Turner to Cezanne Art Exhibition

I saw the “Turner to Cezanne” art exhibit today in Columbia, SC.  This world class exhibit will be making five stops in the US during the next year.  If you live in or near one of the locations I highly recommend that you attend.

This collection contains 47 pieces by such masters as Paul Cezanne, Edouard Manet, Jean-Francois Millet, Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Vincent van Gogh.

My favorites were Manet’s Argenteuil-Boats and Monet’s The Palazzo Dario, 1908.

This kind of traveling exhibit gives culture starved areas of the US a chance to see real art.  Click here to download the .pdf file of the press release on the exhibit by the American Federation of Arts.

Enjoy!

Gran Torino – movie review

I saw Gran Torino yesterday and liked it.

Clint Eastwood plays Walt Kowalski, a 70-something racist Korean War veteran with a chip on his shoulder.  He also has something from his past that he would like to forget.  The movie begins with the funeral of Walt’s beloved wife. The movie is about how Walt’s faces life without her.  A life that has changed from one Walt knew.  The auto plant he retired from is no longer respected, the neighborhood is full of foreigners, children don’t respect anything, and gangs menace the kids next door.  It is Walt’s decision to get involved with his neighbor’s lives that provides the movie’s story.  It also provides a way for Walt to redeem himself.
I will not say anymore, as I do not wish to spoil anyone’s viewing experience.

Gran Torino doesn’t contain anything new for an Eastwood movie.  Eastwood has dealt with the philosophies of life, death and redemption many times in his films. No one does it better and we never tire of seeing it.  My Grade: B+

Goodbye to an old friend.

Well, I finally took the plunge.  I traded in my 1995 Honda Accord for a new 2009 Honda Civic.  I really should have done this a couple of years ago, but I wanted to hold out as long as I could. Now seemed like a good time.

I bought my old Honda Accord in November of 1994.  I drove it in 37 states and logged a total of 165,000 miles.  I guess that is really not a lot for a 14 year old car.  Mostly,  it just got me to work and around town. It was dependable, comfortable and economical transportation.  I am going to miss her.

My 2009 Honda Civic LX

I decided on the Civic because it gives me about the same room as my old Accord with better gas mileage.  It also costs about $4,000 less than a new Accord. It will probably take me about a month to get use to driving the new car and to figure out all the gadgets.

I also forgot how picky I could be about a new car.  I would pull up a tree stump with the old one, but this new one sits all alone on the far side of the grocery store parking lot.  LOL

The Day The Earth Stood Still – Review

I am a big fan of the original version of this film.  It was thought provoking and way ahead of its’ time.

The new version seems to go through the motions with uncertainty and a lack of direction.  There are the usual impressive CGI special affects but little else.  The single scene with John Cleese is a stand out.

I wish Hollywood would leave the classic motion pictures alone and focus on new material.  I have never understood why anyone would want to re-make a movie that was good the first time around.  Why not pick a movie that was made badly the first time and make it better?

Enough said, I think you get my drift.  My Grade: D

Seven Pounds – Movie Review

I enjoyed watching “Seven Pounds”.  It was refreshing to have a nice story about helping others written in a simple straightforward way.

I figured out where the movie was going about 20 minutes into the story, but, that didn’t diminish my experience.  Will Smith is an outstanding actor/entertainer.

This movie is about a simple powerless man who is haunted by his past. He decides to do something that positively affects the future of strangers while finding a sort of redemption for himself.  He also unexpectedly finds love.

I would reccommend this film.  My Grade: B+

Short Story Fun, Part 2

First, I want to thank everyone for contributing.  I wanted to use all of your ideas, but, we can only have one story.  I chose parts of several different responses and used them to move the story forward.  Let’s see where you take Brian next.

Brian parked his car across the street from his house and switched off the engine. He sat for moment in the dark and wondered why he was doing this. The anonymous phone call he received at work had rattled him.  A female voice had simply said he should go home immediately and then hung up.

Brian got out of his car and walked toward the house.  The night air was cold; he shivered inside his overcoat.  The house was dark except for a hall light on the second floor.  He fumbled for his keys as he climbed the front steps.

Brian stopped outside the door for a moment and listened intently. He heard nothing from inside the house; only the distant bark of a dog.  Brian took a deep breath as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

It was quiet and almost completely dark inside, save for the faint light at the end of the corridor, coming from upstairs. Brian reached out to the light switch and turned it on. The living room looked like a bomb had gone off in it. He saw lamps broken, books strewn everywhere, and all the tiny glass dolls he had purchased for his wife shattered into a thousand pieces.

Then he saw the blood.  Brian followed the small drops of blood back out into the foyer toward the stairs.  The drops were getting bigger now. Forgetting his fear, he bolted up the stairs toward the light on the second floor.

