I‘ve seen all but two of the films nominated for Best Picture this year, and here are my brief comments:

THE DEPARTED
I really enjoyed this movie, and I thought it was well-directed and well-acted, especially by Leonardo DeCaprio and Mark Wahlberg. And while I hate to sound like a movie snob (which is probably what I am anyway), but I’ve seen the original Hong Kong movie INFERNAL AFFAIRS upon which this is based and, to me at least, it’s a better, more consistent movie. Why? Because THE DEPARTED has a waaaay over the top performance by Jack Nicholson as not just “The Bad Guy”, but as The Personification Of All Evil that really detracts from the overall story. And the American version also has a love interest that has relationships with not one, but both of the main characters, which makes an already psychologically complex movie even more complex. And these things take away from my favorite thing about the movie, which is the relationships between the criminals and the cops, the male bonding, and the flipping allegiances of the main characters. I’m not saying it’s a bad movie at all, and I think Wahlberg deserves an Oscar nomination (as did Leo), but I would urge you to seek out the HK version (and it’s two sequels).

BABEL
I can say without a doubt that the first movie by this writer/director team, AMORES PERROS, is one of the best movies of the past ten years. It had many of the same things that make this movie a critical favorite — strong performances, great directing, a splintered storyline that gradually becomes related. So did their second film, 16 GRAMS, which I didn’t care for despite some excellent performances (it was just too, shall we say, lugubrious, aka “slooooow”). BABEL is very good, with really good performances, but the movie moves just slowly enough at times that the mind starts to wander, and questions come up, such as:

–What parents in their right mind, after the death of a child, would say,, Hey, why don’t we take a break and leave our other two children at home while we take a vacation in the middle of frickin’ nowhere?
–What Dad in his right mind would stat away from home while his teenage daughter is going throgh an agonizing emotional spiral, even if he is a Salary man in Japan?
–Shoudn’t there be a movie law against close-ups of the wizen, wise faces of foreigners who are more in touch with their humanity than our floundering main characters?

Also, the inevitable plot connections between the characters seem rather forced and ultimately not that signiificant. Do we really need forced connections to show the similarities betweebn different cultures and peoples? Do we really think other people from other backgrounds don’t also face anguish and alienation from their fellow man?

For that reason, Brad concentrates on:

LITTLE MISS SUNSHINE
Besides CHILDREN OF MEN, this was certainly the best movie of the year, with great performances, a story that is both refreshingly cynical and bracingly honest about how hard it is just to get by in a family and in life, but is also full of emotion and heart and reminds you why you love movies and why people go on living.

Still to come: That grumpy queen, and Japanese soldiers disemboweling themselves..

PATAGONIA, Ariz. — Jim Harrison, author of rugged, outdoorsy books like “True North” and “Legends of the Fall,” is tough on vehicles. His current ride is a much-abused Chevy Tahoe that every day is pounded over terrain most S.U.V.’s experience only in commercials: splashing through creeks, lurching down hills, bouncing over rock-strewn dirt roads in the back country of southern Arizona, where Mr. Harrison and his wife, Linda, spend the winter months in an adobe casita on the Sonoita Creek. The shock absorbers are so overstressed they’ve gone a little spongy.
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From Wii Winter

From Wii Winter

From Wii Winter

It’s important to bond with your children, and there’s no better way to bond then by waking them up at 6 AM on a Sunday, throwing on twenty layers of clothes, stopping at Starbuck’s for something warm and caffeinated, and then waiting in line outside in the 21-degree weather at 6:55 AM at Target with 15 other insane people , all waiting for a chance to but a new Wii gaming system when the store opens at 8.

But at 7:55 the teenage kid in the red Target shirt with all the power came out, counted us, and found us worthy. “You’re all getting a Wii!” he said. The crowd applauded. They let us inside, and after the feeling came back into our extremities, we all plunked down our credit card, picked up our Wiis (with free T-shirt–kid size, unfortunately), and went home happy.

