Sunday, December 23, 2007

Um, huh. Really? Wow.

Oh no! Those are some of the things I said while watching this. StumbleUpon Rules. Absolutely, definitely, with out a doubt NOT SAFE FOR WORK - Lesbian Erotica - Queen vs Abnormal Big Tits Moma Ranger

Steve and I watched The Golden Compass the other day. It's a story based on the first book of the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. It's a fantasy story about parallel universes, the control of the Church, and ultimate free will of humanity. There has been much made recently regarding Philip Pullman and that he is an atheist trying to "preach" his atheism to children under the guise of a fantasy trilogy. Well, so? Didn't C S Lewis use his Narnia books to proselytize his Christianity? Aren't there countless of Left Behind books being sold by the truckloads all over the world? Here's a lesson for all those who don't like his books: don't buy them and don't read them. Simple. Just move along.
As for the movie, it was hit and miss. It turned out to be better than The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe but fell short of the excellence of Jackson's Lord of the Rings movies. The pacing was too fast (there were little to no transitions between scenes), some of the acting was bad, and the changes made to the story line were puzzling. However, it was an entertaining film at the end. Not one I would pay to see again, but not a waste of time.

Last night Steve and I joined Dave, Diane, Kathy and another lady at a performance of Mars on Life: The Holiday Edition starring Susannah Mars at the Artists Repertory Theatre. It was a cabaret-style show a la Judy Garland. She was very entertaining and sang some very funny songs. In particular, she sang a series of carols broadway style, meaning she mixed hit Broadway shows melodies with carol lyrics. She had a special guest in the second half of the show: Portland's own Robert Hicks (jazz singer and pianist). It was fun. Thanks to Dave and Diane for the free tickets!

An Ambigously Merry Christmas

It's that time of year. Gary and Ace say it best.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

Yeah, I know

I'm not very good at this blogging thing. I like to read blogs, but I don't seem to follow up with posting on this one very much at all.
Well, I'll try a little harder.
Here are a few things that have caught my attention the last few days.
1. My bootcamp experience was a lot different.
2. I wish I had this kind of time, money, and patience.
3. I think I've found the beginnings of my Halloween costume for next year.

Steve and I went to see No Country for Old Men last week. Wow, what a movie. Just about every actor does an outstanding job - Tommy Lee Jones, Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Barry Corbin. Tommy Lee Jones is really funny as the tired old sheriff. Barry Corbin looks about 100 years old and very sad in his turn near the end of the film. And Javier Bardem is just plain psychopathic (that haircut is the icing on the cake).
The Coen boys have hit a home run here. I was really impressed with the calmness of this movie despite the fact that there is a lot of death and destruction. There is barely any music (that I noticed, anyway. John Williams DID NOT right the score.) and the film is quiet and yet sets an excellent pace. And, like many other Coen brothers movies, there is no typical Hollywood ending.
All in all, it is a masterful film.