Just a quick posting on how much my wife and I enjoyed this movie, great actors, great acting, wonderful lighting and an intelligent story. This is a great movie. I'm honestly compelled to post something about it and highly recommend the movie. I have always been a fan of Edward Norton. He's one of those actors that embodies his character. While Deniro and Nicholson play versions of themselves Edward Norton has the ability much like Robert Duvall to personify the character completely. Since Sideways Paul Giamatti has been able to get out there so to speak and take more leading rolls. He also posses a deftness of emotion and acting that is just plain fun to watch. I do not know much about Jessica Biel but I do believe she has been cast beautifully in this role. The characters played by Rufus Sewell and Eddie Marsan are both portrayed beautifully. The acting is up to snuff and beyond so what about the story? It's awesome because it taps into something that is real for all of us and between what we know and what we don't know. Great things are happening in this movie it does not drag and it is intriguing. Suspend belief and enjoy. Okay, great acting, wonderful story, what about the staging, pacing, scenery, costums and lighting? Across the board this has been directed and shot beautifully. The lighting for every single shot in this movie is exquisit!
Take the time if you can and do yourself a favor this is a very good movie - all ages appropriate!
Well done, well done...bravo!
Dear Mom - Letters to Heaven
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Monday, February 26, 2007
Guitar Shorty (Double Holy Smokes)
I just happened to check our local blues club and stopped in to see Guitar Shorty over the weekend.
Holy smokes!!! Either I was ready to cut loose or this was the best freakin’ show I’ve seen or heard in a long, long time – holy smokes – we completely lost track of time. A little research on the links provided reveal a true road warrior and living legend. Guitar Shorty (David Kearney) is a lights out awesome, righteous guitar player. What a show!
I love being surprised when checking out acts for the first time. I had no idea what to expect and truth be told I was pretty played out by the end of the week. We could have used the night off. But we rallied late and got there just before show time. I know I'm in for a good show when just walking into the venue I almost knock over the headliner. He was on his way out to change before the show. Well I'm happy to say we had a complete blast as David Guitar Shorty strutted his stuff and worked the audience. We were laughing and crackin’ with him all night. It was a real event and the place was packed! By the end of the night he had us dancing in the aisles. I woke up the next morning with a slight twisted knee from playing air guitar all night looooonngggg!!!!! (LOL)! Here's a section lifted from his web site(s) to give you an idea of his pedigree:
Holy smokes!!! Either I was ready to cut loose or this was the best freakin’ show I’ve seen or heard in a long, long time – holy smokes – we completely lost track of time. A little research on the links provided reveal a true road warrior and living legend. Guitar Shorty (David Kearney) is a lights out awesome, righteous guitar player. What a show!
I love being surprised when checking out acts for the first time. I had no idea what to expect and truth be told I was pretty played out by the end of the week. We could have used the night off. But we rallied late and got there just before show time. I know I'm in for a good show when just walking into the venue I almost knock over the headliner. He was on his way out to change before the show. Well I'm happy to say we had a complete blast as David Guitar Shorty strutted his stuff and worked the audience. We were laughing and crackin’ with him all night. It was a real event and the place was packed! By the end of the night he had us dancing in the aisles. I woke up the next morning with a slight twisted knee from playing air guitar all night looooonngggg!!!!! (LOL)! Here's a section lifted from his web site(s) to give you an idea of his pedigree:
"Right out of high school at the age of 16 Shorty joined Ray Charles and his band for a year. At the age of 17 he recorded a single under the direction of Willie Dixon on the Cobra label. When Shorty was lured away to play with Guitar Slim he moved to New Orleans. He gigged steadily through the late 1950s and 1960s, working with Little Milton, B.B. King, Lowell Fulson, Sam Cooke, Otis Rush, Johnny Copeland and T-Bone Walker. Shorty lived and worked in both Los Angeles and Canada until in 1961 he met his wife, Marcia, in Seattle. When Shorty married Marcia he also got Jimi Hendrix, Marcia’s (step)brother for a younger brother-in-law. The young Jimi Hendrix came to see Shorty play often..."
