I am only one, but I AM one

Recently, my husband and I watched The Blind Side. It's a movie about a woman who takes in a homeless boy and makes him part of her family. Initially she just offered him a place to stay for a few nights, but over time she got him a tutor so that he could graduate from high school, and then she adopted him, and put him through college. They lived in the south, and her white friends all gave her grief for taking in a black boy, saying that he would rob her and leave in the night, and that he was dangerous. But she was not hung up on social or racial stereotypes, she just saw a need, and she filled it, and she changed not only his life but her own in the process. (It was a great movie, by the way.)
We may not all have the financial means to take in a big teenager as she did, but we do all have the means to do something--to be forces for good in the world around us. Just a few days ago I showed my 11 year old son the Heifer Intl website, and he got really excited at the idea of using part of our christmas budget to provide animals to people in third world countries. A friend of mine has begun spending about $20/month to give micro-loans via Kiva. You don't have to do something big in order to do something good.

I am only one, but I am one.

I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And what I can do, with God's help, I will do.

And I dare say, if I am not doing what I can do, shame on me!

The World According to Monsanto

We recently watched the documentary The World According to Monsanto (watch it here, read other reviews from TwilightEarth and Greenpeace). It was originally in French (it was dubbed) and for someone who doesn't read or speak French that is a little distracting because of some of the visual aspects (which I'll explain in a moment).

There is a lot of information in this film. It is packed full of primary source interviews--meaning interviews with people who were there, not just people who heard about it later. There is not a very smooth flow to the film though; it sortof jumps from one thing to the next. The overall message is clear: that Monsanto is and has been doing very shady things with our food production, from bovine growth hormones (rBGH) to roundup-ready seed to suing farmers out of everything they have. Most of the information was not new to me, as I had learned it from other sources (notably The Future of Food), but while FoF focuses on Monsanto's effects on the USA, this film spent more time on the international ramifications, including the way the company is making small independent farmers from Paraguay to India dependent on buying their seed and herbicides and is pushing monoculture (to the destruction of the traditional small family farms). It traced the infiltration of Monsanto's roundup-ready corn hybrid into Mexico's ancient corn strains, and showed photos of the truly disturbing results (if you know anything about how corn is supposed to look, these photos will give you chills).

The downside of this film is that it feels like an amateur movie. The numerous interviews and world traveling indicate a big budget, but the main transition method in the film is a woman (the filmmaker) sitting at her computer and googling various terms such as "monsanto rgbh falsify study" and so on. Yes, googling. In French. So that was a little distracting for me. The rest of the content was great, but the transitions (and there were many) were annoying.

In general, I do recommend the movie because of the content (which does go above and beyond other food documentaries I've seen). Just be warned that it doesn't have as polished a feel as some other documentaries.

History on Film

I saw three fantastic historical movies last year, and wanted to recommend them to you all.
I have to add the disclaimer that they are realistic depictions of the periods/situations in which they take place, and all have some disturbing content/images because of that. These are not children's movies, however, I thought they were excellent, and recommend them.

Glory is the true story of the first colored regiment in the Civil War. A young white officer was assigned to lead them, and he, unlike most of his contemporaries, treated the black soldiers the same as white soldiers. He insisted that his fellow white officers do the same, and also promoted some of the black men to be officers. The higher-ups seemed to see the regiment as laborers --better for clearing roads than for fighting--but the young officer diligently drilled his men and repeatedly requested that he be able to take his men into battle. In the end of course they finally do get to prove themselves in battle...but I won't tell you the ending because of course then you wouldn't need to see it for yourself.


I am not sure if The Great Debaters is a true story or not, but it's a good one regardless. It takes place 90 years later, in Texas, when racial tensions were high and lynchings were commonplace. A debate team from a black university is doing so well that they send a challenge to a local white school. The resulting debate sparks a lot of press--and a lot of tempers. Subsequent white schools refuse their challenges, all except one big school up north...Harvard. The final meeting of course is a thinly veiled debate about racial equality and rights, and presents some powerful, thoughtful arguments for civil disobedience.


Finally, Joyeux Noel (Merry Christmas) is a French-made film about Christmas Eve 1914, when troops from both sides of the warfront left their trenches and joined in 'no man's land' to sing carols and share cigarettes and whiskey. It's not strictly historical, but is based on the actual events, and is a heartwarming and inspiring film.

Twilight--the Singles Ward Edition

one of the funniest things I've seen in ages. (Thanks Nessa!)

Twilight Years from Tom on Vimeo.

(as a note, this will not be nearly as funny if you are not familiar with Twilight and/or mormon culture.)

Babies (the movie)

I just saw this posted over at Stand and Deliver, and I definitely want to see it. It's a documentary (coming this spring) which follows four babies through their first year of life: Ponijao (in Namibia), Mari (in Tokyo), Bayer (in Mongolia), and Hattie (in San Francisco). The site says that the film "joyfully captures on film the earliest stages of the journey of humanity that are at once unique and universal to us all."

