| August 31, 2003 | Horror | August 27, 2003 | Lightning | August 23, 2003 | Family Purchases | August 20, 2003 | Wildlife | August 16, 2003 | Mars! |
| August 14, 2003 | What not |
| August 9, 2003 | Wasps! |
| August 7, 2003 | Camp DC/Movie Reviews |
| August 3, 2003 | Graeme's Visit |
| July 2003 entries |
Here's a bad, blurry picture I took while waiting for the metro but upon closer inspection it is kinda scary.
Some more movie reviews
Austin Powers in Goldmember
This sequel is alternately funny and disgusting. I am not sure which side won.
Bhoot
A Bollywood horror film about a couple who move into a spiffy high rise
apartment available because the previous tenant jumped or fell off the balcony.
I was wondering how the song/dance numbers were going to fit in but there
weren't any even though one of the best dance actresses was in the
movie. So it was just scary.
August 27, 2003
Lightning
We've had severe rain and lightning for the last two evenings.
It's been quite spectacular. Last evening I watched the storm
from the large window in my office. Tonight I watched the lightning
from my ballet class and while I was most likely ensuring
constant hip and knee pain in my old age Joe was taking photos
from our balcony.
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Some more movie reviews
Once Upon a Time in Mexico
In theaters soon...Johnny Depp and Antonio Banderas...Doesn't matter if it is good or bad, I am there! Wanna see the trailer?
My Son the Fanatic This is about a man who moves his family from Pakistan to London and becomes a cab driver and befriends a prostitute while his son becomes a religious fanatic. I have seen movies similar to this that I have liked and I admire the actor who plays the main character (Om Puri) but I did not like this movie. I did not like any of the characters. Many were not meant to be liked but I think you need to like or have sympathy for at least one.
Some more movie reviews
24 Hour Party People
Wow! I have been thinking about this movie for almost 24 hours now.
I really found it interesting. It is a pseudo documentary about
the drug-fueled music scene in Manchester, England in the late
80s and early 90s. The director and actors did a great job in
re-creating the time. It was really well done...and funny. It is
hard to explain why it was so good. There were reenactments of
certain events with some archival footage thrown in but they were
so much better than any documentary on PBS. It helped that the main
character who narrated the whole thing reminded me a bit of Eric Idle.
I did not know all the bands involved but I was still very interested.
And there was this guy who did this great dance.
Yesterday morning at 7:00am I was watering flowers on the balcony and I heard a small squeaking noise off to my right. I looked up and there was a hummingbird fluttering just off my balcony. We just looked at each other for what seemed like a minute but was probably more like 2 seconds and then it took off to research flowers and hummingbird feeders on other balconies. I also see a bat from time to time. I don't see it at dusk as I would expect but after dark when it is more like a flapping shadow than a flapping silhouette.
Nearby Artwork
Some more movie reviews
The Good Girl: Once I got
past the fact that Rachel from Friends was playing a serious role
in a small independent film I realized she was doing good job. The movie was
a bit depressing but good.
XXX James Bond for the X
Games Generation. It was OK. I don't find Vin Diesel attractive or
"sexy ugly" but I do like his gravelly voice. The stunts were a bit
improbable but that seems to be a trend in action movies these days.
Last weekend we went to the Smithsonian to see a
photo exhibit
that I had seen with my parents and that I thought Joe would enjoy.
As usual we stopped for lunch at the Indian food stand at the
Old Post Office and ordered masala dosas, huge pancakes filled
with a spicy potato/onion mash. On several occasions wide-eyed tourists
have stopped us and asked what we were carrying past their tables. Delicious!
Some more movie reviews Spider Man: It was what I expected. Very comic book like which is what it was supposed to be. I think I'll skip the sequel.
I had about 20 yellow jackets crawl into my office and die last week. Luckily
they just sort of banged themselves against the window and did not fly around
the room. I had an exterminator and some maintenance
workers take a look but they need to talk to each other. Apparently there is a hole in the brick leading into my air convector. Hopefully they took care of it on Friday while I was off playing with Graeme.
Some more movie reviews
I Spy: Lightweight spy comedy.
It was what I expected. Owen Wilson plays a junior spy with his usual
charm. Eddie Murphy is funny too as a boxer/spy.
Ronin: Heist movie
with Robert DeNiro and Jean Reno. A group of men with various skills
from various countries and an irish woman are hired to steal a metal
briefcase. There are double crossings, car chases in small towns in
southern france, explosions and a bit of kissing. It was interesting
to see how each decided who and who not to trust.
Johnny English: Another
spy movie spoof. I enjoyed Rowan Atkinson and all the silliness.
Graeme said the best scenes were in the trailer and this is true.
And there was even a funny scene in the trailer that did not make it
to the movie. This also happened with Sandra Bullock's
Miss Congeniality, but I digress. Johnny English
got mostly bad reviews which is too bad because despite the one
gross poop gag it was very funny. The ending is also great fun. (Luckily
they did not ruin it by putting it in the trailer).
Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani:
This has one or two good music/dance numbers but the contrast between the
serious plotline and the frivolous one was just too much. One minute a
crowd has gathered to protest the hanging of a man accused of murdering
the man who raped his daughter. The next minute the same crowd is cheering
on two local tv news personalities who are announcing their engagement.
August 16, 2003
Mars!
It has been cloudy at night for a while but last night it was only overcast
and I was able to see Mars. There were no other stars so I thought
the bright red light might be a helicopter but it just stayed put.
The 3/4 full moon was low in the sky near by. It was a nice sight.
August 14, 2003
What not
The wasps are gone. This is good.
We rented Season 2 of The Sopranos which is also good because
I think the show is well done. So well done that I have
strange dreams pretty much every night we watch an episode.
But I can't stay away. Even though it is about criminals it is
still about bravery and fear and trust and family and the danger
of having any connection to these guys.
You have the psychiatrist who was
at first intrigued to be treating a mobster but then realized
that she was now part of his world and there is no way to pull out.
And I think Nancy Marchand who plays Tony Soprano's mother was the best actress
ever. The acting is all very good.
Strange activity in our Pool
K-19: The Widowmaker: Pretty good movie about a near nuclear reactor disaster in a Russian submarine. I
thought it was going to be a complicated story about war strategy and the
evils of the communism but no, it was a story of survival and a conflict
between 2 commanding officers with different management styles. I liked it
more than I thought I would. Liam Neesaon and Harrison Ford starred with
many other male actors in a claustrophic submarine set. Some of the actors
had Russian accents and some didn't which was fine because there is nothing
worse than fake "Moose and Squirrel" russian accents. Their clothes and
names were enough to make them seem Russian.
August 9, 2003
Wasps!
August 7, 2003
Camp DC
I have been busy being doting aunt to Graeme and am mostly updating
his site.
Donnie Darko: Psychological thriller involving time travel (only to the recent past) and alternate realities.
I'd say the acting was good and it held my interest but I wish I had understood it a bit better. The special features of the DVD helped to explain it a bit.
August 3, 2003
Graeme's Visit
My 11 year old nephew, Graeme, is visiting from Charleston, SC.
This is a document of his visit so far.
Archived entries
July 2003 entries
