Wordless Wednesday - Almost

this is called Rush Hour.   You can tell it's "old" - nobody is looking at a cell phone

just a cool sculpture at the Nasher in Dallas

Me - ready for Dallas Stars ice hockey.  I'm wearing Ray's retro shirt from Daryl Sydor...trust me, it's old.  But he was a damn good skater/fighter/etc.  The Stars were a bit lackluster for the game we saw.


And finally - on Netflix - watch  Period. End of Sentence.  It is a 30 minute short documentary that won the Oscar.  Trust me...it's very thought provoking.

And on National Geographic channel - watch Free Solo - the Oscar winning long documentary feature. Holy Cow.  I hope you have a big screen TV to appreciate El Capitan in Yosemite, and the fact that this young fellow climbed it WITHOUT a rope.  OMG

That's it for Wednesday - Ash Wednesday.  What are you giving up? 
Me - nothing........I'm no saint.  I'm giving up on this week and waiting for the weekend!

Movie Review Madness - Won't You Be My Neighbor

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Is a documentary about Mr. Rogers – a television pioneer in children’s programming.  Wow. Take tissues. And I am giving this an Academy Award now. So well done. The research, film clips, and overall manner of this film is classy.

Fred Rogers, an ordained pastor, finds a need back in the early 1960s for appropriate children’s television programming. He did not like slap stick or signs of violence. He advocated a peaceful learning situation and his neighborhood was filled with diversity and a chance to address kids. His show grew from a PBS station in Pittsburgh PA to a monster show. He actually listened to kids. He respected kids. He showed the use of silence…it can be useful to draw out folks. His neighborhood had the black policeman stop by and cool off his feet in Mr. Rogers small pool.  This subtly addressed the issue at the time of segregation and “white’s only” pools. He truly brought issues to the forefront without bashing folks or kids over the head. Mr. Rogers truly exemplified Christian principles.

Speakers in the film include his wife (a no-nonsense very likeable woman), his two sons, his film crew, and other family friends. The outpouring of love and respect shine through. Fred Rogers, the man on the TV screen, was the same man at home and in real life. He truly loved people, respected people, and just lived as he learned as a preacher – a dorky clean life. He was a reluctant hero of sorts, with a vision. It was easy to make fun of him, and yet this documentary shows the value of his work today. If only…..people would show respect to each other, think before speaking (or tweeting!!!)

Won’t You Be My Neighbor? Is very worthy. I recommend it highly. Ninety minutes of quality film-making.  Watch, think, and take pause…a silent moment to reflect….on a very Christian message (and I use this terminology in the positive way it should evoke a sensibility. )  Enjoy

Movie Review: Side Effects

Side Effects stars Jude Law, Channing Tatum, Rooney Mara, and Catherine Zeta-Jones in a pharmaceutical thriller. Don't expect big things from this movie, but there are more twists and turns than a doctor's scribbled handwriting on a prescription. Channing is newly released from prison for insider trading. His wife, Rooney, suffers from depression. She is assigned Jude Law as her psychiatrist after she tried to drive her BMW into a wall. Is she suicidal? Can Jude help her and what did her previous doctor, Zeta-Jones, do for her.

Rooney Mara, in her teeny body with her large expressive eyes, seems to be a nutcase and grows more so as she's prescribed new meds. She can't focus at work, she can't sleep, or sleeps too hard and is up sleepwalking, sleep cooking, and yes..........sleep killing!!!! Who's responsible? Rooney, Dr.Jude Law, or the drug makers themselves? Suddenly, Jude Law finds himself having to defend his practice.

This is not just a movie about the evil drug companies. A large proportion of society takes anxiety medicine and there are huge dollar sums involved. Side Effects gets rather convoluted as it guides us along the trail of murder and money. For this time of year (often a dumping ground for stinkers), the movie is entertaining and has a great cast. I was suprised at various times, and wondered if I needed meds to figure things out. In the end, probably better to stick with popcorn.


Netflix Queue:

Ruby Sparks - a writer needs to conquer writers' block. But when he jots down the attributes of his dream girl, she comes alive.Things get weird as he tries to duplicate his early successes as a writer. This movie is quirky and amusing. It stars Paul Dano, Zoe Kazan, Elliott Gould, and Annette Bening

Undefeated - this Academy Award winning documentary is quite impressive. A white coach volunteers to lead a West Memphis high school football team that has never gone to a playoff game. We meet him as he starts to work with a group of eighth graders and manages to keep them in school on into high school. These are very poor young black men without fathers who are on a path to failure. However, football is their lifeline and this exemplary coach loves them, guides them, yells at them, and uses terms like character and team. It is quite a tale and you'll root for the Manasas Tigers to win.