Obligatory End of Year Movie Post

Managed to get through a few of our Holiday favorites:

(some were just in the background when we were wrapping presents or making candy, but I'm counting them anyway)

A Christmas Story (1983) dir. by Bob Clark

Christmas Vacation (1989) dir. by Jeremiah S. Chechik

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) dir. by George Seaton

The Polar Express (2004) dir. by Robert Zemeckis

And...since I missed the year-end round-up at the end of 2008, the following is a list of films watched during the years 2008 & 2009:

A Christmas Story (1983)
Christmas Vacation (1989)
Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
The Polar Express (2004)
Gaslight (1944)
Léon (1994)
Man on Wire (2008)
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Revolutionary Road (2008)
Rushmore (1998)
Same Time, Next Year (1978)
Slumdog Millionaire (2008)
The Big Chill (1983)
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008)
The Iron Giant (1999)
Public Enemies (2009)
Up (2009)
There Will Be Blood (2007)
Atonement (2007)
Babel (2006)
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004)
Cars (2006)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Cinema Paradiso (1988)
Cloverfield (2008)
The Dark Knight (2008)
The Five Obstructions (2003)
Death Proof (2007)
The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003)
Evan Almighty (2007)
Even Pigeons Go to Heaven (2007)
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008)
Gran Torino (2008)
Heroes (2006)
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
Iron Man (2008)
Juno (2007)
King Kong (2005)
The Lake House (2006)
Amélie (2001)
The Little Mermaid (1989)
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Miami Vice (2006)
Most (2003)
Moulin Rouge! (2001)
At Night (2007)
Rambo (2008)
Ratatouille (2007)
Star Wars (1977)
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
Transformers (2007)
Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993)
Tropic Thunder (2008)
WALL·E (2008)
Wings of Desire (1987)
The Wizard of Oz (1939)
Le Samouraï (1967)
Babette's Feast (1987)
Apocalypto (2006)
Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Casino Royale (2006)
Blood Diamond (2006)
The Da Vinci Code (2006)
Flags of Our Fathers (2006)
Happy Feet (2006)
Lilo & Stitch (2002)
The Queen (2006)

Good Night or Good Luck?

"Good Night or Good Luck?"


That's it.

That's the final poll over at This or That, the online poll site with the tagline: "Two Choices. Zero Context. Infinite Fun."

Well, the infinite fun lasted three years, and while not "infinite" in the strictest sense of the word, it was a pretty good run.

A buddy of mine from college started the site and it attracted quite the eclectic community, well beyond the group of college friends who knew about it from the beginning. Over these three years, it has been fun to get to know one another. Some (who only knew each other from ToT) have even arranged to meet in person!



Many of us are on Facebook and will continue contact that way. There is a Google Group that is intended to continue with daily polls.

Nonetheless, an era is coming to an end.

Good night, and good luck!



Films Recently Watched:


Gaslight (1944) dir. by George Cukor
Watched this on the recommendation of a friend. A decent psychological thriller along the lines of many films directed by Alfred Hitchcock. Worth seeing for Ingrid Bergman's performance, alone. Also note the appearance of a very young Angela Lansbury.

Léon (1994) dir. by Luc Besson
Reviewing a favorite.

Man on Wire (2008) dir. by James Marsh
Fascinating documentary about French tightrope performer, Philippe Petit's quest to walk on a wire suspended between the two towers of the newly constructed (in 1974) World Trade Center. On the documentary, Petit's mannerisms and delivery got a bit over the top at times, but it was worth it for the story he was telling. Such an incredible achievement mostly for the sake of the beauty of the thing. Time Magazine called the stunt the "Artistic Crime of the Century." And rightly so.

Moulin Rouge! (2001) dir. by Baz Luhrmann
It's funny the things that can prompt me to watch a film. This time, one of my 'This or That' friends on Facebook simply mentioned a song from Moulin Rouge, so I put in the DVD to hear that performance. Ended up watching the whole thing.

