Remember Steve Martin's album, Let's Get Small? Well, the other night, I did. I got so small I climbed right into an acoustic guitar.
(OK, really we were at the Pacific Science Center on our way to see U2 3D at the Imax theatre. There's some sort of cool music display going on there right now, with GIANT guitars. The movie rocked, btw. Go see it. Try to go see it at an IMAX theater if you can.)
Talk about lofty goals! This site aims for nothing short of "...document[ing] all species of life on earth":
Me? My goals right now are down around "wash some underwear so at least something I'm wearing is clean".
(* The title is one of my favorite quotes from the movie Juno, which I just saw last week. Awesome movie.)
The actor Roy Scheider died yesterday at the age of 75. He had cancer. The older I get the less old 75 seems.
I always found him to be a fascinating actor, one who presented tremendous confidence and self-assuredness on screen (even if his character was freaking out). He was fantastic, of course, in Jaws. Really the glue that held scenery-chewers Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss in place. But my favorite Roy Scheider movie is All That Jazz, for a couple of reasons:
So here's a clip of the movie's finale. The set up is this: Joe Gideon is a Broadway choreographer who pours everything he has into his work, to the detriment of his family, friends, and personal life. As the current show he's working on takes a greater and greater toll on his health, his loved ones try to convince him (through song and dance) that he needs to come back to them and find better work/life balance. Gideon sees everything in terms of work, even choreographing his own death scene. Jessica Lange plays the Angel of Death, who flirts with him throughout the film.
And so, Roy Scheider, even though Fosse made this scene in reference to himself, you were the one singing and sliding and sweating through it, so it could be yours too. If you want it. Perhaps the reason I like this scene so much is that I want it. I'm not asking for much, right? Just a razzle-dazzle song and dance number to see me out.
Just read this article on Salon.com, about a Chinese guy who supposedly dropped dead from exhaustion after a 3-day Internet/video game binge.
Now, don't let my kids see this, because I'm always nagging them about spending too much time at the computer, but this is a pretty silly article. It makes it sound like the Internet killed him. See? I can see people saying. It's DANGEROUS!
Well, so is ANYTHING if you abuse it. Drinking water is super good for you. Essential, in fact. But it can also kill you if you do it too much. 
Speaking of playing a lot of video games, we took the kids last night to see The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters. What a strange and intriguing movie! It's a documentary about a Redmond, WA school teacher who tries to take the world record title for the highest score in Donkey Kong. We all found it a little odd, and we all liked it. If you get a chance, go see it.
Chris and I went and saw "An Inconvenient Truth" last night. It's the new documentary about Al Gore's speeches and lectures on global warming. I had heard of it, and heard it was good, but it wasn't something I was particularly keen to see. I mean, it's like Schindler's List, in that I know it's going to be sad/bad/hard news that hurts and who wants to see that? But Chris really pushed to go see it so we went.
It was really, really good. I strongly encourage everyone to go see it.
First and foremost, it is ultimately an inspiring and uplifting film. Of course there is harrowing data and alarming stories, but I left the movie feeling very empowered, as though this was a difficult problem that I could do something about. Second, it's fascinating to see a movie about someone who really has a lot of passion about something and works hard to make things happen. And finally, it's just a really well shot and well edited movie. I want to go back and take my kids to see it. I think it's that important.
Just got back from seeing Brokeback Mountain. A terrific movie. It's grand and rich and sad and evocative. And it's not what I expected. I'm not sure what I expected but this is not really a "message" movie. It's a wonderfully touching love story. A cowboy story. Look, it's Larry McMurtry. If you liked "Lonesome Dove" you'll love this.
But, that's not what I'm here to write about. I'm here to tell you that I have finally accepted the fact that "going out to the movies" is a dying phenomenon. Sure, it's been written about many time before. What with the advent of giant televisions and "on-demand" programming and the fact that movies are coming out quicker and quicker on DVD. But today was the day where I actually thought "Whoa. I'm not sure I want to do this anymore." As I was heading in to the theatre, I thought I'd grab some popcorn. I don't often go to the concession stand as I've usually just had a meal before I go to the movies and so I'm not hungry. But this time was different.
They wanted five dollars for a small bag of popcorn.
Unacceptable. When the popcorn costs nearly as much as the ticket ($6.25) then something is wrong. I know why they do it. Movie theaters make virtually NO money on the movie itself. Somebody's gotta pay Tom Cruise's $20 million paycheck, and it's you, my friend. Theaters make their money from concessions. It's been that way for a long time.
But five dollars for a small popcorn? That's insane.
Chris and I just got back from seeing "Good Night, and Good Luck". It was brilliant. Run, do not walk, to go see this movie. Now, anyone who knows me knows I am a big George Clooney fan, mainly on account of him being so good looking and charming. But I gotta tell you, I am just so stinkin' proud of him. This is a smart movie told in the most stark and elegant way. The parallels of this story during the McCarthy era with today's "War on Terrorism" is obvious, but never forced. The cinematography is cool and clean, and David Strathairn is a shoo-in for a Best Actor nomination. I think Clooney is a hero. Have you seen it? Comments welcome.
