April: Cons & Capers (4 of 4)

The Sting!!

One of the gems of my childhood. I don't know how many times we sat and watched this movie as a family or listened to the record (Joplin piano rags). Robert Redford and Paul Newman are one of the great duos of hollywood history and they don't disappoint one moment in this classic.

Redford is a small-town crook who goes to learn "the big con" under the tutelage of Newman, a drunk has-been who hasn't run a con for years. Together, they set out con one of the most powerful, dangerous and vengeful gangsters in Chicago... and get away with it? You'll have to make it to the end to find out.

Enjoy!

And by the way--no comments this month? What gives? Surely somebody watched something with us! (Especially after the long spiel I gave in favor of Brothers Bloom! Come on, I want to know what you thought of it!)

A Little Update

Well, things have been pretty busy here in the woods. Curmudgeon is in the midst of student teaching but he's still working full-time (nights) as well as trying to apply and interview for prospective jobs this fall. He's incredibly busy but still finds time to play with his babies, write music--including a new arrangement for our upcoming Easter Program at church as well as an orchestral arrangement for the high school he's student-teaching at, teach a few lessons and do the shopping when I just can't face it (the grocery store with two babies is my own little private hell). We are fortunate enough to have some paternity leave time left over so that he can take a couple days of (unpaid) leave each week which gives him a couple of extra nights at home with us.
I've been measuring my life by deadlines lately...tax day, easter, art show submission dates. I am the music chairman and choir director at church so I've been planning for the Easter Program for several months and am now in the last few days of pulling it all together. The choir has been just wonderful and very willing to step out on a limb with the very difficult music I've thrown at them. Now I've just got to finish writing the narration (haven't I ever heard of delegation? sheesh) and we'll be all set. C and I are both premiering new pieces in the program too. I already mentioned his, it's another men's quartet, this time of the hymn "He is Risen". Mine is a ladies trio (hmm, it kind of looks like we're trying to segregate the genders. I'm not sure what that means) of "Abide With Me". We'll record them both--actually, I'm hoping to record the whole program as I'd really like you to hear the choir too.

We mentioned before that Happy has graduated to a big-boy bed. I wish that bedtime really was as idyllic as this photo implies. The reality is more than a little frustrating to this mama. Sometimes I'm ready to pull all my hair out. Today was one of those days. A giant dent in the wall (from a flying dump truck thrown down the stairs), the coat-rack knocked over and a dozen coats all over the floor, an upturned and broken file box with all our personal documents, tax files for the past 3 years, receipts and notes from teaching and gigging, my business documents and receipts scattered all over the floor. And a small happy person who doesn't take naps or eat vegetables or follow directions behind it all. We're lucky babies are so cute...evolutionary protection? I think so.

But it has been a pretty good week for girly. She's been a bit happier, a bit cuter and a bit less fussy than usual. She's learned to clap her hands, she's getting to be an impressively mobile wiggler, and she is already trying to climb out of the crib. Her brother still hadn't gotten to that point by the time we took the crib away! She continues to rake in the compliments about her mohawk and has added to the praise with oohs and ahhs about her big beautiful blue eyes.

all in all, though it's busy and frustrating and stressful and tiring, I think life for us is pretty good and there's not a whole lot we would change. 

April: Cons & Capers (3 of 4)

And this is it...the one I've been waiting for!! I know that many of you will not have seen this movie and I've been so anxious to introduce you to it that I got up early so I could write this post before the kids wake up.

I saw the trailer for this film some time ago and was intrigued by what appeared to be a clever and twisty plotline, snippets of lighthearted and funny dialogue and by the fact that it stars Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo. Are you kidding me? AWESOME!! Love them both to bits.

Then, because we never go to movies anymore, I forgot about it until it showed up on our Netflix recommendation list. Within a few days I was holding in my hand a little red envelope filled with as-yet-untold goodness.

I watched it once. I watched it twice. I watched it three times. Then I decided I had better get up off the couch. Ok, not really. I didn't actually watch it three times in a row, but I wanted to! And I did watch it probably 4 or 5 times before returning it to Netflix. Then we went and bought it and I've watched it several more times since then.

It's charming, hilarious, confusing, convoluted, heartbreaking, and feel-good. The characters are all completely compelling and zip right into your heart within their first few moments. Of course Mark Ruffalo and Adrien Brody are fantastic, but the two ladies are just as good. I think the real standout of the cast might be Rinko Kikuchi, who, despite a role with almost no lines, just about steals every scene she's in. 

I'm not going to waste time telling you the plot. It's clear enough that you can get it as you watch and confusing enough that I just don't want to go into it here. I'll just outline a few of my favorite things:

1) one of the best movie openings I've ever seen. The introduction is clever and cute and sets up the main characters brilliantly.

2) after having seen it now probably 10 times, I still see new things with each viewing. There are so many layers in the imagery and story that you just never get to the bottom of it. It's not like it makes any claims to be some deep, philosophical treatise and I'm not making that claim either, it's just that the filmmakers and writers were extremely clever and thoughtful about what they put into the details. It's a pleasure to watch each new time.

