Nick and Nora's

It's 2010!

2010-01-01T13:21:00.005-05:00

Happy New Year everyone!

2009 was full of ups (working on the 2009 ISU World Figure Skating Championships and other new work opportunities, seeing Nora's sisters married, vacationing in SoCal, a great Christmas back in MN with Nora's family) and downs (Nick being layed off of his part time job for Mastermedia, Nick's grandmother passing away).

As always, we are both grateful for good health and generally no problems, and we are looking forward to a great 2010!

Happy New Year and God bless!

Our Favorite Christmas Movies

2009-12-01T09:06:00.003-05:00

So, it’s the Christmas season again. On TV they are showing Christmas specials, some old and tried and true, others are new and really bad (Shrek the Halls is terrible, to name one). If you want to try something good, without the commercials, check out my list. Most of these are films Nora and I enjoy and come back to again and again. A few are films I found worthwhile or fun, though we may not revisit them every year. They are in alphabetical order, and all links are to Wikipedia, where you can find info, and links to each films IMDB entry. Most are family friendly, and those that aren't should be easy to spot.

Enjoy!

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A Christmas Carol – There are many, many versions of this classic tale. And why not, it is the story that captures everything we love about Christmas. The mood and feeling, the setting, the message, all are part of what we consider to be Christmas.

Of the many versions, I will suggest 4, and you can pick which you want to see. The 1999 TNT version with Patrick Stewart, the 1984 TV version with George C. Scott, the 1951 black and white with Alistair Sim, and the Muppet Christmas Carol starring Michael Caine. I haven’t seen the 1951 Sim version in a while, but it was the first film version I saw, and is considered by many to be the best.

I think it is interesting to see how differently actors play Scrooge. Stewart is more of a hurt, driven man, bitter about life, and you see how his gruffness and dislike of Christmas is something he wants to overcome, but doesn’t know how. Scott is more bitter and shows more gruffness, we don’t see the hurt as much, it’s buried deeper, and he seems less like he wants to change. Caine seems to almost relish his bitterness and resentment and enjoy hurting others, lashing out because of what happened. Sim I don’t remember well (it’s been a while) but I recall him being really great, and that’s my recollection as a kid.

Each film is different. I remember the 1951 film being excellent. It is black and white, and the effects are not as polished as later versions, but it has a charm. I want to revisit this one this year. The 1984 version has many practical and lighting effects, and they are well done. It is one of the more frightening of the films, although I think the handling of the 3^rd ghost lacks something. The Muppet version is a truly great telling, but you have to deal with the Muppets being in the film. The frightening aspects are toned down some by the humor, and it is one of the more humorous takes on the story. And the 1999 version is the first, other than the Muppet version, to use CGI effects to tell the story, and by and large they work very well, adding realism where the practical effects couldn’t.

All are well done in every respect, from the supporting actors to the direction to the period details.

Whatever version you choose, enjoy it! It’s a great story, and all of those I mentioned are really wonderful.

A Christmas Story – What a hoot! I hadn’t seen this till last year (I know, I was sheltered...) and I loved it. Yeah, it’s not the best message (what really makes Christmas good is getting the right BB gun!) but it also emphasizes the importance of family. And anyway, it’s just a fun outing back to childhood in the 1930’s and 40's. It feels right for the 30’s and 40's, and evokes memories of my own childhood Christmases. It’s a fun, funny film.

Better Off Dead – You might need to be a teenager, or have been one in the 80’s to enjoy this (Nora didn’t like it). A broad comedy about the things teenagers deal with, and how everything that happens feels like the end of the world. The whole film is over the top crazy, the world the way a teenager with lots of imagination would see it. And who wouldn’t fall in love with a French foreign exchange student who can fix cars and loves baseball?

Christmas in Connecticut (1945) - For the record, this vision of CT is nowhere near what it is like now, and I kind of doubt it ever was that way really. But it is a vision that is warm and inviting, and very Christmassy. The film is a funny screwball comedy with a great cast, especially S.Z. Sakall, playing lovable and funny uncle Felix (“it is a catastroff”) and Sidney Greenstreet, who gets to play a character who isn’t evil for once. A heroic naval officer on leave after being rescued at sea wants to visit the Connecticut farm and family of his favorite magazine food writer for Christmas. She’s not married, doesn’t live on a farm, but decides to fake it all because her publisher (Greenstreet) doesn’t know either! Quite a fun film, and fairly romantic for those inclined that way.

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe (2005) – C.S. Lewis’ classic fantasy story. While I had issues with the film (I think Aslan could be a bit more fearsome, making the “not a tame lion” line more appropriate) I generally like it a lot. It is a Christmas film only in the sense of it being winter in Narnia, and the appearance of Father Christmas. But I think that qualifies. A great story of betrayal, sacrifice and the ultimate triumph of good.

Die Hard – Bruce Willis kills German terrorists in a skyscraper and single handedly saves Christmas. Honestly, what could be better? A classic action movie, with a performance by Willis that is really quite good (McClane bleeds and hurts, but keeps going) and a taught, thrilling, and funny script. A truly “guy” Christmas movie. Yippee Kiyay...

Elf – A very engaging little Christmas story that appeals to children but has enough substance to appeal to adults. Will Farrell gets the magic and wonder of being an “innocent” elf-like human dealing with the very not innocent real world. The whole film works, and it’s got a whimsy and heart that makes it a truly classic Christmas film, and one of Farrell’s best. It evokes what we hate, and love about Christmas. It was directed by Jon Favreau, who also directed... Iron Man. What a difference, eh?

The Holiday - A fun little romantic comedy, set in England and LA. Two women who have romantic troubles at home, decide to swap houses for the week between Christmas and New Years. Comedy and romance ensue. The leads are played by Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz (and the love interests by Jude Law and Jack Black, who plays it pretty straight) and look for a wonderful performance by the great Eli Wallach as an older and forgotten screenwriter Kate's character befriends in LA.

Not the best film, or the best romantic comedy ever, but it is fun and romantic and a nice way to spend an evening.

Holiday Inn - A formulaic “show” story in which Fred Astaire dances and Bing Crosby sings. One of the best tap/ballroom dancers ever and one of the best singers ever, how can you beat that? And they are both at the height of their abilities and popularity. Throw in the songs of Irving Berlin (several of which are now classics) a great script with a lot of funny situations and lines, a great supporting cast, and you have a really good little film. Both Fred and Bing have great comic timing. Fred’s dance for the 4^th of July is classic, and shows off just how good he was. Bing’s singing of White Christmas is what started that song on its way to being recorded by everyone, and still played today. He does it best, period. The film is only partially about Christmas, much of the story takes place on other holidays, but its theme and overall tone are Christmas related. I revisit this one almost every Christmas, and I still enjoy it!

Home Alone – A funny movie, in a very slapstick kind of way. What can I say? I remember as a kid really wanting to be left home alone, and wanting to be able to design all those devices to catch a burglar! The film is sort of A Christmas Carol for kids. Kevin wants to be alone. He gets it, and realizes he likes his family, even if they are a pain. It was a big hit when it came out, and it’s easy to see why when revisited.

It's a Wonderful Life - A great film with a great message. I think all those who have had dreams about what they want to do in life can identify with George Bailey. The point of the film is that Bailey’s life is truly wonderful. It may not seem as great as what he dreamed, but he has touched the lives of many people, and changed his world in greater ways than he ever thought. It’s a great film to couple with A Christmas Carol. The two main characters are complimentary. Bailey wishes he followed his dream and didn’t get caught up in the relationships he did; Scrooge did exactly that. Bailey has made the world a better place and left his mark on it, even if he doesn’t see it; Scrooge realizes at the end how much he missed and how little the world will miss him. The film has marvelous supporting characters, and really works on all levels. It is funny, heart breaking, inspiring, and everything that a great film should be.

Make sure you see it is black and white, as it was intended. This is something I would say about ALL films. See them in the proper aspect ratio (the height to width ratio of the film) and in the proper coloring. The black and white, in this case, is more atmospheric and shadows are used a great deal. Black and white also focuses attention on the characters and performances, as there is less to distract you from them.

Joyeux Noel – We saw this film last year, and just loved it. It’s a foreign film about the real life “Christmas Truce” between French, German and Scottish troops on the front lines of WW I in 1914. The film shows the climate of pre-war Europe, where people were taught from childhood that certain nation’s people were dangerous, and even evil. And it shows how they discover that really, they are all much more alike than they think. While the exact event shown didn’t take place, it is a conglomerate of events that did. The film is definitely a drama, and it’s most chilling moments are the poems spoken by the children at the beginning (telling of the evil of other nations people) and the speech of the Bishop at the end (a verbatim speech given at the time apparently). But it is also very heartwarming and inspiring. The depiction of the encounter, as people who were enemies become friends, brought together by Christ and Christmas, plays out wonderfully. The character of the Scottish priest, who feels that no matter who they are, if a person is Christian, they are brothers, is inspiring.

The film is really worth seeking out. It is in French, German and English, and that adds to the experience.

Love Actually – I can only recommend this film with a very big qualification, which I will explain below. The film is about love. We all search for it, we all need it, and we want the real thing, not the fake version. The film follows the lives of a bunch of people in dealing with their love lives in various loosely and interrelated stories set in England during the Christmas season. There is the man who just lost the love of his life, his son who is dealing with that, and with budding love for a young schoolmate; the politician falling in love with a commoner; the newspaper editor falling in love with his assistant and out of love with his wife, who just wants to keep him and really loves him; and on and on and on it goes, at least 8 to 12 separate stories.

And one couple is the reason for my qualification. The couple, who are very introverted, meet because they are stand-ins for a nude scene in a movie. Each is falling in love with the others inner person, while the outer and physical person is bared for all to see. And of course, that is the problem I have, because it is all out there. I see the point of that storyline, and I really think it has a great message (the physical really isn’t that important to true love) but I can’t justify the manner in which it is done. The storyline could have been kept, just crop the shots a bit, or have them stay clothed.

If you can get past the nudity, the film is truly one of the better (and funnier) romantic comedies I’ve seen. It is complex, but has a simple, and I think true, message about the search for love that we all have. Ultimately, as a Christian, I know that this season is about the One who can fulfill that desire.

Miracle on 34th Street (1947) – The quintessential Santa story. The 1947 black and white version is the best, in my opinion. Edmund Gwenn IS Santa Claus. The film is about realizing there is a place for imagination, that life can be to all consuming and that sometimes miracles do happen. As a side note, it teaches economics a little, showing how better service and treating the customer right creates more choice and lower prices for the consumer, and higher profits for the seller (creating a reverse Nash equilibrium, if I recall correctly). Wonderfully shot, wonderfully acted and a great story, with lots of heart.

The Polar Express – A fun movie about seeing and believing. It’s a great ride, and the animation/performance capture is amazing. I am not a fan of telling kids Santa is real (this would hold true for Miracle on 34^th Street as well), but I am a fan of showing them what faith is in terms they understand. Santa is one way to understand it, both with the mind and the heart and emotions. The film is fun and magical.

The Santa Clause – A funny movie, with lots of heart, and a pretty inventive story really, about how they replace, or find, a new Santa Claus. The story works, and all the players hit the right notes. The main character goes from seeing Christmas as just a time for more profit, to seeing what is really important. It’s heartwarming and funny. See below about the sequels.

The Thin Man – A great comic detective movie that takes place around Christmas. Nick Charles is a retired detective who likes to drink and is always ready with a quip. Nora is the wife who gives as good as she gets from him (and even tries to best him at the drinking). The chemistry of the two stars is amazing, and spawned another 4 films (that are all fun). William Powell is wonderful as Nick, and Myrna Loy is elegant, funny, beautiful and everything any guy could ever want in a wife (I agree with Jimmy Stewart, who said “There ought to be a law against any man who doesn't want to marry Myrna Loy.”) Their relationship is quirky and fun, but it works and you can tell they really love each other. Good plot, great acting, well directed. The second film in the series After the Thin Man is really good as well, and takes place over New Years.

We’re No Angels (1955) – I remember this film, a comedy starring Humphrey Bogart, Peter Ustinov and Aldo Rey, as being hysterical and fun. I haven’t seen it in years. It’s a story of 3 convicts who break out of prison, go to rob a house, and end up helping the family that lives there get out of their troubles. I’ll have to see it again this year. I remember being struck by how good Bogart was at comedy, and how funny Ustinov could be. Really worth checking out. Be aware, there is a remake that is not nearly as good by all accounts.

While You Were Sleeping – A romantic comedy, that is funny and heartwarming. The leads are solid, but it’s the supporting cast that gets me. They are well written, and provide a real warmth and truth to the story, and much of the humor. It’s not the best film ever, but it works. It’s romantic and fun. I felt “The Proposal” followed the plot of this film in many ways, but wasn’t quite as good, and wasn’t about Christmas. I still quote lines from this film, as does most of my family when we have a big dinner together!

White Christmas - Yes, the story is forgettable. Essentially it’s a Christmas version of the old musical formula “let’s put on a show” (and sort of a remake/sequel to Holiday Inn).

What makes it enjoyable is the dancing and singing and sheer talent of the stars. You have Bing Crosby, as I said before one of the best singers of his era (or any era) and the real “voice of Christmas” if there is one. You have Danny Kaye, a truly funny man who was fantastically multi-talented (he wasn’t a dancer at all, but you’d think so watching him!) Then you have the genuine dancing talent of Vera Ellen, one of the more talented dancers to hit Hollywood (in choreography by the great Bob Fosse, though he wasn’t credited). And of course, Rosemary Clooney who is a great match to Crosby as a singer. The director is Michael Curtiz, who seems to pop up directing a huge number of classic films, including the great Casablanca.