Revolutionary Road (2008) dir. by Sam Mendes
Hardly the "feel good" movie of the year, but wonderfully directed and acted. Amazing sets and natural lighting throughout.

Rushmore (1998) dir. by Wes Anderson
I'd seen it before, but I borrowed this from a friend to watch again. Quirky and fun.

Same Time, Next Year (1978) dir. by Robert Mulligan
Recommended by a friend. The brief description made me think that maybe it would be similar to Brief Encounter. It isn't. At all. Strangers meet on a weekend retreat and proceed to carry on an adulterous affair annually. It's interesting to see the passage of time (about 25 years; mid-fifties through late seventies), and there are moments where the writing is solid, but something makes be believe this story works better on stage (for which it was written) than on film.

Slumdog Millionaire (2008) dir. by Danny Boyle, Loveleen Tandan
Interesting story. Not sure it was worthy of the 'Best Picture' Oscar it was awarded, though.

The Big Chill (1983) dir. by Lawrence Kasdan
Recommended by a friend, same friend who recommended "Same Time, Next Year." :-)

This one didn't do anything for me. Quite the ensemble cast (Kevin Kline, William Hurt, Jeff Goldblum, Tom Berenger, Glenn Close), some good moments, but again, I think that this might work better on stage than on film.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008) dir. by David Fincher
Another Interesting story. Also nominated for 'Best Picture' Oscar by the Academy. Solid CG work.

The Iron Giant (1999) dir. by Brad Bird
Once again, a Facebook posting forced me to watch a movie, too late at night. Another fan of The Iron Giant mentioned that it was the 10th Anniversary of the day on which it opened in theaters. So I watched it in celebration.

Michigan Vacation 2009

I won't be posting an entry for Photo Friday this week (or next) as their theme, 'Cameraphone Shot' runs for two weeks and I don't carry a cell phone and the cell phone that we do have doesn't have a camera. Feel free to go on over to the Photo Friday site and see what other folks are sharing, though.

Instead, I finally finished my post about a trip we made up to Michigan over the weekend of July 9-13.

Here are the photographic results:

Friday, we (Our family, Christy's Mom, Dad, and brother, Paul) all took the boat to South Manitou Island. The weather forecasts for Friday were not good. We actually noticed a few raindrops on the windshield as we approached Leland.

As time passed though, especially as we approached the island, the sky cleared and sun broke through and a nice breeze off the lake actually made for a beautiful day to be on the island.

In Leland before leaving for the island:

On the boat:

More on this interesting object in Lake Michigan here and here






Approaching South Manitou Island:



On South Manitou Island.



A lake on an island in the middle of Lake Michigan.

Our guide for the motor tour of the island reached into the lake with one hand and pulled out two baby turtles: a painted turtle and a snapping turtle.

At the schoolhouse

Our guide also managed to find several snakes under logs, etc. much to the amusement of Hannah and Harrison.

The lighthouse on South Manitou Island is operational and accessible to visitors. We were able to go to the top, but several members of our party were unable to deal with the heavy wind once we got up there.

Saturday, the prority of the day was to go see the new Michael Mann/Johnny Depp film,

Public Enemies (2009) dir. by Michael Mann

It was good. Not fantastic.

I don't know how authentic to the original historical events Mann was, but it seemed to me that when there were opportunites to go "all Hollywood" and over-the-top with production, he played it safe and stuck to the story and the characters.

Depp was subtle in his portrayal, but very good.

Nobody can shoot a gunfight like Michael Mann.

Grandma and Grandpa took the grandkids to a beach on Lake Cadillac while Christy, Paul, and I went to the movie.

Later that day we all took a walk:

The sun was sinking and I couldn't help but notice the difference in how the trees looked on one side of the trail verses the other side:

Woods looking West (dark side of the trees)

Woods looking East (light side of trees)

Hannah and Harrison had a good time on our walk:

(three successive images taken within two seconds)

Sunday:

After attending church and grabbing lunch, we headed for Sand Lake.

