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22 to 24 months

Neil — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 00:06:18 +0000

I’m so late with this. Life continues it’s crazy pace, and it’s a struggle to keep up. Lolo and Lola visited a couple of weeks ago, their first visit since June 2009. Sophia obviously didn’t remember them, but it didn’t take long for her to warm up to them. They were here to help celebrate Sophia’s 2nd birthday, and I don’t think Sophia would have it any other way. She’s shown them she knows her colors, looks for buses whenever she’s in the car, loves the Backyardigans, and can’t wait to go to Walt Disney World. She was sad by the time Lolo and Lola left, and each day since, she looks and asks for them. Fortunately, they’ll be visiting again along with Sophia’s cousin Jasmine later this summer.

Cards vs Mets 041810

Neil — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 01:25:08 +0000

We took Sophia to her first ballgame Sunday night. Grandma, Grandpa, Daniel and his friend Adam also came along to see the Cardinals take on the NY Mets. Sophia enjoyed just about every bit of the game: the ride over on the Metrolink (“Choo Choo!”), the music, Fredbird (“Tweet Tweet!”), the fireworks from Rasmus’ homer, and Cracker Jacks. We can’t wait to take her again. As always, click the image above for the photo set (I didn’t take many photos; I wanted to enjoy the game).

21 to 22 months

Neil — Sun, 11 Apr 2010 22:05:55 +0000

Sophia’s 2nd birthday is just around the corner. Little girl is quite talkative; mostly jibber jabber, but she seems to know what she’s talking about (I’ll try to post video of a cute conversation she had with her mother). Some key words for her are “bus”, “juice”, “milk”, “cookie” (sounds like “kiki”), “go”, and her favorite: “bubbles”. Click on the image for her latest photo set.

Public Enemies

Neil — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 23:08:40 +0000

Public Enemies – 3 out of 5 – Michael Mann’s gangster film about the Great Depression outlaw John Dillinger may be called an epic by some. To me, it was just a tad bit too long. Plenty of loud shootouts were mixed with quiet dialogue (I hate to have to “rewind” and turn on the subtitles). And it was difficult at times to distinguish the criminals from the feds; they all dressed the same. And there’s no real character development. Despite all this, Johnny Depp is convincing as Dillinger. I think Mann’s Heat is a much better crime drama.

Gran Torino

Neil — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 22:29:49 +0000

Gran Torino – 5 out of 5 – A cranky old man takes on some “boyz n the hood”. Clint Eastwood is outstanding as Walt Kowalski, an angry, retired widower who’s alienated from his family and despises the Asian immigrants who’ve taken over his neighborhood. A relationship then develops between Walt and the Hmong family next door after a gang incident pits Walt right in the middle. I cannot believe this film was left out of the Oscar race in 2009.

The Day After Tomorrow

Neil — Sun, 14 Mar 2010 21:36:32 +0000

The Day After Tomorrow – 3 out of 5 – When this first came out 6 years ago, I called this Independence Day with weather instead of aliens. I chose not to see it based on that. I finally watched it Friday night. Impressive special effects make up for the dull, predictable story. But what gets me the most is the reality that this can happen.

best picture showcase 2010 – day 2

Neil — Sun, 07 Mar 2010 17:39:18 +0000

Saturday was Day 2 of AMC’s Best Picture Showcase. Daniel, however, was unable to attend due to a scheduling conflict at work. I met my friend and his sister at the First Watch restaurant for breakfast in Chesterfield. I had myself a Far West omelette; pretty tasty, and if I may add, no upset stomach this week.

We were very early, with more than an hour to go before showtime. We got ourselves a larger theater this week, and to everyone’s delight, there was no need to switch theaters. It was a smaller crowd, probably the smallest we’ve ever seen; not sure if the selection of movies had anything to do with it.

Up – ***** – Of all 10 nominees, this is the only one I have already seen since Daniel got the Blu-Ray for Christmas. In fact, thanks to Sophia, I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen it. Despite repeated viewings, I still love the film. The Carl/Ellie sequence still moves me, and as crazy as the situations and characters may be, the story works as Carl embarks on his adventure. I’d like to note, however, that there were a handful of lines and pieces of dialogue that I’d never heard in the video release (yet another reason to watch it again). The film was preceded by the Pixar short Partly Cloudy.

A Serious Man – *** – This black comedy had “weird” written on it from the start of the opening scene (typical of a movie written and directed by Ethan and Joel Coen). This is about Larry Gopnik, a professor whose family life begins to unravel before him. Fascinating story lines include a bribe from a student to give him a passing grade, his son’s marijuana habit, and his battle with the neighbor over the property lines; like I said before, “weird”. It probably didn’t help that we kept looking for Colin Firth and Julianne Moore to appear, only to discover after the movie’s ending that they are in the film with a similar title, A Single Man. I honestly felt gypped.

The Hurt Locker – **** – Kathryn Bigelow’s war film is an intense movie, taut with suspense and filled with action. Best Actor nominee Jeremy Renner is superb as William James, the reckless but battle-tested leader of an explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) team. As most war films go, the horrors of war are evident here, but there’s nothing new.

An Education – ***1/2 – A girl’s coming-of-age story, based on an autobiographical memoir by Lynn Barber. Carey Mulligan is wonderful as Jenny, the 16-year-old who aspires to “read English” at Oxford, and Peter Sarsgaard is scary good (and I mean that he’s good in a creepy way) as the charming older man who sweeps Jenny off her feet. Loved the soundtrack to this film, especially the track to the opening titles.

I skipped out on the last film, District 9. An Education ended at 7:40 PM, and the last one wasn’t scheduled to start until 8:45 PM. I didn’t like the thought of getting home after 11:30, and Daniel owns the Blu-Ray, so I figured there was no need.

Who will win Best Picture? Based on the hype as of late, I’d say The Hurt Locker. Unless the damage is done thanks to one of their producers, the Academy may give Kathryn Bigelow the Best Director Oscar to make up for it, clearing the way for Avatar.

I’ve seen all but one of the 10 nominees (and I really don’t expect District 9 to win). I rated three of them 5 stars; Up may win the Best Animated Feature Oscar, while The Blind Side‘s Sandra Bullock will most likelly take home the Best Actress Oscar. Based on this, I nix them for Best Picture. I’d like Avatar to win; it’s an epic, filled with action, a decent story line, and great special effects.