The Lemon Tree

Excellent, excellent film. I'm always intrigued by Israel and Palestine, but need to learn more about it. This film provides some insights. The acting is spectacular and the message is one that needs to be heard. Subtitled.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

Valor. Dignity. Truth. A life's mission, fulfilled.

Click here to view trailer.

Note: German (subtitled)

The Cave of the Yellow Dog

This is the sweetest, most beautiful film I have seen in a long while. It's a look into the life of a Mongolian family(yes, it is sub-titled) . One of the best things about this movie is that the family is an actual family. The three children are adorable and I learned a lot while watching their loving parents. It does have a slow-moving story line, which is both simple, yet full of wisdom, but is similar to a documentary because we see into how this nomadic family really lives. Since I'm more used to the American style movie I kept waiting for something to "happen." It does have a dramatic conclusion. Well worth seeing!

Bommarillu

When I was a student at BYU, I enjoyed going to the International Cinema and watching the subtitled movies. Occasionally, even now, I get the urge not just to watch a movie, but to read subtitles.

Joseph has been feeling some stress lately and asked if we could watch a movie together the other night. I went to the library to see what I could find. I picked up several. We watched an old movie on Tuesday night called "On the Waterfront," which we both enjoyed. Joseph picked that one out from the stack I brought home.

What's the good of a stack of DVD's, though, unless you watch them all? It was my turn to choose last night and I picked Bommarillu. It's an Indian film, though not Bollywood (from what I understand). We almost turned it off because it began and continued to be cheesy. But we kept on and watched the entire three hour film. The music and dancing were great fun and the storyline was great! A little view into (rich) Indian culture too.

Another subtitled movie recommendation: Children of Heaven. This one is from Iran. A very touching film.

Bleak House

I recently had a book and movie recommended to me. I stayed up way too late last night watching the whole series (Don't worry, J, I'll still watch it again with you!). All I can say is, wow! I've only ever read A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. I'm going to read Bleak House next.

This mini-series was excellent (and eight hours long!). I loved the suspense. There were many times during the movie where I didn't have enough clues to solve a mystery and waited in suspense for more. Other times I knew what was coming "before" the characters and waited for them to "catch up." But, of course, as with other Charles Dickens movies I've seen, he's very real. There were many difficult scenes, many happy scenes also. I cried, I smiled. Horror. Joy. With eight full hours, the characters were developed very well, which is always a plus. Very, very good characters and the very bad, such that when I would see Esther I could feel her sweetness but then seeing Mr. Tulkinghorn, I would loathe him. The cinematography was different...slamming, startling.

Has anyone else seen the movie or read the book? I'd love to hear what you thought of it!

The BLOB

Just listen to this description:

"Beware of the Blob!" One of the great cult classics, THE BLOB melds '50s schlock sci-fi and teen delinquency pics even as it transcends these genres with strong performances and ingenious special effects. Made outside of Hollywood by a maverick film distributor...80 MINTUES OF CONCENTRATED MOTION PICTURE TERROR! IN BLOOD-CURDLING COLOR!

Now if that's not enough to get you to run out and rent this flick, maybe my review will help.

I took this recommendation from another blog, suggested by Heidi, I believe.

I'm really not one for horror/terror of any kind. The first Harry Potter had me hyperventilating and gave me nightmares as did the Lord of the Rings, even with silly looking special effects.

Joseph and I sat there eating our Panchero's chicken salads as the movie started. We were excited that the movie stars Steve McQueen from Joseph's favorite movie of all time "The Great Escape." A meteorite falls and an old man comes to the scene where he pokes at it and finds some slimy gook. Suddenly the slimy gook sticks to the old man's hand and he can't get it off. Steve and his date almost run into the old man on the road and take him to the Dr. We get a glimpse of his awful looking hand and I almost lose my salad. (I do not know why this is happening to me. I used to have a stomach of steel and not the least bit of a gag reflex. My family used to talk about the grossest things at dinnertime. Now, just the slightest provocation and I turn green.) Nothing much uphill from there.

I decided that I'm not watching horror flicks. There is no happy ending. They dump this large pile of reddish gook that has swallowed 40-50 people into the arctic and say, "We are safe as long as the arctic stays frozen." How prophetic can you get? And I'm left wondering what giant thing will swallow me in the night as global warming unleashes this awful monster...