The supporting cast, including Oscar winner Dean Jagger and Mary Wickes and many others, fill out the film well.

It’s not the best movie ever, but it was and is a favorite of mine. It is just fun music and dancing, and has lots of schmaltz and heart. There is a reason it was the highest grossing film of 1954.

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And there are a few I suggest you stay away from.

The Grinch - HORRID. Not funny, a waste of film and talent. I seriously didn’t laugh once, and I generally like Carrey’s comedy. The 1966 How the Grinch Stole Christmas, however, is wonderful.

Christmas With The Kranks - funny at points, but very grating in many ways. The message is about Christmas being about the commercialization (we HAVE to do the party, the snowman, the lights), but I guess it gets at it being about family. But why would anyone care if you decided to go to the Bahamas for Christmas, and react the way the people in this story react? If they did, I can tell you I’d be moving away from that neighborhood REALLY fast.

The Santa Clause Sequels – The second film is okay, there are a few funny moments and it’s pretty and romantic. Not bad, but not great. The third is stupid and a waste of time.

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Anyway, again, feel free to post your favorites in the comments! I left out the TV specials from this list, but there are many I like. The original Year Without A Santa Clause, the classic Red Skelton episodes (especially his version of O’Henry’s The Cop and the Anthem), A Charlie Brown Christmas is a classic, for good reason.

I note that many lists include The Bishop’s Wife (1947). I have seen it, however I don’t remember it well, and I remember not really liking it. I’m planning on checking it out again this year.

So, check these out, tell me how much you hate or love some of these. Tell me how you can’t believe I left out your favorite, and I’ll try to watch it this year!

Merry Christmas!

Sarah Palin as Bugs Bunny

2009-11-19T10:44:00.007-05:00

I think the media and political figures are underestimating Sarah Palin. She is popular not because she is a great politician or political figure.

She is, essentially, very American.

The American archetype is not like our current President, or really like our last one, or even like what our media and academics would like us to think we want. He's not European or Asian in his mentality.

The American archetype is like Bugs Bunny, at least the Bugs in the Chuck Jones cartoons.

Chuck's version of Bugs is a guy who is wise cracking and always seems to say something that gets him in trouble with someone else, usually because Bugs is right in his observation, cheeky enough to say so, and the other little fellow doesn't like it. Bugs never really starts a fight, but once the fight is engaged he fights hard. "Of course you know, this means war" is one of his catch phrases.

Bugs is also smart. His fighting usually involves words or wordplay, outsmarting the opponent who is bigger, faster or more well armed.

I think Palin is very similar to Bugs in certain respects. She was the target of a smear campaign during the election that was pretty brutal. She seems to be saying, "Of course you know, this means war." Now she's hitting back against all the stuff that was said about her.

And while doing so, she is saying what many people feel about politics and politicians.

People are fed up with politicians that say one thing, do another, make excuses for why they couldn't do what they said and then tell you that you should support them anyway. People are fed up with both parties running around saying they are doing what is best for the country and then proffering legislation or ideas that do the opposite.

Palin is the highest profile person out there saying enough is enough and hitting back; she is a political figure but has the credibility to says she's not like what I outlined above. She is, in many senses, a maverick.

Her counterattack is swift, powerful and straightforward. It may not be nuanced, which I think is what most of the "fabrications" or "falshoods" in her book and comments really are, but it is finally an answer and counterattack to all the stuff said about her and about conservative thought in general. It's an answer to all the namby-pamby wishy-washy comments that most politicians give as answers to those who question them.

And she is correct about the large majority of what she says. She is pointing out the stupidity, on it's face, about many things that are passing for "intelligent" ideas these days.

Newsweek has her on the cover, saying she isn't good for the GOP. Damn straight! She's not good for either party. But she is good for the common sense, normal American who sees everything they hold dear crumbling around them. Here, finally, they see a political figure who says what they think and doesn't seem like she's doing it for political gain! Well, at least for bad political gain, because obviously, she gets something out of doing this.

Bugs Bunny could never run the country. But he can start the fight.

I don't think Palin would make a good President. But she doesn't need to be. She's the fight starter. She's getting the people to stand up, take a look, and demand that politicians be held accountable for what they do.

Now what we need are people to run for office who can truly think through issues, stand on principles that have firm foundations, and persuade others why those principles are solid and they should follow them.

Cell Phone Woe

2009-11-18T12:30:00.003-05:00

Well, I learned this past couple days that you CAN have your cell phone hacked like a computer. Someone ran up about $500 worth of international calls that came FROM our phones! I had no idea you could do that.

The good news is that it looks like things are getting cleared up pretty easily. Our carrier has been great, minimal issues getting it taken care of. Just a pain in the neck...

Been a While...

2009-11-15T13:13:00.003-05:00

Okay, so I (we) haven't updated in quite a while. Since April.

It's not that I didn't want to or didn't have much to say. I think I just got tired of it, and I found other outlets for my observations and comments. This seems to be a regular thing with me. I gradually lose interest in blogging.

But, I will try to update a bit more. I think that is sufficiently vague to keep me from having to update more than once a year!

I shall be posting a list of Christmas movies this year. Nora and I saw a few new films that were quite good, so... look for it!

Currently My Favorite Christian/Praise Song

2009-04-17T08:33:00.003-04:00

Magnificent

Magnificent
Magnificent
I was born,
I was born to be with you
In this space and time
After that and ever after I haven't had a clue
Only to break rhyme
This foolishness can leave a heart black and blue

Chorus:
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love can heal such a scar

I was born
I was born to sing for you
I didn't have a choice, but to lift you up
And sing whatever song you wanted me to
I give you back my voice
From the womb my first cry, it was a joyful noise...

Chorus

Justified till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Magnificent

Chorus 2:
Only love, only love can leave such a mark
But only love, only love unites our hearts

Justify till we die, you and I will magnify
The Magnificent
Magnificent
Magnificent

3 Years Ago Today...

2009-04-08T10:04:00.000-04:00

Love you honey, more now than ever!

Grill U

2009-04-07T09:48:00.004-04:00

So... back in February I recorded the VO for a series of videos for Bush's Beans on grilling. 10 of them. Long session, but I digress.

They basically covered everything from how to grill different kinds of meat, preparing the grill, preparing the meat, rubs, marinades... lots of info.

And they are now up at www.GrillU.com!

My steaks have been turning out almost always perfect, same with chicken. So check it out. I didn't know what I didn't know about grilling till I did these!

My week at the World Figure Skating Championships

2009-03-31T16:00:00.004-04:00

Well... it's over. And I kind of miss it, even though I am very glad it's over.

I mean the ISU World Figure Skating Championships 2009 in LA. See, they have been my life, at least work wise, for the past 2 months. And then this past week (9 days really) they were COMPLETELY my life.

I was one of 2 production coordinators (until the actual event the only one) for the Host Broadcaster for the Championships, a company run by a friend of mine called Red Brick Entertainment.

We shot the event, and then our feed was broadcast to over 80 countries all over the world. Those countries would then provide their own commentators and put in interviews and what not. Not only that, but many of the countries had their own teams who used some of our equipment, and for whom we had to arrange to get offices, commentary positions on the rink, and who knows what else.

Big job. Bigger than the Super Bowl in some ways (Super Bowl is only 1 network, we had 4 fully on site, and about 10 others with some kind of presence).

And it was a LOT of fun. We had pools going on how many falls there would be in any given event. I got to work with some great people. I got to experience figure skating live, and it is better that way. I got to meet Scott Hamilton, who is a really great guy. I got to participate in a world wide TV broadcast! How great is that?!

The days were long (2 in particular were 6:45am or 7am to midnight, and most of the others were 10 to 12 hours). Flurries of activity followed by periods of boredom. LOTS of coffee was drunk. I remember chatting with "Nora" and saying that in the past 2 hours I had 2 venti bolds from Starbucks. That was almost normal... Thing is, I had more coffee later in the day! Gotta get that caffeine to stay awake!

So now I'm home. I slept in today, got caught up on most of the other things I had going. Next week Rob, the executive producer and I, will have to go through everything and make sure all the invoices are sent and paid, and that we pay everyone, so it's not completely over. But the hard and long part is.

The event went EXTREMELY well on our end. The usual issues and little things that seem big at the time came up, but in general nothing went wrong, and everyone was very happy. This is a good thing for me, since I was a big part of preparing everything so that it would go well!

So, as I said, I shall miss the excitement and fun of a live broadcast, and definitely miss the friends I made, but I am glad it's over and I'm home. Now on to the next thing!

Me in Kiss and Cry, where the skaters go to find out their scores.

Courtesy of the Starbucks Cup

2009-03-19T15:13:00.002-04:00

The irony of commitment is that it's deeply liberating - in work, in play, in love. The act frees you from the tyranny of your internal critic, from the fear that likes to dress itself up and parade around as rational hesitation. To commit is to remove your head as the barrier to your life.

Anne Morriss - Starbucks customer from NYC. She describes herself as an "organization builder, restless American citizen, optimist."

"Change"... really?

2009-02-10T10:22:00.004-05:00

Yep, it was all sunshine and lollipops when Obama was elected. The world was kinder, they liked us, everything was coming up roses... or was it?

Great article on the true world reaction to the "new tone" and "change".

2009-01-20T10:51:00.001-05:00

Nora and my love story began today at and after an inaugural ball:) I still love her, more now than ever!

Noonan on Obama

2009-01-16T09:30:00.002-05:00

Well phrased...

... a long-oppressed people have raised up a president. It is moving and beautiful and speaks to the unending magic and sense of justice of our country. The other day the journalist John O'Sullivan noted that 150 years after slavery, a black man stands in the place of Lincoln in the inaugural stands, and this country has proved again that anything is possible, that if we can do this we can do anything. That is a good thing to remember at a difficult time.

Peggy Noonan

Read the whole column here.

I think that sums up my greatest pride in this election. I don't agree with Mr. Obama on many things. I do think he is smart, and I have been surprised and pleased by a few things since the election regarding picks for positions and policies. I hope that he changes his mind on many picks and policies because I think they will be a detriment to the country.

But that paragraph sums up my feelings on his win. I am pleased that he was elected because of that, and I support him as my president.

Good Clean Comedy...

2009-01-16T09:14:00.003-05:00

I wish I would find more paragraphs like this in movie reviews...

What's even more amazing, "Paul Blart: Mall Cop" isn't "wholesome" as a code word for "boring." It's as slam-bang preposterous as any R-rated comedy you can name. It's just that Paul Blart and the film's other characters don't feel the need to use the f-word as the building block of every sentence. They rely on the rest of the English language, which proves adequate. - Roger Ebert, Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Sounds like a fun movie, according to Ebert... read the full review here.

53 Years Ago...

2009-01-09T09:00:00.005-05:00

53 years ago today reports began coming out of the jungles in South America that 5 missionaries were missing and possibly dead. Over the next few days those reports were found to be true.

Almost every Christian knows at least the name Jim Elliot or Nate Saint. Most have heard an outline of the story somewhere.

It is a truly powerful story of 5 men who gave what they could not keep to gain what they could not lose, to paraphrase Elliot.

This video gives the main part of the story, and if you click through to YouTube you can find the 1st part. Steven Curtis Chapman's music and words are more poignant now given what happened in his family last year.

If you want to delve into the story further, I would highly recommend the documentary "Beyond the Gates of Splendor". On the 50th anniversary of the massacre that documentary and a feature film were released. A shortened and not quite as powerful version of the documentary was shown in many churches at that time. The film was called "End of the Spear" and was released around this time that year in honor the 50th anniversary.

The documentary is wonderful, well made, a great subject of course. The movie is not quite as good, something you would see on the Hallmark Channel or something. It suffers from some weak acting (the untrained Waodani who helped make it do a better job than some of the actors, including the lead unfortunately). The direction is adequate, but not particularly great. The message was dimmed to appeal to a wider audience, but the message is a heavy message by nature, and that tension hurts it as well.

While I wouldn't recommend it, if you know those things going in, it is a powerful story, and it isn't a waste of time. I'd definitely recommend the documentary.

If you really want to know more, definitely read the book "Through Gates of Splendor" by Elisabeth Elliot. Taken from Jim' journals, and the story of their relationship, it gives a portrait of a man who was truly sold out to God from the beginning.

It's the movie I would make of the story;)

Why Our Church's Christmas Service Depressed Me

2009-01-02T08:22:00.006-05:00

Okay, so basically the Christmas service at our church was titled "Who is this Jesus anyway?" and was supposed to be exactly that. Who Jesus was, and how He came into the world to bring hope to the hopeless.

They had a group from a local drama magnate school write and perform some short sketches that went with 4 specific areas of hopelessness in this world, and then each of the pastors gave a short sermonette from one of 4 passages in Jesus life showing how Jesus brought hope. I don't remember exactly but they were things like "Freedom from bondage" and "Health from sickness" or something like that.

Interspersed were a few carols and/or performed pieces of music, including a choir piece. Nora and I were in the choir. That piece and one other were about the only directly Christmas related songs.

The problem was that the music started out with "Let All Mortal Flesh Keep Silent", with a very heavy, minor sound. It's not a cheery song in general, and the way it was done was like the beginning of Lord of the Rings or something. And then, though the carols were definitely carols and were sung by the congregation, the other pieces of music weren't.

