Of course, here's a slightly more "normal" family portrait:
Of course, here's a slightly more "normal" family portrait:
Take a look and let me know what you think of the quality of the Picasa Web Album.
]]>The movie tells two stories in parallel: the first of Julia Child's journey from bored diplomatic housewife to creator of the most popular cookbook of all time, and the second of Julie Powell, a frustrated wannabe writer who decides to cook her way through Child's cookbook over the course of a year and blog about the experience to overcome her writer's block.
In the second storyline about Powell, Streep's co-star from 2008's Doubt, Amy Adams, gives a solid performance. Adams was delightful as she rises to the challenge of portraying someone that most Americans have never heard of, bringing to life her obsessive personality as she works through Child's cookbook and, along the way, through her narration, she reveals details about the Childs that didn't fit in smoothly with the direction of the other storyline. Chris Messina, who plays Powell's husband, Eric, deserves mention. While he's no Stanley Tucci, he more than held his own within the storyline with Adams and did a great job as her better half.
Finally, a word of warning: be sure to eat BEFORE you see this movie. With only a few exceptions, there is wonderful looking food in nearly every scene in this movie. If you don't come in with a full stomach, then plan on a trip to your favorite local dining spot on the way home.
]]>
Aspects of the Novel by E.M. ForsterBased on the trailer and the powerhouse cast, I'm looking forward to this film when it comes out in October. Let's hope that it doesn't prove the sentiment of a quote from Earhart that I found on her somewhat dated official web site:
"Anticipation, I suppose, sometimes exceeds realization."
Of course it's been nine years since we've seen each other in person, so I couldn't let her leave without snapping a couple of photos to commemorate her visit.
Melissa took one of me and Liesl:
Here's one Liesl took of me and Melissa:
It opens in select theaters on June 26th and I'm hoping to see it.
]]>
The Vet still doesn't know what is causing the rash, so she did another skin sample and checked it to no avail. She also took a hair sample and is sending it for a culture to check for a fungal infection. The Vet said if that's the cause, then she would typically prescribe a topical ointment, however because of its location, she thinks Niko would just lick it off before it had a chance to work. So, while we're waiting for the hair culture results to come back, we're going ahead with what's probably the only treatment that will work if it's a fungal infection: making Niko wear an Elizabethan collar, also known as a ruff, to prevent him from scratching the wound. As you can tell from this photo, I don't think Niko is too happy with this idea:
If this isn't a fungal infection, then we're probably going to have to get a skin biopsy and see if it's some form of immune disorder. Please keep us in your thoughts as we hope that a few weeks of wearing an uncomfortable ruff is all he has to endure to get better.
]]>Thanks to Melissa's friend, Eric, for sharing the link.
As the video states, non-fiction books take far less time to produce than fiction, often because we are only allowed a few weeks to write them (versus decades) and also because we only have time and the staff to copyedit one out of every 18 books, rather than each book 18 times.
]]>
In case you wondered, the answer is yes, that is a Miami Vice tuxedo I'm wearing. :P
]]>
| This movie is being directed by Spike Jonz. For those of you who aren't familiar with the name, Jonz directed Being John Malkovich, the wonderfully dark and surreal movie which starred John Cusack as a puppeteer who discovers a portal into the brain of John Malkovich. Jonz also directed Adaptation, another brilliant, but more neurotic movie with Nicholas Cage, Meryl Streep, and Chris Cooper (who won an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor). I thoroughly enjoyed both of these films. One down side of Jonz was his involvement in MTV's Jackass movies, to which I readily acknowledge (and am proud) that I am not part of their target demographic. My hope is that Jonz did those for the money so he could continue making high caliber artsy films. Speaking of demographics, any movie of this classic Sendack work will automatically have a large family demographic. I read in interviews that, like me, Jonz read the book as a kid, and will want to share it with his own kids. Now given his track record with the dark, artsy films and hoping that he has the sense not to incorporate any elements from the Jackass series, I'm still a bit anxious about the final product. That said, another potential positive factor for this film is that the screenplay was written by Dave Eggers, the creative mind behind McSweeney's Internet Tendency. Eggers is co-founder of a program called 826 National, which promotes writing skills in kids ages 6-18 at seven centers across the U.S. Given that level of interaction with kids, I think there's very good reason to be hopeful that the script Jonz started with was in tune with younger audiences. |
I'll be curious to see if Universal Studios, as the film's original backers, will claim credit for selecting Jonz when it turns out that he's created a brilliant, complex film with subtle layers that appeal to both kids and adults, or will Warner Brothers take it on the chin (and in the wallet) because they kept Jonz on after taking over the movie from Universal only to have him stick deliver an ultra-dark psychological study with creatures that are about as kid-friendly as the Orcs in The Lord of the Rings.
Finally, I read last summer that the movie has been in the works since at least 2006 and, according the L.A. Times, it seemed to be in serious trouble. However, now that Warner Brothers has finally announced a release date of October 16th and a movie poster (seen top, left), I am hopeful that we will see it later this year and it will have been worth the wait!
]]>Here's some of my favorite lines from that movie that I hope make it into the lyrics (warning: adult language):