The best ice cream in America, according to "Good Morning America."

Moomers

Pixar's "Up"

In an effort not to have another ridiculously long film update, this will be a short one. Two films recently watched.

The impetus for this update is primarily my disappointment with Pixar's latest....



Up (2009) dir. by Pete Docter and Bob Peterson

[GASP]

Yes, I said "disappointment" and "Pixar" in the same sentence. Trust me, I'm as surprised as anybody.

Basic plot: A young boy scout, Russell, in pursuit of his "Assisting the Elderly" badge befriends an elderly widower, Carl, and they set off (via Carl's house suspended by thousands of helium balloons) to achieve their respective dreams of adventure.

[WARNING: Possible spoilers ahead]

The beginning is perfect. How Pixar can make you care deeply about a character even though she only has a precious few moments on screen, much of the time saying nothing.

The entire montage showing how the realities of life sometimes get in the way of our dreams is completely relatable and endearing. Absolutely classic Pixar filmmaking.

Everything was great until you realize that Russell and Carl have suddenly arrived in the vicinity of their destination only a few minutes (of film time) after their departure?

What??

I really think that Pixar should have drawn out the flight of Carl and Russell. I mean, the house being suspended by balloons and taking flight was the hook of the entire ad campaign: the teaser trailer, the poster, everything...and then their flight is over -- almost as soon as it begins? And for what? An on-the-ground, jungle adventure that we've all seen countless times before?

Like Russell and Carl, I found myself in "uncharted territory" when I began questioning plot points that Pixar asks the viewer to simply accept.

In some ways, for Pixar, this is nothing new:
I know that toys can't talk and move independently.
I know that monsters do not pass from one dimension into another using children's closet doors as portals.
I know that sharks don't join 12-step programs.
I know that rats can't cook, let alone control the actions of a human by pulling on their hair.

...but Pixar tells me these things and I believe them. I'm along for the ride, wherever they want to take me.

But with Up, this time, was different.

I found myself thinking about Russell's parents/caretakers. They never wondered where he went? It must have taken days to get where they were going. And with Carl's recent run-in with the authorities, you think he isn't going to have serious charges waiting for him when he gets back?

And Charles Muntz, the explorer who inspires the very young Carl to seek out adventure in the first place? How old is this dude at the end of the movie? 95? 100? Older? And yet, we see him running jumping and fighting like a teenager? Even if I force myself to somehow buy that, Carl is presented as a slow-moving, cane-using, feeble old man. While all of that adds to his charm as he is introduced, Pixar casts aside many of his physical limitations when it suits them to do so. To this, I think even Carl himself would say, "Bahhh!"

Dogs play an important role in the second half of this movie. I know many dog owners who seem to enjoy nothing more than anthropomorphizing their canine companions. Some pretend to "understand" what their pets are "saying." Okay. So maybe it's not too much of a leap to pretend that a technology could be developed to interpret and vocalize the communications of dogs. But now they're flying planes? In formation???

I SHOULD NOT BE ASKING THESE QUESTIONS, EVEN NOW. Let alone while sitting in the theater watching the movie. A PIXAR movie!

And yet...there I was...trying to figure out what was happening.

Don't get me wrong. Up is hardly a bad movie.

I have extremely high expectations when it comes to Pixar films which have always been met or exceeded. So I found myself shocked to come away feeling otherwise. Frankly, I think that if this movie had been made by Dreamworks Animation or Fox, I would have been thrilled with it.

So I guess it has as much to do with me and my expectations as anything, which often turns out to be the case, I find.

Regardless, I have no regrets that this was Harrison's first movie in the theater.

He did great. One much-needed potty break about halfway through for both kids, but otherwise they sat and behaved and watched the movie.

Also seen:

There Will Be Blood (2007) dir. by Paul Thomas Anderson

Film Update

It's been a long time since I've posted here about movies.

There are several reasons for this:

I don't watch movies nearly as voraciously as I used to. Updating a handful of films less often, in some ways, is more difficult than updating larger numbers of films more often. In short, I got out of the habit.

