“Art enables us to find ourselves and lose ourselves at the same time.” - Thomas Merton
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Time to Come Clean
Over the last week I have had to face a couple of hard truths. The first truth is that the Pope isn't the sharpest tool in the shed. Or perhaps I'm wrong and during this time of religious bickering, it was a smart thing to piss of Jews and Protestants and unify them against him and the Catholic Church.
The second truth I've had to face is that I'm not going to finish my 14 part blog. Or at least not any time soon. So I'm going to break the silence on the things of done since May 19th. So these are the things I've done since that day, in no particular order:
I've went to the following movies:
Pirates 3 - Very disappointing ending.
Oceans 13 - Better than Oceans 12, but what wasn't?
Ratatouille - Easily the best movie of the year thus far.
A Mighty Heart - Not as good as I had hoped.
Waitress - Also not as good as I had hoped and the doctor gets off way too easily.
Transformers - Easily one of the worst movies I have ever seen. What passes for wit in this loserfest is the racial stereotype transformer tells Megatron "You want a piece of me?" Megatron rips the racial stereotype Autobot in half and says "No, I want two pieces." This movie is even bad by Michael Bay standards.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix - A lot more fulfilling if you have read the book, other wise many sequences are just confusing.
I talked to and shook hands with Barack Obama and told him about my job.
I helped set a sales record for Little White Lye Soap.
Walked a few laps with Willy at Relay for Life. He walked 31 miles.
Went to the 2nd oldest restaurant in Iowa (Stone's) with Jay.
Had lunch with Faust in Mankato.
Visited the National Hobo Museum.
Took pictures of flowers.
Saw Buddy Guy in concert with Derrick and Jen.
Turned in my photo entries for the State Fair.
Attended a birthday party for Jen.
Took the Henning family picture.
Watched K-Dawg's team get smoked by Jefferson in the Little League tournament one day and come back to do the smoking a few days later to advance to the state tournament.
Took Jesse to the emergency room.
Bought a sweet new monitor for my home computer. (I'm not normally one to brag about my consumer tendencies, but I really love this monitor.)
Watched Killdeer lay on eggs and the eggs hatch a few days later.
Went to the wedding of Mr. and Mrs. Brian Beavers.
Saw the world's largest strawberry.
Saw the world's largest bullhead.
Saw the Jolly Green Giant.
Despite have to walk a half mile due to a guy's gastronomical difficulties, watched Willy complete the 5K at Midnight Madness.
Had lunch with Mark before he returns to Taiwan.
Went to Backbone State Park with Shannon.
Helped Stephanie pick out a camera for work.
Went to the State Center Rose Garden with Jay.
Attempted and failed to make Mentos/Diet Coke rockets with Eric.
Took pictures of the "844".
Enjoyed several Friday Night Supper Clubs with Jay and Willy.
Enjoyed several New Taste Tuesdays with Frank, Jesse, and Steve.
Went to the Company picnic. Seemed like people were actually excited to see me.
Drove to Minnesota to see Nate and watch Harry Potter.
Watched a slide show of pictures from Willy's trip to Spain.
Attended a pretty sweet Memorial Day barbecue.
Set up a new squirrel feeder and two new bird feeders.
Changed the oil in my car. (personal reminder, change oil again at 161,000 miles)
Helped make soap.
It is most likely I did more than that, but that is all that comed to my head at this time, with one exception. One major exception.
I went to the Des Moines Arts Festival with Rebecca and Jay. I would have to say first and foremost, what a dog that was. What a major disappointment.
However, it did inspire me to put together the blog that I will hopefully post on the morrow. I can't say that it is a good blog. In fact, it is probably the type of blog that makes one lose friends and gain enemies. It is the type of blog that may make people stop returning my e-mails or phone calls. The type of blog that may make people move to the other side of the street if they see me walking down the street. It frankly might be a subject that will make some people uncomfortable. Yet, that is for tomorrow.
