Super Bad

I watched the DVD "Super Bad."

Synopsis

Seth (Jonah Hill) and Evan (Michael Cera) are best friends, inseparable, navigating the last weeks of high school. Usually shunned by the popular kids, Seth and Evan luck into an invitation to a party, and spend a long day, with the help of their nerdy friend Fogell (Christopher MIntz-Plasse), trying to score enough alcohol to lubricate the party and inebriate two girls, Jules (Emma Stone) and Becca (Martha Macissac) so they can kick-start their sex lives and go off to college with a summer full of experience and new skills. Their quest is complicated by Fogell's falling in with two inept cops (Bill Hader and Seth Rogen) who both slow and assist the plan. If they do get the liquor to the party, what then? Is sex the only rite of passage at hand?

Jesus: A Story Of Enlightenment

I finished reading "Jesus: A Story Of Enlightenment" by Deepak Chopra.

ABOUT THE BOOK

The book speculates the story of the Messiah-to-be during what might be called his early "Wanderjahr." And wander he does. We meet Jesus consulting with a guru on an icy mountaintop in what seems like Tibet. He gets caught up with armed Jewish zealots, dallies with the Essenes (who collected the Dead Sea Scrolls) and eventually achieves a oneness with God.

"There are no facts to tell us what happened to the young Jesus during his “lost years” between the Nativity story and the day he appears at the River Jordan, age thirty, to be baptized. The book describes an extraordinary youth who discovers, step by step, that he is the awaited Messiah. This is a journey into the realm of miracles and, in the end, complete enlightenment. It’s been a long time—perhaps as far back as Thomas Jefferson—that Americans seriously considered Jesus, not as the Son of God, but as an enlightened teacher. It puts sacredness in human terms and how enlightenment unfolds from promising beginnings, not full divinity. In an age when Jesus threatens to become the exclusive property of fervent, literal-minded devotees, we have an urgent need to bring him back, not as the savior, but as a savior—one who won his own salvation before promising it to the world." - Deepak Chopra

Frank Runyeon

Frank Runyeon spoke at our church. His topic was "Hollywood vs. Faith." Runyeon admits he has always felt torn between the world of the media and the world of faith. He thinks much of America is. We go from our TV to church, and then back to our TV (or I-Pod or computer). We want to live in both worlds. But is that really possible? Over the past 30 years, as the way of life embodied by the mass media has moved further and further from the Christian way of life, Runyeon confides he has struggled to make the right choices. He speaks with humor about that struggle, and shares the fruits of lessons he has learned—from his studies at Princeton to working opposite Meg Ryan on the soaps, from hosting comedy talk shows on L.A. radio to studying at Yale Divinity, from 10 years touring America (and over 1,000 churches) to 20 years as a parent. Runyeon shares the thoughts he’s found helpful over the years, funny experiences on set, and the surprising discoveries that come from “looking behind the curtain” at the wizard of Hollywood. He urges us all to think (and laugh) about the media, not just take a bath in them. He discusses the impact of commercial sponsorship, and the real reasons for all the sex and violence. Finally, Runyeon identifies what he calls the “Three Big Lies” of Hollywood, sharing personal experiences that show how much Americans have come to believe in them and let them shape our way of life. He suggests a surprisingly simple answer to how we can live faithfully as Christians while still enjoying the best of the media.

It was an excellent presentation. He has a powerful voice and message. Our boys worked the lights.

The Bucket List

We watched the DVD "The Bucket List."

Synopsis

The quiet mechanic Carter Chambers (Morgan Freemna) is a man with a great general culture; has been married for forty-five years with his beloved wife Virginia and has two sons - one lawyer the other engineer - and a violinist daughter. The caustic and bitter billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) owns many hospitals, has many divorces and one missing daughter. Following the policy of Edward, his hospital makes no exception giving a private room to him and he shares the same room as Carter. Along the days, they become close to each other and when Edward finds in the garbage the bucket list that Carter had prepared, listing all he wanted to do before dying, he includes his own items and invites Carter to a journey of friendship, discoveries and redemption.

Pink Panther 2

The whole family went to a special screening of "Pink Panther 2" st Hollywood Blvd. Theatre. I had the "Attack Of The Mushroom" Burger. The boys had "Chevy" Cheeseburgers.