Then the dramas, which were done fine for a bunch of high school freshman, were definitely about the problem, or hopelessness, of the different situations. This is fine, except that people remember a short drama more than they remember a long lecture. Here is the beginning of the problem.

The pastors had also had recorded "prayers" for the city by random people in New Haven, but the recording was awful, and when they were understandable (seriously, at least one was about 3 minutes of garble that I, being right in front of a speaker, couldn't discern any words in) they needed to be heavily edited. They were also about the problems, the hopelessness... "may God bring us hope and here's about 2 minutes of me talking about the problem" kind of prayers. This was the one or two that were understandable, or were also written up in the program so you had a sense of what was being said.

The passages for the sermonettes were parables or miracles of Jesus, so they had nothing to do with Christmas directly. In fact, the Christmas story was never really mentioned, other than the senior pastor saying we were all "in denial" about real life because we listen to "Frosty the Snowman" and other Christmas songs that don't really deal with the horribleness of life in this world. They just gloss over it and we think, oh isn't life wonderful, and forget about the pain and suffering.

That may be true, but there are many other carols, played on the radio all the time, that DO deal with the suffering. Most people hear pleas for help for the poor and downtrodden at Christmas.

Then, after the last performed song, which was a great folk rendition of "Joy to the World" and the only time people actually seemed to get into the service (they applauded!), the senior pastor got up and shared a story about torturing dogs! I kid you not. It had a point, but you don't tell a story about torturing dogs if you want to make people want to celebrate! And it was the last thing said during the service...

So... basically if you were a non-Christian coming to the service, which was what they purported to want, you would think that Christians were dour people who look forward to someone making life better after death, but life now isn't worth living.

It just rubbed me and Nora the wrong way. It was a Good Friday service at Christmas. I have no problem with showing who Jesus really is, and no problem with showing how he came to give hope in a world that doesn't have much hope, but you have to focus on the hope, not the problems!

Christmas is the one time when many people think of others. Nora's workplace had a toy drive for several homeless families. Churches and other places of worship give out meals and gifts. Yes, there is a commercialized aspect to Christmas. But we also have multiple TV shows and movies and songs about how we shouldn't focus on that, we should focus on the One who came to earth, ultimately to give His life for us, or at least focus on giving to others in need.

I think deep down most of us see the commercialization, and we think back and realize that none of the gifts we got really ever made us happy. We may need some prodding to realize it, but it's there. We have a void, and Jesus ultimately came to fill that void!

On top of that, radio stations play songs that are pretty open about declaring the true meaning and story of Christmas! Songs like "Angels We Have Heard On High" and "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day" and many other carols, that are basically Christian hymns, are played ad nauseum over the month leading to Christmas. That can make you cynical, and there are silly fluff songs about Christmas that make we want to tear my hair out, but the songs that keep getting recorded, and that people really want to hear, are mostly about Jesus coming to earth!

We need to embrace the season, we don't need to give people the whole story of Jesus life and who He was in one service! We need to entice them in to see the beginning of the story, and want to hear more. We need to tap those realizations that people have deep down, that life isn't fulfilling this way, and show them it CAN be fulfilling with Jesus at the center. We need to show them we aren't just dour, sad people, we do have hope, and it is hope and a purpose that makes this life worth living, not just a hope of something better later on!

Anyway, that's what bothered me about the service. The pastor closed by saying "now, isn't everyone ready for a celebration and some treats downstairs?!" and Nora said to me "I want a drink". And she doesn't drink...

It was just depressing. I mentioned this cautiously to a couple other people that night, and they agreed with me. The one who did the folk rendition of "Joy to the World" even said, "we tried to bring some cheer, but [the senior pastor] just sucked it all out again at the end!"

Even after two other services at other churches that my sisters and mother were involved in, both of which were good, that had a much more cheerful messages (and very similar "Jesus brings hope" messages that were in line with what I said above) I still felt depressed. It took another week to get into the spirit of Christmas. The spirit of joy that God came down to save us, to help us to have meaningful and joy filled lives, so that we could spread hope to the rest of the world.

So that's the story, for those who asked:) I'm a bit bitter about it, really. It was a tough enough season this year, with my sister and her husband moving to another country. I didn't need to be reminded of the suffering, I needed to be reminded of the hope.

Merry Christmas

2008-12-24T09:33:00.006-05:00

Tis Christmas yet again... somehow I kept wanting to write lists of movies to watch, music to listen to, books to read... and they never happened. Life is busy. I had a very hard time getting into the Christmas spirit this year (partially because of my church's "Christmas" service... didn't help, actually hurt I think...)

However, Merry Christmas to everyone who reads this blog, which is probably fewer and fewer each day we don't update:-\

Here's my Christmas films list from last year. Pretty much the same now, although next year I may have a couple to add...

For music... just remember the name Harry Connick Jr.:)

Merry Christmas!

Nick and Nora's Holly Jolly Holiday Roast Coffee

2008-12-11T08:48:00.005-05:00

Nick and Nora's Holly Jolly Holiday Roast Coffee
(Nora came up with the title).

Take your favorite whole bean coffee (We've been using different types from Trader Joe's... Dark Sumatra, French Roast, and some Bolivian blend, but any type will work. Choose a coffee you like).

Then add the following:
Whole Cloves
Peppercorns
We use about 3 cloves and 3 or 4 peppercorns per 7-8 6oz. cups of coffee.

Put them in whole with the whole beans, and grind the lot.
After pouring the ground beans, cloves and peppercorns into the filter, add a dash of cinnamon. As much or as little as you like.

Brew.

Enjoy a slightly spicy, very winter/Christmas coffee taste! We add a bit of milk and sugar:)

(In the interest of full disclosure, this is basically the same thing as Trader Joe's Winter Blend... but who wants to spend extra money?)

Eli Stone and Pushing Daisies Will Be No More:(

2008-11-21T08:31:00.004-05:00

Well... several TV shows Nora and I like are basically being cancelled (though ABC did not say the word).

Pushing Daisies and Eli Stone. And they are keeping Wife Swap and SuperNanny... sigh, what is this world coming to? Two more creative, interesting and different (and very good) TV shows falling before the "lowest common denominator" ratings system they have on TV.

Stone hasn't been as good this year, although it was the highest rated of the 3 shows being canned (Dirty, Sexy, Money is also cancelled). And the last couple episodes were better, getting back to the standard that made it so good last season. Daisies won a bunch of Emmy's and was one of the more creative and different shows on TV. It's been quite good this year as well as last. I don't think there is another show like it.

Well, at least our new favorite Life on Mars will continue for a bit longer...

Boston Legal on Abortion...

2008-11-11T08:16:00.006-05:00

Nora and I both went to law school. In fact, Nora works for a law firm, and I have begun providing creative services to law firms for trial (it's called trial support or litigation support). So both of us enjoy legal movies or TV shows.

There is a show on ABC called "Boston Legal" which is a spin off of "The Practice". It's in its final season. We don't normally watch the show because a.) it's on at 10pm Monday nights and b.) the morality of the characters is usually horrendous. Not to mention that legal shows in general take on "tough" subjects, and usually the "answers" to those subjects are from a liberal point of view, not taking into account other than casually the conservative point. I like my TV, and I don't want to break it by throwing something at it:)

But last night, after watching a show we enjoy, the first few minutes of Boston Legal grabbed us both, and we watched the whole episode.

I should mention, the show has a great style, and one element of the style is that the actors sometimes address the fourth wall (the audience) in suble ways, like they know they are being watched on TV.

The major issue facing one team of lawyers was... abortion.

In this episode, as soon as the client asked for representation (a 15 year old asian girl who wants a "judicial bypass" around the parental consent law), two lawyers began discussing what impact this would have if "life were a TV show and everything I say was being watched". They discussed how to make it funny (the show is very cheeky and sarcastic) and William Shatner's character ended by saying how he could just hear people flipping the channel because of this issue. I figured I should stay and watch!

The show began with discussions among the characters about abortion, and facinatingly and encouragingly, they really discussed it! One character (played by James Spader) is a lawyer who believes in the "right to choose", another (Shatner) is conservative, and brings up the very compelling argument "what about the baby, does it get to choose?" and how they call it "the right to choose" and "a procedure instead of an abortion". Another (played by Candace Bergen), brought in to have the "female perspective" is pro-choice, but really struggles with her own past of having had an abortion, and basically says the girl shouldn't have the procedure because it will scar her emotionally. In fact at one point she is looking at sonograms of a baby at 16 weeks, and it is clear that it is a baby, and the implication in her face is that she is sorry and sad over her decision many years before.

I felt as the plot moved along that the writers were firmly pro-choice, but in creating compelling characters and a realistic look at the issues, they found it hard to argue against a true pro-life position, and really tried to make that point of view strong. At one point William Shatner's character is talking with the James Spader's character about Roe vs. Wade. Spader says that he can feel Roe being chipped away. Shatner responds by stating that he thinks Spader is having trouble with that idea because he is not comfortable with his position morally, and Roe supports what he wants to believe, not the other way around. A very good point.

I then felt the writers saw what was happening, and being liberal, decided to take it in a slightly different direction to bypass having to deal with the issue further. They introduce the idea of the baby being female, the girl being Chinese, and that the girl was having the abortion because it was female and that many Chinese want males, not females.

And then the judge gave some pat "the law can't get involved in telling a girl why she can or can't abort" and took the easy, and liberal, way out.

But the last scene was Shatner and Spader talking about the case. Shatner asks if Spader was part of any "procedures", and Spader says yes. They talk a bit about how they weigh on Spader. Spader then brings up that abortion may have reduced crime by a big percentage (because the aborted babies were the ones more likely to have committed crimes, being from single parent inner city households etc.).

Shatner ends the episode asking "does that help you to justify being part of those procedures?" Spader says... no.

The sense I got from the show was that the Spader character is indicative, deep down, of most pro-choice people. He believes it. He wants it. But he has a lot of trouble justifying it morally, and deep down knows that abortion is wrong. The Candace Bergen character is also indicative of many women who have had abortions. Still pro-choice because they have to justify the procedure they had, but if they had to choose again, they wouldn't choose abortion. And I think the Shatner character was what many pro-life people should be like. Firm in their belief, but willing to dialog, to question, to be delicate with the issue, instead of overbearing or inflammatory, the way many on both sides behave.

I go through this because, though I found that it didn't argue entirely fair (adoption was mentioned in passing among other things) it was an attempt to give fair weight to both sides, and I felt that pro-life came off very well. It was amazing to see, in prime time, a show with major liberal stars with very definite liberal attitudes, dealing with abortion. And really trying to deal with it and justify the pro-choice position, and having trouble doing so. It was encouraging.

If we can have more dialog like this, in shows, movies, whatever, I think that eventually abortion will be frowned on more and more, and that the legal status will be "chipped away" once and for all.

TV Shows...

2008-10-24T08:52:00.009-04:00

I was never into TV all that much. Mostly because my family didn't watch anything regularly (other than during an election season or football or something like that).

But I've been getting into TV more and more, and really liking it. Good TV feeds the side of me that loves character more than plot. Plot is great. Movies are about the plot. In 2 hours, you have to keep the audiences attention, and so the plots are more intricate. But in TV you have to have compelling characters, and the specific plot points fade to a slightly less important role. This is a subtle distinction, and a generalization, but it is true.

So I've been getting into TV more with Nora.

We currently watch a couple shows with regularity, either on TV, or more often by streaming them over the internet on another night. They are exclusively on ABC, since we don't have cable and ABC comes in over the air in HD:)

Pushing Daisies - 8pm Wednesdays on ABC. This is a fun, funky and very "fantastic" show. It's a detective show mixed with whimsy and fantasy. Great dialogue, narration and a general quirkiness make it really fun and different. And great characters who have different problems and foibles and strengths. It's not for everyone I'm sure, but it is a show that deals with death, life, living, loving, relationships and does it with humor. The show's hook is that Ned, the main character, can raise the dead. There are qualifications, but it caused a local gumshoe who found out to figure he could make some money (and make Ned some money) by raising murdered victims at the morgue and collecting reward money:) Oh, and Ned makes pies. And there is a girl who was dead... yeah, anyway, you can find out more at ABC.com or on Wikipedia!

Samantha Who? - 9:30pm Monday on ABC. A truly funny sit-com about a girl who lost her memory. It truly is funny, and again deals with what is important, who you really are. There is a certain amount of crazy morality, but it seems to sort itself out somewhat. It's just a lot of fun.

Eli Stone - 9pm on ABC. A lawyer show with a twist. Eli gets messages from "God" or someone anyway. The show deals with faith, evidence and right and wrong. And more importantly with what is important in life, defending the poor and oppressed or just running after money? It isn't squeaky clean (Pushing Daisies is pretty clean morality wise) but it is constantly interesting and thought provoking. And again, the characters are well drawn and interesting. I'd say more but I'm not sure what to say. We both really enjoy it. Funny trivia, each of the first season episodes was titled using a George Michael song... you'll have to watch it;)

Life on Mars - 10pm Thursdays on ABC. Wow... the American version of a cop show that debuted in Britain 2 years ago about a cop in the present day who is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. The show has an impressive cast (Harvey Kietel!), and great characters and writing. It plays around with the importance of relationships and with what makes life important. And it is a great cop/detective show plot wise. And the music is great (not to 70's). Highly recommended.