Okay, enough said the man's the real deal! Here's a great interview from two years ago "Guitar Shorty Interview " that tells a great story. It's a quick read. After all this time Shorty is finally reaping the benefits of his decades long pursuit of music and hard work.
One other thing the man is a class act. He spent all night with his fans until the last one straggled out the door. His band was rock solid and it was just a great fun night for all. Do not miss this American Treasure when he comes to your town. Here's his current schedule.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
9/11 and the Noble Conspiracy Theorists
I just finished watching "9/11 Mysteries" and reading “Debunking the 9/11 Myths”- Mar. 2005 Cover Story - Popular Mechanics examines the evidence and consults the experts to refute the most persistent conspiracy theories of September 11 published in the March 2005 issue. These links represent both sides of the same coin. 9/11 Mysteries is an hour long documentary and the Debunking article is 9 pages long. Both are excellent.
Here’s the problem – when our government cries wolf (WMD’s) when oil companies write the national energy policy – when our representatives hide conflicts of interest and information from us – when politicians lie – you breed suspicion – period. Why should anybody be surprised by people who do not believe the official government story when the whole system is fraught with brinkmanship from the tax laws to the election results? Common sense screams one person and one bullet did not blow JFK’s head to bits – they clean and repaired the car before anyone could see it. Why are the records sealed? If Oswald acted alone and that’s the story then what in those records is deemed worthy of sealing? Once you start down the road of secret deeds, secret records, organizations, CIA, NSA, KGB, etc. well the results are paranoid people who know they have been lied to – all their lives - by scheming and lying politicians and those seeking and holding power. They may not know exactly when and where or the exact truth, and their theories may go far and wide of the mark, but the inherent quest for truth in the face of habitual and persistent lying across generations and across the spectrum of governments (both home and abroad) is not a bad thing. In fact it’s noble. The passion of the “conspiracy theorists” is in equal proportion to the secrecy of our governments and the sometimes dubious decisions they make on behalf of national security. There’s an old saying “honesty is the best policy” until our governments comes clean about their sweetheart deals, their personal quest for power, level the playing fields between the haves and the have nots and operate in a dignified and diplomatic fashion domestically and internationally – they are all breeding dissent. Kooky conspiracy nuts are the least of their worries, and are in fact a symptom of the governments’ (both home and abroad) collective dishonest actions.
Honesty is not some naive virtue. It's the foundation of civilized society, dishonesty is the foundation of chaos. It’s time to stop lying people across the board about yourselves, about each other and about everything and anything. It’s turning Eden into Hell.
Here’s the problem – when our government cries wolf (WMD’s) when oil companies write the national energy policy – when our representatives hide conflicts of interest and information from us – when politicians lie – you breed suspicion – period. Why should anybody be surprised by people who do not believe the official government story when the whole system is fraught with brinkmanship from the tax laws to the election results? Common sense screams one person and one bullet did not blow JFK’s head to bits – they clean and repaired the car before anyone could see it. Why are the records sealed? If Oswald acted alone and that’s the story then what in those records is deemed worthy of sealing? Once you start down the road of secret deeds, secret records, organizations, CIA, NSA, KGB, etc. well the results are paranoid people who know they have been lied to – all their lives - by scheming and lying politicians and those seeking and holding power. They may not know exactly when and where or the exact truth, and their theories may go far and wide of the mark, but the inherent quest for truth in the face of habitual and persistent lying across generations and across the spectrum of governments (both home and abroad) is not a bad thing. In fact it’s noble. The passion of the “conspiracy theorists” is in equal proportion to the secrecy of our governments and the sometimes dubious decisions they make on behalf of national security. There’s an old saying “honesty is the best policy” until our governments comes clean about their sweetheart deals, their personal quest for power, level the playing fields between the haves and the have nots and operate in a dignified and diplomatic fashion domestically and internationally – they are all breeding dissent. Kooky conspiracy nuts are the least of their worries, and are in fact a symptom of the governments’ (both home and abroad) collective dishonest actions.
Honesty is not some naive virtue. It's the foundation of civilized society, dishonesty is the foundation of chaos. It’s time to stop lying people across the board about yourselves, about each other and about everything and anything. It’s turning Eden into Hell.
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