My pursuit and appreciation of others' motion photography, has been replaced, to some extent, by a pursuit and appreciation of my own and others' still photography.

Delays lead to more delays -- I got so far behind with the updates that the task became too daunting a task.

Nonetheless, I'm getting this up to date here and now.

Mostly, I'll just be posting titles. If I have a few short thoughts to share, I will. If you have questions about any specific title, just holler. I'll be happy to respond, that is, IF I actually remember enough about it to be able to respond.

For my convenience, I'm just listing these alphabetically. I can't remember which ones were more recent than another.

Films Recently [cough] Watched:

Atonement (2007) dir. by Joe Wright
Babel (2006) dir. by Alejandro González Iñárritu
Born Into Brothels: Calcutta's Red Light Kids (2004) dir. by Zana Briski, Ross Kauffman
Fascinating. This one brings together my interest in both motion and still photography. Basic premise: give simple cameras to young children of prostitutes in Calcutta, India and document the results. After some success shown with this group of children and possibly some genuine talent shown by individual children, the filmmakers started a non-profit organization, Kids With Cameras, to continue this kind of work elsewhere.
Cars (2006) dir. by John Lasseter, Joe Ranft
Chariots of Fire (1981) dir. by Hugh Hudson
Cinema Paradiso (1988) dir. by Giuseppe Tornatore
Cloverfield (2008) dir. by Matt Reeves
I enjoyed the film. For the most part, they did a good job with using the concept, 'it's what you CAN'T see that's scary.' If anything, I think they may have waited TOO late in the movie for the big reveal.

I find that in varying and diverse artistic mediums, it is the obstacles, and NOT complete artistic and budgetary freedom, that produce compelling art.

The one-take-amateur-handheld-video feel to this solves multiple problems. It lends credibility to the low-budget style -- it attaches the viewer to the main characters in a tangible way -- it emphasizes that the events are occurring in real-time -- it gives reason to why we don't see much of what is happening, but rather we see the reactions of individuals and groups of individuals, which, in many ways, is more frightening and realistic than seeing the scary thing to which those people are responding.

I also liked how they incorporate backstory in the form of a leader and trailer on the video media device which contains the events of the film. Pretty clever.