Ugly Betty - 8pm Thusday on ABC. We've watched all the episodes this season, but I wouldn't say we are "regular watchers" or fans. It's just a really interesting and well done show. One thing I appreciate about it is that the problems that Betty gets into are often problems everyone has at work or with family. And the show takes the time to truthfully deal with the decisions the characters make and not resolve things with simple morals and proverbs. One example... the older sister gets into a relationship with a guy, and finds out he's married. She knows she shouldn't be involved, but wants and loves him. Over 2 or 3 episodes we see the situation work itself out, and she finally makes the right decision and tells him she has to break it off. Like life, tough decisions are hard to make, there are many enticing reasons to do the wrong thing. The show doesn't shy away from that, but ultimately shows that the right thing is more important. Often the reasons for an ultimately right action in the show are based on the golden rule, on getting inside the head of the other person and sympathizing with them. It's really the point of the show in general.

The plot, of course, is about a young woman who is extremely normal (maybe even below normal) who works for a fashion magazine. It does have the really bad morality you would expect in that environment, and yet it seems to point out that that morality is twisted (see above).

Grey's Anatomy is an interesting show. The characters seem to make the same type of decisions over and over, in relationships or medicine, and there is a more twisted morality taken as the norm (people sleeping with people all the time). Plus it gets gross sometimes. We occasionally watch if it is on and we have nothing better to do and are exhausted and don't want to break out a DVD.

Desperate Housewives is a fantastically well done show, but the themes are often less than wonderful. There have been many redeeming moments, but it seems to be similar to Grey's... same with Private Practice, although less so. We've watched maybe 1 episode or so, maybe a few parts.

That's about it. I have gotten into a couple shows on my own, but that's another post...

Gov. Palin on SNL

2008-10-20T06:50:00.003-04:00

This is class, and a great sense of humor (better than Obama or McCain). Who else could go on SNL and take the skewering they give and still have fun with it?

Choices...

2008-10-17T15:54:00.003-04:00

Last year I produced a show for The World's Greatest Stories called "Defeating Giants". It was a sort of premier event for the latest CD my father had produced (he tells stories from the Bible, word for word).

We are doing another show this year! It's called "Choices". There is more info on the website I set up:)

You can also view a promo video on YouTube...

Living the Vision!

2008-10-17T13:22:00.004-04:00

I produced this for my church as a tool to introduce the church to people unfamiliar with it, but specifically for the Celebration Weekend that we had last weekend.

Paul Newman

2008-09-27T10:44:00.002-04:00

Well... my "neighbor" here in CT (he lives a few towns away) has died. The great Paul Newman. One of the last of a breed.

McCain/Palin 08

2008-08-30T12:00:00.002-04:00

McCain's VP pick isn't well known. Here's a reasonably bias-free article about her. The two things people will hit on are mentioned in this article. She's go no experience (but she's been governor of Alaska for two years which sounds like more executive experience than anyone running right now) and she's got "controversy" or "a scandal" around her (which seems to be really overblown).

I like the pick. Gutsy, interesting... and note... no one is talking about Obama's speech:D

Anthem to Obama...

2008-08-27T09:42:00.002-04:00

What can you say? No comment needed...

Okay, maybe a little comment:) The music is the old Soviet National Anthem, and the audio is from Glenn Beck's radio show. Funny stuff.

Hope for the change of the hope of the change:D

Ballet Magnificat!

2008-08-26T18:29:00.006-04:00

Ballet Magnificat! will be in Trumbull, CT on September 26th at Calvary E-Free.

I remember seeing them many years ago (I was probably about 14 or so). I remember them being quite good (I also remember that the zipper on one guys "pants" broke, and he performed like nothing was wrong, which takes a lot of chutzpah:)

Anyway, my sister is a big fan, and has attended their summer dance intensives for the past several years. She asked me to put together a short promo for the performance... for the record, I mainly took two of their promos and spliced them nicely:)

You can find out more about Ballet Magnificat! at their website.

Barry on the DNC

2008-08-26T08:28:00.001-04:00

From the great Dave Barry.

The Democratic party has gathered in Denver for what will be without question one of the most exciting political conventions in decades.

Granted, this is like saying that Moe was without question one of the smartest Stooges. The political conventions have been pointless and boring for years, culminating in 2004, when MSNBC, during its prime-time coverage of the Republican convention, broadcast 38 straight minutes of Chris Matthews snoring and drooling into his lap. (This got by far the highest ratings.)

But this year will be different. This year there is high drama in the Mile High City as the Democrats gather under their official 2008 convention slogan: ``A Unified Party, United in Unity Together As One, Undivided.''

Yeah, pretty much:D

Why You Should Turn On GMail's SSL Feature

2008-08-20T15:13:00.002-04:00

For all those who use GMail...

SCC & Family on GMA

2008-08-06T17:03:00.003-04:00

Steven Curtis Chapman and his family gave their first interview to Good Morning America this morning.

It's an amazing testament to true Christianity. The way the family has dealt with the tragedy is powerful, and more so because of the honesty they all have regarding the accident. This isn't the typical "Christian" pap we hear from holier than though types who don't acknowledge the pain they are feeling.

They are grieving and in pain and they are honest about it. They have questions. But they also have faith, and they share how that faith has enabled them to get through this.

Powerful.

Some Movie Reviews...

2008-08-05T09:00:00.005-04:00

So I figured I would post a few movie reviews, hopefully short:) In no particular order...

The Dark Knight
Great film, not only an effective action/adventure/thriller but also a film with depth. A great discussion on good and evil, it's relationship, the concept of escalation and revenge and when the end should justify the means. The writing is quite good (I know Mr. Director didn't like the amount of exposition, but I thought it was appropriate and interesting... what is a good dramatic film but exposition?) the real talent in the writing is the characters. Heath Ledger does and amazing job of making a very bad villain, with almost no back story that is given, multi-dimensional, and much of that is due to the writing. This is true across the board, the acting is great, and much of that has to do with the great writing. The direction is very good, never letting the effects upstage the story or characters. A very good film.

Hellboy II: The Golden Army
I enjoy Guillermo Del Toro films. This one is definitely him. It is funny at times, interesting, a good discussion of fantasy, reality and their relationship. The effects are amazing, and totally Del Toro (the Angel of Death is my favorite). The plot moves well, the action is well staged, the interaction is good. Well directed and written. Don't let the word "Hell" in the title keep you from seeing this or the previous film ("Hellboy").

August Rush
Sentimental fluff, a retelling of Oliver Twist with a musical genius twist. I found the characters to be one dimensional, able to change motivation depending on a needed plot point. Several characters were introduced, were interesting (Robin Williams is the most noticable) but were then left unresolved when they weren't needed anymore. The plot itself is derivative, predictable and more or less unbelievable. The actors do what they can with the material, some better than others. The direction is adequate, but not inspired in any way. The music is good, and the movie is entertaining enough. I enjoyed it, but I don't really want to see it again.

Next
Entertaining, an interesting and engaging sci-fi action adventure with a "time travel" type twist. The plot doesn't linger to long on any one point, which is good because I am sure it could be deconstructed pretty easily. The acting and direction keep everything together, making an enjoyable movie.

Just My Luck
A fluff romantic comedy. The plot is pretty out there, but sticks to its logic pretty well. It is funny, which is good, and has some good music (a major component of the film). The actors work with the concept and each other well, and make the whole thing enjoyable.

A Knight's Tale
I remembered this film as being a funny, romantic action adventure. Revisiting... not as good as I remembered by a long shot. The romance is infuriating at times, the humor is base and often unfunny and the action adventure becomes unbelievable. It's also a ploddingly paced film. Cut about 20 minutes, and it might be a good movie. It has no relation to history. I wouldn't recommend it unless you like time/culture bending jousting movies with apparently intellectually challenged protagonists (here I reference the many times I yelled at the characters for doing something stupid, but required of them to move the plot forward).

Atonement
An interesting and engaging drama, well plotted and well directed, with fine acting. I can see why it got all those awards and nominations. The characters are well defined and played. It also has several superb shots (the tracking shot over Dunkirk is amazing). The writing keeps the characters front and center, but also moves the plot at a good pace. A good solid film.

That's enough for now:)

Alexander Solzhenitzyn Has Died

2008-08-05T08:59:00.003-04:00

Alexander Solzhenitzyn died recently. Many people now probably don't know who he was. I haven't read any of his books, but I knew his name and his reputation. This article from American Thinker nicely sums up the man.

It's The Economy Stupid...

2008-07-31T08:16:00.002-04:00

Great article from American Thinker on economics and the current situation.

In this election year, the greatest concern for most Americans is the economy and there is good reason for that. Unemployment, foreclosures and prices are all rising. The stock market, home prices and the dollar are all falling. Economic growth is still positive but well below potential. Americans are rightly worried.

In a recent market commentary, Bill Gross called credit the mother's milk of capitalism. That sentiment, echoed by our politicians and policy makers, is the source of our problems. It is not credit but capital that is the lifeblood of capitalism and the US doesn't accumulate enough capital to support the growth to which we've become accustomed. The savings rate has ticked somewhat higher over the last few months, but for years we've saved too little and spent too much. The difference to date has been provided by foreigners such as the Chinese who now own over $1 trillion of US debt and Middle Easterners who own even more.

In their efforts to revive the credit markets, the Federal Reserve and their political enablers may have averted an economic crisis in the short term, but the long term implications have yet to be reckoned. Bear Stearns, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, deemed too big to fail, were given access to the public purse rather than face the consequences of excessive leverage. The cure for excessive private indebtedness has been deemed to be more public indebtedness. Private actors will reap the benefits if these transactions turn out profitable while the public will pay the price if they don't.

Because It Is GOOD!

2008-06-25T08:50:00.006-04:00

This article is interesting. Coldplay's new album has sold very well, and may be the second album in 3 years to sell 1 million in a week. The article is musing on why this is.

The article (or those in it) are urging caution, but are encouraged that the industry is getting back on it's feet, and say the reason it sold is because of "non-traditional" marketing, and because the band is a "superstar band".

Most of the marketing was getting the song "Viva La Vida" and others on iTunes and the radio in advance of the release of the album. They also offered "Violet Hill" for free on iTunes, and played a couple of free concerts.

What did that do? It allowed people to HEAR the songs, hopefully a good representation of the album.

Why did it work? Because people HEARD the song and LIKED it... i.e. it was GOOD MUSIC! I don't understand why the recording industry can't get it through their heads that, just like with anything, if people like it, they spend money on it! The problem isn't marketing, it's that their product of late is CRAP!

They need to stop prosecuting people and complaining and spending more money on marketing, and spend the money on developing genuinely good talent. People will buy something that is good.

If the music is good, it's just a matter of getting it out there for people to hear, which is what they did. If it isn't good, even if you get it saturated in the market people won't buy it.

Oh Yeah...

2008-06-17T23:40:00.003-04:00

... it's a good year to be a Boston sports fan:D

2008 NBA Champions! #17! I feel like a kid again:)

Is Big Oil To Blame?

2008-06-16T08:45:00.002-04:00

This is a great article on the cause of higher gas prices. From American Thinker.

Well before you get all excited about tearing down the energy industry, stop and think for a moment about what makes your comfortable life possible. Your heat and most of your electricity are provided through the burning of oil and natural gas. The thousands of plastic items in your home, car and office are all made from crude oil. Much of your clothing is woven of fibers made from petroleum.

Without the hard work and ingenuity of the men and women who work for the energy companies, we would be living in the 17th century - no electricity, running water, cars, trucks, airplanes, ships, factories, waterproof clothing, soda bottles, safety glass, sterile food and medical containers, air conditioners, televisions, microwave ovens, X-Boxes, I-Pods, or any of the millions of other products made using power generated from the burning of fossil fuels.

You would have to grow your own food, or ride your donkey to a nearby market, where there would be no refrigerators or electric lights. You'd have to kill and clean your own meat and cook it over an open fire. You'd have to chop down the trees for your home, and provide your own light by making candles from the fat of animals. Every single thing in your modern life is utterly and completely dependent upon a steady supply of oil. Without it, the entire Western world would collapse completely in a matter of weeks; tens of millions would perish from starvation, exposure, and disease

River Flooding...

2008-06-13T10:05:00.002-04:00

So I assume most of you have heard about (or maybe experienced?) the major flooding that has occurred in the mid-west over the past week or so.

First, Lake Delton, near the Wisconsin Dells, broke through the dam and emptied into the river, taking houses with it.

Then, just yesterday really, the Cedar River in Iowa crested and broke through levees and flooded Cedar Rapids, Iowa. My wife has family in that area, who are fine as far as we know.

Everyone is blaming this on global warming (just like they blame every drought on global warming as well). They are acting as if this hasn't happened before, or at least hasn't happened this badly.

Which is bull. In 2004 the Cedar River flooded Austin, MN. There have been really bad floods in the recent past on many different rivers.

Which brings me to 1955... when the Farmington, Housatonic, Naugatuck, Quinnebaug and Connecticut rivers all crested in mid-August and caused about $350,000,000 worth of damage, and pretty much caused the economic depression that the Naugatuck river valley area (where I live) is only just getting out of. The Waterbury Brass Co. had $15,000,000 worth of damage to several plants along the river, and basically never rebuilt them, taking away the jobs of many people.

You can read all about it at this link from the Hartford Courant. Lots of pictures, some video...

Now their are a system of lakes and dams on the streams and rivers that feed into the major rivers in CT (and up into MA as well) that help to keep the rivers from getting that high. They are built and maintained by the US Army Corps of Engineers, and many have biking and hiking trails, swimming areas, picnic areas and other recreation activities.

