Better than the book, barely. I read the book and gave it three stars. I knew then, when I finished reading it, that a movie would deliver more impact in some respects, and it does. I missed some of the back-story (although the first book doesn’t give you much to work with). The book did provide a better window and more intimately through Katniss’ eyes and thoughts, into the plight of the ‘citizens’ of the Districts.
I have gripes with the casting though. Peeta in no way convinced me of his strength or of even being a baker’s son. Same goes for Gale, only I thought the casting went over-the-top the other way on that one.
I noticed from the credits that the author, Suzanne Collins, had her fingers in most of the pots, including as an executive producer, so I really have no quibble with deviations from the written vision.
I will say I was a bit disappointed by the special affects, which seemed on par with a television show and not a ‘normal’ science fiction film.
Truth may be stranger than fiction, but it is an arrow aimed straight for your heart and cannot be denied or denigrated. Films based on actual events have an allure I can’t seem to resist and Taking Chance caught me with its simplicity and humility.
I am struggling this morning to write this review. I can’t see my screen very well. It keeps blurring out of focus as I continue to tear up. Yes, I’m a sentimental fool, but I’m also a mother. I watched the DVD extras and I’m amazed at the strength of Chance’s mother. From the home videos and family memories related there, I could easily see a reflection of my son Derek, who was born just two years after Chance. They had similar interests, personalities and capabilities. This story could easily have been my story had Derek made different choices.
I would agree with most of what I found under the ‘Critical Reception’ heading at Wikipedia, especially with respect to the ‘apolitical nature’ of the film:
One review from The Baltimore Sun, said that it “… is one of the most eloquent and socially conscious films the premium cable channel has ever presented,” and USA Today, said “A small, almost perfectly realized gem of a movie, Taking Chance is also precisely the kind of movie that TV should be making.” On the other end is Slant Magazine, saying “Instead of well-drawn characters or real human drama, we are presented with a military procedural on burial traditions. The film desperately wants the viewer to shed tears for its fallen hero without giving a single dramatic reason to do so.”
The film was the most-watched HBO original in five years, with over two million viewers on the opening night, and more than 5.5 million on re-airings. Critics often attribute this success to its apolitical nature, not directly depicting nor offering an opinion of the Iraq War.
I found it refreshing to hear the name Phelps and not have to cringe. Imagine my relief when the marine’s funeral proceeded without blemish and no apparent protest from the other Phelps of Westboro fame (or shame).
I also found this film more recommendable and uplifting than a similar ‘based on a true story’ tale I watched about eighteen months ago called The Tillman Story.
I may add this film to my library so that I can watch it each Memorial Day. A reminder of all our soldiers, past and present, who gave the ultimate gift to preserve our freedoms and keep us safe at home.
I’m two days late getting my annual review post composed and published. I seem to be forming a pattern as I did the nearly the same thing last year, although I was twice as late then.
The following are high (and low) lights from the past year’s worth of blog posts:
I missed the opportunity to count stars over the weekend. Clouds obscured the heavens Friday and Saturday night, but I had absolutely no excuse not to step outside Sunday evening and participate in the Great World Wide Star Count. Thank goodness that Sky & Telescope‘s Facebook feed reminded me with their article ‘A Star Count for Everyone‘ this morning.
I checked my local five day forecast and I should be able to find Cygnus and count stars tonight and Wednesday. Tuesday, Thursday and especially Friday are iffy. This year, I’m going to try to do it from a couple of different locations, not just my backyard (like I did last year).
Here’s all you need to know to participate:
All you’ll need are a clear evening sky sometime between October 5th and 19th, your own two eyes, and a set of simple star charts. First, download the handy five-page activity guide (available in 16 languages) and print the star charts. If you live in the Northern Hemisphere, you’ll be looking high up for the constellation Cygnus, and its Northern Cross asterism. If you’re south of the equator, the target area surrounds the Teapot in Sagittarius. Each of the seven maps shows stars down to a different magnitude limit, plus one for a cloudy sky.
Then, after stepping out under the early-evening sky and letting your eyes adjust to the darkness, match one of the charts to what you see overhead. Step back inside and report what you’ve found online. You’re done! (Unlike many contests, you can enter more than once! You might be surprised by how much the sky’s darkness can vary from night to night.)
I added this DVD to my Netflix Queue back in late July. Terry and I found nothing worthy of watching on DirecTV (live or via DVR) last night so I slipped in this DVD for a Sunday evening viewing.
I thought of giving this movie higher marks, because it succeeded in making me care about Emily, Alexia and even Jason. But it failed on its message. I applaud and approve of the Twelve Gifts, but found at least two vital ones missing and a third implied one that galled me.