The Dark Knight (2008) dir. by Christopher Nolan
The Five Obstructions (2003) dir. by Jørgen Leth, Lars von Trier
A fascinating little documentary. The concept: Jørgen Leth is a Danish filmmaker, who, back in 1967, made an art film called, The Perfect Human (which is a bonus feature on the Five Obstructions DVD). Lars von Trier is also a Danish filmmaker who proposes to Leth that he remake The Perfect Human five times with 5 separate groups of obstructions. For example, the first set of obstructions is the film must be made in Cuba, but with no sets. Leth must answer all of the questions posed in the original 1967 film, and -- here's the kicker -- no cut may last longer than 12 frames. So at 24 frames per second, there are at least two cuts during every second of this particular version of this film. You might think, as I did, and Leth, too, that this obstruction would make the film virtually unwatchable. I found quite the opposite to be true. This obstruction quickly became one of my favorites of the five. Lars von Trier was equally impressed with the job that Leth did on the first obstruction, so he heaps on the difficulty of the following obstructions. As interesting as the short sections of each obstructed film are, what I found even more interesting was the banter between Leth and von Trier when the obstructions are being negotiated. I enjoyed this one quite a bit.
Death Proof (2007) dir. by Quentin Tarantino
The Story of the Weeping Camel (2003) dir. by Byambasuren Davaa, Luigi Falorni
A simple and effective documentary.
Evan Almighty (2007) dir. by Tom Shadyac
Even Pigeons Go to Heaven (2007) dir. by Samuel Tourneux
This is a short animated film. It was on my list, but I barely remember watching it.
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed (2008) dir. by Nathan Frankowski
Gran Torino (2008) dir. by Clint Eastwood
Heroes (2006)
Finally finished Season 1. I've been watching new episodes here and there of the newest season. Missed Season 2 altogether, though.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) dir. by Steven Spierberg
Iron Man (2008) dir. by Jon Favreau
Juno (2007) dir. by Jason Reitman
King Kong (2005) dir. by Peter Jackson
The Lake House (2006) dir. by Alejandro Agresti
Amélie (2001) dir. by Jean-Pierre Jeunet
The Little Mermaid (1989) dir. by Ron Clements, John Musker
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001) dir. by Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) dir. by Peter Jackson
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) dir. by Peter Jackson
Miami Vice (2006) dir. by Michael Mann
Mostly unrelated to this movie, but Christy heard about a movie coming out this summer, Public Enemies. She wants to see it because it stars Johnny Depp. She says she "appreciates his acting skills." :-) I was skeptical at first, but then I found out that it is directed by Michael Mann. Might have to give this one a shot...but I have to see Pixar's "Up" first.
Most (2003) dir. by Bobby Garabedian
This is a Czech film that our small group from church watched together. It is well done. What bugs me about it is that I'm sure that I've seen this before, but I'm sure that it was prior to 2003. I'm thinking we watched this, or something extremely similar back when I was probably in 4th or 5th grade at my church. Weird.
Moulin Rouge! (2001) dir. by Baz Luhrmann
At Night (2007) dir. by Christian E. Christiansen
Rambo (2008) dir. by Sylvester Stallone
Ratatouille (2007) dir. by Brad Bird, Jan Pinkava
Star Wars (1977) dir. by George Lucas
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007) dir. by Tim Burton
Transformers (2007) dir. by Michael Bay
Trois couleurs: Bleu (1993) dir. by Krzysztof Kieslowski
Tropic Thunder (2008) dir. by Ben Stiller
WALL·E (2008) dir. by Andrew Stanton
Wings of Desire (1987) dir. by Wim Wenders
The Wizard of Oz (1939) dir. by Victor Fleming
We watched this with Hannah after we finished reading L. Frank Baum's "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." We were a little worried that she would be frightened by portions of it, especially since she tends to be sensitive to portrayals of peril in movies, but she was fine.

Google 'Street View' Comes to Town

Looking for something else entirely, I recently discovered that Indianapolis and several surrounding communities (see map) are now included in Google Maps' application, Street View.



For the uninitiated, Street View combines Google's interactive mapping program (which is fantastic, by the way) with street-level photographs. Just to clarify, this isn't top-down satellite imagery -- this is more like you're standing in the middle of an intersection or street and able to spin around, identify landmarks, etc. You've really got to try it yourself to get the full effect.


...and while I'm singing the praises of Google anyway, I had a very positive experience using another one of their services recently:


1-800-GOOG-411 (1-800-466-4411)
(more on GOOG411)


This is a free phone information service where, using simple voice prompts, you tell them where you're located (or where you're headed, if you're travelling) and then what you're looking for either by specific listing (Fazoli's) or by general category (restaurants). It confirms your prompts back to you and allows you to connect. All for free. Once again, you have to try it to see how well it works, but I can tell you this, I'll never call 555-1212 again!



Films Recently Watched:

Le Samouraï (1967) dir. by Jean-Pierre Melville


Babette's Feast (1987) dir. by Gabriel Axel


Apocalypto (2006) dir. by Mel Gibson


Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) dir. by Gore Verbinski


Casino Royale (2006) dir. by Martin Campbell

It's a Brave New World

If you're a hobbyist or professional photographer and haven't already been approached by police, private security, secret service, rent-a-cop, etc. telling you that 'photography is prohibited on these premises,' then it's probably just a matter of time before you are.

I try to be fairly sensitive about when to leave my camera in the bag, but I can think of a couple of times when I've been 'busted' for using a camera:

One of those was already been mentioned on this site: here. That was at the airport several years ago (I can hardly believe that was 3 years ago!).

