Teebark » Family

The Wave–movie review

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:14:09 +0000

This movie takes place in Germany, which you’ll quickly realize is very ironic. Because it’s the story of a high school teacher who takes his class on an adventure in autocracy. In an attempt to give the students the feeling of what it’s like to experience a national movement like Nazi-ism, he starts enforcing strict rules, and eventually the students become so fascinated with the the experiment that they volunteer to wear uniforms and adopt a logo (a wave) that represents their “movement.”

However, as in real life, things don’t go according to plan, and a tragic event takes place. It reminded me of Lord of the Flies, and it ended just about as badly. But, I think you’ll find it fascinating. And it’s free on Netflix.

The Man from Earth–movie review

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 05:06:11 +0000

This is a nice little surprise that I found through a google referral while browsing movie sites one night. I’d never heard of it, and I’ll bet you haven’t either. It’s a story of a teacher who invites some friends to his going away party at a lodge. He tells them he’s 14,000 years old and was once a caveman. As you can imagine, no one believes him. But, as they try to get him to admit it’s not true, they draw him into giving accounts of his relationships of historical figures, and describing his personal observances of famous events.

The story is simple, but the acting is superb, and his explanations stand up to all the attempts to trip him up. Soon, he actually has his friends convinced that his story is true. However, one or two of them, are so shaken by the realization, that he has to lie to them to get them to calm down.

There’s a real stunner in this story, but you’ll have to watch the movie to experience it. It will be worth it.

Cashback–movie review

admin — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 04:54:04 +0000

The Netflix description doesn’t do this film justice, “An aspiring artist develops insomnia and takes a night-shift job at a store. He soon discovers that he can freeze time and begins disrobing customers.” While true, the story is much deeper than that, and it tells a really good story. The artist has authentic talent, and one of the reasons he disrobes the female customers is so he can draw them. And that angle ties the story into a wonderful, heart warming love interest.

A couple of co-workers in the story add a touch of zaniness, along with a buffoon boss. It has some really funny scenes, with a terrific ending. And it’s free on Netflix. Treat yourself to this gem–I think you’ll like it.

Brenden visits DC

admin — Sun, 07 Aug 2011 22:36:11 +0000

Brenden rode the choo choo with Grandma for a visit to DC for a weekend. We may have bit off more than we meant to, because it really wore us out, but we hit the National Zoo and the Museum of Natural History, all in one day. The Metro was out of commission for maintenance this weekend, so we had to travel by bus for part of the trip, but that still beat driving.

Brenden really liked the Bird House. He said it was the best thing he’s ever done. We also saw elephants, orangutans, giant tortoises, giant pandas, leopards, elks, and emus.

The museum, of course, had gigantic dinosaur skeletons, but I think Brenden was pretty much worn out by then. So, at least we got some pictures he can reflect on. And he bought a 4 foot plastic snake that he can scare mom with (mom, be sure to act scared).

We relaxed Sat. night with pizza and hot wings. And that turned out to be the perfect way to end the day, because we got the pizza from Giuseppie’s, and we both agreed it was the best pizza we’ve ever had. The crust was actually chewy–that added to the uniqeness. The wings were fried, and just a little bit tangy, but they really hit the spot, too.

And then, on the way to Union Station on Sunday, we happened across a really good famer’s market. In downtown Bethesda, of all places. KK just happened to see it on a side street as we were driving through downtown. They had some really unique stuff–in addition to all kinds of fruit and vegetables, they had home made bread (we bought a ginger garlic loaf), flavored pickles (we bought a sweet-hot jar), aged beef from a cattle ranch, organic fullafels, and even barbecue. We shared a huge brisket sandwich that was probably the best we’ve ever had.

Bull Run, 150th anniversary reenactment

admin — Mon, 25 Jul 2011 01:55:20 +0000

I finally made to a reenactment. I’ve been living in Virginia for 25 years, promising myself every year that I would go this year. All the hoopla about this event that I’ve been hearing for months finally gave me the resolve to do it this year. It’s one of the biggest reenactments ever put on, and it certainly didn’t disappoint.

It was so big, people had to park in designated parking lots and take a shuttle bus to the battleground. Everything went like clockwork, and we were in the lot at 8:30 am, and at the event by 9:15. We did have to take a short walk, about a 1/4 mile, but walking by soldiers on horses, getting ready to take the field added to the excitement.

