Well, Doris's birthday is the official kick-off to the family holiday blitz. We'll gather to celebrate her life. Then comes the annual turkey and trimmings day of thankfulness. Then Christmas, New Year's, and the major month of birthdays --- January (Garth, Dad/Dick, Mom/Jane, Audrey, and Andrew). [Thanks to the Curtins joining the family, the month of June is now in second (Steve, Kyle, and me).] A lovely season to be with family, friends, and good food. I've already started to crave Glen's frozen cranberry relish delight, especially spread on a left-over turkey sandwich.
So, I need everyone to blog their wish list for Christmas. General categories or descriptors are good, too. For instance, a general category for me is...I enjoy gift certificates (Amazon, Borders, William Sonoma, Crate & Barrell, Olive Garden, etc.). A descriptor would be...please, no scented candles, perfume of any form, chocolate candy, or anything with a lab dog printed on it --- I do love my labs. I just don't care for lab stuff --- trinkets and such. So, go for it.
Also, I need to know who wants in on the family gift exchange this year. Please let me know by Thanksgiving, so we can draw names that day.
I saw "The Incredibles" and "Polar Express" this week and was delighted differently by both. Now, I am an animation fan to begin with. I grew up in the day of choppy cartoon movements, 2D appearance, very simple backgrounds, and three-fingered characters. The classic cartoon has truely positioned me to be amazed and impressed with the latest and greatest computer-aided animated stories. So, technically, I was fascinated by lifelike characters, almost 3D settings, and a sensation of speed and thrill in both. I do not know how they do it! A friend of a friend worked on Polar Express for years, so I enjoyed seeing his name early in the credits (Rob Bredow).
The Incredibles is just a fun romping adventure with some great character concepts, clever dialog/lines, a nasty bad dude, fantastic chases, and mid-life philosophy that made me smile. The set-up for the sequel was blatant...but can I blame them? Why not!
Polar Express is darker. I LOVED IT! In fact, I've already bought my very own Polar Express hot chocolate mug...just like the one in the movie. And I carry a sleigh bell in my right pocket now. It was inspirational.
First of all, it employed a new form of animation using actors with sensors to create cartoon characters. Tom Hanks played the little boy, the train conductor, the hobo, Santa, and I believe the boy's father. The voice of the boy does not appear to be his.
This is a very thoughtful story that walks right to the edge of cliche and stops at a point of meaningful interaction. Although much has been added to the original story, it stays true to the tone and illustration style. It is about the struggle between childhood and adulthood. The story is about Santa Claus and the point where a child no longer believes. Now, I didn't go to this movie for insight into the Christian worldview or the true meaning of Christmas, so calm down.
It offers a fun plot with almost never-ending twists, amazing graphics and visual sensations, wonderful characters. I laughed, cried, felt the suspense, and smiled with joy. I loved the snow and winter (always miss that about this time of year). I was thrilled to see a female lead of a young African-American girl with true leadership qualities and good character. I found it refreshing that the kids were all good kids. I got a big kick out of one boy who exists somewhere in each of our lives --- the loud know-it-all. He was very cleverly portrayed. And the ticket punching was such a cool touch. Some, I'm sure, will be critical of so much of what I loved --- what's new? It was a fun Christmas story. It was positive and truthful (meaning that Christmas can sometimes be disappointing, but hope has an important role inside and we need community to keep it). There were some intense scenes...such as a puppet sequence that may be too much for small kids. We are shown who makes the puppet move, though, which would be very helpful to kids who may be a little spooked. Thoughtful of the movie makers to do, whether intentionally or not. Just a decent, fun, family film. Believe...:-)
Glen was out of town for a week, so I had fun renting "chick flicks" and eating Chinese take-out and left-overs for several evenings. I rented "Mona Lisa Smile," "Laws of Attraction," and "Mean Girls." Enjoyed them all for different reasons.
OK, I've violated the length of the blog entry code. So long for now.
No comments:
Post a Comment