Synopsis

When legendary treasures from around the world are stolen, including the priceless Pink Panther Diamond, Chief Inspector Dreyfus is forced to assign Inspector Clouseau (Steve Martin) to a team of international detectives and experts charged with catching the thief and retrieving the stolen artifacts.

Transporter

I watched the DVD "Transporter."

Synopsis

Ex-Special Forces operator Frank Martin (Jason Statham) lives what seems to be a quiet life along the French Mediterranean, hiring himself out as a mercenary "transporter" who moves goods human or otherwise from one place to another. No questions asked. Carrying out mysterious and sometimes dangerous tasks in his tricked-out BMW, Frank adheres to a strict set of rules, which he never breaks. Rule One: Never change the deal. Rule Two: No names Frank doesn't want to know whom he's working for, or what he's transporting. Rule Three: never look in the package. Frank's newest transport seems no different from the countless ones he's done in the past. He's been hired by an American known only as "Wall Street" to make a delivery; but when Frank stops along the route, he notices his package is moving. Violating Rule Three, Frank looks inside the bag, finding its contents to be a beautiful, gagged woman (Qi Shu). Frank's steadfast adherence to his other two rules which make up his basic code of survival also quickly fails, hurtling him and his new companion on a road leading to shocking secrets, deadly complications, and the last thing that Frank ever expected to come to believe: that rules are made to be broken.

Coyotes

I saw two coyotes running around in the neighborhood streets this morning when I was leaving around 6:00 a.m. The sun was just coming up. We have a playground park around the corner from us in our subdivision and I've seen them in the past near the park. Wild.

I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With

We watched the DVD "I Want Someone To Eat Cheese With." I'm a big fan of the show "Curb Your Enthusiasm" and Larry David. This movie was a lot like the show and even the music sounded similar. I laughed at a lot of the scenes.

Synopsis

Life has its ups and downs for James (Jeff Garlin) He is still living with his mother at age 39. He's an aging performer at Chicago's Second City. He eats and weighs too much. The woman he's been dating dumps him, as does his agent (Richard Kind) her brother. James turns down a role in a local TV show and any roles that make him sad. Someone's remaking his favorite movie, "Marty" a role he'd love, but he doesn't even get called for an audition. He has a minor meltdown when talking at a grade school career day. Things look up when he meets the quirky Beth (Sarah Silverman) at an ice cream shop. Can James save his career, move out from his mom's house and find someone to eat cheese with? Or is he destined to watch Jackie Gleason and be Marty for the rest of his life?

Lucky Number Slevin

I watched the DVD "Lucky Number Slevin."

Synopsis

In an airport waiting room, a man in a wheelchair (Bruce Willis) tells a stranger sitting there a story about a fixed horse race in 1979 that resulted in the death of a family. In Manhattan, two bookies and the son of a Mob boss die. A young man (Josh Hartnett) just out of the shower answers the door to a neighbor woman (Lucy Liu) and explains that he's just visiting and has had a bad week, which included catching his girlfriend with another man and being being mugged. He doesn't know where his friend, who lives there, is. The neighbor woman who comes to borrow sugar is chatty and she's also a coroner. Two thugs arrive and believe the visitor is the guy who lives there. They take him to see The Boss (Morgan Freeman) with the dead son, who tells him to kill the son of his Mob rival - The Rabbi (Ben Kingsley) What connects the threads? The cops are watching.

Downers South Basketball Game

Roster
20 Gorniak, Alex Senior 5-11 G
21 Mueller, Bobby Junior 5-9 G
24 Herron, Malcolm Senior 6-4 G
30 Bentley, Mark Junior 5-11 G
31 Steinhaus, Buddy Junior 6-2 F
32 Janowiak, Tom Junior 6-3 G
33 Dillon, John Sophomore 5-11 G
34 Cahill, Michael Senior 6-1 G
35 Carson, Seth Senior 6-1 F
4 Mahone, Don Senior 5-10 G
40 Staisiunas, Julius Senior 6-1 F
42 Kusinski, Mike Junior 6-3 F
45 Biel, Joe Junior 6-2 F
5 Kaminski, Chris Junior 5-10 G
50 Bledar, Dervishi Junior 6-7 C
52 Wido, Kevin Junior 6-2 C

We went to watch the Downers Grove South High School Basketball game with some friends. I haven't been to a high school basketball game in a couple fo years. They played Addison Trail and led almost the whole game. Downers South won 66 to 59. Number 40 had a good game.