(If the trailer doesn't work for you, you can see it at the movie site)

Based on the trailer I think it will be interesting to note the different cultural habits (birth practices, breastfeeding, babywearing, etc) and their differing effects on the kids. After all, I've chosen some "non-mainstream" things (non-mainstream in the USA at least) because I believe they are the best things for my kids and family. However I'm curious to observe those behaviors in cultures where they are mainstream (for example extended breastfeeding is standard in Mongolia).

Pregnant in America

Recently I watched the film "Pregnant in America." I have to agree with all the netflix reviewers who said that it was somewhat of a B-grade movie, and in many ways inferior to "The Business of Being Born." With that said though, I still recommend it for a couple of reasons:
1--it is clean (no language, no nudity...BoBB has quite a bit of both, and while they are in context, they are still bothersome for many viewers).
2--the film features interviews with a broader range of people, ranging from experts to random people on the street.

One quote (played during the credits, so I don't know who said it) was particularly memorable:

We can only change things in two ways: either with litigation, or with education.

Obviously, I'm a proponent of the latter.
While this movie does have its flaws (it gets pretty dramatic--in melodramatic way--at the end; and they don't provide references for most of their statistics, so I don't know how precisely factual they are), it's still an effort at education, and for that I must applaud them...at least a little bit.

Musings on Movies for Little Kiddos

Anyone who has a toddler or preschooler knows that they like the same things over and over: the same books, the same songs, and the same movies. While I detest using the screen as a babysitter, I’m not opposed to letting a kid watch a movie a few days a week (I usually use the time to get my housework done, to put a baby to sleep, or even take a nap…hey, sometimes I need one!)
Since they always want to watch the same few movies though, I at least try to help them see the lessons contained in those movies.
For example:

• In “Finding Nemo” Nemo’s troubles all began when he disobeyed his father. I won’t argue whether Marlin was overprotective or bossy, I’ll just stick with the simple fact that if Nemo had not ventured into open water he would not have been caught by the diver. Lesson: obey your parents.
• In “The Emperor’s New Groove” Kuzko was mean to Pacha. In fact, he was downright beastly—he lied and tricked Pacha on several occasions. But through it all Pacha forgave him and was nice anyway. Lesson: be nice to people and forgive them no matter what they may do to you.
• “The Incredibles” has a lot of loyalty to family, teamwork, believing in yourself, and working hard.
• “The Lion King” teaches about the circle of life (which I like), and also shows that facing problems works a lot better than running away from them.
• “The Dark Crystal” shows a triumph of peacefulness over violence, and also vindicates hard work and tenacity.
• I like most of the Veggietales too, but of course those were intentionally created to teach lessons, so I figure they are sortof obvious. ☺

And just for the record, here are a couple of movies I am really bothered by (because of the lessons in them)…

• Aladdin—Everybody tells lies and it’s ok so long as you’re a nice guy, and incidentally lying can really pay off if you tell the right lies to the right people, and then apologize a little bit when they catch you.
  
• The Little Mermaid—(besides the immodesty) It’s ok to disobey your parents and do whatever you want because in the end you’ll be right and they’ll be sorry.

Can you think of any children’s movies that you love (or hate) because of the lessons hidden within them?

Take THAT Bill Maher

The other night Hubby and I watched Bill Maher's Religulous (it's 'religious' combined with 'ridiculous' in case you haven't heard of it). He has a very obvious intent with the film: to show that religious people are hung up on unsubstantiated fairy tales because they are too weak to stand up and ask questions, and that this blind devotion to silliness is destroying the world (via holy wars, religious terrorism, etc). OK, so obviously I disagree with him across the board, and frankly the film would be offensive to almost everyone I know, so I don't recommend it. However, I wanted to take the chance to give my responses to some of the questions he threw at his interviewees. You see, as any intelligent documentary-maker would, he choose to interview people who would help him make the point that he wanted to make; in other words, he choose nice people who felt strongly about their faith but didn't know how to carry on a good debate, or how to give a strong answer to a hard question. (Or, in the case of his sequence about Mormons, he chose to interview a pair of apostates; and everyone knows that a former-member will always paint a different picture than a faithful-member.)

So here are my responses to some of his questions (in no particular order):

The Bible says a snake talked to Eve in the Garden of Eden. Can an intelligent person really believe in talking snakes?
No, I don't believe in talking snakes. I believe that's a metaphor for the devil. Surely you've heard the term "he's such a snake!" [I might say that Bill Maher is a bit of a snake!]