The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey

A couple of weeks ago, Joseph asked me how he could help more around the house. I told him that I actually like to cook, but the after-school hours are really taxing to me because I'm trying to get dinner started and the kids are all pretty needy. I asked him if he'd be willing to come home and take over the care of the kids while I finish up dinner. He agreed and since that time there have been several nights when there are kids three abreast on his lap and one standing looking over his shoulder while he reads a picture book.

In December, I had put a lot of Christmas stories on hold at the library, but since they can be checked out for up to three weeks at a time, it took until January for us to get them into our home. Joseph read one of these books the other night. It's called "The Christmas Miracle of Jonathan Toomey."

It's about a boy who loses his father in the war and in a subsequent journey with his mom to his new home, he also loses the nativity scene that was so special to their family at Christmas time. His mother hires a local wood-worker to make a new nativity scene. The man seems gruff and reserved, nevertheless the widow asks if she and her boy can come and observe him carving. Through the interactions with the boy, and the thinking about the nativity scene, and working through the grief of his own wife and baby the wood-worker is transformed and the widow and her son find peace.

This book was also made into a movie. My library doesn't carry the DVD and so I requested it from MelCat. It was well worth it. One I'd like to own despite my current philosophy of not buying more! The film used CGI visuals(computer generated imagery--stunning!), the music was very nice, and the acting was great. My kids loved it! Although it's about a nativity and shows Christmas-time, it's a lovely movie that can be viewed all year long.

Though None Go With Me

I saw a preview for this movie last month and decided to see if my library carried it. I found that it was a movie adapted from a book. Since I had to get on a waiting list for the DVD, I decided to read the book.

It's by a Christian author, Jerry B. Jenkins, and is about the life of Elizabeth Leroy. She has a difficult life and over time loses many of the people that she loves. It is a story of courage and faith which begins just before the time of WW1. I didn't like the writing style much and some of it seemed a little far-fetched (but then, so does the story of Job), but I still found it inspiring.

The movie is different from the book in many ways, mostly things that would have taken too long to portray. For those who live in MI, both the book and movie are set in Three Rivers, MI. It is set in the early 50's at the time of the Korean War. As in the book, the heroine goes through many life wrenching trials and comes out victorious. I recommend it because it is good and clean. A good family show.

Media Review: The Great Escape

The Movie

The Great Escape movie is perhaps my favorite movie of all time. Perhaps it is because Steve McQueen's American Airman character is as sarcastic to the German Kommandant as I have sometimes wanted to be to a few tyrannical authorities. Or, it could be that I appreciate watching a bunch of supposedly powerless men snubbing their noses at their captors. Or, it could be that
I have just watched it so many times I have been brainwashed. Who knows. I just like the movie.

The Book

Cindi brought home a book from the library entitled "The Great Escape: Nine Jews who Fled Hitler and Changed the World" by Kati Marton. It chronicles the lives of nine secular Jewish Hungarians who lived in Budapest in a golden age of tolerance and education before World War I. These nine men included the following:

1. Two photographers who first developed photography as an art form rather than as potraiture. One became the greatest war photographer yet known, and the other became an icon of texture, motion, and form.
   
2. Two director/producers who created some of the most beloved films of all time and transformed the British and American movie industries
3. Three physicists who worked under Oppenheimer to create the atomic bomb in the Manhattan project. Two of these understood that the combination of Einstein's E=mc² and Niels Bohr's atomic model implied that a nuclear chain reaction could be achieved, creating a superweapon. They recognized these implications of seemingly innocuous German experiments, alerted Albert Einstein and U.S. policymakers, resulting in the Manhattan project.
4. A famous mathematician/lobbyist who developed the ENIAC (the first electronic computer) that made possible the calculations needed to design the atomic bombs created by the Manhattan Project in the race with Germany to develop superweapons
5. One of the world's most influential political novelists.

This is really an exceptional book. It chronicles an incredibly productive time in history when a small area produced remarkable genius of many types which influenced the world in many ways, not all of them good.

One of the things that I got from this book is the drive that was instilled by (1) education, and (2) crisis. All nine of these men lived through a golden age of Budapest in which education, discovery, and creativity were seen as the point of life; but then saw a rapid descent into blaming the Jews for Hungary's problems. I saw how most of these men changed their names to erase their Jewishness, at least politically. The ethnic ties still remained strong, but the conflict that being Jewish in a time of severe repression is very clear in this book. Each of these men was tortured and driven by the experience.

