Tonight I went to see the movie Ratatouille.  Since you are probably wondering how to say that when reading this, I'll help you out.  It is pronounced rat-a-too-ee and describes a rather low-brow French dish of stewed vegetables.  The movie was produced by Pixar, famous for their 3D computer animation.  I have to say that I have never been fond of computer animation, especially that of recent years, because it tends to take on an all-too-perfect look that lacks the simplicity of artistic design of traditional hand animation of the past.  Also it seems that the animators want to show off everything they've got so they tend to go over the top with their special effects.  This movie was the first computer animated film that I have seen that honestly was a delight to behold.  The animators went to great lengths to create an incredible realism within the textures that made me think more than once that it had to be mixed with some real photography.  I kept noticing such tiny things as little scratches and dents in the surfaces of things and flaws in the surface textures that made things seem totally real, and hard to believe that this was computer animation.  Reading some information on the making of the movie, I found that they went to great lengths, and spent tremendous amounts of computer time just to get things to not look computer generated.  I loved the results.  It was simply beautiful.

As for the content of the film itself, I was very, very pleased.  The story was very moving and heartfelt, not at all the brash, crude, in-your-face kind of junk that has become popular in children's movies these days.  The plot was sophisticated and original.  The telling of the tale was pleasant and real, with such feeling that you soon forget that this is a cartoon, and one with a rat as the main character, no less.  The moment when the food critic Anton Ego tastes the title dish, created entirely by the rat, is one of the single most moving moments in the history of animation.

The only criticism I would have of this film is that I'm not sure it has enough of the silly, slapstick humor that children enjoy to keep the interest of the younger child who will not comprehend much of the meaning of the story, which relies much more on dialog than on visual humor.  I noticed more than one child in the packed theater getting a little antsy as the movie approached the two-hour mark.  This is a long movie for squirmy little ones to sit through, if they aren't able to identify with the concept of a rat who dreams of becoming a great chef.  But I noticed the adults in the audience were enjoying themselves very much.  So this becomes the first G-rated animated film in a long time to be targeted primarily at an audience over the age of 12.  Lest you wonder about the rating, I can assure you that there is nothing in this film that could even remotely warrant a higher rating.  The language and humor is spotlessly clean, with not even a hint of crude humor or double meaning thrown in for the adults.  How  very refreshing.

Most amazing is the fact that the critics actually are universally praising this film, saying such things as "It's not just the computer animation that is vibrantly three-dimensional. It's also the well-rounded characters... I defy you to name another animated film so overflowing with superfluous beauty."and "This delicious tale of a rat who cooks is pure joy, a grand achievement -- one of the most beautiful animated pictures ever made."  If a film about hundreds of rats invading the kitchen of a 5-star French restaurant can be considered beautiful then I have to agree, this is one of the most beautiful animated pictures ever made.  I guess that's what I loved about it.  I hope you will see it too and feel free to comment on your impressions of the film.  I'd like to hear what others think.

Tags: movies

It has been a long time since I have written a blog entry.  I guess it is time to write about something.  This week I took my mother to Port Townsend to watch a very special movie.  The movie was called Miss Potter and was a drama of the life of Beatrix Potter, children's author and illustrator.  She wrote stories of such characters as Peter Rabbit and Benjamin Bunny, Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle and Jemima Puddle-duck.

This movie was one of the most delightful films I have ever watched.  From the opening scene, filmed in the beautiful, serene Lake District of northwestern England, to the poignant ending, I was enchanted by the cinematography, the music, and the charming, tender story of this amazing woman.  Publishers laughed at her cute little bunny stories.  Her own mother considered her delightful watercolors to be a childish waste of time.  But one man believed in her and believed that her stories would sell.  The Tale of Peter Rabbit was published by F. Warne & Co. in 1902 when Miss Potter was 36.  By Christmas the book had sold 20,000 copies and Beatrix Potter was well on her way to becoming wealthy enough to eventually purchase thousands of acres of pristine farm lands in Lake District, rescuing them from greedy commercial developers.  Upon her death in 1943 she bequeathed 4000 acres of land, cottages, and 15 farms to the National Trust to be preserved forever.

