BEASTS OF THE SOUTHERN WILD/Violet Crown

Sometimes a film can raise you to a higher plain emotionally and thoughtfully and today that is what happened for me at the VC.  I had read a wonderful NEW YORKER review about the film but had been forewarned by a dear friend that I might not like it.  Well, today I was riveted by the performance of Louisiana 6 y.o. Quevenzhane Wallis and her local father actor Dwight Henry.  There was nothing about this film that I disliked.  The characters were so authentic, the environment so challenging and the love between the actors for their special place had me cheering for every counter culture move they made.  I came away feeling we have no right to remove people from life threatening conditions.  Where should we bring them to...a football stadium where no one likes them and police shoot them walking across a bridge?  We live in an imperfect world.  The funeral scene for Wink made me think it was the most authentic ritual I could ever hope for when it is my time to move on.  Go see this film.  It is wonderful!

SAVAGES

Passed up our AFS Doc night at the Austin Studios to see a pure brain not required film.  While Benicio Del Toro plays one of the scariest torturers on film and I spent half of the film covering my eyes I found this film entertaining.  A story of marijuana growers in California who make unbelievable weed grow..the seeds come from Afghanistan (thank our military intervention for that one).  Two guys share the same girlfriend and go to extremes to save her from the Mexican cartel who wants the California weed.  Dumb storyline, John Travolta is humorous as a crooked DEA agent, Blake Lively plays a vapid stupid rich pothead but it all worked for me after a week of a major house project.  Sometimes you just need to sit back and be dumb!

LAS MALAS INTENCIONES X 2

I'm reposting what I wrote in April about this wonderful film.  Rosa Garcia-Montero is a daring director who makes choices for children that are unique and rarely seen.  I must admit I find this little girl's analysis of the adults in her world to be intelligent and compelling.  And yes, she does bad things.


LAS MALAS INTENCIONES/Cine Las Americas

YIKES! A FLOOD!/AUSTIN DRAINAGE AND LANDSCAPE

The Tuesday before we left for NYC there was a biblical storm and water was ankle deep outside of our LR windows.  I screamed, Abe ran outside with buckets and hauled it up and away and I grabbed every towel in the house and placed around the LR windows.  We left for NYC fearful as more rain was anticipated and it came..3"-6".  But before we left we met with Scott Lockhart from AUSTIN DRAINAGE and LANDSCAPE who reassured us he would take care of this the day we returned, drew up a plan for new drain pipes, landscaping and exposing our foundation.  We left, heard about the rain from Reed and got a reassuring call from Liz that all was dry indoors and the garden did not need to be watered.  We arrived home and for the last four days a crew of hard working men (all on salary) and exceedingly pleasant have worked from 7a.m.-5p.m. doing really hard digging, drilling, paving, hauling, brick laying.  This has been an enormous task and we are so pleased with the outcome and the ease with which Scott helped us.  So if you have a flood or need drain or landscape work I recommend this contractor with 5 stars.

THE FLAME

After a long afternoon on the set of SACRIFICE (there's lots of waiting around on shoots) we headed up to SKYCANDY to see an aerial and theater performance directed by Andy Agne with music composed by Chris Humphrey.  I met Chris when I was an extra on ALL THAT REMAINS and she was a lead actor.  I had the good fortune of being cast next to her on a couch with the instruction to be consoling to her at her time of grief.  What an interesting conversation ensued and since that time I've learned all that she does here in Austin as an actor and a musician.

 Last night's performance of THE FLAME was wonderful and unusual.  The Olympics can be very boring for me but these artists performing aerial and acrobatic tasks on hoops were amazing!  The music and singers added so much to the feeling tone as well.  The piece about the slaughter at the 1972 Munich Olympics was particularly heartfelt for me and Abe.  The music that accompanied "Grecian Homecoming" had me dancin' in my seat.  This is a solid evening of entertainment.  Thank-you Chris for sharing.

Seeing A Film In This Country

I was about to write a post about THE THIRD MAN which we saw last night at a packed to the gills  PARAMOUNT  theater.  But I was stopped dead in my tracks by the news about last night's events in a suburb of Denver, only 25 miles from Columbine.  I'm shocked and outraged and walking in every parent's shoes who may have lost a loved child. I can't imagine being made fearful of  going to see a film, the way I and so many others have  learned about the world when we were growing up in our own enclaves.  A form of entertainment that is safe, can be culturally and globally enhancing as well as being entertaining.  I did not grow up around guns and continue to be very uncomfortable with the gun talk that is so easily had here.  We need to continue to make guns a very real issue in this very disturbed and violent world.  I am happy to say I have not raised kids who think guns are good.

Maynard,Our Fat-Tailed Gecko/ 30 Years Together

I was about to run out to pick up crickets for our African fat tailed gecko and then decided to write about him.  He's named Maynard for an English drummer (TOOL?)  He was Liz's 17th birthday present and became ours when she left for UT the following year.  He's a very related easy to care for guy who eats crickets we buy from RIVER and REEF on S 1st.  When we decided to move to Austin we really struggled as to how to get him here (many lizards are confiscated from your pocket by TSA).  So we sent him UPS and he had his own airline ticket.  And he drove around in a UPS truck until Liz's boyfriend at the time retrieved him and sent us a message he was OK.  I have saved the message on my phone...it was a stressful delivery!  And so today when we meet Liz at the Four Seasons to celebrate our 30th Anniversary I am thinking about the children in my life.  The people whom I have had the privilege to bring into the world and orient  to a life I think is important.  Both Josh and Liz are Abe's and my proudest achievements.  They enhance the world they were brought into and contribute so much.  They lead lives of productivity, creativity, benevolence, and have no greed.  They do for others by the jobs they have chosen.  Josh helps people get around our nation's capitol on bicycles: no oil issues, no footprints, no toxic air pollutants, and good health contributions.  Liz takes photos of people and children who benefit from the new Health Care Law.  She brings us photos of lives and environments so far from our own and always manages to find the people who live on the bleachers, but contribute so much.  So while I am dining at one of Austin's finest restaurants, my heart is filled with gratitude for the life I have shared with a truly great man.  Happy Anniversary Abe.