Death underlay the entire plot, starting with the death of Red Stevens, followed by the knowledge that his son died when Jason (his grandson) was about seven or eight. Emily is dying and we meet her at Red’s funeral, although no explanation is given why an unrelated little girl with a pink umbrella is attending the funeral of one of the wealthiest men in America. Security must have been preoccupied by a Westboro protest. With all this death, the Gift of Life should have been an obvious addition to the list.
In the midst of Jason’s Gift of Learning month, he seeks his father’s plane crash site in the Central American jungle, despite warnings of lethal drug lord patrols and occupation. Predictably, Jason and his reluctant guide are kidnapped and held captive, presumably for ransom, with a threat of execution if the money is too long in arriving. In a cruel twist, the captors remove the prisoners from their cells for Christmas Day and invite them to join in their drunken celebrations. Afterwards, they are returned to their cells with the gift of knowing they will die the next day. Again, death looms, but the Gift of Freedom seems most precious when it is taken from you.
But what disappointed me most about the entire message boiled down to Jason receiving his reward in a textbook happy ending. Yes, he learned his lesson(s). I just don’t agree that any earthly reward should be expected. My BFF died for me, and may/would have gone to Hell for me. I should strive to do no less than Him. That doesn’t mean I will succeed, and I am most assuredly doomed to failure, but I need no material motivation to do what is good and true and right.
Despite the film’s shortcomings, the acting by the main players was above par. Especially, Abigail Breslin, whom I recognized from Signs fame. Drew Fuller sported the worst haircut or hairstyle of any supposedly rich brat I’ve ever seen in a movie, but his performance overcame that handicap and then some. I enjoyed seeing Brian Dennehy and James Garner as well.
A family friendly film that you’ll need a Kleenex or two for (unless you’re completely oblivious to children dying of leukemia).
One of the first books I remember being ‘required’ to read in school (Middle School to be exact) happened to be Slaughterhouse-Five. Looking back, even though I had been reading at a college level since I reached double-digit age, I probably wasn’t ready for the subject matter. Come to think of it, I should probably re-read Vonnegut’s most famous novel again, from the other end of three decades of my life gone by. The same could be said for Cat’s Cradle, if I had read it back then, but I’m reading it for the first time on the downhill side of my life.
Published a year before I took my first breath, I get all the cultural references. I am still pondering the ramifications of the ‘Truth’ of all religions, according to Vonnegut’s character (who remained nameless throughout the entire novel). Satire? Irony? Poetic justice? Nihilism? Or some chaotic cohesion of all of them?
I found a few gems among the exceptionally short chapters (some less than a page in length): The ambassador’s speech before tossing the wreath in honor of the Hundred Martyrs to Democracy: ‘Think of what a paradise this world would be if men were kind and wise.’; Newt: ‘No damn cat, and no damn cradle.’; and Mona: ‘I love everyone.’
I actually heard Kurt Vonnegut speak during my college years. He came to Wichita State University in the early 80s to give a lecture. I learned about his appearance late (on the same day in fact), so I arrived almost too late to get a seat. For some reason, the facility decided to open up seating on the stage, so I sat cross-legged within ten or twenty feet of him to his right. As memorable as my seating arrangements were, I cannot remember anything he said during that lecture, nor even what his topic was. My book collection remained at home in Leavenworth County, so I had nothing to ask him to sign. I sincerely regret that now.
I gave Cat’s Cradle three stars. I liked it, and it definitely made me think deeply and ponder many questions, but I can’t say I really liked it. An interesting read, and it has aged remarkably well.
This is the first ebook I read using the OverDrive Media Nook application. I checked it out smoothly and easily from the Kansas City Public Library. After fiddling with the Reading Options, I found a happy medium for speed of page turns (but not transitions between chapters) and font shape and size. The dictionary feature only works if you have your wifi on and connected to the Internet because it uses Dictionary.com. This differs from the default ereading application provided by Barnes & Noble, which uses a pre-installed copy of the Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary (11th Edition). I definitely missed the highlighting and annotating features that come standard with most ereading software. Strangely, I’ve checked out ebooks from the KC Public Library before, but used the Adobe Digital Editions software and a USB cable to transfer the ebook from my computer to my Nook Color. In that instance, I used the default ereader to read the ebook, so I had all my normal functionality. I can only hope the OverDrive Media Console application will improve with time and feedback.
