Our Sunday School class enjoyed a lively review of Little Miss Sunshine yesterday morning with our resident film critic. I came away convinced, as always after her reviews, that one should be required to take a critique class before ever going to the theatre. It is stunning to realize all that we ordinary viewers miss by not knowing how to “watch” a film. So much more depth and meaning to them than meets the eye, no pun intended.

Saw National Treasure: Book of Secrets last evening. Good movie about a missing page from the diary of John Wilkes Booth which implicates the grandfather of the Nicolas Cage character, Ben Gates. Cage, Helen Mirren and Ed Harris delivered solid performances and Jon Voight was as good as I’ve seen him in a long time. ‘Course it seems a long time since I’ve seen him. Enjoyed the scenes of Paris and London. This film was number one in box office sales over the weekend: 35.8 million dollars. Lots of purposeful action and cool underlying value messages.


Saw Alvin and the Chipmunks a couple of weeks ago. This one brought in 30 million dollars over the weekend and it’s been in theatres since December 14...seems to be holding its own. Every baby boomer knows the story line: Three chipmunk brothers come crashing into the life of a down-on-his-song- writing-luck man named Dave; mischievous group leader Alvin, tall and quiet Simon (I LOVE those glasses), and chubby, endearing, impressionable Theodore. The chipmunks form a music group, revive Dave's career, and have adventures while enjoying coast to coast fame. Delivers the message about authenticity, parenting and again, like National Treasure, the opportunity to clarify one's values. Tickled to observe an entire new generation of Alvin fans coming to life there in the theatre. I must admit, I was singing right along with the rest of the audience! Good times!

Kite Runner is on our radar for this evening after work if all works out schedule-wise. I read the book twice and listened to the audio version four times so I’m aware this won’t be an easy watch. I loved this book with its underlying theme of betrayal and redemption. It will definitely be listed in my lifetime 10 favorite books. I almost ran through Khaled Hosseini's second book, A Thousand Splendid Suns, which USA called “spectacular,” and enjoyed it every bit as much. Editorial review on Amazon: “In his debut novel, The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini accomplishes what very few contemporary novelists are able to do. He manages to provide an educational and eye-opening account of a country's political turmoil--in this case, Afghanistan--while also developing characters whose heartbreaking struggles and emotional triumphs resonate with readers long after the last page has been turned over. And he does this on his first try.” If you’re interested in knowing more, here is Hosseini's website and blog