I also spent time in Port Townsend last Saturday and managed to find plenty of sunshine, despite the threats of rain.  Of course I had to take a quick trip by the Point Wilson lighthouse just to enjoy the view. I happened to arrive just as the cruise ships were making their way out of the Puget Sound and a rainbow was developing in the sky.



Later, the clouds started to break and the sun peeked through making the lighting perfect for this shot of the wildflowers near the lighthouse.



Last night I joined Hank and Betsy, along with my mom and dad, for a picnic up at Elk Lake.  The weather was perfect for a picnic. Betsy brought some wonderful homemade pasties with chicken, potatoes, and carrots as well as fresh spinach from her garden.



What a beautiful place we live in.  I feel so sorry for the folks who never venture out to find and enjoy the wonderful places around our state.  I appreciate it more and more every day as I realize how truly blessed we are here in Washington.  But that blessing is only available to those who are willing to take the time away from their busy lives and truly enjoy God's creation.

Tags: movies, weekends
Current Location: Port Townsned

I just got back from an evening of entertainment at the Weeds. We watched Seven Brides for Seven Brothers over at Allan and Krysten's and had a good time. We had Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner which was actually pretty tasty. Marla was a bit late since she had to work late, but got there in time for the good stuff. I got a really nice fanny pack as a thank-you for spending all the time working on their computers. It is just the right size with two water bottles which will be great for day hikes. Now I won't need to borrow Lucy's anymore.

Isaiah was once again a real joy to have around. He is so fun and smiley and loves to entertain the crowd. He is really smart and very coordinated. During the dancing scenes in the movie he was dancing right along, right on his tippy toes. Jody said someone will need to get him a tutu and leotards for Christmas.

Tags: movies

Bible study was canceled last night since Randy was ill.  So with absolutely nothing worthwhile to do, I decided to check out the Curious George movie playing in theaters now.  I was very pleased overall.  It was a very enjoyable film, totally unlike most kids movies today, in that it is just a sweet, simple telling of a children's story in cartoon form.  No need for gratuitous in-your-face "peril and pain" sequences supplemented with ear-splitting percussion sounds to shock and thrill the young audience, this cartoon relies on the cuteness of the characters and an interesting plot to keep the children watching.

Curious George is the story of a gentle, curious, but sometimes troublesome monkey who wanders through the world of men, discovering as he goes, occasionally getting into trouble, but making people happy wherever he goes too.  This is old-fashioned 2-D animation, not the fancy 3-D computer generated stuff that is nearly all that we see these days.  So the imagery looks very much like animated pages from the Curious George books, and indeed manages to weave many of the well known plots and antics of the books into a creative new plot.

The characters are actually quite believable and, with animation and fine voice work by such veteran actors as Dick Van Dyke and Drew Barrymore, seem to escape the static, simple drawings of the books.  Unlike nearly any other film aimed at children these days, this film actually is one that I can recommend for children of all ages.  There is nothing scary, either visual or audible, that might frighten young children, nothing offensive in the language or actions of any of the characters and nothing promoting any alternative world view that might require explaining to children not well-steeped in the world's thinking.

In summary, it is just a cute, enjoyable adaptation of the Curious George books to the big screen.  Anyone who enjoys the stories of Curious George should enjoy this film.

Tags: movies

Tags: movies

Watched Ella Enchanted last night with Endicotts.  What a goofy, silly movie that is.  But we were looking for some mindless entertainment to relax with and it filled the bill.  Tonight is Bible study again with John Piper.  Wednesday night Bible study was canceled due to illness.  We are going through 1 Peter in that one.

Mom is back down visiting Grandma in the nursing home.  She'll be back on Friday.  The rain finally let up and we had a couple of clear days this week.  Rain was back last night though.

Tags: movies