Scientists tell us that evolution is fact. So how can you believe in a creation story like the one in the Bible?
I have two thoughts on this. First, science is a growing and changing field. 600 years ago science told us that the world was flat and that Earth was the center of the universe, then folks like Columbus and Galileo came along and proved otherwise, so everyone adjusted their theories to match the newly-found facts. I'm not convinced that science can ever give us a final answer about anything, it can just tell me what our best guess is right now.
Secondly, I don't think that evolution and creationism are actually in conflict. I believe that God created the world and put a multitude of creatures in it, but that over time many of those creatures and plants have changed and evolved. Do I believe that men came from apes? No, I believe we are created in the image of God just like the Bible says. But I do believe in evolution.

How do you explain that the same stories (virgin birth, miracles and healings, resurrection on the third day) were told around the Mediterranean and even across the world for centuries before Christ?
Cultures around the world also have flood stories, and creation stories, and first man/first woman stories. I believe that the same stories come up all over the world because they are all based in one truth. I believe that that one truth is most accurately described in the Bible, but I think the very fact that cultures around the world are telling the same stories is a very good indication that somewhere up the line the stories were true. Of course they vary a bit from one area to another, because each society is going to adapt the story to fit their culture and way of living, but that doesn't mean they didn't start as one story.

If God wants us to be happy, then why would he let the Holocaust happen?
Because God will not interfere with our free will. He wants us to be happy, and He wants us to be kind to each other, but he does not and will not force us to do things. I think He did and does weep at many of the horrible things that men have done to each other, but He won't interfere because that would not be fair. The fact of the matter is that some people are going to choose to do good kind things, and some people aren't, but a fair God has to treat us all equally, so he allows us all our choice.
Incidentally, I think that the periods of intense evil--times such as the holocaust--also serve to bring out intense goodness. There is opposition in all things, and I think of people like Corrie Ten Boom or Eli Wiesel, and I see that the worst situations can often bring out the best in people. So even those terrible things are giving people a chance to choose who they want to be.

"Faith means making a virtue out of not thinking... The only appropriate attitude for man to have about the big questions, is not the arrogant certitude that is the hallmark of religion, but doubt. Doubt is humble and that is what man needs to be..." [yes, that one is an actual quote from the movie]
I actually agree that the only appropriate attitude is to ask questions. I think that some religions hold a lot more water than others on the logic front, and that 'blind faith' is never a virtue. Yes, I consider myself a woman of faith, but it's not blind. I have studied the tenants of my faith and frankly I find that they explain a lot of things in what I find to be a very logical way. My faith is not about feeling comfortable or taking anybody's word for anything, it's about having logical explanations for life, the universe and everything. ☺ I find that the more I learn of science and the world, and the more I understand my religion, the more they fit together beautifully.


Too bad he didn't interview me, huh?

Jane and Me

So, I have a confession. Brace yourself ladies, but I have never read a book by Jane Austen. Ever.
I have seen several of the movies (which I realize doesn't count) and I hated every single one.

Since all my friends raved about Austen though, I dutifully pulled Pride & Prejudice off the shelf and dug in. I think I got partway into the second chapter before I had to give it up.
Please understand that it's not about the language or style (I read Shakespeare for pleasure and didn't have a problem getting through Dickens). No, it seems to be Miss Jane's stories themselves that disagree with me.



But then a few weeks ago I saw a movie. You can probably guess which movie it was:and (are you ready for this?) I loved it. I didn't really expect to love it, since I have never loved anything Jane, but I'd heard that it was really popular, and (since our tiny library mostly caters to the fishermen--ie, horror and violence) when I saw it on the shelf I snatched it up. And it was fabulous. I figure I should get my hands on the book since books are always better than the movies made from them, right?
So, due to the movie, I have decided to give Jane another chance. No matter how annoyed I was with any past experience, or how annoyed I may become in the middle of this one... I'm going to read the entire book. (And if I one day suddenly stop blogging, you may assume that I died from the experience.)
Based on JABC, I think have decided which book I want to read, however, I'd be very interested to hear your recommendations and favorites (and why you recommend or love them, of course!) If you're one of the few with whom I've already discussed this, and you already know my choice, no telling, ok?



I can still hate the regency dresses though. They make everybody look fat. Who thought of that style anyway? And the hair?! ewwww!

Movie Review Resources

The rating on a movie can only give the vaguest idea of what is really in it or whether it's appropriate to show to your family. One movie might be completely clean yet earn a PG-13 because it deals with a terminal illness. Another movie with the same rating could be peppered with vulgar language, sexual references, and violence.
Different parents are comfortable with different things, and some families have tools such as the TVGuardian (which utilizes the closed caption feed to silence and remove profanity and blasphemy), so I think it's more helpful to be able to find out precisely what is in each movie. Even with the new extended rating boxes (which indicate that the rating is for 'langauge and innuendo' or 'thematic elements') it's still difficult to really know what is in the film. For this reason, I like to utilize movie content reviewing sites.