I decided to increase my daily step goal by one thousand steps starting October 1st. When I hooked up my pedometer to my laptop last Monday morning, I reconfigured my daily goal through the TrakNote software, which is much easier than trying to remember what buttons to press (or not press) on the pedometer. I worried a bit that I wouldn’t be able to meet the new goal of 8,000 steps per day, but looking back on the last week, I’m pleasantly pleased and proud to report I succeeded on six out of seven days. And the only day I didn’t reach my goal happened to be my birthday, so I gave myself a break.
The fall weather motivates me to get out of the house more with Apollo. I even took Lexy on one very short walk. She is still very skittish around vehicles and other people and dogs, so I have to be extra vigilant and patient when I walk her. Most week days I end up walking Apollo after dark, so I don’t get an opportunity to take any photos. With that in mind, I took a later afternoon walk with him on Saturday and snapped these pictures:
At the corner of Fawn Valley and First Terrace, Apollo almost always stops to smell the fire hydrant and the stop sign but he wisely ignores the base of the utility pole shown at right. When I took a look at the gaping hole forming around the base and the state of the rotting pole below ground, I took a few steps back. I should probably send the photographs to my city councilman or at least the public works director before someone is injured by a toppling pole. I don’t believe it’s an electric utility pole, because it supports a streetlight, and no other wires beyond the power for the light attach to it.
Here’s a few flowers and fruits we stumbled upon on our afternoon walk:
I almost forgot to check the eastern horizon this morning. I hit the off button instead of the snooze button so I started awake around 5:30 a.m. in a near panic for oversleeping. As I rushed around the house getting ready for work, my brain finally dislodged this tidbit I had read via Astronomy.com sometime over the past weekend:
Wednesday, October 3
Venus dominates the morning sky all week after it rises around 3:30 a.m. local daylight time. It shines at magnitude –4.1, which makes it the brightest point of light in the sky, and climbs more than 25° above the eastern horizon an hour before sunrise. Be sure to watch for it this morning, however, because it passes just 7′ (one-quarter of the Full Moon’s diameter) south of Leo the Lion’s brightest star, Regulus. This is the closest any planet approaches a 1st-magnitude star during 2012. A telescope will show both objects in the same field of view. Look closely and you’ll see Venus’ 16″-diameter disk, which appears about 70 percent lit.
I had to re-attach the tripod mount to the bottom of the Pentax camera because I had used it the night before to try my new binoculars with the tripod mount attachment. The waning moon hung just over the roof of my house as I stood in the driveway setting up the tripod and camera. I could see bright Venus with my naked eye (of course, it’s the brightest thing in the sky besides the moon) but I wasn’t sure I could see Regulus without some optical aid.
I peered through the tiny viewfinder in the camera and could clearly see Regulus above Venus. I took several photos, only one of which I liked well enough to label, upload and use in this post (see above). Not many other stars are visible in the photo above, but here’s the sky chart for the eastern horizon from my location as of the date/time the photo was taken:
I did not drag either telescope out of the house and into the driveway. I didn’t have time to re-assembly Dob and the ETX-90 just takes too long to setup, align, configure, etc. I did use my new binoculars, without a tripod, and looked at Venus and Regulus, Sirius, Orion’s Sword, the Pleiades, Jupiter and its moons and our own satellite (although I saved it for last as I became blinded by its light with just a quick look).
Four dozen years ago, in my first Year of the Dragon, I began a journey. I breathed my first breath. I probably cried, maybe even hollered. I saw light, or probably just blobs of colors and contrasting brightness. I heard sounds. I felt someone hold me. My parents gave me a simple three letter label: Jon. Simple, yet complex, and either ahead of the times or a sign of the times (hey, it was the sixties, man).
I began my seventeen thousand five hundred thirty-third day about like every other day in recent memory. My cell phone alarm woke me with the rock organ chords to “I’m Okay” by Styx from the Pieces of Eight album. I snoozed once, just because it was my birthday. The second time I heard the rock organ, I cancelled the alarm and took a peak outside. Clear skies! The best birthday present ever! I could finally try out my new binoculars. Wow! I could see at least three of Jupiter’s moons and several of the nebulae in Orion’s Sword. Oh, and the Pleiades looked might fine as well. I avoided the waning but still very bright Harvest Moon so I would not blind myself before the sun came up.
Birthday Card from Vanpool Riders
The riders of my vanpool got together behind my back (literally) and all signed the card at right. I’m not quite sure how they managed to do this without me knowing, since as far as I can tell, they don’t get together outside the confines of the van, and I’m usually driving said van. Just another one of life’s little mysteries, I suppose.
But that’s beside the point. I wish to give a shout out to my riders here and say “Thank You!” for thinking of me. You all make the beginnings and endings of my workdays more enjoyable. I look forward to each and every commute with you and the traffic adventure that is I-70.