Who is up for a random collection of pictures that come without descriptions? Perhaps including a picture of the worst John Wayne statue I have ever seen and pictures of some really sweaty dudes.
At the conclusion of Supper Club tonight, I convinced Willy and Jay to throw around a frisbee so I could play with a freeware program known as Hugin. This program will stitch several images together for you to make a panorama. What lies below isn't great art, but I think it is kind of cool. I might end up being the only one. This starts with the original 4 images and ends with panoramic image.
After having a recent discussion with a friend, I have become more diligent in exposing the lies that people tell about history. The lies that they were taught in their schools because we do not have an educational system, but we have a conditioning system. Lies that people will inevitably pass on to our children and keep the cycle of dumbing us down going on in perpetuity. Here is an article about 5 myths surrounding the 4th of July.
Top 5 Myths About the Fourth of July! By HNN Staff
#1 Independence Was Declared on the Fourth of July.
America's independence was actually declared by the Continental Congress on July 2, 1776. The night of the second the Pennsylvania Evening Post published the statement: "This day the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies Free and Independent States."
So what happened on the Glorious Fourth? The document justifying the act of Congress-you know it as Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence-was adopted on the fourth, as is indicated on the document itself, which is, one supposes, the cause for all the confusion. As one scholar has observed, what has happened is that the document announcing the event has overshadowed the event itself.
When did Americans first celebrate independence? Congress waited until July 8, when Philadelphia threw a big party, including a parade and the firing of guns. The army under George Washington, then camped near New York City, heard the new July 9 and celebrated then. Georgia got the word August 10. And when did the British in London finally get wind of the declaration? August 30.
John Adams, writing a letter home to his beloved wife Abigail the day after independence was declared (i.e. July 3), predicted that from then on "the Second of July, 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival." A scholar coming across this document in the nineteenth century quietly "corrected" the document, Adams predicting the festival would take place not on the second but the fourth.
#2 The Declaration of Independence was signed July 4.
Hanging in the grand Rotunda of the Capitol of the United States is a vast canvas painting by John Trumbull depicting the signing of the Declaration. Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams wrote, years afterward, that the signing ceremony took place on July 4. When someone challenged Jefferson's memory in the early 1800's Jefferson insisted he was right. The truth? As David McCullough remarks in his new biography of Adams, "No such scene, with all the delegates present, ever occurred at Philadelphia."
So when was it signed? Most delegates signed the document on August 2, when a clean copy was finally produced by Timothy Matlack, assistant to the secretary of Congress. Several did not sign until later. And their names were not released to the public until later still, January 1777. The event was so uninspiring that nobody apparently bothered to write home about it. Years later Jefferson claimed to remember the event clearly, regaling visitors with tales of the flies circling overhead. But as he was wrong about the date, so perhaps he was wrong even about the flies.
The truth about the signing was not finally established until 1884 when historian Mellon Chamberlain, researching the manuscript minutes of the journal of Congress, came upon the entry for August 2 noting a signing ceremony.
As for Benjamin Franklin's statement, which has inspired patriots for generations, "We must all hang together, or most assuredly we shall hang separately" … well, there's no proof he ever made it.
#3 The Liberty Bell Rang in American Independence.
Well of course you know now that this event did not happen on the fourth. But did it happen at all? It's a famous scene. A young boy with bond hair and blue eyes was supposed to have been posted in the street next to Independence Hall to give a signal to an old man in the bell tower when independence was declared. It never happened. The story was made up out of whole cloth in the middle of the nineteenth century by writer George Lippard in a book intended for children. The book was aptly titled, Legends of the American Revolution. There was no pretense that the story was genuine.
If the Liberty Bell rang at all in celebration of independence nobody took note at the time. The bell was not even named in honor of American independence. It received the moniker in the early nineteenth century when abolitionists used it as a symbol of the antislavery movement.