I used to use ScreenIt, but their site is now harder to get through because they have two levels of reviews--the simple ones are free, but you have to register (and pay) to get the more elaborate ones. As you navigate through the site there are frequent ads for the paid version (which is ad-free) and it's somewhat annoying. If you don't mind the ads though, they have very detailed (blow-by-blow) information about the movie content.

My sister recommends Kids-In-Mind, which I have only tried once, but it was like ScreenIt in that it has extremely detailed information about each category (sex/nudity, violence/gore, profanity, and substance use). For example, it would say "a man and a woman kiss, and he asks her to come up to his apartment. Nothing is shown, but afterwards we see them laying next to each other in a bed." Under the profanity it is very specific. eg: "3 scatalogical terms, 2 sexual references, 1 anatomical term, 5 mild obsenities, name calling, and 5 religious exclamations." The only downside is that they seem to stick to the bigger movies, so if you're looking for something that was released straight to DVD, or that's on the older side, you may not be able to find it here.

I also like CommonSenseMedia because it has a wide variety of movies and doesn't require registration. It has brief and simple reviews, but viewers can also contribute reviews and I find the multiple perspectives helpful. Each rater (both the official site rater and also each viewer rater) gives a rating for what age they feel the movie is appropriate for: it's much more specific than just "PG" vs "PG-13" because you can rate it for any age 2-18. (If you want to leave reviews, you will have to register, but registration is free.)


So that's what works for me. Works For Me Wednesday has now moved to We are THAT Family, so now you can run on over there to see what works for other people!

Favorite Christmas Movies

Every year there is a new holiday movie (or two or three). I enjoy these movies, but not all of them. I've been thinking this week about the ones I like, and the ones I don't, and why... I guess it would be fair to say that I'm a movie snob to some degree--I can be hard to impress (with my theatre/acting training background and all that), but really it's not about the quality of the acting so much as the quality of the message.

I LIKE

1. Scrooge (with Albert Finney). It's an awesome rendition of "A Christmas Carol" in fact, it's the first version of that story that I ever liked. I also happen to enjoy all the songs--so far as I can recall, I like every single one. That's pretty rare for me!
   
2. The Santa Clause. It's cute, it's fun, and it puts the magic in Christmas. The sequels are pretty silly, but I really like the original one.
   
3. It's a Wonderful Life. It's a little bit cheesy, but such a good message...and frankly it's become a piece of our culture's history, so you need to see it if you want to be culturally literate.
   
4. Miracle on 34th Street (the old black & white one...I've never seen the new one, so I can't say if it's any good or not) Answers some age-old questions about Kris Kringle (yes, he speaks Danish), Let's just say, "I believe!"
   
5. Dr Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas (the old animated one of course) How could anyone not love Boris Karloff's singing and the Dr's original art?!
6. Muppet Christmas Carol. Because Kermit Cratchet sings the coolest syncopated song ever, and it's funny when the little peons in Scrooge's office bust out a luau.
   

I DON'T LIKE
(as in, I will go to some length to avoid seeing it)

1. A Charlie Brown Christmas. This is because I don't like Charlie Brown. I think he's depressing
2. A Christmas Story. Can we just say dysfunctional family? How can this be considered a classic? Again, depressing.
3. The Grinch (Jim Carrey). Rude, crude, and just really really pathetic. I was excitedly hoping for something that would live up to the first movie...this didn't live up to anything.
   
4. White Christmas. I was really really bored
5. Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer (the stop-animation one with Burl Ives). Um, I just think it's annoying from one end to the other.
6. The Nightmare Before Christmas. I didn't even make it to the end. Dark, depressing, creepy...oh wait, it was Tim Burton. No wonder I hated it.
   
7. Elf. I had hoped it would be nice--the premise was cute...but EWWWWW. I should know better than to think that Will Farrell would make a clean or quality movie.
   

What Christmas movies do you love?
Which ones do you not love?
Why?

I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but those are the first ones I thought of (I reserve the right to edit the list a bit if someone comments about a movie I have strong feelings about!!)
This year I want to see Fred Claus. I'm prepared for it to be pretty dumb, but ya always gotta see the new one, you know?

Movies: the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Most of these movies are new (or newish), although a few are oldies that I've just seen recently.