So... this happens. It's bad, it's hard, it causes loss of life, and we shouldn't forget that, and we should do what we can to help those who had to go through this. But it isn't global warming. Just nature.

RRRRGGG

2008-06-11T09:12:00.002-04:00

I think Flickr deleted my account and all my pictures. The links in past posts don't work, when I search PureNard (my handle) it says there is no one by that name on Flickr.

I had some pictures up there I really liked and wanted to keep:(

The Fall

2008-06-04T10:12:00.004-04:00

Wow... I went on a whim, and I came out very satisfied.

If you liked The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, or Brazil, or any of Terry Gilliam's films go see this film. If you liked Pan's Labyrinth, go see this film. It's not for everyone, but it is breathtakingly beautiful, and the story is engaging and emotional.

Check out the trailer here (and a link to the website which has some amazing pictures from the film).

Click here to read Roger Ebert's 4 star (perfect) review.

It tells a simple story with vast romantic images so stunning I had to check twice, three times, to be sure the film actually claims to have absolutely no computer-generated imagery. None? What about the Labyrinth of Despair, with no exit? The intersecting walls of zig-zagging staircases? The man who emerges from the burning tree? Perhaps the key words are "computer-generated." Perhaps some of the images are created by more traditional kinds of special effects.

Click here to read his interview with the director, Tarsem.

And then Tarsem made one of the most astonishing films I have ever seen. It is all the more special in this age of computer-generated special effects, because we see things that cannot exist, but our eyes do not lie, and they do exist, yes, they really do.

Běh Vaclav!

2008-05-27T22:22:00.004-04:00

When the Soviet's were in control of what is now the Czech Republic, the Czech's showed a remarkable resistance to the propaganda that was foisted on them, and a keen perceptiveness to see the truth. Their leaders showed perseverance, even under intense persecution. Vaclav Havel was elected to several terms as president because he had engendered so much devotion for his tireless work as a writer and speaker (usually over Radio Free Europe) to bring about the "Bloodless Revolution", which was anything but bloodless, except for that last fateful day.

Well, the present Czech president, Vaclav Klaus is showing that same resistance now, but not in response to oppressive communism. He is speaking, and writing about global warming.

Klaus, an economist, said he opposed the "climate alarmism" perpetuated by environmentalism trying to impose their ideals, comparing it to the decades of communist rule he experienced growing up in Soviet-dominated Czechoslovakia.
"Like their (communist) predecessors, they will be certain that they have the right to sacrifice man and his freedom to make their idea reality," he said.
"In the past, it was in the name of the Marxists or of the proletariat - this time, in the name of the planet," he added.
Klaus said a free market should be used to address environmental concerns and said he oppposed as unrealistic regulations or greenhouse gas capping systems designed to reduce the impact of climate change.
"It could be even true that we are now at a stage where mere facts, reason and truths are powerless in the face of the global warming propaganda," he said.
Klaus alleged that the global warming was being championed by scientists and other environmentalists whose careers and funding requires selling the public on global warming.
"It is in the hands of climatologists and other related scientists who are highly motivated to look in one direction only," Klaus said

He has released an English version of his book "Blue Planet in Green Shackles - What Is Endangered: Climate or Freedom?" and has challenged Al Gore to a debate.

So Go Vaclav! Keep speaking out, and keep all of us focused on the truth, not just the propaganda.

And of course, having a Czech heritage, I'm really proud:)

Subway and Homeschoolers...

2008-05-27T08:20:00.002-04:00

From American Thinker...

Subway -- the multi-national fast-food sub-shop giant -- has shot themselves in the foot. Again. The goal of their latest promotion was to win the loyalty of parents of grade school-aged kids -- to increase market share, revenue and profits. It was supposed to be a simple exercise in business marketing and promotion.

The outcome, however, was far different. By banning homeschooled kids -- children who are educated at home, as an alternative to public schooling -- Subway has ignited a firestorm of opposition from a vocal segment of the marketplace. Homeschoolers, offended by the ban, spontaneously -- and almost literally overnight -- organized a national Subway boycott that already has Subway's corporate spokesman hunkering down. All this happened over a holiday weekend, a time when people usually have better things to do. Imagine the impact today when millions of homeschooling parents are back in front of their computers, and discover what Subway has done to them.

2008-05-20T11:50:00.001-04:00

Prince Caspian is great. Go see it.

That's really all I have time or effort for today...

Rev. Wright, Pt. 2 - Noonan

2008-05-05T08:38:00.001-04:00

In relation to the last post... check out Peggy Noonan's latest article. I have a similar feeling as she to this.

Rev. Wright and Black Liberation Theology

2008-05-05T08:18:00.003-04:00

For those following the election, and specifically the flap over Reverend Wright... a few thoughts.

I heard almost his entire sermon from Palm Sunday (the one where he likened what "we are doing to what Al Quaeda is doing under a different colored flag").

Strangely, as I was listening to it, I found myself agreeing with him! He started with his central point. Don't confuse God with government, and look to the government to solve your problems. He was preaching about the emotion of the crowd on Palm Sunday, and the resulting emotion Jesus showed in seeing that they were looking for a military messiah.

He then began to liken it to us, to how we have confused government with God, to the point of thinking we can go into Iraq and change it with military force. He comment about the flags comes in that context, we don't see how we are ruining peoples lives just like Al Quaeda through military force.

Now, I wouldn't go that far, but I agree with him on his central point, and I was tracking with him up to there.

What actually got me mad, and where I saw him becoming what he is characterized as, was when he then went into a tirade on how the US government caused AIDS to put down the black man, a very bad history lesson on why the Constitution has blacks listed as being 3/5ths of a person and the whole background on slavery, and a bunch of other paranoid views on a host of issues.

It is clear that he is a proponent of Black Liberation Theology. What is it? Well, this post at Between Two Worlds does a nice job of summarizing the problems from a theological point of view.

"Black theology," says Cone [Wright's mentor], "refuses to accept a God who is not identified totally with the goals of the black community. If God is not for us and against white people, then he is a murderer, and we had better kill him." And again: "Black theology will accept only the love of God which participates in the destruction of the white enemy." And again: "In the New Testament, Jesus is not for all, but for the oppressed, the poor and unwanted of society, and against oppressors."

But the deepest flaws in black liberation theology are theological, not political. Jesus did advocate a special concern for the rights and welfare of the poor and helpless. But he specifically rejected a faith defined by social and political struggle, much to the disappointment of his more zealous followers. The early church, in its wrenching decision to include gentiles as equals, explicitly rejected a community defined by ethnicity. No Christian theology that asserts "Jesus is not for all" can be biblical.

You could see this in Wright's sermon. His point was good, but how he fleshed it out and applied it was wrong. I totally agree with him, don't confuse the government with God. Some of his sub-points were good to (government can be changed, for the good or the bad) but his application of his points is the problem.

Guillermo Del Toro to Direct "The Hobbit"!

2008-04-25T09:32:00.004-04:00

YES! The perfect choice... I know this is sacrilege to some to say this, but I think Del Toro will do a better job than Peter Jackson! WOO HOO! They couldn't have found a better director...

If you don't know Del Toro's stuff, check out the FANTASTIC "Pan's Labyrinth"...

Ethanol Causing Food Shortages... I Told You So

2008-04-25T08:34:00.002-04:00

I love it when I'm right, although I hate it in this case. I said for a long time that the increasing use of corn to make ethanol was driving up the price of food... and now we are seeing exactly that. And people are rioting.

I don't buy global warming. I do think we have other environmental problems that need to be taken care of. But whatever the reasons, the solutions should not be things that place a burden on people who are just trying to eat. It also shouldn't be to use food to fuel our transportation. There are other things we can do...

Noonan; A View From Gate 14

2008-04-25T08:29:00.003-04:00

As usual, an insightful and stimulating article from Petty Noonan.

I have to admit, it is a pretty good description of what I feel and think.

America is irritated that the TSA agent removed its mascara, opened it, put it to her nose, and smelled it. Why don't you put it up your nose and see if it explodes? America thinks.

And, as always: Why do we do this when you know I am not a terrorist, and you know I know you know I am not a terrorist? Why this costly and harassing kabuki when we both know the facts, and would agree that all this harassment is the government's way of showing "fairness," of showing that it will equally humiliate anyone in order to show its high-mindedness and sense of justice? Our politicians congratulate themselves on this as we stand in line

.

She goes into Obama's problem, and an analysis of why conservatives are having so much nostalgia for Reagan these days...

Prince Caspian Trailer - NEW!

2008-04-23T14:48:00.003-04:00

I generally hate mySpace. Everything runs slow...

However, they did debut a new Prince Caspian trailer... and it looks better than ever:) I'm looking forward to it!

Click HERE!

The Cult of Sincerity

2008-04-10T09:22:00.003-04:00

So I met this guy yesterday. I ended up at lunch with him and some work colleagues (long story).

What is interesting about him is what he has done. He is experimenting with a new way to promote and screen independent movies!

The name of the movie is The Cult of Sincerity.

The movie is posted, full length, on YouTube!

They have partnered to bring you free music through AmieStreet, and if you sign up for credit, you get the movie, and $2 goes to Fount of Mercy, a charity working in Africa.

Is this cool or what? And don't worry, there is an introduction at the beginning of the film that tells you how all this works.

Now, I haven't seen the movie yet, so I can't vouch for it being good or bad or anything... but then again... you can see it for free, and you don't have to watch it to get some free music... so it is a win win situation:)

Heston's Passing and stuff...

2008-04-07T16:07:00.004-04:00

Not much to write about at this point. Nora and I are working, and that is going well. Taxes were done a few weeks ago (waiting for the refunds and rebate to come:)

Charlton Heston died. You can find obits everywhere on the web. My favorites were from the Ain't It Cool News gang (they're posted prominently here)

If you are interested... my personal favorite Heston films are Will Penny (a western which blew me away, he was so good in that role) Treasure Island (made for TV, directed by Fraser, Heston's son. He captures better than any of the other portrayals the menace and fascination that is Long John Silver) and probably Touch of Evil (he anchors the film, providing room for the others to really shine).

I haven't seen Ben-Hur in a while, but I remember it being a great film. Off topic Marx Brothers joke... "I played a part in Ben-Hur once... a girl, she played the part of Ben... I played Hur..."

I did NOT like The Ten Commandments at all. I just thought the whole thing was to hokey, and Heston was VERY hokey, especially after he becomes Moses the Prophet.

Heston will be missed. He was a good man, with a real heart for issues. He was a legend, a true star, one of the last really.

His autobiography is called "In The Arena" because he said he didn't want to be a spectator in life, he wanted to do important, worthwhile things. He wanted to be IN the arena.

Get It?

2008-03-27T18:35:00.001-04:00

I laughed out loud when I saw that on the side of the 72nd Street bus stop in NYC!

See others here!

New Testament Manuscripts Found

2008-03-26T12:31:00.004-04:00

In a pretty amazing discovery... 17 to 34 previously unknown manuscripts of the New Testament have been found in Albania! All were very well preserved, and recently photographed for study.

The textual criticism arguing for the accuracy of the New Testament is based on the number of manuscripts that we have (which is the opposite of the Old Testament argument). These new manuscripts promise to further cement that accuracy, and also provide a glimpse into the Bible as it was passed down through the ages.

TV and John Adams

2008-03-24T16:09:00.004-04:00

I'm beginning to realize that television is in many ways a better medium than film. It allows for longer stories, more detailed portraits of characters, and a more intimate and relaxed setting for viewing (how often have you attended a movie only to realize the entire world decided to attend with you... along with their crying children!)

Now, I still love film, and enjoy the movies, and always will, but I have been learning to enjoy TV more and more.

Part of the reason, I expect, is a couple of series we have been watching.

The first is Eli Stone, an ABC drama dealing with faith, prophets and lawyers. I do recommend it. It deals with issues in a fun way, slightly off beat.

The second is John Adams, and HBO miniseries based on David McCullough's book (which I have yet to read, but understand is excellent).

The series is quite good, with Paul Giamatti getting at the essence of Adams... and the rest of the actors don't disappoint either!

I found these articles to be a great way to round out the series. They are from The New Republic magazine. A historian and author write critiques of the series after each airing, and they are quite good in their own right. Adams was an amazing man, one of the founders who truly did influence the course of history, but was lost in the mists of time until McCullough's book.

5th Anniversary of the Iraq Invasion

2008-03-22T10:35:00.003-04:00

Hmm... last post was almost a month ago. And I get mad when people don't update enough! Ah well, I've been busy, which is a good thing:)

Anyway, this week is the 5th Anniversary of the Iraq Invasion. Slate has been running a series of articles on the war, and what certain columnists thought then, and think now.

Two of the articles are quite good, and really seem to sum up my thoughts.

The first is by Jeffrey Goldberg, a columnist for The Atlantic, the second is by Andrew Sullivan, also a columnist for The Atlantic.

I was in favor of Bush and the invasion, but more and more I agree with Os Guinness... the idea that we could begin a western/american style democracy among a people group who have no Judeo/Christian basis of freedom of religion was a pipe dream.

Now we are stuck. We can't leave, the region will end up in chaos and war. We began this process, we must finish it or we are letting the people down and contributing to genocide. But I am not sure that the people of this country are ready for the long haul that this will be (McCain's prediction of being there for 100 years may be right...).

Ultimately I know that God is in control, his purposes are being fulfilled through this. But sometimes it is a good idea to learn from history and past mistakes, and strive to make decisions that will not repeat them.

