Walk Hard

Last night Saundra and I took Noah to Aunt Angela's for movie night. After picking up some Taco Bell for us and a little Dairy Queen for everyone else, we sat down to watch Walk Hard - The Dewey Cox Story with John C. Reilly and Jenna Fischer.

This is a movie I had wanted to see for some time. The movie is a rags to riches story and clear parody of musical biopics like Ray and Walk the Line, but transcends the mockumentary film format with clear writing and surprisingly well done music. Many jokes are obvious (and with the last name 'Cox,' and an R ratting, you had better see that coming). However, the script surprises with witty banter and some of the funniest anti-drug (well maybe) dialogue that I have heard. It is going to be hard not to pick up the soundtrack. We did not get a chance to watch the DVD extras, but I hear they are worth the price of admission. Overall? 3.5 out of 5 Ms from me.

Battlestar Galactica

Saundra and I came late to the reimagined Battlestar Galactica, but have caught up on past seasons' DVDs and are now waiting for every Friday night to bring us a new fix. For those who do not know (i.e., living under a rock), BSG is a post-apocalyptic, science-fiction storyboard that takes place in an alternative timeline/universe where humans have created a race of machines who become sentient and rebel. It delves into the complexities of recreating society; the rule of law, social and economic justice, and the continuation of culture. It also evocatively tells personal, gripping stories of loss, revenge, and rediscovery. Oh, and the robots: intelligent, armed, and hidden among the humans.

The show is replete with aerial dogfights, exploding spaceships, and the other trappings of successful science fiction; but what the show is most successful at doing is telling a compelling, episodic story. Like any good story, it grows in the telling and the truths revealed early in the story are turned on their heads as more of the tale is told. Four episodes into this season, and we know it is the last. Like a novel (or trilogy), seeing the end of the publication cycle provides an opportunity for the producers and the writers of BSG to complete the story arc in a comprehensive manner and go out with a bang (literally, I am assuming), unlike some television shows (I am looking at you ER) which hang on for too long. BSG is not just good science fiction, or even good post-apocalyptic fiction; it is good story.


Catch up if you have missed it!

Battlestar Galactica (2003 Miniseries)
Battlestar Galactica - Season One
Battlestar Galactica - Season 2.0 (Episodes 1-10)
Battlestar Galactica: Season 2.5 (Episodes 11-20)
Battlestar Galactica - Razor (Unrated Extended Edition)
Battlestar Galactica - Season Three
Stream Season 4 (Hulu)

Don't Make Me Do It

One of the reasons for this whole blog thing was my attempt to explore not only the thoughts rattling around in my head, but also the tools that we now have to share those thoughts. I think it is quite interesting to watch the ads that Google places next to my content. For a week, it was blogging tools. Now it is all Passover ads. I am sure the baby stuff will come soon. And then the D&D stuff will roll. It better roll, or I will be reduced to talking about the Interplay of Internal Revenue Code sections 121 and 1031! No one wants that.

Happy Passover

Growing up, Passover has always been my favorite Jewish holiday. It wasn't that I got to bring matzoh and chopped liver sandwiches to elementary school while the other kids were eating pizza and PB&J on white. It wasn't explaining that corn and rice are forbotten despite not appearing in the Bible. It is two things. The first is that the holiday occurs at home and not in some stuffy building. The second, and a theme to which I keep returning, is story.

Reason the first:

The main celebration of Passover is the Seder. Seders in my family have traditionally been at my parents' or my aunt and uncle's. Because it is a home based celebration limited to 10 to 30 people (for us at least), we have chosen which parts of the ceremony to emphasize and cut those which have less meaning to our family. It is a shared tradition with a personal flare that allows us to explore what is important to us. And it is important.

The story of the communal redemption of the Jewish people has been a unifying force in the history of the Jewish people; a history (while not unique) that has involved countless attempts to destroy them. Four thousand years of history have certainly changed the nature and character of Jews to the point that neither would recognize the other should Woody Allen or Alan Dershowitz stop by for a glass of Manischewitz with Moses or Maimonides. However, the celebration of the redemption of a people which is celebrated annually creates a thread that binds disparate believers into one tapestry that has withstood far to many washes and attempts to throw out. It was once observed that where there are two Jews, there are three opinions - on any subject. Something needs to bind this cantankerous group, and I think the Seder is it.

Reason the second:

Fundamentally, Passover is about telling a story. Well, a specific story, the story of Exodus with Moses and 40 years in the desert and all that. It is a story that many of us know well but are still praised for re-telling and re-listening. Each time the story is told, new details can be emphasized or corollaries drawn. The act of sharing the story has been my favorite part of the holiday and a formative part of what has shaped my own need to listen to, tell, and share stories with others. Now it is Noah's turn to hear this story for the first time; but not the last. I think he liked it!