3) my number one, all-time favorite romantic movie moment. It's not a love scene per se, just a small moment of hand-holding, sunshine and utter happiness. You'll see.

Ok, enough said. I love everything about this movie and wholeheartedly recommend it to you.

things to be aware of: I don't recall any language, there's a bit of mock-violence (they are con-artists, after all) and a somewhat embarrassing moment on a train. If you want to know specifics, you should probably look the movie up on one of those "ratings explained" sites. Again, I'd let my kids watch it, but you know me.

up next week: The Sting

What's Up These Days?

Curmudgeon is in the midst of student teaching, and yes, he's still working. So the man is busy, tired, overworked and still manages to come home cheerful and happy to play with his children. Wow. I love him so much! He's in a great situation with his mentor-teacher. She has allowed him to jump right in and he's had many opportunities to teach and direct. He's even writing an arrangement of "House of the Rising Sun" for the High School orchestra to play for their end-of-year concert. We'll be sure to record it and share it with you all.
Happy has had lots of excitement in his world lately. He experienced his first major injury. Ok, whatever, as far as this exceptionally healthy household is concerned, a chipped tooth is a big deal. But he survived like a champ on oatmeal and applesauce for a couple of days. I could tell he was feeling better when he returned to his status quo--peanut butter sandwiches.
He has also graduated to a big-boy bed. We're not really convinced he was ready for the change, but little Punky is not so little anymore and she was cramming into the corners of her cradle. So now she's sleeping in the crib. Happy however, is not sleeping so much. He hasn't had a real nap since the change and bedtime, though still begun at the usual time, ends at least a couple of hours later for him. He exhausts himself playing with his toys (or throwing them from one end of the room to the other) then falls asleep in a lump on the floor. Then, as has happened for the past three nights, he wakes up whimpering until I come in to put him in bed and tuck his blankets around him. I sure hope he gets used to his bed soon. And I REALLY hope that this is not the end of his naps. He may think he's ready to stay up all day, but I am definitely not!!
Punky hasn't had as much excitement. The new bed is about the extent of it. We're still trying to help her figure out how to sleep. I do think the crib has been an improvement (at least, once she got a fluffy quilt to sleep on and a quilted bumper around the perimeter). But we're still up 3 to 4 times a night. But believe me, that is an improvement.
Someday we'll all have normal schedules. Someday our children will be able to sleep by themselves and someday their parents will be able to sleep at all. Someday.

April: Cons & Capers (2 of 4)

Ok, so we missed a day, but Robert Redford is as good on a Saturday as he would have been on Friday, so never fear, the con-fest continues.

Look at that cast list...how could you resist, right? Ok, let's just be honest, I can resist the Akroyd and McDonnell, but the rest are (picture me kissing the tips of my fingers like a French chef) superb (obviously said French-ly). Well, ok, that's not true either because as superb as Ben Kingsley normally is, this sure isn't his best performance. But all that aside, it's a great movie. Lots of fun.

For any unfamiliar with Sneakers, Redford plays Martin Bishop, head of a rag-tag team of ex-professionals who do contract work testing security systems...which just means they break in like thieves then report back system vulnerabilities to the clients...blah blah blah. The story really takes off when they get involved with a certain little black box that may or may not have the power to take down the whole system. You know, the WHOLE system. Full of humor, action, suspense and--most important--quotable quotes, we give this our hearty recommendation. 

Full disclosure: may be some language and mild adult situations. I think we'd let our kids watch, but you know what we're like.

coming next week: The Brothers Bloom

Another NIght

Punky, aka Chubbles, is a giant baby. Alys has suspected that part of her getting up every two hours during the night now is due to barely fitting in her crib/bassinet. (Who knows why she didn't sleep a few months ago when she fit just fine?) So, after a particularly bad night, Alys made the executive decision today to put Happy in the toddler bed, and put Punky in his crib.

Happy was pretty happy about the bed. He sat contented on his bed with a pile of colored pencils while I read stories, sang him a song, and held hands for prayer. That was a little past 7. He continued to make noise for another 90 minutes. A little past nine I heard a loud THUMP from his room. I went upstairs and heard nothing from his room but his white noise machine. When I quietly opened the door to look in, he was sitting on his bed, silently sorting some toys. He wasn't facing me and didn't look when I looked in; I closed the door and went back downstairs. No noise since, nor have I checked in again. Chubbles has also not made a peep, but the night is young (11pm).

April: Cons & Capers (1 of 4)

Welcome to another month and another theme! Conmen, tricksters and grifters will populate our Friday nights for the next few weeks as we delve into Cons & Capers

First on the docket is the 1966 "How to Steal a Million" starring Audrey Hepburn and Peter O'Toole. Hard to go wrong with those two, right? They're both as gorgeous, witty and delightful as you'd expect. Tiny teaser to the plot (for those of you who haven't seen it yet...if there are any of you). Miss Hepburn catches Mr. O'Toole red-handed picking off one of her father's priceless Van Goghs and subsequently hires him to steal the precious Cellini Venus currently on display at a Paris Museum. The Venus which, by the way, she already happens to own. Sophisticated, Givenchy-clad hilarity ensues. Enjoy!

Up next week: Sneakers