Materialism and Its Consequences...

2008-02-27T11:00:00.003-05:00

Read, and expand your mind.

I would put a paragraph here from the article, but it is hard to pick one. The article is about the basis for communism, socialism and liberalism. Materialism, the belief that all intelligent life spontaneously originated from non-living matter, is actually much older than that the evolution that Darwin came up with.

It is a good read, and is enlightening and somewhat scary...

T.E. Lawrence... prophet?

2008-02-25T12:05:00.003-05:00

I have to admit, I agree with this post in the Daily Dish.

Oscar Night In Hollywood (by Raymond Chandler)

2008-02-24T17:10:00.003-05:00

So tonight is the Oscars. I still haven't decided if I will watch them. I may tune in for the opening monologue and funny video stuff. I have seen a few of the films, not enough to judge if any of them are better than any of the others.

The Atlantic has this article up, written by the amazing, talented Raymond Chandler (who wrote the script for Double Indemnity, which is a superb movie). Chandler wrote it in 1948, and though a few things have changed (the studio system, some of the ways the Oscars are presented) the meat of the article is still applicable to today.

Not only is the article interesting, it is well written, and that is a very "entertaining" thing:)

In painting, music, and architecture we are not even second-rate by comparison with the best work of the past. In sculpture we are just funny. In prose literature we not only lack style but we lack the educational and historical background to know what style is. Our fiction and drama are adept, empty, often intriguing, and so mechanical that in another fifty years at most they will be produced by machines with rows of push buttons. We have no popular poetry in the grand style, merely delicate or witty or bitter or obscure verses. Our novels are transient propaganda when they are what is called "significant," and bedtime reading when they are not.

But in the motion picture we possess an art medium whose glories are not all behind us. It has already produced great work, and if, comparatively and proportionately, far too little of that great work has been achieved in Hollywood, I think that is all the more reason why in its annual tribal dance of the stars and the big-shot producers Hollywood should contrive a little quiet awareness of the fact. Of course it won't. I'm just daydreaming

.

His point is well taken. Film is an art form, but unfortunately it is so expensive that much of the "art" gets pushed under the bus of commercialism.

On the occasion I attended [the Oscars], however, one of the Masters of Ceremony (I forget which—there was a steady stream of them, like bus passengers) announced that there would be no intermission this year and that they would proceed immediately to the important part of the program.

Let me repeat, the important part of the program.

Perverse fellow that I am, I found myself intrigued by the unimportant part of the program also. I found my sympathies engaged by the lesser ingredients of picture-making, some of which have been enumerated above. I was intrigued by the efficiently quick on-and-off that was given to these minnows of the picture business; by their nervous attempts via the microphone to give most of the credit for their work to some stuffed shirt in a corner office; by the fact that technical developments which may mean many millions of dollars to the industry, and may on occasion influence the whole procedure of picture-making, are just not worth explaining to the audience at all; by the casual, cavalier treatment given to film-editing and to camera work, two of the essential arts of film-making, almost and sometimes quite equal to direction, and much more important than all but the very best acting; intrigued most of all perhaps by the formal tribute which is invariably made to the importance of the writer, without whom, my dear, dear friends, nothing could be done at all, but who is for all that merely the climax of the unimportant part of the program.

I think (hope really) that Hollywood has realized the importance of the writer. I certainly had that importance reinforced as I saw all the shows on TV I enjoyed replaced by "reality" TV... and just wait till next season. We will also see the results of the strike on the movie business, but not for several months.

So... that's my Oscar night post:) Enjoy if you watch, if not... it really isn't that important!

Oh, hat tip to The Daily Dish...

America's Worst Presidents?

2008-02-18T07:59:00.002-05:00

Well, it's President's Day, a holiday created to combine Washington's Birthday and Lincoln's Birthday into one holiday... and now it celebrates ALL Presidents, including the one's who weren't so good (and we've had a few...)

American Thinker has up an article to "celebrate" the three worst Presidents in our history (according to the author). They are Jimmy Carter, James Buchanan and Lyndon Johnson.

The article is quite good. Carter is a no-brainer, Buchanan is largely lost in the mist of time, and LBJ is known mostly for his foreign policy problems, mainly Vietnam. He is also known for the "Great Society" (mainly negatively by conservatives, positively by liberals) and for promoting Civil Rights.

Not remembered much in current history textbooks or the media of today, was that in the 1920s Republicans proposed anti-lynching legislation, reflecting back to Civil War times when Democrats, including founders of the KKK, had been involved in this horrific act. The legislation passed the House , an opposition speech was given by a Democrat Congressman from Texas named Lyndon B. Johnson, but was killed by the Democrat-controlled Senate. Finally in 1939 it passed the Senate.

LBJ and the Southern wing of the Democratic Party persisted in supporting anti-black positions. Consider, as LBJ's term neared:

- In 1956, Democrats expressed their opposition to the desegregation decision of Brown v. Board of Education in the "Southern Manifesto." One hundred members of Congress, all Democrats, signed the manifesto.

- In 1957, REPUBLICAN President Eisenhower authored a Civil Rights Bill, hoping to repair the damage done to blacks and their civil rights by Democrats for nearly a century. Passage of the bill was blocked by Senate Democrats.

- In 1959, Eisenhower authored a Voting Rights Bill, again, in an effort to undo the disenfranchisement of blacks by Democrats through poll taxes, literacy tests, and threats of violence by the KKK. And once again, passage of the bill is blocked by Senate Democrats.

The article goes on to show how LBJ saw the change in the political wind and jumped on the train, signing the Civil Rights Act (which was voted for by a larger percentage of Republicans than Democrats!) and then proceeded to pass "Great Society" legislation, that has ultimately been disastrous for the black population.

The article is good, whether you agree with the choices for "worst President" or not, and will be enlightening on many fronts.

Hey Jude...

2008-02-15T09:48:00.003-05:00

Cute kid, plus Beatles song equals a very cute video:) Plus I don't think he speaks English, which makes it pretty impressive really...

You're A Teacher?

2008-02-15T09:19:00.000-05:00

Church Music...

2008-02-12T07:25:00.000-05:00

I found these questions to be very convicting and insightful...

- Do you get bored when someone reads a longish passage of Scripture in your church? Do you start wishing they’d get on with the music?

- Do you need music playing in the background for the reading of Scripture to affect your emotions?

- Does a prayer seem too “plain” or “stark” to you if it doesn’t have music playing behind it?

- Do you feel depressed a few weeks after a worship conference because you haven’t felt close to God in a long time?

- Do you desperately look forward to the next conference you’re going to attend because you know that, finally, you’ll be able to feel close to God again?

- If you’re in a big church with great music, are you able to worship when you visit your parents’ small rural church?

- Do you ever feel worshipful in the middle of the week, at work, at school, etc. just because of thinking about God and his grace? Or does that only happen when the music’s playing?

- Do you tend to feel closer to God when you’re alone with your iPOD than you do when you’re gathered with God’s people in your church?

- Do you feel like you just can’t connect with other believers who haven’t had the same “worship experiences” that you have? Can you only connect with other believers who “know what it feels like to really worship?”

- Is your sense of spiritual well-being based more on feeling close to God, or knowing that you are close to God because of Jesus Christ?

This was a part of a series of posts over on the 9Marks blog by Greg Gilbert. I would encourage you to read them (the first is here). There is some back and forth on the subject that is helpful in keeping a focus on God-centered worship, not on emotion or music centered worship.

The bottom line, I suppose, is that it would do every Christian well to do some honest heart-searching about what makes them feel “close to God.” Can you feel close to God just by reading or saying the words, “In Christ Jesus you who were once far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ.”? Would you be able to function in a church that’s great in every way except the music? If not, you probably need to give some thought to whether your spiritual life is dependent on something it should not be dependent on.

McCain, Romney, Clinton, Obama...

2008-02-02T13:06:00.000-05:00

I read this post by Mark Levin on NRO's "The Corner" blog, and found it to be a good outline of Reagan's presidency and policy views (and his principles) in response to Senator McCain's attempts to say he is no different than Reagan.

Reagan challenged his party from the Right. He sought the Republican nomination in 1968 against Richard Nixon and lost. He sought the nomination against Gerald Ford in 1976 and lost. He fought the Republican establishment in 1980 as well, including Bob Dole, Howard Baker, and George H. W. Bush, and won. McCain has challenged his party from the Left. I don't know how many more times I and others have to lay out his record to prove the point. To put a fine point on it, when he had to, Reagan sought compromise from a different set of beliefs and principles than McCain. It does a great disservice to historical accuracy and the current debate to continue to urge otherwise.

In terms of who I support... at this point I have definitely ruled out Hillary Clinton, who I think is power hungry, willing to do anything for that power, and ultimatly not particularly qualified to be president (despite her "I have 35 years of experience" line, which I find to be laughable). I have also ruled out Barack Obama, though I respect him as a man and I think his hopeful view of the people, the country and the future is in sync with my own views. I rule him out because of his many liberal policies (not the least of which is his pro-choice view).

I have also ruled out Ron Paul (just a bit to crazy, his policies could never be implemented without destroying the country), and Mike Huckabee (His policies are to pragmatically motivated. He doesn't seem to operate on principle, just on what will "fix" a problem. Add to that, he seems naive in some areas, such as foreign policy and immigration.)

That leaves McCain and Romney. For many reasons, not the least of which are outlined in the article by Levin, I don't support Senator McCain. I do not think he is the worst thing that could happen to the Republican party or the conservative movement (like many do) but I don't think he is the best choice.

Not that you should think I am supporting Governor Romney because he is the least offensive to me (which many seem to be doing). I find Mitt Romney to be a generally principled conservative. I have found him to have a similar hopeful view of the country and people as Senator Obama. I find his economic policies to be very well thought out. I believe his social views on abortion and gay marriage are genuine, and I find his views on foreign policy to be intelligent and well thought out.

To those who say he is a "flip-flopper" I would say 2 things.

Number one, almost everyone in this race has changed positions on some issue or issues, and none of them have acknowledge that they changed their mind, only saying it was what they really believed all along (from McCain's major flip on immigration and taxes, Huckabee on the same issues, Hillary on the war... the only ones who seem not to have are Obama and Ron Paul). Romney has acknowledged he changed his mind, and has defended the right of everyone to change their mind as they get older and wiser.

Number two, Governor Romney can point to definite points (pivot points for those familiar with AA) where the change in thinking crystalized. This is important, because it means it wasn't just a politically expedient reason, it was a genuine change in thinking sparked by an event (his abortion view, which is really the only view he has changed a lot on, has a very definite pivot point).

From what those who worked with him and know him have said, he is not a politically motivated person. He is a duty motivated person. He is motivated by duty, and a vision for the country. There is almost universal praise for how he conducts himself and treats those he comes in contact with. You only need to look at how he treats his family, and how they look at him to know this. He is very intelligent, and has a lot of experience not only politically as an executive, but also in the workforce as a CEO, which gives him a much better handle on how the economy actually works.

So, there it is. I have other reasons to support Governor Romney, but those will suffice for now. I would also point you to a friends post at Mod-Blog for the reasons he has changed his view, and is supporting Governor Romney.

But, whatever the outcome, God is in control, which is an extremely comforting thought! It is also helpful to remember that God is less concerned with what happens to this country than what happens to His Kingdom, the Church. He isn't about the business of making countries great, He is about the business of making His Name great, and saving the people of this world. Don't forget that as we move forward in this election season.

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian Poster...

2008-01-30T16:16:00.000-05:00

Bottom right... it's Reepicheep!

Looks good...

Ikea Ad...

2008-01-29T16:55:00.000-05:00

Sigh... it's funny because it's true.

Guillermo Del Toro To Direct The Hobbit?!

2008-01-29T10:03:00.000-05:00

So this popped up on Ain't It Cool today...

If Guillermo (Spanish for William:) gets to do this... wow. If you haven't seen Pan's Labyrinth or Hellboy or even Blade II or another of Del Toro's films... go out and watch one. His visual sense is amazing (not to mention his sense of story and characters). He'd rival Jackson as a creator of film worlds (and even Terry Gilliam, if that can be done!).

Here's hoping...

U.S. Figure Skating...

2008-01-28T11:45:00.001-05:00

Yeah... that's me.

Screen Actors Guild Awards...

2008-01-28T10:44:00.000-05:00

Well... on the "road to the Oscars" the SAG Awards tend to be very good predictors (at least in the acting categories). Last year they predicted all but 1, the year before it was a sweep. The "Performance by a Cast" also is a decent predictor of what the actors are looking at for Best Picture (and they are the largest voting bloc in the Academy). With the strength of the Coen's direction and the tight script, I think it is definitely a favorite for Best Picture.

Here are the winners...

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
'No Country for Old Men' --WINNER

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis, 'There Will Be Blood' --WINNER

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Julie Christie, 'Away From Her' --WINNER

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Javier Bardem, 'No Country for Old Men' --WINNER

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Ruby Dee, 'American Gangster' --WINNER

I do think Day-Lewis deserves an Oscar, whether for this film or for his "body of work". He is consistently the best actor I know out there, always giving a tremendous performance in roles that are as different as oil and water. He disappears into a character, and everything about him changes, voice, manner, body language, and he always seems to internalize the character to the point of "becoming" him. Amazing.

Nick on National TV!

2008-01-26T12:11:00.000-05:00

So... I had a very exciting moment in my career. Last Wednesday I recorded the VO for a national network PSA for US Figure Skating! It will be on once every other hour during the US Figure Skating National Championship competition on NBC this weekend (check local listings)!

