A pleasant day...

Valentine's Day has come and gone. I was afraid it was going to be a disaster. After I gave her a dozen roses, Belgian choclates and a Pooh balloon, I told Musubichan that we should get those ears pierced. All of a sudden she got cold feet... I was so confident of this present that I did not have a Plan B to fall back on... Fortunately, she had a change of heart, and she now has two gold studs, one in each ear. Apparently, she needs to wear these things for 6 weeks as she keeps it clean by sterilizing it three times a day. She told me to get one to: "It didn't hurt at all!" Like I said, I have all the holes God intended me to have. Don't need extra. Besides, I have what is known in Japanese as fuku-mimi 福耳, which roughly translated into "fortune ears". Basically, it's an ear with big lobes like those old Chinese gods of fortune. Not that I'm superstitious or anything, but I get the feeling that if I put a hole in my ear, the fortune will pour out. Not that I have a fortune, but I want to keep what little I have. Anyway, we wrapped up the day at our favorite watering hole. Now I have a hangover... How am I gonna grade?

Comment of the day... Sometimes, your light-hearted banter makes me forget that you are one year older than my daddy. =) -- Posted 2/14/2004 SleepingCutie -- Gee, thanks-- O-man

What I rented from BLOCKBUSTER
I watch a lot of movies, as you might guess. And I like to talk about them as well... and at length. I should keep them short. God knows I am no movie critic, and will not be giving Roger Ebert or Gene Shallot any competition. Certainly, anything I say wouldn't affect any of you as I usually see movies way after everyone else has. And yet, when I start to think about a movie I just saw, I can't help but talk about them. Anyway, at the risk of sounding longwinded, here's another comment.

Secondhand Lions Cast: Robert Duvall, Michael Caine, Haley Joel Osment Director: Tim McCanlies Rated: PG Running Time: 109 minutes

Over the summer, I went to the see a few movies in the theaters--rarely do I actually go out to the theater--the previews for this movie played rather prominently... or at least they stuck in my mind. I enjoy Robert Duvall and this movie--also starring Micael Caine and Haley Joel Osment--seemed like a pleasant enough film. Not enough to go to the theaters, mind you, but to rent and watch at home. And indeed it was pleasant enough. The story revolves around a boy, Walter, who suddenlly finds himself in the care of two grand uncles he has never met, Hub and Garth, for a the summer in the middle of rural Texas. Placed there by his widowed mother who leads a life in search of the next boyfriend, Walt must now deal with two eccentric--albeit rich--old geezers whose major source of entertainment is to scare away travelling salesmen with their shotguns, and who are the subject of rumors that they are notorious bank robbers. They warm to each other as the uncles relate to Walt their story of adventure in Africa in the early 20th century. Its so warm and fuzzy. Unfortunately, thanks to the deleted scenes section of the DVD, I learned that this film could have been much better. In the film, when the uncles tell of their adventure, Walt imagines them as only a child can--hot desert, swarthy sheik, harem babes. But the director/editor deleted scenes in which Walt imagines scenarios in his current situation: life if the two uncles kicked the bucket in the middle of the night, or her mother as a court reporter. These scenes go a long way in suggesting the creative imagination of the boy who eventually grows up to be a cartoonist illustrating his uncles' adventures. Indeed, one of the scenes in the trailers that I remembered vividly was when the two fly beneath a bridge and buzz a patrol car. This scene is not in the movie, and its not even included in the deleted scenes. At first I thought that I might have gotten it mixed up with another film, but the trailers included in the DVD confirmed my greatest fear: These guys over edited a decent film. For that, only **1/2 stars.

I'm sure many of you have been similarly disappointed by films after embracing high expectations based on prevews. Which film proved to be the most disappointing to you and why? Or are you the kind who refuses to be influenced by previews?