Playing Mona Lisa

We watched the DVD "Playing Mona Lisa." The actress actually played the piano in the movie.

Synopsis

Claire Goldstein (Alicia Witt) is a gifted pianist, but the same week that none of her friends pass a major competition, including her boyfriend Jeremy (Zachary Kranzler) he dumps her. An earthquake in San Francisco damages her apartment, so she must cross town to live with her parents. Her sister (Molly Hagan)is about to get married; her mom (Marlo Thomas) is into the occult; her dad (Elliott Gould) is withdrawing and losing his job. Claire obsesses about Jeremy, despite her girlfriends' advising her how to attract other men ("look mysterious, like Mona Lisa") and taking her to parties. Her sweet teacher Bennett (Harvey Fierstein) gets her auditions but she's late or blows them off. By chance she meets Eddie (Ivan Sergei) Is he her key to her rejoining the human race?

Inkheart

We went to the premiere of "Inkheart" at the Hollywood Blvd. Theatre in Woodridge. The boys joined us. My youngest son has read all of Cornelia Funke's 'Ink' books and we have them all autographed. I had the "Sylester Stallone Sandwich" and they both had "Chevy Cheeseburgers." It was a good movie.

Synopsis

Mo Folchart (Brendan Fraser) possesses a secret ability to bring characters from books to life when he reads them aloud. But when Mo accidentally brings a power-hungry villain from a rare children's fable to life, the villain kidnaps Mo's daughter (Eliza Bennett) and demands Mo bring other evil fictional characters to life. In an attempt to rescue his daughter, Mo assembles a disparate group of friends - both real and magic - and embarks on a journey to save her and set things right.

Snow Angels

We watched the DVD "Snow Angels."

Synopsis

On a cold winter afternoon with snow on the ground, the high school band is practicing for the last football game and they hear gunshots. Flashback to a few weeks earlier. Arthur (Michael Angarano) is a high school student and band member is working at a restaurant with waitresses Annie (Kate Beckinsale) and Barb (Amy Sedaris) Annie was Arthur's babysitter when he was younger. Now she's now separated from her husband Glenn (Sam Rockwell) who's on the wagon, starting a new job, praying to Jesus, and trying to prove he's back to normal so he can see more of their small daughter, Tara. (Gracie Hudson) Annie is seeing someone else. Arthur's parents have just separated and Arthur is attracted to Lila (Olivia Thirlby) a new student at the high school. It's a small town where people's lives cross.

Mozart And The Whale

We watched the DVD "Mozart And The Whale."

Synopsis

A dramatic-comedy, inspired by the lives of two people with Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism, whose emotional dysfunctions threaten to sabotage their budding romance. Donald (Josh Hartnett) is a good-natured but hapless taxi driver with a love of birds and a superhuman knack for numbers. Like many people with Asperger's Syndrome, he likes patterns and routines. But when the beautiful but complicated Isabel (Radha MItchell) joins the autism support group he leads, his life - and his heart - are turned upside down.

Deaf Sentence

I finished "Deaf Sentence" by David Lodge. I don't know why I'm drawn lately to these comedic books about mid-life crisis. Hum?

ABOUT THE BOOK

When the university merged his Department of English with Linguistics, Professor Desmond Bates took early retirement, but he is not enjoying it. He misses the routine of the academic year and has lost his appetite for research. His wife Winifred’s late-flowering career goes from strength to strength, reducing his role to that of escort, while the rejuvenation of her appearance makes him uneasily conscious of the age gap between them. The monotony of his days is relieved only by wearisome journeys to London to check on his aged father who stubbornly refuses to leave the house he is patently unable to live in with safety. But these discontents are nothing compared to the affliction of hearing loss — a constant source of domestic friction and social embarrassment, leading Desmond into mistakes, misunderstandings and follies. It might be comic for others, but for the deaf person himself, it is no joke. It is his deafness which inadvertently involves Desmond with a young woman whose wayward behaviour threatens to destabilize his life completely.