What Is The Difference Between A Film Director and Producer?

2008-01-25T10:42:00.001-05:00

A lot of people ask a variation on the same question... what is the difference between a director and a producer?

The answer is a bit complicated, and the lines have been blurred a lot after the demise of the old studio system.

In the old days, the director was the one who took a script, actors and various other technical people, and put what was in the script onto film. He would rehearse the actors, tell them where to stand, how to say a line. He would talk with the cinematographer about how to set the lights. He would get involved with the costumes and sets.

He would not, however, have much input in the script itself, and he would not have much of a choice of what shots he took. The director had to make sure that each scene had certain angles and close-ups so that the editor would have a full choice in how the shots fit together. The director would not have any input in the editing process.

This is why old films tend to look very similar. A scene will start with a shot of the room. Then someone will enter. Two people will talk, and we see a shot of both of them, then shots of each in close-up as they talk. Shots don't move very much.

Directors always followed a formula. Master shot (the shot of the whole scene) close ups of each actor in the scene, and shots of action going from one scene to the next. Shots couldn't move to much because you might cause a problem with continuity for the editor (who would put a scene together from the elements the director shot) and you had to give the editor the maximum flexibility so that he could pick and choose what he needed to make a scene (and ultimately a film) work.

The producer was the one who found a script (or suggested an idea to a writer) pitched the idea and script to the studio, hired the director and actors and other crew and oversaw the editing and scoring and other post-production activities.

The producer was the man in charge. He often didn't do anything in particular (like set up a shot or choose a take in the editing process) but he would oversee everything, and the movie was usually his baby. He would make the final decisions, and had the final word on everything. A director might shoot a film every month or two, but a producer would be working on a film for several months, overseeing it from beginning to end. The producer could fire the director at any time (Gone with the Wind had at least 2 directors).

Now the roles have changed somewhat. A producer is still the one who oversees everything, and often still has final control over what is released. But the director has much more control over the creative aspects of film. A producer will often find a script, and then find a director who will mold the script and the other elements to fit his artistic vision. The director will work with the editor to make sure the film goes together properly (this is what allows for more creative shots and movement of the camera).

The producer will still have input, and will usually organize everything and work on the marketing, getting investors and other things so that the director doesn't have to worry about them, but he won't creatively impact the film as much.

The old style system does survive in TV shows.

If you would like to find out a bit more, check out the Wikipedia articles on Film Director and Film Producer.

Noonan...

2008-01-25T10:09:00.000-05:00

This article by Peggy Noonan is quite good. It's getting press for the last section. I found the other sections to be informative as well.

A few excerpts...

the Clintons are tearing the party apart. It will not be the same after this. It will not be the same after its most famous leader, and probable ultimate victor, treated a proud and accomplished black man who is a U.S. senator as if he were nothing, a mere impediment to their plans. And to do it in a way that signals, to his supporters, How dare you have the temerity, the ingratitude, after all we've done for you?...

Mr. McCain is in the middle of a shift. Previous strategy: I'm John McCain and you know me, we've traveled through history together. New strategy: I'm the old vet who fought on the front lines of the Reagan-era front, and I am about to take on the mantle of the essentials of conservatism—lower spending, smaller government, strong in the world. He is going to strike the great Reagan gong, not in a way that is new but in a way that is new for him.

In this he is repositioning himself back to where he started 30 years ago: as a Southwestern American conservative veteran of the armed forces. That is, inherently if not showily, anti-establishment. That is, I am the best of the past.

Mr. Romney, on the other hand, is running as I Am Today. I am new and fresh, in fact I'm tomorrow, I know all about the international flow of money and the flatness of the world, I know what China is, I can see you through the turbulence just as I saw Bain to success.

It will all come down to: Whom do Republicans believe? Mr. Romney in spite of his past and now-disavowed liberal positions? Or Mr. McCain in spite of his forays, the past 10 years, into a kind of establishment mindset that has suggested that The Establishment Knows Best?

Do conservatives take inspiration from Mr. Romney's newness? Or do they take comfort and security from Mr. McCain's rugged ability to endure, and to remind?...

George W. Bush destroyed the Republican Party, by which I mean he sundered it, broke its constituent pieces apart and set them against each other. He did this on spending, the size of government, war, the ability to prosecute war, immigration and other issues.

Were there other causes? Yes, of course. But there was an immediate and essential cause.

And this needs saying, because if you don't know what broke the elephant you can't put it together again

Obama's Testimony

2008-01-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

Mike Huckabee isn't the only Christian running for president. I've said to many people that I read Barack Obama's testimony, and I believed he had a genuine conversion.

This is a little snippet of it from his interview in Christianity Today.

"I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life. But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful. I didn't 'fall out in church' as they say, but there was a very strong awakening in me of the importance of these issues in my life. I didn't want to walk alone on this journey. Accepting Jesus Christ in my life has been a powerful guide for my conduct and my values and my ideals,"
- Barack Obama, Christianity Today

Obama is a member of the United Church of Christ. I don't agree with them on several issues, however much of what they believe is orthodox Christianity. You can find out more about them here.

I think his comments about Jesus, which do show a bit of a liberal understanding of His work, are none the less something that should be more emphasized in Christianity generally. Helping those less well off is the work of the church, but sadly we have gone away from that, and allowed the government to do the churches job, to the detriment of all.

So... don't believe the rumor going around that Obama is a Muslim. And pray for him, pray that his journey of faith would lead him ever closer to Jesus.

Indy 4 Trailer?

2008-01-24T16:13:00.001-05:00

Count me as intrigued. It sounds like a good trailer...

Heath Ledger Has Passed

2008-01-22T17:25:00.001-05:00

For some reason this really made me sad. Which is hard to explain, because I wasn't a fan or anything.

I did like Heath Ledger as an actor. After a few years where his career had stalled he was finally getting places recently.

Maybe it is that I am his age (he was born in April 79 and I in May 79). Maybe it's that he seemed so much more well adjusted to life than others, and unlikely to do something like this (they think he may have overdosed on drugs).

Whatever it is, I think I will miss him. Strange, I've never really felt this way about an actors death...

The Problem With Dirt...

2008-01-22T11:18:00.000-05:00

I've said before... the man made global warming hoax is causeing people to miss the real environmental problems that are out there.

This article is about one of them. Some people scoff at this idea, but it is a problem, and getting worse.

"Globally, it's clear we are eroding soils at a rate much faster than they can form," said John Reganold, a soils scientist at Washington State University. "It's hard to get people to pay much attention to this because, frankly, most of us take soil for granted."

The National Academy of Sciences has determined that cropland in the U.S. is being eroded at least 10 times faster than the time it takes for lost soil to be replaced.

The United Nations has warned of worldwide soil degradation -- especially in sub-Saharan Africa, where soil loss has contributed to the rapidly increasing number of malnourished people.

Healthy topsoil is a biological matrix, a housing complex for an incredibly diverse community of organisms -- billions of beneficial microbes per handful, nitrogen-fixing fungi, nutrients and earthworms whose digestive tracts transform the fine grains of sterile rock and plant detritus into the fertile excrement that gave rise to the word itself ("drit," in Old Norse).

As such, true living topsoil cannot be made overnight, Montgomery emphasized. Topsoil grows back at a rate of an inch or two over hundreds of years. Very slowly.

There are many problems like this, that go unnoticed, such as overfishing, over irrigation (and under irrigation, both of which contribute to loss of topsoil and loss of good farmland) over deforestation, problems with strip mining and the cleanup that often doesn't happen, over population in some areas (causing problems with water supply and putting more stress on the land) problems with recycling, issues with introduction of non native species that wreak havoc on native plants and animals, and some climate change (which is sometimes caused by combinations of all those factors). There are also a lot of human problems, such as disease, genocide and starvation that are directly attributable to some of those environmental issues.

I would encourage you to read "Collapse: How Societies Choose To Fail Or Succeed" by Dr. Jared Diamond to find out more, and to see what you can do.

We need to be good stewards of the earth God gave us.

The Oscar Nominees Announced

2008-01-22T10:54:00.001-05:00

Well... It's that time of the year again. I don't know what is going to happen with the Oscar show (they say they are putting together 2 versions, one with writers, one without).

However, here's the list.

My thoughts are not all that interesting this time around. I saw only 1 of the Best Picture nominees... and I didn't really like it. Juno is a good film, well written, well acted, competently directed... but I didn't like it. It is to amoral, to smarmy and it really depressed me. Is this what kids are like now? Or at least what they aspire to be? We're doomed...

That said, I have heard good things about No Country for Old Men and There Will Be Blood (both violent films dealing with undesirable characters). Atonment won the Golden Globe, for what it's worth.

And I guess that is indicative of the way I feel about the Oscars this year. I have seen maybe 6 or 7 of the films nominated (Go Ratatouille!) I saw none of the Best Actor performances, 1 or 2 of the others.

It seems that my taste and the Oscar nominators taste has parted ways. Although I did like Sicko, and kind of hope Moore wins for Best Documentary... and I'm certainly not liberal:)

I do plan to check out a couple nominees. There Will Be Blood interests me. So does Eastern Promises and In The Valley of Elah. Even The Assasination of Jesse James By The Coward Robert Ford sounds intriguing (I am a sucker for westerns).

But even those are more because I want to see what the hype is about, not because they look so wonderful.

I think it is worth noting that none of the films nominated for the top 5 awards were big hits. Juno was a modest hit, and probably the most popular of the bunch. American Gangster was #1 it's opening week, but fell off after that (a great film by the way, especially if you like police procedurals).

In fact, I counted 9, maybe 10 films that were actually blockbusters among the whole slew of nominees.

Now, I will be the first to argue that just because something is popular doesn't mean it is good or noteworthy, or the best at it's craft. But I will say that it seems that people now equate "good, noteworthy, artistic, top of its craft" with unpopular.

So... I may watch the Oscars. But this may be the first year in quite a while that I don't. I have better things to do for 4 hours anyway...

Goo...

2008-01-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

This is hilarious...

Directors Reach Agreement with the AMPTP

2008-01-17T18:51:00.001-05:00

So... the expectation was that the Writers Guild strike would affect the negotiations with the Directors (and AFTRA, one of the actors unions) and that all three guilds would be on strike by the middle of February if the AMPTP (the producers union) didn't get an agreement with the writers.

Well... The DGA has reached an agreement that is quite good for the directors, and now there is a question of whether a similar agreement will be amenable to the writers...

DGA touted a trio of new-media gains:
Establishing DGA jurisdiction over programs produced for distribution on the Internet;
Boosting the residuals formula for paid Internet downloads (electronic sell-through) by double the current rate;
And establishing residual rates for ad-supported streaming and use of clips on the Internet.

“This was a very difficult negotiation that required real give and take on both sides,” said DGA president Michael Apted said in a statement. “Nonetheless, we managed to produce an agreement that enshrines the two fundamental principles we regard as absolutely crucial to any employment and compensation agreement in this digital age: First, jurisdiction is essential. Without secure jurisdiction over new-media production -- both derivative and original -- compensation formulas are meaningless. Second, the Internet is not free. We must receive fair compensation for the use and reuse of our work on the Internet, whether it was originally created for other media platforms or expressly for online distribution.”

That last paragraph gives the general reason for the issues that caused the writers strike.

Also, read that with the knowledge that with producers now having to pay a director (and potentially a writer and actors) for the use of material on the internet... the cost of those shows will go up.

But then, maybe we'll actually get shows!

Evidence of Nehimiah 7:55!

2008-01-17T10:02:00.000-05:00

So this is very interesting...

Several pertinent parargraphs...

A stone seal bearing the name of one of the families who acted as servants in the First Temple and then returned to Jerusalem after being exiled to Babylonia has been uncovered in an archeological excavation in Jerusalem's City of David, a prominent Israeli archeologist said Wednesday.

The 2,500-year-old black stone seal, which has the name "Temech" engraved on it, was found earlier this week amid stratified debris in the excavation under way just outside the Old City walls near the Dung Gate, said archeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar, who is leading the dig.

According to the Book of Nehemiah, the Temech family were servants of the First Temple and were sent into exile to Babylon following its destruction by the Babylonians in 586 BCE.

"The seal of the Temech family gives us a direct connection between archeology and the biblical sources and serves as actual evidence of a family mentioned in the Bible," she said. "One cannot help being astonished by the credibility of the biblical source as seen by the archaeological find."

3 Graphic Designers Re-Create Omaha Beach

2008-01-15T10:53:00.000-05:00

Only 10 or 20 years ago if you wanted to shoot a battle sequence you needed armies of extras, equipment, explosives, multiple cameras and it would all cost a HUGE amount of money.

Now... well take a look!

Golden Globes Cancelled...

2008-01-08T12:51:00.000-05:00

Yawn... does anyone actually care?

Yet Another Exhibit In The Case AGAINST Man Made Global Warming...

2008-01-07T08:39:00.000-05:00

File this as another exhibit against man made global warming...

"Stock up on fur coats and felt boots!" advises Oleg Sorokhtin, a fellow of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and senior scientist at Moscow's Shirshov Institute of Oceanography. "The latest data . . . say that earth has passed the peak of its warmer period, and a fairly cold spell will set in quite soon, by 2012."

Sorokhtin dismisses the conventional global warming theory that greenhouse gases, especially human-emitted carbon dioxide, is causing the earth to grow hotter. Like a number of other scientists, he points to solar activity - sunspots and solar flares, which wax and wane over time - as having the greatest effect on climate.