The trail of blood led to his bedroom. And there, on the bed, he found the message.

Brian’s pet canary was on his bed; its neck twisted. The message, in all its chilling simplicity was clear: sing and this will be your fate.

Brian’s hands were trembling as he reached for the phone and dialed the number given to him by his police contact. A million little slivers of thought were racing through his mind, each horrible idea vying for prominence.

‘Was the girl a police implant? Or was she one of ‘them’?’

Brian jerked as the lights went out. That’s when he realized the phone in his hand was dead. Dead, dead like the canary.

The hair on the back of Brian’s neck stood up and a tingle went down his spine. He heard the floor creak behind him.  In the dark, he groped for the lamp on the nightstand. Since it didn’t work, he’d use it as a club. His hand wrapped around the lamp. A flood of realization hit him.  It was a trap.

Remember have fun and keep it clean.  Thanks!

Short Story Fun

I thought I would see if anyone might be interested in creating a “group” short story.  I have started the story.  Let’s see if we can make this into a fun little project.  I will leave this posted for a few weeks to see if I get any interest.  Make your literary contributions through the comment feature.  I will read the responses and pick what I think is the best one.  Then, I will re-post the story with the new material included and we can continue from there.  Here is the story so far:

Brian parked his car across the street from his house and switched off the engine. He sat for moment in the dark and wondered why he was doing this. The anonymous phone call he received at work had rattled him.  A female voice had simply said he should go home immediately and then hung up.  Brian got out of his car and walked toward the house.  The night air was cold; he shivered inside his overcoat.  The house was dark except for a hall light on the second floor.  He fumbled for his keys as he climbed the front steps. Brian stopped outside the door for a moment and listened intently. He heard nothing from inside the house; only the distant bark of a dog.  Brian took a deep breath as he pushed open the door and stepped inside.

This is just for fun and let’s keep it clean.

Burn After Reading – movie review

I saw “Burn After Reading” Friday night and I was not overly impressed.  I generally like movies by the Coen brothers, but this one is not at the top of that list.

This film pokes fun at Washington DC and DC insiders.  On that level it succeeds, but, too much action takes place off camera.  We learn about it during CIA briefings.  That kind of left me unfulfilled.

However, the acting is excellent. Brad Pitt and John Malkovich steal the show.  I also enjoyed scenes between David Rasche and J.K. Simmons.  They play a CIA agent and his superior.  They provide as many memorable moments as the stars.

I would reccommend renting this one.  My Grade: C

Attention Walmart Shoppers

I like the prices at Walmart, but I hate to shop there. I only go when I absolutely have to. I do not routinely grocery shop at Walmart because I can’t stand to go that often.

Walmart is always crowded. The crowd begins before you reach the parking lot. Traffic will come to a stand still around a Walmart. Then, once you are in the parking lot, finding a convenient place to park is out of the question. I gave up years ago.

The walk from the parking lot is only the beginning of your exercise routine. Once inside, Walmart has no small shopping baskets. You must push around a heavy shopping cart even if you don’t need a big shopping cart. I guess they hope you will make impulse purchases.

The real fun begins when you finally get to the aisles. They are filled with rude people, screaming kids, and invisible employees. If you are lucky enough to find an Walmart employee, they will be trying to do their jobs while also trying to help customers with questions.

Walmarts are so damn big.  Luckily, I have learned the layout of the Walmart near me and I have my list grouped accordingly.  I pity customers that haven’t learned to do this.   I swear if any place needed an indoor tram it’s Walmart.

If your lucky enough to find the items on your list and survived the whining kids and the parents who ignore them, you get to stand in a long checkout line. The Walmart near me has about 40 of them, but, I have never seen more than about a dozen open. They are all crowded.

After some time, you finally pay for your items and start the one mile walk back to your car.  Watch out for patrons circling to find a close parking place.  They will take you out.

Now, you get to fight the traffic out of the place.  I am usually exhaused and nervous as a cat by the time I get back home.  I am not usually a drinking man, but, it usually takes a drink to calm me down after a  Walmart excursion.

Old Crow Medicine Show

I attended the “Old Crow Medicine Show” in Augusta, Georgia last night and a good time was had by all.  The show was in the Imperial Theater in Augusta.  It’s a 1920’s movie theater now restored and used to host all kinds of entertainment.

If you are unfamiliar with “Old Crow Medicine Show”, I urge you to check out their website at www.CrowMedicine.com.  Read about the band and maybe listen to some samples of their music on iTunes. There are also a number of videos on YouTube that will give you an idea of their style .  They are often billed as a blue grass folk band, but, I think they are much more.

The band started the performance right on time and rocked the house through two sets of approximately 45 minutes each and one extended encore.  The band seemed to enjoy themselves on stage and the audience loved every minute of it.