If you visit the Liberty Bell in Philadelphia, encased in a multi-million dollar shrine (soon to be replaced by an even grander building), a tape recording made by the National Park Service leaves the impression that the bell indeed played a role in American independence. (We last heard the recording three years ago. We assume it's still being played.) The guides are more forthcoming, though they do not expressly repudiate the old tradition unless directly asked a question about it. On the day we visited the guide sounded a bit defensive, telling our little group it didn't really matter if the bell rang in American independence or not. Millions have come to visit, she noted, allowing the bell to symbolize liberty for many different causes. In other words, it is our presence at the bell that gives the shrine its meaning. It is important because we think it's important. It's the National Park Service's version of existentialism.
As for the famous crack … it was a badly designed bell and it cracked. End of story.
#4 Betsy Ross Sewed the First Flag.
A few blocks away from the Liberty Bell is the Betsy Ross House. There is no proof Betsy lived here, as the Joint State Government Commission of Pennsylvania concluded in a study in 1949. Oh well. Every year the throngs still come to gawk. As you make your way to the second floor through a dark stairwell the feeling of verisimilitude is overwhelming. History is everywhere. And then you come upon the famous scene. Behind a wall of Plexiglas, as if to protect the sacred from contamination, a Betsy Ross manikin sits in a chair carefully sewing the first flag. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, this is where Betsy sewed that first famous symbol of our freedom, the bars and stripes, Old Glory itself.
Alas, the story is no more authentic than the house itself. It was made up in the nineteenth century by Betsy's descendants.
The guide for our group never let on that the story was bogus, however. Indeed, she provided so many details that we became convinced she really believed it. She told us how General George Washington himself asked Betsy to stitch the first flag. He wanted six point stars; Betsy told him that five point stars were easier to cut and stitch. The general relented.
After the tour was over we approached the guide for an interview. She promptly removed her Betsy Ross hat, turned to us and admitted the story is all just a lot of phooey. Oh, but it is a good story, she insisted, and one worth telling.
Poor Betsy. In her day she was just a simple unheralded seamstress. Now the celebrators won't leave her alone. A few years ago they even dug up her bones where they had lain in a colonial graveyard for 150 years, so she could be buried again beneath a huge sarcophagus located on the grounds of the house she was never fortunate enough to have lived in.
So who sewed the first flag? No one knows. But we do know who designed it. It was Frances Hopkinson. Records show that in May 1780 he sent a bill to the Board of Admiralty for designing the "flag of the United States." A small group of descendants works hard to keep his name alive. Just down the street from Betsy's house one of these descendants, the caretaker for the local cemetery where Benjamin Franklin is buried, entertains school children with stories about Hopkinson, a signer of the Declaration, who is also credited with designing the seal of the United States. We asked him what he made of the fantasies spun at the Betsy Ross house. He confided he did not want to make any disparaging remarks as he was a paid employee of the city of Philadelphia, which now owns the house.
The city seems to be of the opinion that the truth doesn't matter. Down the street from the cemetery is a small plaque posted on a brick building giving Hopkinson the credit he rightly deserves.
As long as the tourists come.
#5 John Adams and Thomas Jefferson Died on the Fourth of July.
Ok, this is true. On July 4, 1826, Adams and Jefferson both died, exactly fifty years after the adoption of Jefferson's Declaration of Independence, which the country took as a sign of American divinity. But there is no proof that Adams, dying, uttered, "Jefferson survives," which was said to be especially poignant, as Jefferson had died just hours before. Mark that up as just another hoary story we wished so hard were true we convinced ourselves it is.
I think whenever a person has had a job it leaves a small indelible mark on them. It pops up in different ways. When I was in high school I used to bean walk. To this day when I drive past bean fields I can’t help but scan them to see if there has been a weed infiltration that could use a skilled team of weed terminators to put the insurgency down.