I am no “Gamer” (I’m what they call “an adult”), but I gotta say it’s a pretty cool system, and coolest by far is your ability simulate the movement in the game with the wireless had-held controls. Boxing has never felt so real! Bowling has never been so exciting! Golf is just as boring and tedious as in real life! I’d check it out if you were interested and had some money to burn and some of your own bonding to do.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, it’s my turn to play tennis.

Well, he’s back. Last year I kept track of everyone killed on 24, and got lots of hits from a lot of nice people. I was thinking about doing it for Season 6 until I ran across this site. He takes the Jack body count to a whole other level. Kudos!

Note to self: Do not lean next to Jack’s choppers.

From Kitchen Renov…

We’re in the process of replacing the ceramic-tile kitchen floor with laminate. As usual, there are all sorts of interesting complcations, and we’re also considering replacing the cabinets while we have the whole thing up.
Basically we have, from bottom to top:

Subflooor
Dried Adhesive
Linoleum
Wood Surface for Tile, nailed into Lino/Subfloor
Thinset Mortar
3/8″ or more ceramic tile

We use a mini-jackhammer and a crowbar, and man-made sweat. We do this between work, child-rearing, PTA, friends, cooking with home-made sour-dough, and Madeline’s cheerleading practice on the living room carpet.
Oh, the fun we have! More updates as they happen…

“Your child has been selected to represent Roosevelt Primary School at the City of Ferndale’s Council meeting on Monday, January 8! Mayor Robert Porter has invited Ferndale School stdents to lead the Council in the Pledge of Allegiance and perform a short song for the Council and community.”

“I asked teachers to send me names of students who were responsible, hard workers and showed pride in our incredible school. Congratulations! Your child was chosen!”

The old me before kids would have made fun of this. If the old me did that in front of the new me today, the new me would punch the old me in the stomach.

Congrats to Maddy, future mayor of Ferndale.

Haven’t had a lot of time for lists, but I was thinking of best techie geekie things that helped me through the day in 2006, and if you haven’t checked them out, I’d have to suggest:

1) Podcasts and Audiobooks: Some of best books I read last year I didn’t actually read, but listened to. The Ricky Gervais podcasts were awesome. I can’t go a week without listening to This American Life. If you have an iPod or equivalent, it’s really fun and useful utilization of your limited time, especially when driving to and from work.

2) Aggregrate Sites: The whole Web 2.0 News aggregator thing is well worth it. Once again, when there’s a gazillion things out there, it helps to have everything in one place. I’d recommend all the usual favorites — DIGG, Google Reader, and my favorite PopUrls.

3) Bit Torrents. You missed last night’s 24? No problem! You won’t be able to see that British show you’ve heard about til it comes to States next year? Not an issue. You’re obsessed with Traci Lords? So are many others! One caveat, though: I’m not sure this is what you would strictly call “legal”, in the technical sense of the word.

4) Wikipedia. If you’ve heard of something and you’re not quite sure what it is, Wikipedia is the place for you!

5) Craigslist. I solld stuff through this. It was easy. And I know Craig. And from what I hear, they can use the business.

For a true geek this would be a lame list, but it’s exceedly accurate description of my wasted hours in 2006. Good luck with it!

You know, it’s probably just me, but I miss snow. I’m not sure if you’re aware, but we haven’t had much snow around here since…well, since at all. Something to do with something than resembles but certainly can’t be global warming because of course, that does not exist. The things I miss about the snow?

–Making snowballs
–Making snowmen
–Riding down the hill in a snow saucer with the kids
–Being manly and snow-blowing the driveway and helping out the neighbors
–How quiet it is at 5AM getting the paper when the ground is blanketed in snow
–Hot chocolate and a fire in the fireplace after the snow
–Long commutes stuck in the snow listening to my iPod

Oddly, I have zero desire to ever move to a warmer climate, and neither do my parents on the East Coast. I like the change in season, I like watching it snow. I don’t ski, I don’t want to move to Alaska–I just want some snow.

If Old Man Winter is reading this–come on back!