GOOD
August Rush--PG--The cover story on this one is a little corny—I won’t even touch on that. What I WILL say is that if you have ever loved music (any type), or especially if you have ever FELT music, this movie will move you.
The Pursuit of Happyness--PG-13--based on a true story (and the real life protagonist was involved with the movie throughout).
The Ex--(not sure)--Admittedly somewhat of a stupid story, but I really enjoyed it--mostly because of the super-hippie mommy's group that the woman joins. The movie was clearly making fun of them, but I love poking fun at myself, and this had me in stitches.
Twelfth Night (this one by Trevor Nunn)--Very well done. I like Shakespeare anyway, but some people really botch it...not so here. This is done in such a way that the non-bard-junkies should like it too. :)

BAD
Nim's Island--PG--The previews made it look fun and funny. I was thoroughly disappointed.
Wall-E--PG--The humans were robotic and the robots were pretty human. The only redeeming factor was that it had some clips (and a lot of music) from Hello Dolly.
Vantage Point--PG-13--I had the strange expectation of an intriguing plot...but there was none. Just brainless action...which, well, I just didn't like it.
Elizabeth: The Golden Age--PG-13--the costumes were as awesome as the first, and the actors are great, but they forgot about the history...and the scriptwriting...

UGLY
Mr Bean's Holiday--PG--*gag**choke**die* Hubby brought it home for Wolf, and wow, it was painful.
Lions for Lambs--PG-13--can we just say propaganda!!!
Munich--R--This was horribly misrepresented in the previews. I thought it would be about the terrorist attack on the Israeli team at the 1972 Olympics, and about the investigation afterwards...um, scratch that. They should have mentioned it was based on the book "Vengeance" that would have been much more informative. For all that it was full of bombs, guns and chase scenes, it also moved very slowly. Go figure.

These are a Few of My Favorite Things

What's your favorite animal? I'm generally fond of mammals, especially the pretty predators...wolves, bears, leopards...if you want me to pick one specific animal to adore though, then without question it's my doggie, Koira.
What's your favorite fiction book? (or top 2-3, if you can't pick one) see below
What music do you like listening to? as a genre, I generally prefer mainstream 'contemporary christian,' and I'm also fond of Broadway soundtracks (except for Rogers and Hammerstein which I strongly dislike)...but beyond that, see below for specifics


Months ago I had the idea that I would list off my ‘top ten’ in a few areas...books, movies, songs, etc., but that is harder than it seems. In some areas many options come to mind, in others, I can only think of a few…thus my lists don’t have a finite number of entries, but these are a few of my favorite things. Consider it a work on progress!
Even without parameters (such as coming up with a certain number of entries per category) it’s really hard to try to create lists of my favorites…different things have been significant at different time of my life, and I may have forgotten negative aspects of this movie or that book…but I am going to give this my best shot anyway. I think it’s very telling about a person to see what media they choose and recommend. The entries on these lists are not in any particular order. I’m not trying to say that one is better than another per se, just that these are my favorites…in the movies, for example, some are childhood favorites, while others are more adult…apples to oranges love, you can’t really put that in order. ☺
In creating lists of my favorite things, I have been thinking about WHY I like a thing. What are my criteria? Well, I like a well told story. I like a beautiful dance. I like things that make me think, and things that make me remember. I like things that help me forget. And I like things that make me laugh.
So, without further ado, another brief glimpse into my psyche...

MOVIES
I Am Sam
The Dark Crystal
Life is Beautiful
Newsies
The Fellowship of the Ring (not the whole trilogy, just the first film)
Dead Poets Society
Hoodwinked

PLAYS/MUSICALS
Les Miserables
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde
Jekyll & Hyde by Bricusse & Wildhorne
The Man of La Mancha
Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespear
Othello by Shakespeare

ACTORS AND ACTRESSES (in other words, if they're in it, I probably want to watch it)
Katherine Hepburn
Nicholas Cage
Robin Williams
Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers (together, obviously!)
Johnny Depp (unless it's a Tim Burton movie, as I dislike most Burton stuff)
Sean Connery (usually)

NONFICTION BOOKS (scripture is assumed, and so not listed)
Birthing From Within by Pam Englund (pregnancy, birth, fertility, working through issues)
Taking Charge of Your Fertility by Toni Weschler (fertility)
Luna Yoga by Adelheid Ohlig (getting in touch with your reproductive/fertile side)
Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka (parenting)
Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon (nutrition + a cookbook)
The No Cry Sleep Solution by Elizabeth Pantley (attachment parenting)
Fascinating Womanhood by Helen Andelin (marriage)

FICTION BOOKS
The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis
Phantom by Susan Kay (an adult book, but oh so riveting!)
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
Many Moons by James Thurber (children's book)
The Giver by Lois Lowry

POEMS
Ozymandius by Percy Bysse Shelly
The Raven by Edgar Allen Poe
Phenomenal Woman by Maya Angelou

AUTHORS/POETS
Shakespeare (duh!)
CS Lewis
The Apostle Paul
Oscar Wilde
John Donne

CREATORS OF MUSIC
Andrea Bocelli (singer)
Grieg (composer)
Enya (composer, musician, singer)
Howard Shore (composer--wrote the music for "The Lord of the Rings")
The Indigo Girls (composers, singers--I love the tight harmonies, counterpoints, and intelligent cultural references)
Michael W Smith (composer, singer)

HYMNS
Be Still My Soul
Teach Me to Walk in the Light
All Creatures of Our God and King
Nearer My God to Thee
How Great Thou Art
I Believe in Christ

CLASSICAL PIECES
Bolaro by Ravel
Canon in D by Pachelbel
18th Variation (on a theme by Paganini) by Rachmaninoff

A Questionable Birthday

Alrighty, I promised I'd answer your questions, so here we go! I'm going to take this in sections, just for the sheer practicality of it.