I worked my previous job for way too many years. It left less of a mark and more of a scar. When I walk into a bathroom it bothers me when I see streaks left over on the wall from people using the wrong cleaning supplies. It bothers me when I see windows with streaks left in them because nobody taught the kid cleaning them the proper way to clean windows. Also troubling to me is that I know what the fecal matter of flies looks like. (I know this because to this day, the West Ames McDonald’s it still covered in fly poo) So if I am in a restaurant and there is any fly crap, I can see it. I can walk into almost any fast food restaurant and tell you why their service is slow and what they should do to fix it, but the troubling side of that is that I am actually thinking about it and I can’t stop that. The most troubling aspect of this scar is that I can walk into almost any McDonald’s and tell you approximately the era the store was built and how many years ago it was last remodeled.
I haven’t really had much of a mark from my current job. Other than people asking me computer advice and wanting me to fix their computers about the only things that have come to me uncontrollably is that once my friend Bill wrote his own “Geek” quiz and one of the questions was “How much RAM is enough RAM for your computer?” None of his answers was the proper answer. I can’t remember all of the answers, but the one that scored you the most “Geek Points” (which was considered a good thing for the sake of said quiz) was “You can never have enough RAM”. I think I started writing him an e-mail out of instinct telling him that the answers to this question were flawed, because in fact you can have too much RAM. The answer actually depends on a combination of your motherboard and your operating system. It is possible to have too much RAM and it is better to match your RAM, but all of that depends on your mother board and how much RAM and what kind of RAM slots it has and what types of RAM it will even accept. It is possible to slow down your computer by adding RAM. Plus, certain operating systems will only recognize so much RAM. You can put 2 GB of RAM in a Windows 98 Machine but you would be wasting your time, because the operating system is only going to recognize 388 MB of RAM or so.
However, I stopped short and just deleted the e-mail before sending it.
The only other thing that I instinctually do because of my current job is flip off the stack of Canon 1600s 1700s 0r 1800s that they have on display. It is my understanding that those things have absorber pad issues.
Last night I went to see the movie “A Mighty Heart” with Nader. There is a sequence in the movie where in the background of a scene at the Wall Street Journal there is a printer. That printer is the HP Laserjet 4250. I instantly knew this fact and lost a bit of my focus on the movie while I was checking to see if they had purchased the optional envelope and sheet feeders. They had purchased the optional sheet feeder, but not the envelope feeder. After a few moments I snapped out of it and returned to the movie.
For those of you that want to know, “A Mighty Heart” was a good but not great movie. The most remarkable aspects of the movie were the performance of Angeline Jolie and the way they handled the beheading. Going into the movie, you knew that Daniel Pearl was going to get his head cut off, but you didn’t know how they were going to handle it. They handled it very well, but I will not tell you how and I’ll leave that for you the reader to discover on your own. Incidentally, “A Mighty Heart” leaves Ames on Thursday, so if you are inclined, you will have to catch it somewhere else.
As for the performance of Angeline Jolie, she was incredible as Marianne Pearl. It was definitely a return to the form and potential she displayed in “Girl, Interrupted”. It was almost good enough to forgive her for making those Tomb Raider movies.
But what about Nader’s perspective? Those of you that have had the pleasure of meeting Nader know that he doesn’t like very many movies. When he has complete disdain for a film he will substitute profanity for a word in the movie title and leave that as his review. For example, “The Lord of the Rings” becomes “The Lord of the Crap”.
He did not change the title of “A Mighty Heart”, but he also did not like the movie. Nader said that he didn’t feel bad for Daniel Pearl. He was an American and a Jew. He shouldn’t have been trying to interview Islamic Jihadists. These are people that want to kill all Jews and all Americans. What did he think was going to happen?
I told Nader I thought he had a “defeatist attitude”, but I have never met an Islamic extremist in my life. So I don’t have a frame of reference to make such judgments. Nader spent 6 ½ years in an Iranian prison thanks to Islamic extremists, so he knows the type very well.
I asked him: “So you don’t want to go to Pakistan with me?”
“Screw Pakistan. You want to meet people that want to kill you, I’ll just take you to Iran.”
