Super Cinema Saturday ~ Dan in Real Life

My thoughts. Click on the picture and go to Amazon and read 93 more reviews, if you'd like. I gave it 4 stars.


Almost as awkward as a coming of age story, Dan in Real Life, is full of sweet and grief filled moments. Steve Carell plays Dan, a parenting columnist who has single parented three daughters since his wife died four years earlier.





He and his daughters pile into the car and head to Rhode Island to the family summer house. The cabin, full of brothers, sisters, nieces and nephews as well as his parents is a place where Dan can be himself and be humbled in the process. Carell plays grief-numbed very believably. I thought it might be difficult to separate him from Michael Scott, but other than flashes of Michael, Steve played Dan, and I bought into it.





On day one with his extended family, Dan is chased away from the cabin by his mother when his daughters reveal togetherness tension. While away, Dan meets a woman and bares his soul.





There are some touching scenes, humorous moments and a celebration throughout of family in all its warty importance. The familial interaction feels real. Of course, I come from a touchy, feely, in your face family. Some from hands off homes may struggle with the intimacy of the group.





There is some predictability. Juliette Binoche plays Marie, who except for a few glimpses of emotion doesn't come across as right for Dan. But then, that's often the way friends and family see couples, as mismatched.





Overall this flick is heavier than a first date movie or feel good romance and definitely worth looking into further.

Serials and Scenarios - Tina Ann Forkner

Tina Forkner visits. Charming answers to the dregs questions. Don't you think? Don't forget to read the first chapter of Ruby Among Us.


Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

It would have to be the bat, Stellaluna. Just like her, sometimes I just get the sense that I don’t quite belong in this big world of publishing. When Stellaluna discovers she’s really a bat and that the reason she can’t perch on a tree limb is because she wasn’t made to, I get a little teary eyed.

And I love it when her bird brothers and sisters try hanging upside with her. It’s a great story about misunderstanding who we think we are and learning to be friends with people who are different.



If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

It would be Shakespeare. “Who were you really and which stories did you actually make up and which ones did you simply adapt for production?”



Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.

I don’t think it’s strange, but I have to have music, a quiet house, and something hot to drink nearby. My music consists of all different styles, but it can’t be anything loud. I still like Edie Brickell and the Bohemians, REM, Harry Jr., U2, Keith Urban, Amy Grant, Norah Jones, and lately it’s been a little bit of Colbie Callait, Faith Hill, Joss Stone, John Mayer and Jordin Sparks. It changes depending on the day of course. As long it’s not too loud, the flow of my writing sort of moves with the music.



Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

“After all, the richest source of my fiction does come from life as I have misunderstood it – its contradictions, its unanswerable questions, its unlikely twists and turns.”

Amy Tan, from The Opposite of Fate



What period of history intrigues you the most?

Believe it or not, the 1800’s. That’s why I love Jane Kirkpatrick and Kim Vogel Sawyer. I write contemporary fiction, but at one time I thought I would be a historical writer. I think I am so intrigued by it because it gives me a glimpse of how my great-grandmothers might have lived. It inspires me that they lived through those times that took hard work and probably a lot of faith.



How does something worm its way into your heart? Through tears, truth, humor or other?

Something worms its way into my heart when I am put into the circumstance myself, so I guess it would be truth. For example, I always felt compassion for single moms, but I didn’t really understand or respect them until I went on that journey myself and saw what it was really like. I’m happily married now, but I now have a bigger heart for single parents and their children because I understand how someone can end up in that situation.



Book, music, person, food you would take with you on a very long trip.

I’m not just trying to score points with my mom, but it would be the Bible.



Favorite book setting and why?

I think a book or a scene set beside the ocean. The smells, the sounds, the expansiveness, the sense of freedom seems to open new possibilities for the characters that can’t be had in the boundaries of land and cities.



What word annoys you more than any other?

It’s like, you know. I mean, like really. It’s like the word that gets misused like all the time. Like know what I mean? It’s like, I mean it. I know we still have to use it, but can we use it the right way? I don’t like it at all. Like… you know?



Superhero you most admire and why?

It absolutely has to be Mrs. Incredible. I don’t know how she does it all with being a mom and a superhero, but I think if I had her stretchy arms and that tone of voice she gets when she’s mad I could totally get people, like my kids and hubby, to do my bidding and change the world.



Super power you'd love to borrow for awhile?

That’s easy. Besides Mrs. Incredible’s stretchy arms, it would have to be her daughter’s ability to disappear so I could get some uninterrupted writing time.



Societal pet peeve…sound off.

It would have to be the way we make snap judgments about each other. Just look at how the media blasts the stars and how society just keeps on wanting to hear more of it. A little bit more grace in our society would be fantastic, along with some rearranged priorities about what is truly important.

Scribble and Scrambles - Forward from a Cynic

AMAZING SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

(My cynical and slightly off-kilter wonderful brother shared these helpful hints with me. Please don't try these at home, kids. And if you do and it turns out hilariously funny then send pictures!)