Lookout

I watched the DVD "Lookout."

Synopsis

An admired high school hockey player (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) with a bright future foolishly takes a drive in the night with his girl friend and two other friends with his headlights off with devastating results. The former athlete is left with a brain injury that prevents him from remembering many things for extended periods of time. To compensate, he keeps notes in a small notebook to aid him in remembering what he is to do. He also lives with a blind friend (Jeff Daniels) who aids him. Obviously, with the mental incapacitation, he is unable to have meaningful work. Thus he works as a night cleaning man in a bank. It is there he comes under the scrutiny of a gang planning to rob the bank. The leader (Matthew Goode) befriends him and gets him involved with a young woman (Isla Fisher) who further reels him in. After they get close and after reeling him in with his own failures, the bank plan unfolds. Confused but wanting to escape his current existence, he initially goes along with the scheme. After realizing he is being used, he attempts to stop the robbery, which of course immediately goes awry. Bruce McGill and Alberta Watson also co-star as the young man's parents, who still search for the person that was there before the tragic crash.

S.O.B.

We watched the DVD "S.O.B."

Synopsis

A scathing send-up of Hollywood, S.O.B. (the letters stand for "Standard Operational Bullshit") tells the story of Felix Farmer (Richard Mulligan), a big-time producer who suffers a nervous breakdown after his big-budget, wholesome family film starring his actress-singer wife (Julie Andrews) bombs at the box office. The desperate Farmer hits upon a desperate scheme: He'll buy the film from the studio, re-shoot several scenes to include R-rated material, then re-release the movie himself. But things don't go entirely according to plan.

I remember the big deal made about this movie because you got to see Julie Andrews breasts.

Downers Delight

We took the boys out for and end of finals celebratory dinner at Downers Delight. They both had breakfast for dinner and dessert. I had one of the specials - Chicken Oscar. It was too much so I brought half of it home. The restaurant was pretty empty for a Friday night. I'm sure a lot had to do with the cold weather and economy.

New In Town

We went to the premiere of "New In Town" at Hollywood Blvd. in Woodridge. We ran into my cousin Arnie and his Uncle Chuck. They were there to see "Gran Torino." I had the Chevy Cheeseburger and Joanna had the Old Blue Eyes Martini.
They had a gift bag for everyone with a red shoe cell phone holder and Schick razor. The theme was "Ladies Night Out." I was one of less than 10 men in the theatre. It was a good movie.

Synopsis

A high-powered consultant (Renee Zellweger) in love with her upscale Miami lifestyle is sent to New Ulm, a middle of nowhere town in Minnesota to oversee the restructuring of a blue collar manufacturing plant. After enduring a frosty reception from the locals, icy roads and freezing weather, she warms up to the small town's charm, and eventually finds herself being accepted by the community. When she's ordered to close down the plant and put the entire community out of work, she's forced to reconsider her goals and priorities, and finds a way to save the town.

Charlie Wilson's War

I watched the DVD "Charlie Wilson's War."

Synopsis

In the early 1980s, Charlie Wilson (Tom Hanks) is a womanizing US congressional representative from Texas who seemed to be in the minor leagues, except for the fact that he is a member of two major foreign policy and covert-ops committees. However, prodded by his major conservative supporter, Joanne Herring (Julia Roberts), Wilson learns about the plight of the people are suffering in the brutal Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. With the help of the maverick CIA agent, Gust Avrakotos (Philip Seymour Hoffman), Wilson dedicates his canny political efforts to supply the Afghan mujahideen with the weapons and support to defeat the Soviet Union. However, Charlie Wilson eventually learns that while military victory can had, there are other consequences and prices to that fight that are ignored to everyone's sorrow.

The Island

I watched the DVD "The Island."

Synopsis

Lincoln Six-Echo (Ewan McGregor) is a resident of a seemingly Utopian but contained facility in the mid 21st century. Like all of the inhabitants of this carefully controlled environment, Lincoln hopes to be chosen to go to the "The Island" reportedly the last uncontaminated spot on the planet. But Lincoln soon discovers that everything about his existence is a lie. He and all of the other inhabitants of the facility are actually human clones. Lincoln makes a daring escape with a beautiful fellow resident named Jordan Two-Delta (Scarlett Johansson) Relentlessly pursued by the forces of the sinister institute that once housed them, Lincoln and Jordan engage in a race for their lives to literally meet their makers.