This lead to a discussion about how they named a street in Tehran after the assassin that killed the Egyptian Premiere that negotiated a peace accord with Israel. This is where we will start our tour of Iran.
So if anybody wants to sign up for a vacation in Iran with an American and an escaped Iranian political prisoner, we are taking reservations now.
What this entry lacks in substance it makes up for in size.
Just a few things to get off my chest, including some random pictures without a description.
A couple of weeks ago the American Film Institute released their list of the 100 best American movies of all time. The thing that pleased me most about the list was the removal of “Dances with Wolves”. However, this is not a complete endorsement of the list, but just an opportunity to make my own list, in no particular order. Let us start with AFI’s list:
RANK/FILM/1997/CHANGE
1. CITIZEN KANE 1 0 2. GODFATHER, THE 3 1 3. CASABLANCA 2 -1 4. RAGING BULL 24 20 5. SINGIN' IN THE RAIN 10 5 6. GONE WITH THE WIND 4 -2 7. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA 5 -2 8. SCHINDLER'S LIST 9 1 9. VERTIGO 61 52 10. WIZARD OF OZ, THE 6 -4 11. CITY LIGHTS 76 65 12. SEARCHERS, THE 96 84 13. STAR WARS 15 2 14. PSYCHO 18 4 15. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 22 7 16. SUNSET BLVD. 12 -4 17. GRADUATE, THE 7 -10 18. GENERAL, THE N/A 19. ON THE WATERFRONT 8 -11 20. IT'S A WONDERFUL LIFE 11 -9 21. CHINATOWN 19 -2 22. SOME LIKE IT HOT 14 -8 23. GRAPES OF WRATH, THE 21 -2 24. E.T. THE EXTRA-TERRESTRIAL 25 1 25. TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD 34 9 26. MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON 29 3 27. HIGH NOON 33 6 28. ALL ABOUT EVE 16 -12 29. DOUBLE INDEMNITY 38 9 30. APOCALYPSE NOW 28 -2 31. MALTESE FALCON, THE 23 -8 32. GODFATHER PART II, THE 32 0 33. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST 20 -13 34. SNOW WHITE AND THE SEVEN DWARFS 49 15 35. ANNIE HALL 31 -4 36. BRIDGE ON THE RIVER KWAI, THE 13 -23 37. BEST YEARS OF OUR LIVES, THE 37 0 38. TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE, THE 30 -8 39. DR. STRANGELOVE 26 -13 40. SOUND OF MUSIC, THE 55 15 41. KING KONG 43 2 42. BONNIE AND CLYDE 27 -15 43. MIDNIGHT COWBOY 36 -7 44. PHILADELPHIA STORY, THE 51 7 45. SHANE 69 24 46. IT HAPPENED ONE NIGHT 35 -11 47. STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE, A 45 -2 48. REAR WINDOW 42 -6 49. INTOLERANCE N/A 50. LORD OF THE RINGS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE RING, THE N/A 51. WEST SIDE STORY 41 -10 52. TAXI DRIVER 47 -5 53. DEER HUNTER, THE 79 26 54. M*A*S*H 56 2 55. NORTH BY NORTHWEST 40 -15 56. JAWS 48 -8 57. ROCKY 78 21 58. GOLD RUSH, THE 74 16 59. NASHVILLE N/A 60. DUCK SOUP 85 25 61. SULLIVAN'S TRAVELS N/A 62. AMERICAN GRAFFITI 77 15 63. CABARET N/A 64. NETWORK 66 2 65. AFRICAN QUEEN, THE 17 -48 66. RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK 60 -6 67. WHO'S AFRAID OF VIRGINIA WOOLF? N/A 68. UNFORGIVEN 98 30 69. TOOTSIE 62 -7 70. CLOCKWORK ORANGE, A 46 -24 71. SAVING PRIVATE RYAN N/A 72. SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, THE N/A 73. BUTCH CASSIDY AND THE SUNDANCE KID 50 -23 74. SILENCE OF THE LAMBS, THE 65 -9 75. IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT N/A 76. FORREST GUMP 71 -5 77. ALL THE PRESIDENT'S MEN N/A 78. MODERN TIMES 81 3 79. WILD BUNCH, THE 80 1 80. APARTMENT, THE 93 13 81. SPARTACUS N/A 82. SUNRISE N/A 83. TITANIC N/A 84. EASY RIDER 88 4 85. NIGHT AT THE OPERA, A N/A 86. PLATOON 83 -3 87. 12 ANGRY MEN N/A 88. BRINGING UP BABY 97 9 89. SIXTH SENSE, THE N/A 90. SWING TIME N/A 91. SOPHIE'S CHOICE N/A 92. GOODFELLAS 94 2 93. FRENCH CONNECTION, THE 70 -23 94. PULP FICTION 95 1 95. LAST PICTURE SHOW, THE N/A 96. DO THE RIGHT THING N/A 97. BLADE RUNNER N/A 98. YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 100 2 99. TOY STORY N/A 100. BEN-HUR 72 -28
The next step is to eliminate the 15 movies on the list that I have not seen:
1. The Searchers 2. The General 3. Bonnie and Clyde 4. Intolerance 5. Nashville 6. Duck Soup 7. Cabaret 8. Tootsie 9. Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid 10. All the President’s Men 11. Sunrise 12. Easy Rider 13. Swing Time 14. Sophie’s Choice 15. Yankee Doodle Dandy
I assume that these are decent movies, but I don’t wish to talk about movies I haven’t seen.
The next step is to eliminate the movies that don’t belong on the list:
1. Star Wars – If you remove the iconic score from this movie, it compares unfavorably with “Ice Pirates”. 2. E.T. – A childhood movie that didn’t age well. 3. Annie Hall – I’m so glad I’m not from New York so that I don’t have to pretend that Woody Allen is funny. 4. Shane – Keep riding Shane, don’t come back to a tragically bad child actor. 5. Lord of the Rings – Okay, but nothing particularly special. 6. The Deer Hunter – Who knew a movie with DeNiro and Walken could be so boring? 7. M*A*S*H – This movie is so overrated that it makes the television show look not overrated. Even the the television show is actually overrated as well. 8. The African Queen – Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn and it still just isn’t very good. 9. The Wild Bunch – Landmark cinematic achievement for violence, but that is about all you can say about it. 10. Platoon – Pales in comparison to other Vietnam movies. 11. Bringing Up Baby – Cary Grant as a nerd? I’m not buying it. 12. Pulp Fiction – If Tarantino was any more overrated, he would be his buddy Rodriguez. 13. American Graffiti – Proof that George Lucas can be overrated in more than one genre. 14. Shawshank Redemption – A good movie, but not one of the 100 best. 15. Spartacus – It hurts for me to put this on the list, but this was not one of Kubrick’s best efforts.