The other was more recently, just before Christmas just a couple months ago at a local mall.

Neither were a big deal.

But more and more, photographers' rights to make photographs while on public property are being questioned and threatened.

photopermit.org is a site with hundreds of such stories.

Bert P. Krages II has an excellent website and downloadable pamphlet that explain a photographer's rights and obligations during such confrontations.

USATODAY.com's Andrew Kantor has also written two good articles on the issue [one & two].

Finally, at the PMA (Photo Marketing Association) convention a couple of weeks ago, SIGMA announced a couple of new lenses of interest.

Check it out:

This gentleman is holding the Sigma APO 200-500mm F2.8 lens. See that little object in his left hand? That's a normal-sized SLR camera. In this day and age, try pointing that thing at a Federal Building in any large city and you'll get yourself shot on sight.


Use the military green version of the lens and they'll skip the sniper and just call in an air strike, and ask questions later!

Films Recently Watched:

Blood Diamond (2006) dir. by Edward Zwick

The Da Vinci Code (2006) dir. by Ron Howard
This had been on my 'must see' list for months. Finally got around to it. I really don't see what all the conservative fuss was about.

Flags of Our Fathers (2006) dir. by Clint Eastwood
Interesting story of an iconic photograph.



Happy Feet (2006) dir. by George Miller, Warren Coleman, Judy Morris
Cute. I loved that the DVD includes what may have been the inspiration for the movie, the classic 1936 Warner Bros. cartoon, 'I Love to Singa.' "Enough is too much!" I also love the telegraph gag, too. STOP! Hilarious.

Lilo & Stitch (2002) dir. by Dean DeBlois, Chris Sanders

The Queen (2006) dir. by Stephen Frears
Helen Mirren earned her Oscar. She is The Queen

Also, I'm waiting for the final few discs of 'Heroes' - Season 1 to become available at the library -- in the meantime, I found '24' - Season 1 and just finished that. It was kind of strange to be watching it now of all times. I didn't know this when I began watching, but the events of the first season take place on the day of the California presidential primary when one of the candidates in the story is black. Original airdates were in 2001-02.

Photo Friday

I submitted this:

for the theme, 'Passage of Time' last week, but didn't feature it here because it wasn't that long ago that I used that same mosaic for the theme, 'Alone.'

Anyway, this week's Photo Friday theme is: 'Mountain'

As most of you know -- I've lived in Indiana my entire life and Indiana doesn't have what most people would call mountains. We do, however, occasionally have more snow than we know what to do with which results in 'mountains' of snow.

I found this 'mountain' piled up around the sign that you can see and it struck me as mildly funny.






Films Recently Watched:

Finishing up 2007 movies here. I managed to get a few in over the Christmas holiday:

3 Godfathers (1948) dir. by John Ford
A totally different kind of Western. I know my Dad loves this movie. I was hoping for more from it. It was OK, but that's about it. Why do I always get Mildred Natwick and Beulah Bondi confused??



300 (2006) dir. by Zack Snyder
As soon as I saw another Frank Miller graphic novel was being made into a movie (a la Sin City), I knew I would want to see it eventually. Early trailers confirmed that Miller's highly stylized visuals would be used as a model again. Is it realistic? Hardly. Is it ridiculously-over-the-top? Yeah, but I knew that going in and it did not disappoint. I didn't realize until afterwards that Gerry Butler, who plays the protagonist, Leonidas here was also the Phantom in the film adaptation of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera.

So...to review:



(from left to right: Beulah/Mildred/ Gerry as Phantom/Gerry as Leonidas/Gary Coleman)

Got it so far? Ok - moving on.

Dreamgirls (2006) dir. by Bill Condon
This was pretty good. I didn't care for the switch halfway through from 'movie about music' to 'full-out musical,' but other than that it was decent.

Edward Scissorhands (1990) dir. by Tim Burton
Possibly a stretch as a 'Christmas Movie,' but I always enjoy it around that time of year.