License To Wed

We watched the DVD "License To Wed."

Synopsis

Sadie (Mandy Moore) and Ben (John Krasinski) are in love and although Ben suggests getting married in the Caribbean, Sadie has her heart set on a wedding at the family church, St. Augustine's. Ben says sure and they meet with the pastor, Reverend Frank (Robin Williams) The only date open for two years is three weeks away, and Rev. Frank insists the kids go through his marriage prep course. They're to write their own vows and he also demands chastity, bugs their apartment, initiates arguments, has them care for robot twins, creates friction between Ben and her family, and raises doubts in Sadie. Desperate, Ben looks for dirt on Frank. Can he undermine Frank's authority and keep Sadie's heart?

Hotel For Dogs

We went to the premiere screening for "Hotel For Dogs" at Hollywood Blvd. in Woodridge. It was our second premiere screening. It was half price martini night. We shared a "Vanilla Almond Martini and Lewis" I had the "Attack of the Mushroom Burger" and Joanna had the chicken quesadilla. The movie was very entertaining and dog lovers will love it.

Synopsis

When their new guardians forbid 16-year old Andi (Emma Roberts) and her younger brother, Bruce (Jake T. Austin) to have a pet, Andi has to use her quick wit to help find a new home for their dog, Friday. The resourceful kids stumble upon an abandoned hotel and using Bruce's talents as a mechanical genius, transform it into a magical dog-paradise for Friday and eventually for all Friday's friends. When barking dogs make the neighbors suspicious, Andi and Bruce use every invention they have to avoid anyone discovering "who let the dogs in."

Once

We watched the DVD "Once."

Synopsis

An unnamed guy is a Dublin guitarist/singer-songwriter who makes a living by fixing vacuum cleaners in his Dad's Hoover repair shop by day, and singing and playing for money on the Dublin streets by night. An unnamed girl is a Czech immigrant who plays piano when she gets a chance at lunch in a music store, and does odd jobs by day and takes care of her mom and her daughter by night. Guy meets Girl, and they get to know each other as the Girl helps the Guy to put together a demo disc that he can take to London in hope of landing a music contract. During the same several day period, the Guy and the Girl work through their past loves, and reveal their budding love for one another, through their songs.

21

I watched the DVD "21."

Synopsis

Looking for a way to pay for tuition, Ben Campbell (Jim Sturgess) finds himself quietly recruited by MIT's most gifted students in a daring plot to break Vegas. With the help of a brilliant statistics professor (Kevin Spacey) and armed with fake IDs, intelligence and a complicated system of counting cards, Ben and his friends succeed in breaking the impenetrable casinos. Now, his challenge is keeping the numbers straight and staying one step ahead of the casinos before it all spirals out of control.

Sweet Lorraine

I watched the DVD "Sweet Lorraine."

Synopsis

The elderly owner (Maureen Stapleton) of an aging but still beloved Catskill's landmark inn must decide whether to make necessary repairs to the hotel or to sell the land to developers. Meanwhile the owner's granddaughter toils in the hotel kitchen for the summer and the other staff members do their jobs.

King Of California

We watched the DVD "King Of California."

Synopsis

At the age of sixteen, Miranda (Evan Rachel Wood) has already had to live with her share of disappointments. Abandoned by her mother, shes dropped out of school and has been supporting herself as an employee at McDonalds while her father Charlie (Michael Douglas) resides in a mental institution. When Charlie is released and sent back to their home, Miranda finds the relatively peaceful existence shes built for herself completely disrupted. Charlie has become obsessed with the notion that the long-lost treasure of Spanish explorer Father Juan Florismarte Garces is buried somewhere near their suburban California housing unit. Armed with a metal detector and a stack of treasure-hunting books, Charlie soon finds reason to believe that the gold resides underneath the local Costco, and encourages Miranda to get a job there so that they can plan a way to excavate after hours. Initially skeptical, Miranda soon finds herself joining in Charlies questionable antics in an effort to give him one last shot at accomplishing his dreams in this darkly funny, exciting and surprisingly hopeful take on the modern family and the American dream.