Though I admire the ingenuity and tenacity of these men who survived setbacks most men would find completely disabling, I also took from this book a lesson on spirituality. These men were raised in the golden age to rely on their own intelligence, discovery, and creativity to solve any problem as clearly secular persons. The problems they faced could not be resolved simply through personal strengths. The torture could not be reasoned away, or channeled away into discovery or creativity. There is a certain powerlessness in the stricture that solutions to life's problems must come through human ingenuity. I lived this life for many years, not reasonably understanding the futility of trying to overcome intractable problems through personal exertion. As I read this book, and now as I write about it, it is so clear to me that the torture described is because of the powerlessness of man to control so many interconnected actors.

It makes me grateful to have learned (albeit the hard way) that God wants me to understand that I need Him to make life work--that intractable problems are indeed intractable to all but God who desires that I acknowledge my inability to solve my problems alone. It is good to have a Savior.

Marx indicated that religion is the opiate of the masses. I feel sorry for persons who believe that because it places an impossibly large burden on people, no matter how brilliant, courageous, or creative.

Leopard Seals

Joseph and I finally watched the movie "Eight Below" last night. I had been warned that it was sad and wasn't very excited to watch it. It's a movie about eight sled dogs being left alone at a base in Antarctica over the winter. I would recommend the movie, but it was difficult to watch despite a mostly happy ending.

The title of my post refers to a part in the movie when the surviving dogs come upon a Killer Whale carcass and try to eat some of it. Out jumps a leopard seal who was there first, apparently. Ugly, vile creature!

I have never heard anything endearing at all about leopard seals. They go around eating penguins and chomping poor sled dogs' legs! I think of the poor male penguins left to guard the eggs in the minus 80 degree temps while their mates go back to the ocean to feed. Enter lout-leopard seal, killing off the mother. What happens to dad and baby back at the nesting grounds?

I even checked out a library book today to see if there was anything positive there. You know, something about a BABY leopard seal. Still nothing.

I think these may fit into the category of venomous snakes and venomous insects (esp. wasps). Useless, Cruel, Vicious.

Does anybody know anything good about leopard seals, besides the obvious, keeping the prey populations at bay...

North and South

I loved this movie. Not the one you might be thinking about, but a 2005 BBC production of a book by Elizabeth Gaskell.

This movie has a romantic undertone, much like Pride and Prejudice, but it also deals with the social climate of the time it was written. Joseph and I stayed up until 1 am last night (yAwNs!) to watch the whole thing. We just couldn't stop. I had watched it a few months back and enjoyed it then, but of course I always notice more details in subsequent viewings. I haven't read the book, though I'd like to, so I can't comment on how it compares.

If you watch this movie, be prepared to see a little violence and to see some very poor people. Other than that, it's clean.

Masterpiece's Persuasion

Seriously, why did Masterpiece even bother? Have you seen the 1995 version? It was a slightly longer version that allowed for a bit more character development. It didn't have an ending which tried too hard to compare with A & E's Pride and Prejudice sparkling romantic ending, like this new version did. In this version(2008), the music wasn't quite right and the background noise sometimes present in the scenes was distracting. Humpf! Although this movie gets by as decent entertainment, I wouldn't waste my time with it again!

Masterpiece Theatre

Yes!!!

Starting this Sunday night, January 13th, Masterpiece Theatre performs a new version of "Persuasion" by Jane Austen. On the 20th, they will air "Northanger Abbey." My understanding is that there are four new versions of Jane Austen favorites to be aired. What luxury!

Jane Austen is witty and entertaining, is she not? I daresay she is!!

Reading and thinking

I've been trying to get on here and write about some of the things I've been reading and thinking lately. I get writer's block as soon as the empty blog screen shows up!

First off, I'm more interested in politics than I've ever been. Joseph has always listened to the news and what's more he retains it for years and years. Previously, when I wanted to know about politics, I would just drill him and he can almost always answer the questions I have, about most any topic (he's got a brilliant mind). I have a few dear friends who have challenged my political thinking over the last few years and I've been pushed out of my box. My brother is also very active in thinking about the political system and writes a good deal on his blog about it. I'm very much confused (maybe that's how it's meant to be in this bipartisan system!) and there are issues where I'm not making any headway in making conclusions for myself. I had already decided my positions on some of these issues, but, I'm starting over.

All of this thinking has led me to the Middle East to ponder about what has gone on there and what is going on there. Some months ago, my friend Kristen, recommended a book called "Inside the Kingdom: My Life in Saudi Arabia" by Carmen bin Ladin. (As a side note, if you look up this book, you will see the picture of Carmen bin Ladin on the front of it. I believe I have found the person whose look Michael Jackson has tried to imitate!) She is the sister-in-law to Osama bin Ladin! But the bin Ladin family is very large and though Carmen does have comments about Osama bin Ladin, she was not close with him. In her book, she gives detail about life in Saudi Arabia, particularly for women. The author also gives background to the government and it's workings.

