It’s been a while since I have posted on the blog and thought that JJ and I would stop to say hi! Things here are going good. JJ is working hard and I am trying to help my brothers survive tax season. Not much changes around here, except that JJ and I apparently like to play with fire…haha…just kidding this picture is from New Years with Em and Eric. Love you guys!
Never in my entire life did I think I’d watch a movie where Judi Dench (“Casino Royale”) gave me the willies. Now I know why she was nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award for her role in “Notes on a Scandal,” because Dame Judi is the British, Senior Citizen equivalent of Glen Close’s character in “Fatal Attraction.” I can’t decide what had me more alarmed: The idea of “Single White Female: Grandma Style,” or that Judi Dench’s character reminded me of my Grandmother.
In all seriousness, though, “Notes on a Scandal” is a taught drama that teeters on the fringe of psychological thriller. The filmmakers behind “The Number 23” ought to watch this movie to understand what creepy truly should feel and look like. There are no murders and there is nothing supernatural about “Notes on a Scandal,” yet I was far more disturbed and uncomfortable than I was during the laughable screening of “23.”
“Notes” is actually a novel by Zoe Heller that was one of six books shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 2003. She is credited in the film alongside Patrick Marber (“Closer”), who was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Directed by Richard Eyre (“Iris”), the story follows the narration of a sixtysomething history teacher, Barbara Covett (Judi Dench), who lives alone, having only the company of her cat as she writes her “notes” each night in her diary. From Barbara’s own words and from what we witness as she teaches and handles “crowd control” at St. George’s school, she is viewed as antiquated and mean.
However, the ice around Barbara’s heart is somewhat thawed when she meets a new art teacher at St. George’s, Sheba Hart (Cate Blanchett). At first, there is some envious disdain for Sheba, as her life is a sharp contrast to Barbara’s bleak, petty existence. Sheba is married and has two children and a very happy, busy life. However, when Sheba invites Barbara to Sunday dinner, Barbara is convinced the two might share a deep friendship.
As the two teachers begin to spend more time together, Sheba also begins an affair with a 15 year-old student, Steven Connolly (Andrew Simpson), who was seeing her for after-school art tutoring. Barbara witness firsthand the affair, seemingly ripped from the headlines (see Debra Lafave and Mary Kay Letourneau), and confronts Sheba immediately. Barbara agrees to keep the affair secret if Sheba agrees to not see Steven anymore. Sheba agrees of course and Barbara, feigning innocence, ransoms Sheba with the silent threat that she could destroy Sheba’s life with one whisper.
In the end, after failing to end the affair with her student and failing to be at Barbara’s side when her cat dies, Sheba is betrayed by a whisper and soon finds herself fired from her job, ousted by her husband and charged with indecent assault on her pupil. The headmaster at St. George’s forces Barbara into early retirement on the grounds that he knows she knew of the affair and Barbara takes Sheba into her home, as Sheba has nowhere else to go. In Barbara’s conniving mind, things have worked out well and now their friendship can blossom even further.
Unfortunately for Barbara, Sheba discovers the “notes” and Barbara’s true intentions and feelings, all of which are crushing and nauseating to Sheba. Sheba serves 10 months in prison and, it is assumed, returns home prodigally to her family. Barbara, now retired, is seen at the end of the film still writing in her diary and still scheming for a friend.
“Notes on a Scandal” deserves all the Oscar nominations it received this year and is a literary film, crafted deftly by the intelligent screenwriting and powered by the honest acting of the film’s two stars. Cate Blanchett (“Babel”) and Judi Dench are at the peak of their acting talents in “Notes,” especially Dench as the creepy, manipulative and stalking, Barbara. The emotion and decision making in the movie are raw and realistic and the use of cell phones and cell phone text messaging was fairly poignant, as in today’s information age, there are truly no secrets and even the ones we think are hidden can eventually and unexpectedly come to light.
We just wanted to say hi to the DD Cook Family and all of their posterity. We love the Cooks. Here is some pictures of us and the new addition to the family; we’re pretty spoiled.
Just a friendly reminder that next Saturday, March 3rd, is Kaden’s baptism. Hopefully Kim will see this post and post the time and address in the comments. Also, if you are not sure what to bring you could bring me a Diet Coke or call Kim and see what she needs. But seriously, you can bring me a Diet Coke. See you all next week!
I just had to share this story with everyone. Apparently some muggers in Costa Rica tried to hold up a tour bus of senior citizens and one 70 year-old man wouldn’t have it, so he put a mugger in a headlock and broke his neck, killing him. This just goes to show you that you’re only as old as you feel. Age doesn’t matter. And that’s probably why I feel like 16 years-old 24/7, because my mind stop moving past that age.
According to the premise of the new Jim Carrey film, “The Number 23,” the number in its title can be found everywhere we look and, as the movie suggests, compounded in some sort of sinister mysticism that drives the accidental numerologist to unspeakable acts and eventual suicide.
Don’t believe me? Take for instance the year of Jim Carrey’s first Hollywood hit. “Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.” It was released in 1994 and 1 + 9 + 9 + 4 = 23. Also, consider the letters in Jim Carrey’s and “The Number 23” director Joel Schumacher’s (“The Phantom of the Opera”) names combine to make 23 letters.
