too self-absorbed in her own drama and psychosis. Clayburgh, whose role as a second mother figure is really written in more than what the book described (in the book she was more passive and didn't figure heavily as a mother figure), is heartwarming and she may be the second person from the film to score an Oscar nod. Bening, of course, would be the main one and while this role is not greatly nuanced or even Bening's best role, she does a good enough job that she should get noticed come nominating time. Another actor worthy of mentioning is Joseph Fiennes who plays Neil Bookman, Augusten's first relationship. He is tender and volatile sometimes in the same scene. The film doesn't capture the true craziness or even the humor (often laugh out loud funny) that the book describes and a couple of the scenes are just a titch too long but gay director Ryan Murphy did give it his all and as far as adaptations go, it could have been worse.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 3

possible Oscar nods

Best Adapted Screenplay
Best Actress-Bening
Best Supporting Actress-Clayburgh

humor 2

Subject: Grocery store setting the mood

The new supermarket near our house has an automatic water mister to keep the produce fresh. Just before it goes on, you hear the sound of distant thunder and the smell of fresh rain. When you approach the milk cases, you hear cows mooing and witness the> scent of fresh hay. When you approach the egg case, you hear hens cluck and cackle and the air is filled with the pleasing aroma of bacon and eggs frying. The veggie department features the smell of fresh buttered corn. I don't buy toilet paper there any more.

paul

humor 1

HARVARD READING TEST

This was developed as an age test by an R&D department at Harvard University.
Take your time and see if you can read each line aloud without a mistake. The average person over 50 years of age can't do it!
Good Luck!

1. This is this cat
2. This is is cat
3. This is how cat
4. This is to cat
5. This is keep cat
6. This is an cat
7. This is old cat
8. This is fart cat
9. This is busy cat
10. This is for cat
11. This is forty cat
12. This is seconds cat

Now go back and read aloud the third word in each line from the top down and I betcha you can't resist passing it on.

weekly post from November 5, 2006

Hey my friends & loved ones,

We've just returned from 3 1/2 days in Pittsburgh (actually we were in Monroeville, just outside of Pittsburgh) for the regional conference of our denomination. It's always a thrilling and spiritual experience but it was especially so this time because we had 15 people (my spouse and me included) and 9 of those people had never been to a conference before. The two regions that were there included people from the Northeast, Bahamas, Jamaica, Virgin Islands, Croatia, Eastern Canada, Turkey, Romania, Poland, Ukraine, Kentucky, and Indiana (just to name a few). The messages were powerful, the music uplifting and the fellowship was priceless. Another plus to the event was that my spouse got to preach and (biases aside; yes, I can be objective) he was spot on and set the bar for other preachers. He didn't use the podium (the only non-elder preacher who preached to not use the podium) and he didn't preach with a script (he never does) and there was only one other preacher that didn't use a script (an elder) and people really responded to his message. I think everyone had a great time and will each bring something back to our church.

In other news, driving back from PA, we saw a substantial amount of snow on the ground and Jim and I both moaned that we just aren't ready. However, it is November and the white will be flying fast and furious fairly soon (poor Buffalo has already been socked once).

paul

weekly post from October 29, 2006

Hello my friends & loved ones,

Last week at church we had a wonderful and lively service with an all time high in attendance. We had 92 people (high for us) and the service included liturgical dance. I'm sure some people were put off by it (but I don't know of them, yet) but it was good for the church and the community. Being stretched and pulled out of our comfort zone may not be the most pleasing thing, however, it certainly helps us grow and become better people in the long run. One would think that our church was a new church from the way we've been growing and prospering lately but it's actually been around for 25 years. It's definitely in a renaissance phase and hopefully there's more growing and thriving to come.