In addition to politics, I've always been interested in religion. More so, since we moved to Michigan, and have been exposed to a much wider variety of people. I decided to read "The Faith Club: A Muslim, A Christian, and a Jew--Three Women Search for Understanding." Ranya Idliby, a Muslim, wondered how she and her family would survive with the stereotypes given to those of her faith after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. She decided that she'd like to write a children's book which talks about similarities between the three main monotheistic religions. Suzanne Oliver (a Christian) and Priscilla Warner (a Jew) joined her in the project. They got together regularly to discuss and prepare their book. In the process, they did a lot of soul searching on their own and a lot of honest asking and answering in their group meetings. They decided to publish a book based on that experience. And thus, The Faith Club. I learned a lot that I didn't know and felt very challenged and stretched as I read. I wrote to the authors to ask where they were in the process of writing their children's book. They are hoping to publish soon. In the mean time they referred me to a picture book called "Jerusalem Sky: Stars, Crosses, and Crescents" by Mark Podwal. I loved this book and so did my kids. With this as a spring board, we plan to study religion this year in our home. I'm really excited about it! We're hoping to learn about and celebrate different religions holidays just to gain understanding of different people.

"The Faith Club" also included a lot about the politics surrounding Israel, because the area is so important for all three religions. Hearing the story from the different perspectives really opened up my mind. Upon finishing that book, I have a desire to study more about religion and history in that area to gain a greater understanding. It was interesting to watch a PBS special the other night called "Walking the Bible" in which Bruce Feiler (I believe he is Jewish) is traveling the area where the Bible is believed to have taken place. You can check it out here:

http://www.pbs.org/walkingthebible/

Have you ever watched "Gandhi?" I remember watching it as a teenager. I watched it a few years ago and then again in the last week. He was an incredible, brilliant man. I plan to watch this movie again and again, just to remind myself of what we are capable of both good and bad. Gandhi dressed and lived like his people while staging a non-violent revolution against the British government. I was again amazed at his intelligence as I watched this last week. This will help me in my quest for truth and knowledge.

Now, I'm reading about Iran. The book is called "Iran Awakening: Memoir of Revolution and Hope." The author is a lady named, Shirin Ebadi who was a judge in Iran before the 1979 Islamic Revolution. I've only read about a quarter of it and I'm eagerly awaiting my night-time reading time!

This post is somewhat disjointed and long, like my thoughts have been...

P.S. Here's a blog I came across that I like to read for an insider view of the war:

http://jeffreydenning.blogspot.com/

December 11, 1972

1972 must have been an important year because my favorite jeans have this label:


I wouldn't normally call attention to my own birthday (my parents and siblings could tell you otherwise!), but my family made me feel so special that I just had to write about it.

First off, I have to own to being 35 years old. It doesn't seem too old, really. Now that fact is out I can tell you the rest.

We went out to dinner the night before my birthday this year. We are making a tradition of going to Frankenmuth, MI for my birthday. Once there, we go to Zehnder's which is a restaurant famous for their chicken. Considering the chicken I've eaten there for the last two years, I can see why. The decorations inside are spectacular. It really brings on the Christmas season! After Zehnder's we go to Bronner's which is the largest Christmas store in the world. We don't have too much time there because it closes at 9 pm, but the kids each get to choose one ornament from thousands! I like to look at the nativities. Inside, Bronner's is decorated to the hilt as I suppose it is every day of every year. There are such wonderful scenes to behold. Outside, they have decorated with thousands of lights, the trees have giant Christmas bulbs and there are large lighted nativities.

Then, yesterday, Nathan got his cello out first thing and played his newly acquired tune "Happy Birthday" after organizing the other kids to sing while he played. The kids stayed home from school yesterday because the van was making a funny noise and Joseph couldn't easily arrange his schedule to take the kids. They played while I baked carrot cake and pumpkin pie. Elijah made me this card:
May shared treats with me from her Achievement Days activity. My friend, Megan, dropped by with a Christmas cactus. It is supposed to flower on Christmas. I have never heard of such a plant and I'm excited about it. She told me it can be planted outdoors in the summer. I got a number of lovely phone calls including a very unexpected one from my Aunt Glenda. It was nice to take some time and chat with family members.