1. IF YOU'RE CHOKING ON AN ICE CUBE, SIMPLY POUR A CUP OF BOILING WATER DOWN YOUR THROAT. PRESTO! THE BLOCKAGE WILL INSTANTLY REMOVE ITSELF.

2. AVOID CUTTING YOURSELF WHEN SLICING VEGETABLES BY GETTING SOMEONE ELSE TO HOLD THE VEGETABLES WHILE YOU CHOP.

3. AVOID ARGUMENTS WITH THE FEMALES ABOUT LIFTING THE TOILET SEAT BY USING THE SINK.

4. FOR HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE SUFFERERS ~ SIMPLY CUT YOURSELF AND BLEED FOR A FEW MINUTES, THUS REDUCING THE PRESSURE ON YOUR VEINS. REMEMBER TO USE A TIMER.

5. A MOUSE TRAP PLACED ON TOP OF YOUR ALARM CLOCK WILL PREVENT YOU FROM ROLLING OVER AND GOING BACK TO SLEEP AFTER YOU HIT THE SNOOZE BUTTON.

6. IF YOU HAVE A BAD COUGH, TAKE A LARGE DOSE OF LAXATIVES. THEN YOU'LL BE AFRAID TO COUGH.

7. YOU ONLY NEED TWO TOOLS IN LIFE - WD-40 AND DUCT TAPE. IF IT DOESN'T MOVE AND SHOULD, USE THE WD-40. IF IT SHOULDN'T MOVE AND DOES, USE THE DUCT TAPE.

8. REMEMBER - EVERYONE SEEMS NORMAL UNTIL YOU GET TO KNOW THEM.

9. IF YOU CAN'T FIX IT WITH A HAMMER, YOU'VE GOT AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM.


DAILY THOUGHT:

SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES - NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS ( I know, I know! Tasteless and awful on at least three levels. But I can't stop laughing. Let's call it a nervous laugh, stress relief...whatever... rather than what it actually is.)

Serials and Scenarios - Ruby Among Us

Visit Tina's blog, click on her book cover, or read the first chapter. Come back Friday for an interview.


Book Description:

Sometimes, the key that unlocks your future lies in someone else’s past...

In Ruby Among Us, Lucy DiCamillo is safely surrounded by her books, music, and art─but none of these reclusive comforts or even the protective efforts of her grandmother, Kitty can shield her from the memory of the mother she can no longer remember. Lucy senses her grandmother holds the key, but Kitty seems as eager to hide from the past as Lucy is eager to find it.

From the streets of San Francisco and Sacramento, to the lush vineyards of the Sonoma Valley, Lucy follows the thread of memory in search for a heritage that seems long-buried with her mother, Ruby.

What she finds is enigmatic and stirring in this redemptive tale about the power of faith and mother-daughter love.


My Review:

Ruby Among Us is a coming of age novel that wends its way through the lives of three women and the men who have loved them. Exploring the complexity of a young woman's fight to know the truth and an older woman's desire to protect her granddaughter from it results in a slow waltz of control, passion, fear and longing. Moments that shine of allegorical truth swirl within the story of Lucy and Kitty who live steeped in sorrow and guilt in parallel companionship that is only an inch deep.

Decades of story unfold when Lucy struggles to find out the truth about her mother's short life. Her quest takes her from a college campus to a vineyard, from death to death of innocence and from longing to sorrow to acceptance.

In the advanced reader's unproofed copy I struggled with some POV/tense issues that no doubt have been taken care of in the final version.

Inspirational fiction fans should find quite a bit to like in Ruby. Literary or romance fans may not find enough of either to really satisfy though there are flashes of each. The faith elements are realistically handled and some heavy duty topics are covered with grace and sensitivity.

Scribble and Scrambles - Piddling Along....

I don't think this will be a flattering comparison, but this is where I live, people.

Ready?

As much as I don't want to, I really can't help finding similarities between the Christian walk and puppy training or maybe the more appropriate title of puppy wrangling.

I suppose I'm not the only one to make this connection since there is that very unpleasant scripture regarding dogs and their vomit. But I'm not even going to go there, I'm not exactly a Solomon.

Point One.

No matter how much I congratulate myself or my daughter regarding the mastering of potty training, we are still unable, at the one year mark, to trust the puppies to be home alone in the house. Oh, they do very well with supervision... most of the time. However, two puppies guarantees distractions, and distractions and moderately full bladders equals accidents waiting to happen. And they do.

When we first got them and Rob and I puppysat, within twenty minutes we might have six accidents (the puppies, not us). The big issue seemed to be the previous owners training the puppies to use puppy pads, so they seemed to think the world was just one big old puppy pad. How many rolls of paper towels did we go through? How many bottles of cleaner? Oy! Eventually, they seem to understand that outside = potty. Good girl. Treats! Happy people. Indoor = not potty, not happy people.