I don't remember seeing or hearing political ads while growing up in Texas but I'm certainly aware of them now. Either they have become nastier than ever or I'm just more in tune to them. These ads are disgusting and way below the belt; I'm almost embarrassed to be living in the same country as these people who put on these ads. Having said that, I've never been one to tell people how to vote but I do tell people to vote. I recently read a poll citing the reasons why people don't vote and the biggest percentage was "didn't have time." I know we have busy lives and we sometimes think about being cloned (I do anyway) but, please, make time to vote. No, it's not a major election but it does still count. I have a rule that I tell people who complain to me about who's in office; they cannot complain in my presence if they didn't vote. I won't even hear their moaning about it. Please vote. And remember that when watching those political ads on tv, make sure you know the truth because, let's face it, many (if not all) of those ads are filled with lies, half-truths, and sleaze to get you to vote one way or another. Be real and know if what you're hearing is true or not.

paul

weekly post from October 22, 2006

Hello friends & loved ones,

Time and time again we hear that history repeats itself. Why don't we heed this message? Why must history actually repeat itself (again) before we realize how true the statement is? Here's a little repeat history for you: In 1798 under John Adams the Alien and Sedition Acts was passed. This said that anyone opposing or resisting any law of the US could be imprisoned. Also it was deemed illegal to write, print, utter, or publish anything that was critical of the President or Congress; The Espionage Act was passed under Woodrow Wilson in 1917. This said that anyone who conveys information to interfere with the success of the armed forces could be imprisoned. Also the publication of anything the President thought violated the act could be found guilty; Under Franklin D. Roosevelt with executive order 9066, over 100,000 Japanese-Americans were imprisoned in internment camps for the remainder of WWII. 62% were American born; And just this past week with the Military Commissions Act was passed under George W. Bush. This gives Bush the power to basically imprison anyone deemed to be hostile toward the US. The following is taken from wikipedia (I've included a link to the site so you can read more about it). "The Act changes pre-existing law to explicitly disallow the invocation of the Geneva Conventions when executing the writ of habeas corpus or in other civil actions [Act sec. 5(a)]. This provision applies to all cases pending at the time the Act is enacted, as well as to all such future cases." Here is a link to read about the act. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_Commissions_Act_of_2006

Why aren't more people talking about this? Why is there a collective yawn across the country? People should be marching in the streets to protest this. This is akin to having a king, an uber-President. We as American citizens should be afraid of what this could potentially mean for any one of us. I despise the use of fear to get people to do something, however, we need to have a vigilance to ensure that our rights are maintained and not taken out from underneath us.

I read a book this past week that gives credence to the above statement. The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice In A Small Town is a NON-FICTION John Grisham book that tells the TRUE story of Ron Williamson who was on death row for 11 years for a crime he did not commit. He is not the only tale in the book; several others were placed in prison for crimes they did not commit. False evidence, hasty prosecutors, sloppy investigating, coerced confessions and other outrageous crimes within the justice system detail how it all happened. This did not happen in another country but right here in the USA. It's time to wake up from our slumber and demand to be treated the way the Constitution says we should be treated.

paul

weekly post from October 15, 2006

Hello my friends & loved ones,

Another week behind us and another week before us. Pretty soon it will be getting into the single digits and the fireplaces and woodstoves will be going full steam. Oh, wait, that's already happened and at our house we've been using the electric blanket for a couple of weeks already. We missed the freak snowstorm this past week but Buffalo got socked and then some. More than 2 feet of snow and the snow causing trees to down power lines in a number of places. Our Northern friends also got socked pretty heavily. We just got back from the New York Wine & Culinary Center. We had some nice NY State wine and Jim had a really dark and heavy beer. For dinner Jim had pork, tomatoes, cheese and some other stuff on ciabatta bread and I had herb crusted filet mignon. I've become really spoiled by Jim's cooking; the food at the Center was decent but I really like Jim's cooking.

