More Recent Kid Pics

Films Recently Watched: (the long-awaited update)

Sliding Doors (1998) dir. by Peter Howitt
This was recommended to me by a friend. A really cool movie for anybody who has ever asked (or nearly driven themselves crazy asking) 'What if.' What if a seemingly insignificant decision to, say, stop and get a candy bar from a vending machine puts you 2 minutes closer to (or farther from) some potentially life-changing event? Of course, we don't usually get the opportunity to see how things have have turned out differently. Here, we get a voyeur's perspective on exactly how things turn out differently.

An Inconvenient Truth (2006) dir. by Davis Guggenheim
Biased? Maybe. One-sided? Possibly. Compelling? Definitely. This, I believe, will be Al Gore's legacy. Who would have thought that a movie of a guy giving a lecture could be so interesting.

Inside Man (2006) dir. by Spike Lee
Can't go wrong with a Jodie Foster thriller -- plus Denzel Washington and Clive Owen. Gold!

In The Heat Of The Night (1967) dir. by Norman Jewison
I had a good friend who absolutely couldn't believe I'd never seen this. I really liked how they showed that even Virgil Tibbs (played by Sidney Poitier) was not above the effects of racism when he was convinced the white plantation owner was involved with the murder. This brief exchange between Tibbs, the black homicide investigator and Gillespie, the white local sheriff is indicative:

Tibbs: I can pull that fat cat down. I can bring him right off this hill!
Gillespie: Man, you're just like the rest of us --- Ain't ya?

Good stuff!

Cape Fear (1962) dir. by J. Lee Thompson
Gregory Peck and Robert Mitchum both shine here. As is usually the case, the original is better than the remake -- even when the remake is directed by Martin Scorsese and stars Robert De Niro, Jessica Lange, and Nick Nolte!

Star Wars (1977) dir. by George Lucas
I was fortunate enough to celebrate the 30th anniversary of this landmark film in style. A good friend invited me for a screening on his 10 foot projection screen. We watched the closest thing to the Original Unaltered version as is available (legally) on DVD. It had been a long time since I'd seen Han blow Greedo away in cold blood -- woohoo! Afterward, I stayed around for a demonstration of his new HD-DVD player. It was great fun! Thanks Doug!

Cellular (2004) dir. by David R. Ellis
Plot holes galore, but a fun popcorn flick!

Finding my way back to some unwatched portions of a Hitchcock box set that I own:
Shadow Of A Doubt (1943) dir. by Alfred Hitchcock
The Man Who Knew Too Much (1956) dir. by Alfred Hitchcock
Marnie (1964) dir. by Alfred Hitchcock

Currently enjoying a couple of David Attenborough documentaries (I haven't finished either yet, but I recommend them nonetheless):
The Life of Mammals (2002)
Life in the Undergrowth (2005)