Olympic Champions

For me, there’s always a hero in every Olympiad. While America was surrounding Michael Phelps, Carly Patterson and Paul Hamm, I looked back to Sydney. Ian Thorpe continues to amaze and delight me.

And Michael Klim just rocks…

OLYMPIC GAMES, Summer 2004

I never miss the Olympic Games. I have memories of watching the most popular events every four years with all of my family sitting around and enjoying them together. It shaped my own viewing habits, so I never miss the broadcasts. But my interests have changed in these 35 years, and where I once watched [...]

Funny thing, momentum.

Once it’s lost, it’s truly gone. And everything changes. Most recently, that loss occurred with Rescue Me. I watched the first two episodes; I liked them, even with all the squirming and cringing I did. But after that, the next two weeks, I couldn’t find time to watch them. The Olympics is a big draw [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 2, No. 11: THE DAY AFTER TOMORROW

August 27, 2004, at Movies 7, Sherman, Texas
We originally intended to see this film on the weekend of its release, but schedules never allowed us to get there. We almost missed it at the discount theater, even, but finally found a way to see this. And I’m so glad we did! It’s the kind of [...]

EVERYTHING IS ILLUMINATED by Jonathan Safran Foer

Genre: Literature & FictionISBN: 0060529709How Acquired: BookCrossing.com, by requestReading Began: August 13, 2004Completed Reading: August 23, 2004
Overall rating: Six out of ten
Recommendation to others: Stick with this book. You may have to trudge through the first several chapters, but stick with it. It gains momentum and is well worth it.
Why I chose to read this [...]

Summer Film Series – Vol. 2, No. 10: THE MANCHURIAN CANDIDATE

August 13th, Friday, at Cinemark Town Center, Sherman, TX
There were so many reasons for me to see this film, but Liev Schreiber topped the list. Yes, it was purely emotional, but if nothing else worked in this film, I would have enjoyed it anyway. Now I can see that I needn’t have worried.
The Manchurian Candidate [...]

COLD BEER AND CROCODILES: A BICYCLE JOURNEY INTO AUSTRALIA by Roff Smith

Genre: TravelISBN: 0792263650Place of Purchase: Crown Books, Houston, Texas (found on a $1.00 table, years before reading)
Reading Began: July 28, 2004Completed Reading: August 11, 2004
Overall rating: Seven out of ten
Recommendation to others: If you have a love for Australia or if you simply enjoy travel memoirs, this is a book you should read. The author [...]

102 DALMATIANS (rental)

There was only one reason, initially, to rent this movie… Ioan Gruffudd. I just realized it was on his résumé, and I decided it would have to be rented. Immediately. Fortunately, Kolby and Wade were staying over that night, so it turned out to be a perfect occasion.
We all loved 101 Dalmatians, and in all [...]

Karl Urban… I’m so over Éomer

The Bourne Supremacy is fantastic, but much of that credit goes to Karl Urban. I fell for him as Éomer, of course, and was quite partial to the wild mane of that character, but Urban just burns up the screen as Kirill in Supremacy. Burns… it… up. He speaks most all of his dialogue in [...]

Summer Film Series: Vol. 2, No. 9: THE BOURNE SUPREMACY

The first Bourne movie is high on my list of favorites, and I never tire of watching it. I love Matty, and I love him in this role. There’s just not much in the first movie to improve upon. But The Bourne Supremacy did just that. It took the first story, the characters and premises, [...]

RESCUE ME

I struggle with my affection for Denis Leary. He’s hilarious, but much of what I hear is crude and/or profane, which turns me off from most people. But Leary still seems to draw me near. I suppose it’s the delivery of his wit; he’s so caustic, so cynical, and yet everything he says is so [...]

THE DAYS

How I missed this, I’ll never know. I’m all about tv, and I read the entertainment mags, so how could I not have heard about this show? I hate coming into something after it’s begun.
I’ve seen two episodes now, and I’m glued. I was hooked at first sight of Cooper Day, I think, but the [...]

Joel Edgerton, Part Deux

Funny how a passing interest or, rather, curiosity can color the way I view a film. During Ned Kelly, with Heath Ledger and Orlando Bloom burning up the screen and holding my full attention, I still managed to be distracted by Joel Edgerton. I was watching for him, and at the beginning of the film [...]

NED KELLY (rental)

When word of this movie first came out in America, it was to continue the Orlando Hype. His star was rising meteorically, and this movie was his first major role since that rise. His American fan base was being spoon-fed, and the movie (as well as Heath Ledger) were lost in the stream.
I, however, took [...]

I keep coming back to Clive Owen…

I’m sure it’s because of his recent turn as King Arthur, but he’s been in the forefront of my mind for a while now. Not that it’s a bad thing, of course…
My first exposure to Clive Owen was, same as most American fans, in the BMW Film Series. I returned to those short films over [...]

Knights of the Round Table, Part Two: Joel Edgerton and Hugh Dancy

Gawain and Galahad, respectively. Also known as young Owen Lars (Star Wars) and Prince Charming (Ella Enchanted), respectively. And yet I never knew them prior to their knightship. Hmmm…

I freely admit to being captivated on appearances alone, though more with Edgerton than with Dancy. It’s that Heath-Ledger-Knight’s-Tale hair… um… style, I’m certain of it; it [...]