Today I'm taking on the random stuff that doesn't go with anything else

Would you rather be too hot or too cold? Why? Given the choice, I'd rather be too cold. When it's cold, you can always put on another layer of clothing or blankets, when it's too hot, well, there comes a point where you can no longer take anything off.

Please share one embarrassing moment you've had in your life. You know, I know I must have some whoppers. It's odd though, because whenever I try to think of one to tell, there is only one I can remember. I was 11, and at a friend's birthday party. I knew her from band, but most of her other friends were from her church group, so they all knew each other, while I knew no one. I was pretty shy to boot. We were standing around the back yard eating dinner, and (if I recall correctly) someone went to get another hot dog. Someone else asked "is that your second or third?" and she said "second." The questioner said "oh good, cuz otherwise you would be..." She left it hanging...and I blurted out "fat!" (For what it's worth, the girl in question was not heavy at all...) I was mortified, although I think everyone else forgot quickly, I felt like an outsider the rest of the night.

Who pays the bills in your house? Hubby earns the money and I write the checks (or, more realistically, click the mouse to make the online payments).

What is the meaning of life? Well, the answer to life, the universe, and everything is 42. C'mon, if you're a friend of mine surely you know that! On a more serious note, I believe that the purpose of life is to learn to love and be unselfish; to learn to control (or cast out) the selfish, sinful parts of ourselves, and to love our fellow man. And the meaning? Well, honestly, I'm not sure I know how to define that. But perhaps I have roughly answered what you meant?

Do you live in the moment? Sometimes. I am an over-planner to a fault (and I still forget things more often than I'd like to admit). I prefer things to be planned, and actually often struggle with spontaneity. This has been a point of some frustration for Hubby because he likes to be very spontaneous...we have been able to find a middle ground by planning to be spontaneous! For example, I'll plan a date for Friday night at 5 and get a babysitter arranged...but when Friday rolls around we do whatever pops into his head at the moment. That said, while I don't usually ACT in the moment, I do APPRECIATE the little moments in life all the time...the faces of my children sleeping, Wolf's giggle, Bear's dancing, the perfect brownie...yes, I DO enjoy the little moments.

If you could travel anywhere, where would it be? Scandinavia (specifically Norway and Sweden), because I've already been to London, Rome, Switzerland and Germany, which were my other top places to go.

Have you ever had a real-life meeting of someone you only knew through the internet? Yes. My husband. Although I've told that here before. Also about 20 other people, most recently I met someone last week.

Do you have regrets? Not truly. Little moments where I think about the 'what-ifs'? Sure. But no real regrets. Some parts of my life have not gone the way I might have imagined or planned, but I don't have regrets about what I have done with the time I've been given. Carpe Diem!

What do you think is the most important movie made in your lifetime. Dang, that is a hard question! The most important movie for me as a person? Or for society? And it has to have been made in my lifetime? You realize that rules out a LOT of great films, right? Well, I guess I should start with what I think makes a movie important...I don't think it's about movie stars or plot lines or popularity; I think it's about making change in either the feelings or actions of the viewers. I think a number of recent war movies qualify as important for that reason, and I'm going to pick the one that moves me every time I see it: Life is Beautiful (which I prefer in the original Italian with subtitles, rather than dubbed.) Movies have the ability to remind us of where we have been and what we have done, but also what we are capable of. Life is Beautiful does all three, and I love the message that no matter where we are, or what happens to us, we can still choose how we respond to it.

Well, that was insightful, don't you think? Don't worry, over the coming week or so I will get to all the other questions!

(two brownie points if you can point out the two movies/books I quoted, or, at least referenced, since I didn't quote either one exactly)

Six-Word Movie Reviews

Have you heard that thing about the six-word biography? I can't think of any off the top of my head, but it's all the rage at the moment...summing up something (or someone) in six words. Well, that's the goal for this round of movie reviews: a six word review, and then a one word summary.

Enchanted
family-friendly, catchy music, mocks cliches
buyable

Martian Child
Adopting is hard, love conquers all
heartfelt
(poor reviews, but it hit home--reminded me more than a little of my early days with Wolf...)