I received such lovely gifts. I got a new jewelry box, a snow globe with Mary, baby Jesus, and Joseph that plays "O Holy Night," chocolates, The Laurel's Kitchen Bread Book, and this figurine below called "The Journey that Changed the World." (There's my jewelry box in the background.)
I had just been looking at this very thing in the Deseret Book mailer, but hadn't mentioned it. It was a very pleasant surprise and even though I hadn't planned on adding a nativity to my collection this year, I welcome this addition.

Once the kids were in bed, Joseph and I watched a movie called "The Christmas Card." It was ok, but it was real nice to spend the time with Joseph and my birthday was complete!

A book and a movie

The book "Gift from the Sea" by Anne Morrow Lindbergh was perfect for me. I read this small book on the first day of my two day vacation. Joseph sent me away to a B & B that also had spa services (I got my first massage and my first pedicure!) It is a book I hope to read again and again. It is for women, but I think men would benefit by reading it as well. The author touches on the subjects of love, marriage, motherhood, and the ebb and flow of life. Though the book was written over fifty years ago, it seemed timeless to me. A wonderful read, recommended by my friend Heidi!

Last night, Joseph and I watched a newly released DVD called "Miss Potter" (rated PG). It is the story of the author Beatrix Potter and how she came to publish her charming stories for children. It includes romance, but since it's a real life story, it doesn't have a fairy tale ending. I recommend it unreservedly!

"I guess you know we've got to heaven."

That's a quote from Enchanted April. When the ladies arrive at a castle in Italy for their month long holiday, the main character says, "I guess you know we've got to heaven."

I was editing my SparkPeople page (check out my page: http://www.sparkpeople.com/mypage.asp?id=QUETZALGIRL) when I remembered to add in that I had studied Marine Biology in heaven, which to me is Monterey Bay, California. If you've seen The Five People You Meet in Heaven, you know that the author's idea is that heaven after you die, is the place you were happiest on earth. Monterey wasn't quite that for me because I was away from Joseph while I was there. But when he came to visit me, it made it all complete.

I'll post a picture of my favorite place there. There was a huge rock outcrop. I would climb to the back of it and sit and watch the waves come into this narrow place between the rocks. It was beautiful and peaceful and anyone who's been there would probably agree! When Joseph and Nathan visited Monterey in December 2005, they took a picture of it for me. It may not look like much, but I spent countless hours sitting there enjoying the balmy air, watching sea birds and relaxing in the gentle sunlight. I love solitude!

My Movie Picks

I thought I would like to mention some of our favorite movies. People are always looking for good movies to watch. Share some of yours too!

When "You've Got Mail" came out we decided to research and watch the film that it was based on called The Shop Around the Corner. It has now become one of our favorite movies ever. Lots of quotable quotes! It's black and white, but well worth it. James Stewart has the leading role (now I'm really bad with actors names, so from here on out I probably won't mention any names).

I can't remember who recommended Enchanted April, but I will be forever grateful. It is an all-time favorite which is very artistic in style. The music is lovely. I think it qualifies as a "chick flick," but my husband loves it as well.

Speaking of artistic quality, the newest Pride and Prejudice gets the award for best movie in that category. Loved it!!

We are always quoting Napoleon Dynamite around here. Most people have probably seen it. As far as I'm concerned, it has a questionable topic as far as kids are concerned and also words like "IDIOT!" My kids helped themselves to the movie when I didn't know about it (ohhh, lazy parenting). But it does give us adults a laugh! I hear you either love it or hate it.

If you haven't seen Facing the Giants, run out and get it. You'll be glad you did. It was put together by a Baptist church and is really wonderful. It's a real feel good movie that isn't afraid to be Christian.

Narnia was amazing. Most people have probably seen that one too. It was so inspiring to me, especially the part about forgiveness. Struck a chord and helped me forgive where I needed to.

We enjoyed Roman Holiday a lot. It's another black and white. Gregory Peck and Audrey Hepburn, need I say more? Nice scenery.

We loved I am David. It had a lot to say about how there are good people in the world and we can have trust in society (combined with trust in God) no matter how bad it gets.

Love Comes Softly is a must see. It is emotional. It is spiritual. (I think I see a pattern emerging here.)

Now for Joseph's picks. He likes The Great Escape. I enjoy that one a lot too. It's a World War II film about soldiers captured and imprisoned in German Territory. Remember the Titans is another good one. We also liked Holes a lot.

On Sunday afternoons, our whole family enjoys Little House on the Prairie episodes since they are available on DVD now. Everyone looks forward to it.