The Good Shepherd (2006) dir. by Robert De Niro
Eh -- so, so. Too long and the torture scene nearly made me physically ill. Yikes.

The Jungle Book (1967) dir. by Wolfgang Reitherman
Wow -- it had been a long time since I'd seen this one. Pretty classic Disney.

Match Point (2005) dir. by Woody Allen
A clever thriller disguised as a romantic drama. I enjoyed it.

United 93 (2006) dir. by Paul Greengrass
The documentary, United 93: the Families and the Film, which is on the DVD is nearly as riveting as the film itself. Both really well done. What I found most disturbing had nothing to do with the film, but rather it's listing on IMDb. Under the heading 'If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends,' I found a link to Die Hard 2. Come on.

I've started watching the TV show (on DVD, of course), 'Heroes' and I'm really enjoying it. The mixed blessing of watching exciting serial TV on DVD is that there's no obligation to wait a whole week for the next episode. You can watch as many as you like. Yes, a blessing and a curse.

Fall Update

We've been keeping busy with all the beautiful fall weather we've had this year.

Here are a few recent pictures of the kids:

Anderson University Homecoming
It had been a few years since we'd been. We were able to catch up with several good friends -- some that we see often, others we hadn't seen in 10 or 11 years. Hannah got her face painted, I got this picture:


I was a chaperon for Hannah's first school field trip to Grandmas and Grandpas Pumpkin (and gourd) Patch. They went on a hayride; played some games; picked a small pumpkin and a gourd to take home; learned about how pumpkins are grown; and walked through a corn maze:

Hannah's Class (Hannah is third from the left):


We went to Tuttle Orchard with Christy's brother and his family on a mild, but windy day in late October this year. We had all been there together before (except for Harrison, of course) just over four years ago.

Here's a picture of Hannah on the play tractor there from our first trip there:

...and more recently, with both Hannah and Katherine:

Love this one:

Swinging:


I showed Hannah how to tie her shoes like twice and she started doing it herself! Then, she insisted on wearing these shoes which are too big for her, but they're the only ones she had with laces.

...and finally, a few of The Boy:



He enjoyed playing in the sandbox and gnawing on an apple he got a hold of.

We also fit in a trip to the Indianapolis Children's Museum on a Saturday when the weather wasn't quite so nice.



For Halloween, Hannah decided that she wanted to be a cat again.
Harrison was supposed to be a floppy-eared dog, but he was either a grumpy floppy-eared dog or a completely headless dog because he would scream whenever we put the hood of his costume up and pull it back down off his head. This battle did not create many great photo opportunities. Here's about the best of the lot:








Films Recently Watched:

Akeelah and the Bee (2006) dir. by Doug Atchison
Better than expected.

Brief Encounter (1945) dir. by David Lean

The Departed (2006) dir. by Martin Scorsese
I liked this better than the original, 'Infernal Affairs' -- Glad that Scorsese got his Oscar for it.

Double Indemnity (1944) dir. by Billy Wilder

The Fog (1980) dir. by John Carpenter
For Halloween this year.

For Your Consideration (2006) dir. by Christopher Guest
Not as good as others I've seen from Guest.

Heat (1995) dir. by Michael Mann

A History of Violence (2005) dir. by David Cronenberg

Hollywoodland (2006) dir. by Allen Coulter

Kingdom of Heaven (2005) dir. by Ridley Scott
Finally got around to watching the extended cut of this one. Big improvement over the theatrical cut.

Letters from Iwo Jima (2006) dir. by Clint Eastwood
I was prepared to be wowed by Eastwood again, and was disappointed. I'll keep my eyes open for the counterpart, 'Flags of Our Fathers' at the library.

Little Miss Sunshine (2006) dir. by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris

The Miracle Worker (1962) dir. by Arthur Penn

The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) dir. by Henry Selick

Pleasantville (1998) dir. by Gary Ross

A Prairie Home Companion (2006) dir. by Robert Altman

The Red Violin (1998) dir. by Francois Girard