Juno
pregnant teens are crude, funny, wise
genuine
(pregnancy from a naive teen's perspective...crude in places, but often funny, and heartwarming)

Elizabeth
deserved every academy award it got
extravagant

Sweeny Todd
Glad I watched, but won't repeat
macabre
(yes, it's a musical...a Stephen Sondheim musical. This ain't no Rogers & Hammerstein, ok?!)


Ahhh, I almost made it. I just HAD to add comments to a couple of them. Well hey, that was fun, now we know I shouldn't try that again!
We're going to see Prince Caspian this summer....ooo I can't wait!

The Business of Being Born

I know that for most of my readers, I am preaching to the choir... but if you have not heard of this movie, I HIGHLY recommend it. I have been hearing about it for a while, but I finally watched it tonight. I am SO glad that somebody finally made something like this! It discusses some of the history of birth in the United States, and how we got into the mess we are in now. It has footage of several awesome births (most at home), and has interviews with many parents and professionals, including Michael Odent, MD; Marsden Wagner, MD; and Ina May Gaskin.

I will give the disclaimer that this movie has some strong language and birth nudity (including breasts), and also shows a cesarean section, which is graphic in its own way.

"The Business of Being Born" is available on netflix (to rent or view on the site if you have an account), and can also be seen at www.thebusinessofbeingborn.com.

To give you a little taste, here are some quotes from the movie:
"You're going to be transformed by your birth, like it or not." (a midwife)
"Many people have discribed birth as a rite of passage, and it is certainly a life-altering experience. It can be beautiful, incredible, life-altering experience, or it can be a devistating, traumatic, scarring experience." (a mother)
"If you really want to normalize birth, then the best thing to do is get the he** out of the hospital." (Marsdon Wagner, MD)

More Movies

With Hubby out of town for more than half of the last month, I've been watching a lot of movies, so I thought I'd write a few more reviews...

Amazing Grace
PG for historical content (dealing with the slave trade)
This was such a fantastic movie, I can't say enough good about it. I'm not sure how tightly it follows the actual historical facts, but it is well worth watching regardless. The powerful, moving account follows the story of William Wilberforce and his endeavors to get the British House of Commons to end the slave trade.

The Holiday
PG-13 language and sexual content
It's funny and kinda fun, but at several characters are not terribly moral, and that always leaves a sour taste in my mouth. The previews are actually quite accurate--if you like them, you'll probably like it. If not, well, it's nothing spectacular.

Millions
PG for some scary moments and a brief scene which I'll explain
A 7 year old boy finds a duffle bag full of money, and believes it was sent from God. He tries to make the world a better place, but his brother wants to spend it all on toys...and then they learn where the money really came from. A charming little story about finding ones place in the world. That said, it's also a bit weird. It's British--let's just leave it at that, shall we?
In one scene (which doesn't have much to do with the rest of the movie) the little boy is with his pre-teen brother and they come across a picture of a woman in a lace bra. The woman's areola is visible, and the little brother asks what it is. The older says "that's her nipple." "What's it for?" "It's to feed babies. Mum fed us with hers." "How do you know, you can't remember being a baby." "I don't remember her doing it to me, but I remember her doing it to you." And that was the end of that...On the one hand, the scene is unnecessary, on the other hand, I was very pleased that they handled it the way they did...let's hear it for promoting breastfeeding in the movies!!!

The Nanny Diaries
PG-13 for language
It looked cute, and I like Scarlett Johansson...great acting, intriguing premise...but all in all the movie was kinda dumb. I am glad I saw it...but don't feel the need to see it again, ya know? It's depressing to see how dysfunctional some families are.

Stardust
PG-13 for intense situations, storytale combat, and a few scary moments
So, I guess I'm not the first to say it, but this movie reminded me of The Princess Bride or of Shrek. It's not that the story is even vagely similar, but that, like those others, it is a whole new kind of fairy tale. It's not quite little-kid-safe (just a little step up from Princess Bride though), but thoroughly enjoyable. It's full of those far-out things that normal people never think of--like a pirate who catches lightening to sell on the black market, or a kingdom where the heir to the throne is the one who can manage to kill off all his brothers, or an old stone wall which separates the magical world from the mundane...

Recent Movies

So, I'm watching movies again...here are a few more quick reviews

The Water Horse
PG for some intense/scary scenes.
Drop everything and go. It's excellent! If you never believed in Nessy before, well, shame on you, but this film should help you believe! Also the little boy who stars is just so cute. :-) We figure to buy this one when it comes out.

National Treasure: Book of Secrets
PG for action violence, scary scenes, and maybe some language, I don't recall...
Um, just go see the first one again. This one isn't nearly as good. Borrow it from somebody, or at most rent it...but it's not worth spending much money on.