"Carbon dioxide is not to blame for global climate change," Sorokhtin writes in an essay for Novosti. "Solar activity is many times more powerful than the energy produced by the whole of humankind." In a recent paper for the Danish National Space Center, physicists Henrik Svensmark and Eigil Friis-Christensen concur: "The sun . . . appears to be the main forcing agent in global climate change," they write.

Given the number of worldwide cold events, it is no surprise that 2007 didn't turn out to be the warmest ever. In fact, 2007's global temperature was essentially the same as that in 2006 - and 2005, and 2004, and every year back to 2001. The record set in 1998 has not been surpassed. For nearly a decade now, there has been no global warming. Even though atmospheric carbon dioxide continues to accumulate - it's up about 4 percent since 1998 - the global mean temperature has remained flat. That raises some obvious questions about the theory that CO2 is the cause of climate change.

Huckabee, Obama... Analysis by Peggy Noonan

2008-01-04T10:36:00.000-05:00

Well, the winners in Iowa are Obama and Huckabee. I thought both victory speeches were good, Obama getting the points for most eloquent. Both appeal to hope, the best in Americans, and uniting the people.

Peggy Noonan's column today has some analysis. She has some insight on why Huckabee has surged and become the leading candidate.

From the mail I have received the past month after criticizing him in this space, I would say his great power, the thing really pushing his supporters, is that they believe that what ails America and threatens its continued existence is not economic collapse or jihad, it is our culture.

They have been bruised and offended by the rigid, almost militant secularism and multiculturalism of the public schools; they reject those schools' squalor, in all senses of the word. They believe in God and family and America. They are populist: They don't admire billionaire CEOs, they admire husbands with two jobs who hold the family together for the sake of the kids; they don't need to see the triumph of supply-side thinking, they want to see that suffering woman down the street get the help she needs.

They believe that Mr. Huckabee, the minister who speaks their language, shares, down to the bone, their anxieties, concerns and beliefs. They fear that the other Republican candidates are caught up in a million smaller issues--taxing, spending, the global economy, Sunnis and Shia--and missing the central issue: again, our culture. They are populists who vote Republican.

I think this is right on, definitely the feeling I get from the supporters that I have talked to and read.

So, we'll see what happens. I think Mr. Obama has the chops to go all the way. I think many people underestimate Mr. Huckabee and the support he can engender.

Now, on to Tuesday and New Hampshire!

Indiana in Vanity Fair

2008-01-03T10:54:00.000-05:00

I love the Indiana Jones movies. All 3. I am looking forward to renting and seeing the Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.

And I am looking forward to this May when the next installment comes out!

Vanity Fair has an interesting look at the creators behind Indiana Jones, and a few spoilers on the movie (as well as pictures!).

Enjoy!

Noonan on Iowa

2007-12-29T12:25:00.000-05:00

Lots of posts today... don't expect this to be normal:)

But this was a really good article by Peggy Noonan. I don't know if I agree with her assessment of Huckabee, but I think she raises many good points on all the candidates.

This is my 2008 slogan: Reasonable Person for President. That is my hope, what I ask Iowa to produce, and I claim here to speak for thousands, millions. We are grown-ups, we know our country needs greatness, but we do not expect it and will settle at the moment for good. We just want a reasonable person. We would like a candidate who does not appear to be obviously insane. We'd like knowledge, judgment, a prudent understanding of the world and of the ways and histories of the men and women in it.

Assassination in the Digital Age

2007-12-29T12:09:00.000-05:00

Wow...

Digital cameras and the internet have changed the face of news. A moving tribute to Ms. Bhutto as well as an important document of history. We may look back on this event as one that sparked major changes in the world.

HT: Mod-Blog.

Fun From Iran...

2007-12-29T11:56:00.000-05:00

You have to admit, this is funny!

An open letter to the Islamic Republic of Iran

Dear Iranian Mullahs! While our satirical website and your Propaganda Directorate deal in the same trade of making up facts and exaggerating reality, we are different in that we can recognize a spoof - but you apparently can't. On Dec. 27, 2007 you used our spoof image on your propaganda website to illustrate a "true" statement that Jews are welcome in Iran and that Western reports about mass emigration of Iranian Jews are "lies spread by the Zionist hegemony."

~
The spoof image in question first appeared in 2005, in our parody called Israel Dismantles; World's Problems End, which revealed the absurdity of demands to dismantle Israel, with various nations, including Iran and Germany, celebrating the return of their long-missed Jews

Here's the image in question.

They also have up a copy of the original website, and the original photo...

Blog Updates...

2007-12-28T13:04:00.000-05:00

So... I'm in Minnesota visiting Nora's family. Don't really have much to write about...

But I did update the sidebar! A few new trailers (check out "The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything" the latest from Veggietales) and updated What We've Been Watching. I decided to put a star rating next to each movie or TV show, so you'd know what we think:) I'll write a review if we REALLY liked it.

The system is a 4 star system (mostly because Roger Ebert does it that way:) and let's you know how much we liked it. If only one of us saw it it has the name of that person next to it.

Have a very happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2007-12-24T20:09:00.000-05:00

Three things characterize the festivals and feast days of ancient Isreal. 1.) The ceasing of daily labor. 2.) Remembrance of a significant event. 3.) A party, involving eating, drinking, family, and (anecdotally anyway) games and fun! These festivals included a weekly festival (the Sabbath) and many other festivals throughout the year, including several that ran for a week or more!

On this Christmas we cease our daily jobs and have a party to remember the birth of Christ, who came to earth to save mankind from their sins. Pretty significant event huh?

Merry Christmas!

Jackson to Produce "The Hobbit"!

2007-12-18T12:31:00.000-05:00

For all you Lord of the Rings Fans...

Relations between Jackson and New Line had soured after "Rings," despite a collective worldwide box office gross of nearly $3 billion — an enormous success. The two sides nevertheless were able to reconcile, with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) splitting "The Hobbit" 50/50, spokesmen for both studios said Tuesday.

"I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line," Jackson said in a statement. "We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth."

Two "Hobbit" films are scheduled to be shot simultaneously, similar to how the three "Lord of the Rings" films were made. Production is set to begin in 2009 with a released planned for 2010, with the sequel scheduled for a 2011 release.

New Line has had some very bad luck this year, film release wise. "The Golden Compass" won't do as well as expected, and several other films, some very good, have underperformed as well.

"The Hobbit" will be a cash cow... but we have to wait till 2010... I'll be in line!

The Dark Knight

2007-12-18T11:36:00.001-05:00

Like Batman Begins? Check out The Dark Knight!

So I Saw A Christmas Carol - 1984...

2007-12-18T10:26:00.001-05:00

So... I finally saw the 1984 version of A Christmas Carol starring George C. Scott.

I enjoyed it. I was impressed by Scott, a different portrayal than Patrick Stewart or Michael Caine. I think I still like the Patrick Stewart portrayal the best, but I did like Scott. He is gruff, mean, unlikeable. He plays it more inward, Stewart and Caine more outward (showing the difference between American and British acting technique). It was interesting to see how the same character can be played differently by very good actors, and each seems perfect for the part. They also found good actors who looked like Scott to play the younger versions of Scrooge (and even the father looked like him a bit.) One problem... Scott is trying to do a British accent, but it doesn't really stick. But I forgive him, I didn't notice much:)

The effects were definitely not as seamless as the Muppet version or the Stewart version, mostly because they were physical effects, lighting effects, or superimposed images (Marley in the door knocker, walking up stairs, the ghosts moving in time etc.) I don't fault the film for this, it was made in 1984:) I noticed, by the way, that Jacob Marley never blinks... freaky. They were quite good physical effects, except for one shot of the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come moving across the screen... it looked like a man in a cloak on a dolly.

I thought the Ghost of Christmas Present was a bit to gruff, not joyful enough. It was similar to the whole film, it was very concerned with making sure you got the point. Scrooge says things to himself that should have been left in images ("those are my things") and the music was a bit overpowering. Subtlety is a wonderful thing. Yes, the Stewart version dumbs down some language, but it keeps that subtlety in the theme and message.

The Ghosts... Past was... fine. In the book it is described as a child who looks old. This was a woman... looked like a woman not a child. Whatever. Present... I thought was gruff, a bit less cheery than I like. Future... wooden and physical (you can tell they were going for an effect that would be easy now) but other than that, which is a result, again, of when it was made... I found the "voice" to be rather annoying. I like the silent, dark cloaked figure that looks like death idea.

I did like the Crachitt familiy portrayal all the way around. And Fred and his wife. "Tight as a drum".

But those are minor squabbles. It was a good film, well done, nicely filmed, well acted.

I still like the Stewart version best. I'll have to see that one again to make sure. But this was a worthy version, and definitely in the top 2.

Horton Hears A Who!

2007-12-17T10:45:00.000-05:00

So... a new trailer is out for the Blue Sky Animation Studios film, "Horton Hears A Who!" from the Dr. Seuss book! Blue Sky brought us Ice Age and Robots.

A friend of mine is a lighting director over there (Blue Sky is headquartered in White Plains, NY) and worked on a couple of the shots in the trailer! He said he lit several of the Horton dialogue scenes, and the scene with the Mayor and a chandelier.

Enjoy!

Indiana Jones Poster and Info!

2007-12-11T14:40:00.001-05:00

Click here to find out more about the story and characters!

HT: Mod-Blog

The Key To Reserva

2007-12-07T10:28:00.000-05:00

My vote for Best Short Film of 2007... Sorry Brian!

Martin Scorcese found 3 pages of an Alfred Hitchcock short film script (with 1 missing from the middle). What did he decide to do with it to preserve this bit of film history?

CHECK IT OUT!

All That You Know Is About To Change...

2007-12-05T16:41:00.000-05:00

Christmas In Seymour!

2007-12-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

Christmas in Connecticut cannot guarantee snow, as it does in the movies; but it does provide quaint old towns, decked out in the spirit of Christmas.

Our town, Seymour, has an assortment of antique shops, boutique shops..and on the first Saturday of the month, the shops stay open later, offering cookies, cider and hot chocolate. Nicky and I finally made it down this past Saturday and were greeted by old fashioned carolers and young and old out enjoying the festivities!

If you want antiques, these places are the tops. All of them have reasonable prices and quality merchandise, whether you want an old piece of furniture, place settings, books....

My favorite shops were Zoe and Floyd and Tickled Pink.

Zoe and Floyd is an artsy persons dream. They sell wall-art, artistic jewelery, greeting cards, interesting serving ware, and other neat stuff.

Tickled Pink has similar items, but it is all around a pink theme, very fun and funky.

Seymour is beginning to remind me of Stillwater, MN. They are really trying to turn it into a viable business
destination.

If you live in the area, come on down and check out the shops, the old art deco movie theater, "The Strand," that plays movies for $4, and the old 1950's style ice cream shop. Looking forward to frequenting those locations as well! :)

3 Movie Voices

2007-12-02T16:18:00.000-05:00

Most of you know, I am a voice talent, so this really hits my funny bone:)

It's Really A Peaceful Religion...

2007-12-01T11:54:00.000-05:00

Or is it? Hmm...

Christmas Films

2007-11-29T09:32:00.000-05:00

These are some of my favorites.

Please feel free to post others in the comments!

Elf - Just fun, funny, good little message. Nora loves it too!

A Christmas Carol - the one starring Patrick Stewart. I know, many say the George C. Scott version is the best, and one of these days I will have to see it, but this one perfectly captured the essence of the book to me. The old Alistair Sims version is also great, and the Muppet version is fun (and reasonably accurate!).

White Christmas - yes, the story is stupid. The dancing and singing are fun! You can tell this wasn't a role written for Danny Kaye (originally Fred Astair actually), but he seems to have fun with it and makes some memorable moments happen. I have fond memories of this film.

Holiday Inn - Again, stupid story. Fred dances, Bing sings... more about the memories I have than the strength of the film.

Christmas in Connecticut - The 1940's version. For the record, this vision of CT is nowhere near what it is like now, and I kind of doubt it ever was that way. A funny screwball comedy.

It's a Wonderful Life - Nora doesn't like this one. It is a classic, and a great film at that. Great message, well done, funny, heartbreaking... I think all those who have had dreams about what they want to do identify with Jimmy Stewart.

While You Were Sleeping - Funny, romantic, crazy... reminds you why Sandra Bullock is a star (her more recent efforts might make you forget.)

Miracle on 34th Street - don't bother with the modern Richard Attenborough version. The original, with Edmund Gwen as the definitive Santa Claus, is funny and heartwarming and ever so much better. Gwen won an Oscar for his portrayal. And make sure you watch it in black and white. Color ruins the cinematography. Santa can be a way we introduce children to the idea of Jesus... just don't lie and tell them he is real:)

Home Alone - honestly, I haven't seen this since the 90's. But I remember it being funny:) Every kid wants to do this stuff to someone!

Die Hard - yes, it takes place on Christmas Eve! A classic action film, and darn good. If you liked the most recent outing, check out the original. Beware, not so great language abounds.

Some I don't like!

The Grinch - HORRID. Not funny, a waste of film and talent.

Christmas With The Kranks - funny at points, but what a horrible message about Christmas being about the parties, decorations and presents.

The Santa Clause Sequels - the original is funny and pretty good. The sequels are a waste of time.

Anyway, again, feel free to post your favorites in the comments! I left out the TV specials from this list, mostly because I don't consider them films.