The weather cooperated, to a point. There was no chance of rain, but the heat was incredible–101, I think. We were lucky though–there were tents set up for shade, and we managed to grab a couple of chairs inside one, and were able to sit there comfortably for the duration. People in the high priced seats, the grandstands, were sitting in direct sunlight, so I didn’t feel too bad about taking the cheap “standing room only, $25″ option.

The battle started around 9:30, but the skirmish was way off, in a treeline, and all we could see was clouds of smoke from the gunfire. But, as the battle went on, the soldiers moved closer and closer, and were eventually right under our noses, firing rifles and cannons at each other. It was very exciting, watching history unfold right in front of us (well, use your imagination a little), but the heat got to us eventually. Around 11:30, we gave it up.

Before we left, we had some lunch, and ended up sitting next to a reenactor. He was from Cincinnati, and had come with a friend that had participated in the 100th reenactment 50 years ago, and wanted to be in this one, too. He was 81 years old. I wanted to walk over and get a picture of him, but he was sitting somewhere else, and I just couldn’t force myself to take the walk.

We got a little surprise when we asked how to exit. They had set up ropes blocking the way we came in. When we asked how to get out, we were told we had to walk around the opposite side of the battleground, which was about 2 miles. Problem solved when we asked for medical aid. We got a cart ride out. Whew, close call.

The Writer Known as Sapphire

admin — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 02:16:13 +0000

Or also known as Ramona Lofton, gave a very nice talk on her newest book, The Kid, at a local book store, Politics and Prose. She read several passages from this sequel to Push (made into a movie, as Precious), and then took questions from the audience. I was really impressed with her passion, not only for writing, but for the message she was trying to convey in both books. And as far as book talks go, this one was way up there on the scale.

The audience was especially connected–you could tell from their emotion when they asked questions. One lady even teared up when she compared the suffering of her grandmother to the ordeal that Precious and Abdul (The Kid) went through in the books. In fact, I’m now inspired to read both books–the description of Precious never appealed to me, but now that I see what the message is, I have to be part of the experience.

Eastern Promises–A movie with Viggo as you never imagined

admin — Fri, 06 May 2011 02:29:28 +0000

Wow–what a change of pace for The Ranger. In this excellent movie, Viggo Mortensen plays the moral opposite of his role as a hero in Lord of the Rings. In this scenario, he’s a gangster, no he’s a guardian angel, no he’s… well, you’ll just have to see for yourself. And yes, it has a few surprises in store for you. It’s a no-holds barred, gutty, stark reality, in your face, brutal movie, but it held us rapt for the entire ride.

Review of Cleopatra: A Life by Stacy Schiff:

admin — Wed, 30 Mar 2011 00:53:44 +0000

Since there is very little record of her life, this was not your average biography. I liked the way Stacy was able to support the conclusions she came to, though. It was a little dry, as was expected, but Stacy injected some appropriate witticisms from time to time, that just came out of the blue. I was also able to see the author in person at a book signing here in DC, so that added to the inspiration for reading the book. She gave a great talk. And, I was inspired to watch the move (timely, with Elizabeth making the news).

Michio Kaku at book signing

admin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 01:49:46 +0000

I was able to meet famous author Michio Kaku today, and got him to sign my copy of Physics of the Impossible. He was appearing at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum, so I drove back early from Richmond to catch the event. Of course, since I was already there, I had to take some pictures of stuff I hadn’t seen since my last visit.

The last time I was there, they hadn’t finished setting up the space shuttle–only the nose was there, so it was pretty awesome to see the whole thing. It’s unbelievable how big this thing is. I took some pictures with people in the scene so you could see the scale. It must be 30 feet high.

I also got a shot of the weirdest satellite I’ve ever seen. It’s call the TDRSS, but no other description was shown. I suspect it’s a communications satellite, but I’ll have to do more research on it.

Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese

admin — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:38:10 +0000

This book really caught me by surprise–it had good reviews, but it just didn’t seem like my kind of book. But, I took a chance and I’m very glad I did. It takes place in Ethiopa (another first for me), and tells the story of twin boys who are almost butchered during their birth, and whose father deserts them immediately after a miraculous birth. The mother dies in the process.

They both survive, are adopted by two doctors, and grow up to be doctors themselves. But not easily. They are betrayed by friends and family. And, of course the political atmosphere of Ethiopia holds a few surprises. But, they thrive. What makes the story so interesting though, is the quality of their adoptive parents. They are just simply awe inspiring.

There is a lot of medical jargon, but it’s done in a way that is captivating. And sometimes humorous–one of the scenes during a vasectomy had me in stitches. It ends up being very heart warming, in spite of the interwoven tragedies.