The Golden Compass
PG-13 for scary parts and an ice bear fight
Ice Bears rock. The rest of the movie was interesting enough to keep me awake...but mostly just ice bears are so cool. :-) I also enjoyed Nicole Kidman's costumes. The story is ok, and the movie is visually pleasing...but I could take it or leave it...all except the ice bears. I love them.

Man of the Year
PG-13 for language, sex-related humor, drug related material
Robin Williams runs for president... Funny (of course), and a nice political commentary on our system... Unfortunately there were a number of sexual jokes (Robin Williams) but, even still, very funny... I don't feel the need to watch it over and over, but I definitely enjoyed it.

Ocean's Thirteen
PG-13 for language and a chick with a really low-cut dress
Better than Twelve was...still not as good as Eleven... Glad I saw it, but next time I feel like watching this type of movie, I'll rent "The Sting" or maybe Eleven again...

A Few Films

In the last month I have seen a lot of movies. There are not a lot of entertainment options here, but the library has lots of videos, so that’s what we do here. Rather than writing out full reviews for each of these, I’m just doing the Readers Digest version…

Movies I am glad I saw
I Am Sam rated PG-13 for subject matter and one brief outburst of language. This is one of the most moving films I have ever seen. Sean Penn deserved an oscar for this performance as a mentally challenged father battling to keep custody of his daughter.
Cold Mountain rated R (if unedited) for language, violence, and sex. Based on a book, I imagine the book is fantastic! A civil war story, intriguing and well-told.
The Guardian rated PG-13 for intense scenes and language. About the coast guard rescue divers (in particular off the Alaskan coast); I have no idea if this story has any basis in truth, but it was a good film. It was predictable to some degree, but we still enjoyed it. And for once Kevin Costner didn’t stink.
Dreamgirls rated PG-13 I think. Somehow I had gotten it into my head that this was some sort of ‘documentary’ about The Supremes but that is not the case. I suppose it might be somewhat based on their story (I don’t know their story) but the movie is actually made from a broadway musical! I had no idea! There are not a whole lot of musical films made anymore, and it caught me very much by surprise. It was a great surprise, however, as it was very well done, and Jennifer Hudson ABSOLUTELY deserved her oscar for best supporting actress. It was one of the best performances I’ve seen in years.

Movies that took up hours of my life I will never see again (in other words, utter wastes of time!)
World Trade Center. I know it’s a touchy-feely subject, and it’s based on a true story, and Nicholas Cage is a great actor (really he is) but good grief, the movie is nothing special.
Ultraviolet Oh my poor brain cells. I skipped parts of it, and should have skipped the rest. There is no acting, no characters, not much plot, and a terrible script. There are a couple of scenes with cool cinematography (such as the one where the focus turns from one character to another by focusing in on their sunglasses), but that alone hardly warrants sitting through this travesty.
Memoirs of a Geisha yeah yeah yeah, based on a bestselling book, romantic and whatever…the romance is twisted (as she says, a geisha can never be a wife) and we found it altogether disturbing. I did find the DVD special feature about the hair, makeup and costuming to be fascinating…although they did take a great deal of artistic license on all counts, so it’s not very authentic.

And one which I can’t decide if I liked it or not…Georgia Rule PG-13. It had a lot of language, and dealt with some very harsh content (alcoholism and a girl who had been molested by her stepfather)…on the other hand, it had funny moments, and I think it did a good job of bringing heavy issues into public awareness. It also had some bits of Mormon culture; not disrespectful, but still somewhat amusing when contrasted with the hard lives of the other main characters.

"Flyboys"

And here is my first movie review!
This week DH and I saw "Flyboys." I don't recall having seen any previews for it, but dh had, and wanted to see it. I was very impressed with it!
"Flyboys" is about some young Americans who joined the French Air Force in WWI, prior to the USA entering the war. Airplanes were a brand new invention, and the ariel dogfight was adding a new demension to warfare. I particularly enjoyed the training sequence, where they taught the young men how to fly a plane prior to letting them actually go up; several of their methods were very amusing.
One of the young men was black, and some of the white boys were accepting of him while others were not--but they learned to work as a team in spite of previously-held ideas. One of the young men was deeply religious--I thought that modern hollywood would write a script that made fun of him for his faith, but in fact just the opposite was true. The other boys showed him the utmost respect, even when they clearly didn't feel the same way as he did. It's something I see so rarely in film that it really stood out.
Flyboys is rated PG-13, but there is a cumulative total of about 10 seconds of visuals warrenting this rating. There is no sex, no foul language, and the violence primarily consists of planes crashing down...except that there are a few brief moments where you see a burst of red as someone is shot (and then his plane spirals down...) The subject matter is pretty heavy--one pilot in particular really struggles with the fact of killing... I would not recommend it for small children because of that content...but I WOULD heartily recommend this movie. It's a good snapshot of history, presented simply and without apology. Add it to your WWI curriculum, and to your netflix queue!