And now some other stuff

Just some odds and ends lying around the place:

Haven't been watching a lot of movies lately. But here are the latest:

Happy Feet - This is a fun little movie that I really enjoyed. But I remember people making a really big deal out of it and I don't quite see that. Some funny stuff but not all that.

Robin Williams Live on Broadway 2002 Now THIS was funny! The world's most popular Episcopal comedian was just fall down funny. Great concert film.

North by Northwest- I'm a huge Hitchcock fan and this was one of the "big" movies I'd never seen. I didn't realize how funny it is as well. And the scenes when Grant gets buzzed by the plane? The special effects are incredible. I was amazed when I checked out the special features to see how much of that was done in studio. Eva Marie Saint was wonderful in a nastier role than she usually got and James Mason was his usual wonderful slick and sleazy character. You should definitely check it out.

Jerry Maguire_ Yes a lot of this movie is over the top. But I loved it! Yes, "You had me at hello". As much as I like Renee Zellwegger (and I do) this movie is all about Tom Cruise and Cuba Gooding Jr. Their scenery chewing, outrageous characters make the movie worth watching. Besides how many movies get two catch phrases as deeply into popular culture (the one above and "SHOW ME THE MONEY!")

Space Cowboys - got this forgetting that I'd seen most of it on TV already. Is this a great classic film like the Hitchcock above? Nope. But back in theater school we learned Goethe's three rules of criticism -
What was the artist trying to do - make a fun, senior citizen "buddy" movie.
Did they succeed? Yep
Was it worth doing? Movies really are PRIMARILY about entertainment. This was a fun little piece of entertainment. Fun cast having some fun. Worth the time to watch it.

Other stuff:

I'm in love with a new computer application. Google Reader. I check a bunch of blogs, friends, ministry, faith based, sports. And it was a hassle trying to page through finding new updates. I'd tried a Firefox extension or whatever they're called and it was OK. But only OK. Google Reader is great. Simple, clear and only shows me the blogs that have updated. Love it.

Finally this is just cool. Love the song plus I had to learn to juggle a little back at theater school. So I'm in total awe of this guy - Chris Bliss (h/t to Marko) What he does here is hard and requires immense concentration. The video is about 4 minutes long but worth it I think.


Peace