Lately, with the rain, we've discovered that they will go as close to the house as possible. Better than the floor, but we're talking a yard that is just shy of an acre. A branching out would be nice. But the rain is not something they care for. And we've set out a board to help cut down on tracked mud. Lola, the especially rain-hating, will go on the board every time she's not directed elsewhere. And Lily will head outside and chase a leaf and forget to go potty, so we have to watch her to make sure she goes. They both have played the "I went, now I get my treat!" game and have only piddled when there should be some puddling going on and we have to tell them to go again.

I'm glad we live in the country. I'd hate to have close neighbors have to listen to the endless chants of "Go Potty!" " Lily! No! Potty! Lily! Go peepee!" "No! Not on the board, Lola!"

So how are we, as Christians, like puppy training?

We have bad habits that make the new ways of walking and talking difficult to embrace.

We have to be told over and over again. Seriously, when was the last time you got a spiritual truth the FIRST time you encountered it? I have to hear it Sunday, read it Monday, be slapped by a real-life example on Tuesday, and then have it set to music on Wednesday. And that's just week one.

We are so fearful and skittish of things outside of our experience/comfort level, that we hover as close to the door as we possibly can. So much so that we sometimes have to leap over piles of our own making, or walk right through them.

That's enough for today. I'm getting a little depressed just thinking about it. Hope you are not tracking through bad habits and leaving a certain perfume wherever you're going today. I'm going to check my shoes, and between my toes because I'm smelling something a little rank.

Super Cinema Saturday ~ 27 Dresses

Cover Description:

Katherine Heigl (TV's Grey's Anatomy) lights up the screen in this charming romantic comedy from the screenwriter of The Devil Wears Prada."

Heigl stars as Jane a romantic completely selfless woman who has been a bridesmaid in no less than 27 weddings. Unfortunately her own happy ending seems to be nowhere in sight. Until her younger sister Tess captures the heart of Jane's boss -- on whom Jane has a secret crush inspiring Jane to change her "always-a-bridesmaid" destiny.

My Review:

Wedding Planner fans have already probably seen 27 Dresses and loved it. The two films share a love of wedding details and the romance of the moments...all the moments leading up to the trip home from the honeymoon.

I happen to fall somewhere in that category so I liked 27 Dresses. Some of it I liked a lot. Jane and Kevin have a sweet and spicy relationship that comes off as believable. Katherine Heigl also plays the part of a martyr with some great facial comedic moments. I liked the flavor and personality of the film and had fun watching it. I appreciated that I didn't have to watch sex, though I heard a bit about it, and there were behind the scenes moments.

I didn't care for Jane's sister Tess and didn't buy into the passive aggressiveness of the relationship and Tess's extreme selfishness. I didn't buy Jane's long-term crush on George either. Jane's best friend claims to have a defective moral compass and demonstrates that throughout the film. Don't get me wrong, she's funny, but it's not humor for your great-grandma or your ten year old. There are several s-words sprinkled throughout and an F-Bomb is muffled during a massive Jane meltdown.

Overall, 27 Dresses is a fun movie that falls into the PG13 category for a reason. It is one of those that a group of women can pop in while they gorge on chocolate and popcorn and paint their nails (hopefully not at the same time). Or a fun date night if you don't get embarrassed with innuendo and outright crude comments. Good for a few laughs and a couple of sighs.

Serials and Scenarios - Sigmund Brouwer

Sigmund sent a special link to a music video "Beautiful Bird" that you just have to see. It has special significance to him and only partially because it's from his wife Cindy's new CD. I think I can safely say that his daughters are little angels.

Without further ado...here is the Q & A for today.

Fiction character you would most like to be or most identify with and why?

Joe Hardy. I cut my teeth on those mysteries, and he was

my hero when I was in third grade. I’d walk around copying down license plate numbers of suspicious people, and practice following people around town, just to hone my detective skills.

If you could ask any person, living or dead, a random question -- what question would you ask of whom?

If you limited me to one person, it would have to be the designer of Stonehenge: why?

Some out there in writing land have strange rituals. Share yours.

If I can’t golf three times a week, I’m totally unable to be creative. That’s my story, and I’m sticking with it.

Favorite turn of phrase or word picture, in literature or movie.

No more rhyming and I mean it. . .anybody want a peanut? From the Princess Bride.

What period of history intrigues you the most?

Ancient Rome. So much like the United States and politics today, yet so incredibly different.

What makes you feel alive?

Having my little girls run toward me, shouting my favorite word: Daddy.

Where would you most like to travel ----- moon, north pole, deep seas, deserted island, the holy land or back to a place from your childhood, somewhere else? – and why.

Moon, hands down. To get a sense of the immensity of the universe. But only if you guaranteed me safe re-entry. It’s not that I’m a coward, I just want to spend as much time with my girls as possible.

What would you do today if you knew you had only a week to live?

Not only today, but every day to the end of that week at Henry Horton State Park with our family ritual. There’s a wide, shallow river where the girls play and my wife and I sit in lawn chairs and watch as they dig out crawdads. Then up to the playground, and then onto playing catch with the girls. Followed by ice cream cones on the way home.

Thanks, Sigmund.

And I hope you all have a wonderful holiday weekend, friends and fam.