So this leaves 30 slots to fill. Wow, that suddenly sounds like a lot of slots to fill. Lets see what I can come up with:
1. Alien (1979) - Simply one of the best science fiction and horror movies ever made. 2. Beauty and the Beast – Still perhaps the best animated film of all time. 3. Braveheart (1995) – Most likely left of the list because of Mel Gibson’s most recent run ins with antisemitism. 4. The Breakfast Club (1985) – One of the most beautifully crafted screenplays of all-time. Doesn’t get its due because it is a teenager movie. 5. The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) – Over 50 years old and the social commentary is as relevant as ever. 6. Gladiator (2000) – Ridley Scott at his best and making me wonder how he can even be related to Tony Scott. 7. Glory (1989) – Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington together. That is all you really need to say. 8. Good Will Hunting (1997) – Proof that Ben Affleck was good for something. 9. The Hustler (1961) – Proof that Paul Newman is the coolest human to ever live. 10. Inherit the Wind – Spencer Tracy vs. Frederic March. One of the greatest plays of the 20th Century. 11. L.A. Confidential (1997) – Russell Crowe, Guy Pearce, and Kevin Spacey. That is casting. 12. The Manchurian Candidate (1962) – Simply brilliant. 13. Marty (1955) – I don’t know if I’ve ever seen a movie that nails the friendships of single men better. 14. Memento (2001) – Every night before I go to bed I pray that Christopher Nolan doesn’t throw away his talent making Batman movies. 15. My Fair Lady (1964) – Slightly sexist ending, but this is Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn at their best. 16. The Night of the Hunter (1955) – During WWII my grandpa shared a bunk with Robert Mitchum. My grandpa hated Mitchum because he was such a “lazy bastard”. That being said, he is perfect as the embodiment of evil in this movie. 17. Night of the Living Dead (1968) – Remember when horror movies could be intelligent and filled with social commentary? Doesn’t seem like Hollywood does either. 18. The Ox-Bow Incident (1943) – If you love Henry Fonda in “The Grapes of Wrath” (which if you want to continue to be my friend, you do), you need to check him out in this movie about a lynch mob. 19. Paths of Glory (1957) – Kubrick and Kirk Douglas at their best. Watching this movie will do more for cultivating your anti-war sentiment than all the listenings to “Give Peace a Chance” you can muster into one day. 20. Planet of the Apes (1968) – Second best surprise ending in movie history. 21. A Raisin in the Sun (1961) – You ever been in a poor family and had to worry about money? Then you can relate to every second of this movie. 22. Rushmore (1998) – Sometimes it is hard to swallow that Wes Anderson would go on to make “The Life Aquatic” after making the most original comedy of the last 30 years. 23. Shadow of a Doubt (1943) – Playwright Thornton Wilder teaming up with Alfred Hitchcock. Throw in Joseph Cotton and Teresa Wright, what else could you possibly need? 24. Stand by Me (1986) – Who would have thought that the fat kid would go on to have the most successful career? 25. The Sweet Smell of Success (1957) – Perhaps the most clever dialogue ever put together in a film. 26. Touch of Evil (1958) – It saddens me to think of all the other masterpieces Orson Welles could have put together if the studios would have just gotten the hell out of his way. 27. The Usual Suspects (1995) – Proof that even if a movie has a Baldwin brother in it, it still might be worth watching. 28. Reservoir Dogs – Tarantino without a budget. He actually was as good as they say at one time. 29. Harvey (1950) – If you can’t love a movie with Jimmy Stewart and an invisible rabbit, then I don’t know what type of person you are. 30. The Exorcist (1973) – This movie is madness and I love every second of it.
That pretty much takes care of my list.
RATATOUILLE
I went to see the movie “Ratatouille” today. I can’t recommend this movie highly enough. It is the first good movie I’ve seen this year and the first great animated movie I’ve seen since “Monster’s Inc.” It was the first time since I saw “Pan’s Labyrinth” that I left the theater and considered seeing it again and thought about how I can’t wait for the DVD to come out. This is the first “big” movie of the summer that wasn’t a complete and utter disappointment.
That being noted, I can’t guarantee that it will entertain children. It might have been too adult in the storyline for some small children to maintain their interest. It is worth the risk though.
A VIDEO
My friend James sent me this video. I’m not telling you how to think or act politically, but I do support my friends and the causes they support. So enjoy this small video about the Matthew Shepard Act.
If you can't see the video, your boss is blocking Youtube.
If you want to take action to help support the Matthew Shepard Act, click on the link below:
All that is left for this little outburst is to share some pictures from my recent travels. Once again, there is no commentary because I will not write about my adventures until I finish the 14 Chapter blog on the events of May 9 –May 19. A new chapter might be coming this way soon. Here are some random pictures for you to figure out on your own. I will let you know this much, some of these travels were only as far as a few feet out the backdoor.