Birthday colors for a drab gray cubicle
I also received cards early, from my father and my daughter recently, but forgot to take photos of them to share here. I woke up to several posts wishing me happy birthday via Facebook and email. My dad also called to wish me well. I called my husband to remind him to wake up for a doctor’s appointment and the very first thing he said to me when he answered his cell phone as an enthusiastic “Happy Birthday!”
I received a touching email note from my Aunt Melody that included her recollections of that long cold night in early October, 1964. She stayed up all night with my mother (her older sister), waiting for me to be born. She remembered how cold it was in the nursery and how they forgot to warm up the incubator before placing me in it. Good thing I developed my own internal heat source, which my husband shamelessly takes advantage of during the long winter nights.
I will miss having lunch with my retired co-worker and friend, Marge, today. She traveled late last week for a funeral and won’t return for a few more days. That makes two years in a row when journey’s end encroached on celebrating the journey’s start. I know that will become increasingly common in the years ahead.
I am reasonably confident I will see a fifth Year of the Dragon in 2024, and probably my sixth in 2036. I am more health conscious than ever, thanks to my employer’s Health & Wellness programs and benefits. I even signed up for one of their free exercise classes this month. I joined the strength training class available over the lunch hour on Mondays and Thursdays. Since I don’t want to invest (or store) weights, bands, balls, rings, etc. at home, I thought I should take advantage of this class to help keep my bones healthy and strong. I want to stave off osteoporosis. I continue other exercising (Yoga, aerobic, balance) with Wii Fit Plus and Apollo takes me for moonlit evening walks most days.
If I can keep this up, and make progress to a better, healthier version of me, then perhaps I might even see my seventh Year of the Dragon, in 2048, at the ripe old age of eighty-four. Both of my grandmothers made it past that mark. Here’s hoping I will too!
Sunrise for Harvest Moon Saturday (click image for slideshow)
I woke up an hour later than I normally do, just a bit past six o’clock. I knew I had a lot of things to get accomplished on this first Saturday of fall. I looked out the bedroom window and spied Venus, shining very brightly through the leaves of my black oak tree. A few wispy clouds lured me outside with the camera and tripod. Apollo looked accusingly at me when I headed towards the door, so I grabbed the leash and brought him along for a chilly pre-dawn photo shoot.
I let Apollo jump in the back seat of the Bonneville, while I put the camera bag and tripod in the trunk. I drove up the hill to the dead-end street in front of City Hall. I hadn’t taken the time to put on my walking shoes, instead I just slipped on my flip-flops. At least I remembered to grab my hooded sweater, because my toes were nearly numb by the time the sun rose shortly after seven o’clock. I walked Apollo around the dead-end street a few times, snapping a photo every time I passed by the camera. Two young deer emerged from the tree line to the south of us and we both stood very still for several minutes watching them graze. Apollo couldn’t contain himself though, and made a leap towards them, nearly pulling me off my feet in his desire to hunt, herd or play (not sure which).
The batteries in the camera started failing with just five minutes left before the sun rose. I decided not to change them out, because by the time I had finished that task, the sunrise conditions would have switched from pink/orange/gold to bleached out whites and greys. I nursed them along for a couple more photos, then packed everything up and returned home.
As soon as I walked in the front door, I headed to the microwave and put two cups of water in to start boiling. I needed tea to get warmed back up. One of my many tasks on my Saturday to-do list happened to be a trip to downtown Leavenworth to Queen’s Pantry to fill up my tin of Irish Blend loose leaf tea. I had enough left in my tin for another two or three cups of tea. I found my favorite mug on the shelf above my stash of tea. I received the mug (shown above) as a gift from an author and artist friend for Christmas a couple of years ago. In fact, she’s the one who painted the original scene that’s displayed above.
While reviewing and uploading the forty-five sunrise photos I took earlier, I received a phone call from my uncle and aunt. They wanted to know if they could stop by for a visit a day early, on Sunday afternoon, instead of Monday evening. I enthusiastically agreed. We spoke for a few minutes and made tentative arrangements for the visit. He needed to call his brother (my father) to let him know about the change in plans.
Ten o’clock arrived sooner than I anticipated. I quickly changed clothes, made sure I had my shopping list and reusable bags and headed north towards Leavenworth. I stopped at Queen’s Pantry, drove by the farmer’s market (but didn’t stop), dropped off my mortgage payment and went inside the nearly empty and neglected Leavenworth Plaza shopping mall. I had two gift cards from Catos that Terry bought for our anniversary and last year’s birthday that I needed to use. I found a couple of shirts I could live with and wiped out all but about seven dollars on the gift cards. My last stop before returning home for lunch was through the grocery store to purchase what we needed to feed the visiting family members Sunday afternoon.