I don't know if you've been getting updated on Jennifer "the runaway bride" Wilbanks but I heard this past week about how she's suing her ex-fiancée and how she wants her bridal shower gifts back. Hello!!!!??? Not only was there no wedding but she decided to skip town to ensure there would be no wedding. Why can't we just quit while we're ahead. It seems in our society we want more, more, more. More stuff, more money, more clothes, more food, more this, more that. At one point do we realize that, no, we don't have to have more; we don't need more; we've got plenty as it is. We become so focused on the next thing that we lose sight of what we already have and then we lose it and wonder why. It really is a vicious cycle that continues and continues and continues. When do we stop and really take stock of what we've got right in front of us and say, "Yes, that's plenty, that's all I need." Let's face it, wants and needs are two different things but those two words have become so interchangeable in our world that it's become sad.

paul

movie minute

President intrigue: First of all, needless to say (but I'll say it anyway), it's very bad taste to make a movie about the assassination of a sitting president. Having said that, the film Death Of A President isn't all bad but it's not good either. First the bad news: On October 19, 2007, while speaking in Chicago, President George W. Bush is assassinated. The film, a mockumentary, features "people in Bush's detail" speaking to the camera about Bush and the speaking engagement and the protesters in Chicago. The film leading up to the assassination is somber and eerie and the dreadful sense of foreboding is palpable right up to the point of the actual shooting. The film uses archived footage of Bush (that would be real footage in the public domain) and while we never actually see the real Bush get shot, we do hear the shots. There is also a close-up of Dick Cheney at the funeral (it's supposed to be Bush's funeral but the actual footage is taken from Ronald Reagan's funeral). While delivering the eulogy, however, Bush's name is interjected in the footage. The second part of the film deals with the aftermath and how the government pieces together evidence linking a foreigner to the shooting. Unfortunately the evidence is flimsy and when more damning evidence comes forward proving who the actual shooter was, the reaction of the government is shocking; but only if you don't live in the U.S. Or maybe it will be shocking to those who do live here. In the here and now, 2006, with all of the evidence we've seen of wrongful convictions and false evidence, anyone who is still shocked should be in the minority. It reminded me of "The Innocent Man," John Grisham's recent non-fiction book about wrongfully convicted Oklahoman Ron Williamson. Death isn't a pretty picture, death never is and while it still remains in poor taste, it does have some gruesome yet relevant information for the present day U.S.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 2.25

The Queen Cometh: In Stephen Frears's (Dangerous Liaisons, Mrs. Henderson Presnts) film, The Queen, the winds of change are brewing up a storm. The film starts prior to the fatal car accident involving Dodi Fayed and Princess Diana, who would be come to known as the people's princess. As Tony Blair, played here by Michael Sheen (Bright Young Things, Kingdom Of Heaven), comes to power as prime minister with the promise of change, the monarchy struggles to keep up with the times. After Diana's death, the Queen refuses to make a spectacle of her death even as the number of mourners and flowers and tributes pour in and cause the changing of the guards at Buckingham Palace to be temporarily displaced. As the Queen (Helen Mirren playing the Queen without begging us to like her) says, "We will handle this quietly and dignified." She is convinced the people want dignity in their Queen and it's the only way she's ever known. While she tries to grasp the fixation of people on Diana, even after her death, the Queen becomes vilified by the press and the people. The film relies on actual footage of people at Buckingham Palace in the days after Diana's death, as well as actual footage of Diana and footage of mourners coming in before her funeral. The characters nail the roles; specifically Sheen as Blair who soon has the press convinced the Queen is bowing to him as he tries to get her to see that while the regime has changed so have the needs of the people in her country. I couldn't just single out Sheen; Mirren as the Queen only cries once and her back is to the camera and we briefly get to see the tears before she wipes them away; much like she wanted to wipe Diana away. While we may never know if this is exactly as it happened, we become certain of one thing; no one is infallible. Even HRH can be out of step with the people. The actual footage used in the film really adds to the film's depth; Frears was smart to include footage of Diana's brother and the common people outside Buckingham Palace. We really get a sense of how the whole world, not just England, was affected by this. When the Queen does finally take the advice that has been handed to her, when she really begins to see how her silence is tarnishing her crown, the result is deftly handled by Mirren. She's an actress who knows how to react and contour her face just enough so that we don't ever entirely dislike her character; a lesser actress would not have been able to pull it off, nor would they have been able to distance themselves from sympathy and still get our sympathy.

Bags of popcorn (out of 5): 4.50

Happy Viewing!!!

peace,

paul