This is a great “feel good” film that is well-acted and well put together. Starbucks’ involvement as a producer is a little odd, but it has no discernible impact on the movie (only on the marketing). I recommend this one.

This is a well-written book narrated by the author (also well done). It’s the story of the life of an Afghan man. It includes a challenging and interesting life story, as well as insights into Afghan culture, and into the situation in Afghanistan prior to the US invasion. The abuse of children plays into the story and I found it pretty upsetting.

Season 2 is not as good as season 1, but mainly just because it’s not new anymore. The format is known, as are some of their favorite ploys and gimmicks. I enjoyed and and still felt it was engaging and enjoyable. Recommended.

This is a strange and interesting movie. It isn’t a page turner, but it’s unique and interesting and worth reading. The book consists of three separate stories that share certain character names and props. The poetry of Walt Whitman is a consistent thread. The characters themselves aren’t truly the same from story to story, though the have important underlying characteristics in common. Each story is told at a different point in time and ultimately a different “world” (though not in the fantasy sense).

This isn’t the best movie, but it was good, and much better than I’d heard. I thought they made some great choices about the characters that really supported the plot effectively. The acting is good. It’s true that it gets annoying for a while when Jodie is being hysterical for a long time, but that’s not the whole movie. In some ways it is like Panic Room. I think it’s worth seeing, though there’s no need to rush out and get it.

This was fine, but I am giving it 2 stars because it wasn’t good, damn it. This is one of Nicholas Cage’s ho-hum movies I am indifferent about. He plays a depressing and fucked up character trying to figure out what to do with his life. It’s a somewhat different story (okay, it’s the same but with interesting specifics) and ultimately wraps itself up, though he doesn’t exactly ride off into the sunset with his lover and life looking peachy. So, it won’t hurt to watch it, but I won’t actively recommend it.

Last weekend Benjamin’s parents came over for dinner and a movie (not in that order). We had rented this movie from the local video store and all 4 of us watched it. The boys liked it, I thought it was okay, and I think Barbara wasn’t a fan.

From my perspective this is a fairly amusing flick about an old hit man who starts to lose it. It’s a complete departure for Pierce Brosnan and he does it well. Greg Kinnear plays the straight man, making Brosnan actually come across as funny. Hope Davis also adds something to the film with her portrayl of Kinnear’s wife.

The one big complaint I have about this film is that it sort of dragged on. I am not sure if it was just me lacking focus or the movie was too long, but I suspect the latter.

After the movie we walked to the new-ish Thai restaurant on 65th, which is quite good. We then ate the food at our house and the elder Sherrys went home. Of course I discovered the next day that walking to the Thai place was as bad an idea as I thought since my pelvis was completely out of alignment the next day. I know I am only supposed to walk on flat surfaces right now but I live inSeattle and have stairs at both home and work. Urg!