I decided to re-heat my leftovers from the previous evening’s dinner at a local Italian restaurant (Mama Mia’s). Terry treated me to a Friday night out as an early birthday date. Lucky for us, the owner was celebrating his 50th birthday, so we were treated to free slices of German chocolate cake for dessert. I asked our waitress if they had baked the cake, and she assured me that was not the case. I wanted to know, though, because that slice of cake was melt-in-your-mouth exceptionally moist and wonderfully delicious.
I had just started eating the pasta side dish from the night before when Terry made his way gingerly down the stairs with Apollo and Lexy in tow. I asked him if he felt well enough for the afternoon jaunt to Johnson County for even more shopping. He just needed time to wake up and shower. I checked my sourdough starter, which I had fed earlier in the morning, and prepped the bread machine for dough making, so that when I returned from our southern shopping spree, I could shape and bake a loaf of Rustic Sourdough bread.
Terry drove us down K-5 to I-435. I noticed several trees started to turn already, mostly yellows and browns. This part of the country doesn’t lend itself to fiery red maples. The trip south to Shawnee Mission Parkway and PetSmart was uneventful. We picked up sixty dollars worth of dog food (two varieties of Iam’s Naturals) and continued eastbound on Shawnee Mission Parkway until we found Metcalf.
I detoured north to Johnson Drive to drive through Burger King to grab some lunch for Terry. I stumbled upon a construction mess that required me to get back on Metcalf and cross over Johnson Drive (not my usual route). I continued southbound until we found the Whole Foods Store at 91st street, where I bought a couple of pounds of white arborio rice so we could make an authentic risotto Sunday afternoon. Because we had other shopping yet to finish, and we had not brought a cooler with us, we refrained from buying anything else at Whole Foods except dark chocolate covered espresso beans.
After eating a handful of delightful zingy coffee beans, we drove west to the mess that is 87th street and I-35. We almost missed the exit for Marshall Drive, the road we needed to reach the Bushnell Outlet store. Thanks to various health and wellness promotions by my employer, I had accumulated several gift cards by participating and successfully completing a program each quarter of the year. I planned to purchase a pair of 10×50 binoculars as an early birthday gift to myself. I researched a couple of models online earlier in the week and thought I wanted a PermaFocus set, but after trying a pair out at the store, I instead liked the PowerView model more. I bought the optional tripod mount accessory and requested the discount available as a member of the ASKC.
Just one more stop remained before we could return home. We headed back west to I-435 and then north to the Legends. I needed to find a pair of workout pants. I signed up for a lunch-time exercise class and wanted to look through Penneys and perhaps Target for a pair that were made with wicking fabric. We parked the Bonneville and walked past this SUV improperly parked near and in a handicapped parking spot. I almost called the police to report it.
Penneys’ selection of activewear disappointed me. Frustrated, I told Terry I just wanted to go home, but he convinced me to take a look at what Target had available. I did find one pair that I hope will work. I left Target as quickly as I could and drove west on Parallel to K-7 and north to Lansing and home.
The bread machine still had over thirty minutes to go before I could transfer the dough to the bread pan. Terry asked me to mow part of the back yard, so I put my sunglasses back on and began what turned out to be about an hour’s worth of mowing. Once I finished the back yard, I mowed the side yard. Terry attached the bag to the mower and I mowed the front lawn, sucking up the leaves that had already carpeted the ground underneath the black oak tree. I took a short break to get the sourdough into the bread pan and on its final rise before baking.
Harvest Moon Rising
I sat down to compose this blog post and realized I’d probably missed the rising of the Harvest Moon. I jumped up from the dining room table and ran outside to look east. As I suspected, the moon had risen and just started peaking over my neighbor’s rooftop. I ran back inside, got the camera and tripod, and took several mostly disappointing photographs. The moon is always a challenge to shoot and one mired in haze even more so.
I preheated the oven, found my spray bottle of water, sprinkled the risen sourdough with a seeded topping mix and scored the top of the loaf thrice. Once the oven was hot enough, I placed the sourdough on the rack and sprayed the walls of the oven with water to simulate a steam-injection oven. I repeated this process every five minutes for the first half of the baking time. About a half hour later, out popped this gorgeous loaf:
Sourdough under the Harvest Moon
Tomorrow I’ll make Rosemary Sourdough and an apple pie with apples from our tree. Also on the menu, our Honey Garlic Chicken, risotto, grilled asparagus and an appetizer of stuffed green peppers.
The Hunger Games (2012)