Oh, it doesn’t end there my friends.
Utah State University, right here in Logan, Utah, was founded in 1859 and 1 + 8 + 5 + 9 = 23. Utah Jazz legend Karl Malone was drafted in 1985. That’s right. It adds up to 23. Michael Jordan, who robbed the Jazz of two NBA championship trophies, wore number 23. Steve Young was the 23rd All-American from BYU. The Salt Lake City International Airport is the 23rd largest airport in the United States. Fry Sauce was invented in Utah in 1949. Yep, add it up, 23. There are 23 letters in the Latin alphabet. Psalm 23 in the Holy Bible is probably the most quoted verse of scripture (“The Lord is my shepherd…”). In “Star Wars: A New Hope,” Princess Leia is held in detention block AA-23 aboard the Death Star. Dr. Pepper is said to be comprised of 23 different flavors. George Herbert Walker Bush contains 23 letters.
On and on it goes, the number 23 is everywhere.
Creepy, right?
Wrong, unless you like 90 minute made-for-TV movies with Jim Carrey, who, despite trying so hard to break the slapstick comedy mold, can’t dispel the image and mannerisms of a plastic-faced funnyman. No matter the movie, I still see Ace Ventura. That works in a movie like “Bruce Almighty” or “Liar, Liar,” but not a dark “thriller.”
“The Number 23” is a nondescript book given to Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) from his wife, Agatha (Virginia Madsen), as a birthday present. It seems Walter isn’t much of a book fan, as he admits to Agatha that he’d much rather wait until the movie comes out. But in his ho-hum job as an animal control officer, Walter soon finds himself engrossed with the contents of the book. In fact, the draw isn’t so much the number 23 as it is the narrator has so much in common with Walter. Soon, Walter can’t put the book down and his obsession with the number 23 starts.
Of course, Agatha comforts Walter and tells him its all just happenstance, even after Walter explains that he’s had nightmares wherein he murders her. I don’t know about you, but if my wife told me she had dreams where she stabbed me with a butcher knife, I’d be pulling out the hide-a-bed in world record time. However, this being Hollywood, Agatha shrugs it off and all is well.
Walter tries in vain to get the book and his 23 fixation out of his blood, but to no avail. He begins to search for the book’s author, looking for clues and codes to point him in the right direction. If I go into any more detail, I’ll completely spoil the plot that, by now, you’ve probably already figured out for yourself. That seems to be the case with one-star films. Nevertheless, what Walter finds isn’t surprising by any stretch of the imagination and is definitely not thrilling or frightening. Clever, yes. Goosebump-inducing, no.
In the final analysis, I checked my watch 23 times in this movie, yawned 23 times, wished there were more than 23 Swedish Fish in the box of candy I was eating and wished my Diet Coke was 32 ounces rather than 23. I also prayed the last of my 23 brain cells wouldn’t be depleted by this wannabe thriller. Save the $6.50 + $6.50 + $10 (Yikes! 23!) you’d spend at the theater this weekend and wait for DVD.
When it comes to movies labeled as “family films,” most people think of animated movies and parents crowd the local Wal-Mart or Best Buy to snag “Open Season,” “Shrek” or some other animated film where the characters fart, burp and the embedded adult humor seems to offset any wholesomeness that could have existed. Those movies have their place and are entertaining in their own right, but definitely are not “family films.”
“Bridge to Terabithia” is true family film, wholesome and entertaining in every sense of the word. Based on the 1978 Newberry Medal winning book by Katherine Paterson, the movie tells the story of fifth grader Jesse Aarons (Josh Hutcherson), the only boy in a family of sisters. The family seems to be down-on-their-luck financially, as Jesse has to wear his sister’s hand me down sneakers to school, but to make things tougher for Jesse, it seems that his father (Robert Patrick) thinks Jesse has his head in the clouds and treats him accordingly.
Life isn’t easier for Jesse at school. Not only is he picked on by two male bullies in his class, but he is constantly harassed by eighth grader Janice Avery (Lauren Clinton). The only things that make Jesse happy at school are sketching in his notebook, music class with Ms Edmonds (Zooey Deschanel) - whom he secretly has a crush on, and the big race he’s been training for all summer.
The race is the first day of school and it looks like Jesse will win, until he is beat out by a new edition to the school, Leslie Burke (AnnaSophia Robb). Jesse is devastated that he was beat by a girl and that she stole his moment in the sun, so when she tries to befriend him, he shrugs her off and goes back to his daily sulking.
However, discovering Leslie is his next door neighbor and that she, like him, is teased for being different by other kids at school, they begin to form a strong friendship, most of the time in the woods behind their houses, pretending they are King and Queen of a magical land called “Terabithia.” Their friendship and the lessons they learn from each other in “Terabithia” help them through the school year and help Jesse come to terms with the bullies, his talent for drawing and his relationship with his father.
There’s more to the story and anyone who has read the book knows you should definitely bring your hankie to the theater. There was much sniffing and wiping of eyes at the screening I attended last weekend and, I’ll admit, it took me guzzling 20 ounces of Diet Coke in 11 seconds to keep the tearful lumps down in my throat. But all-in-all, this is good, clean family entertainment and a great movie to take the kids to for a Saturday matinee.
