Category: Film

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The Best and Worst of 2013

By Jim Spiegel

It’s been another exciting year, and we want to thank you all for reading and, if applicable, posting comments on our blog.  Once again, we would like to close out the year with some summary remarks about good and bad stuff related to film, music, books, politics, and family.

Best and Worst Film Experiences:

Jim:  This was a slow year for me in terms of watching films.  Probably the best movie I watched all year was a very old one—The Killing Fields, a classic from 1984 featuring Sam Waterston in his signature role.  As for the worst film I viewed this year, that would have to be Gravity.  Though visually dazzling—the special effects are perhaps the best I’ve seen—it was almost entirely bereft of character development and a real story.  Even  Pacific Rim—also with brilliant special effects—had a far better story than Gravity, which is saying a lot (or, I should say, very little).

Amy:  Going to see Hunger Games: Catching Fire with our two oldest boys on opening night ranks as my number one theatrical experience of the year.  While decidedly not the most intellectually stimulating film I saw this year, I am enjoying Bailey and Sam’s maturation into appreciating more complex story lines and mature content in film.  Since Jim stole my pick for worst film of the year, I will go with my second worst, which was City of Bones.  I didn’t think it was possible for the film to be worse than the book, but I was wrong.  However, I might have missed a few aspects of the film, since—after realizing it was reeeaaalllly bad—I speed watched the DVD in about 30 minutes.  Ugh.

Jim’s Best and Worst Musical Experiences of the Year: 

Topping my musical list this year are Vampire Weekend’s Modern Vampires of the City and Arcade Fire’s Reflektor.  Coincidentally, both of these bands have a strong spiritual perspective, but this aspect of Vampire Weekend did not emerge until Modern Vampires, which is their third album.  Musically, it is every bit as rich and textured as their first two albums, but now they are tackling sublime themes, and the result is beautiful.  As for Arcade Fire, they’ve taken another dramatic musical turn, this time into a dance-funk direction, but it works.  Somehow, for all of their stylistic explorations, this band always sounds like they’re playing to their strengths.  As for the biggest disappointment of the year, it was the Killers’ Battle Born album.  Somehow this once magical Las Vegas DuranDuran-inspired foursome has lost their edge and inspiration.  Let’s hope they get it back.

Amy’s Best and Worst Eating Experiences of the Year:  

When I think of the good dining experiences I had this year they have a lot less to do with the food we ate and more to do with the people with whom we shared those experiences.  The worst experience of the year was not really an eating experience but rather our assistant pastor’s sermon on gluttony which has me doing some soul-searching regarding my relationship with food.  Perhaps this shouldn’t be categorized as a “bad” experience, but I haven’t reached the spiritual maturity to call it “good” either.

Jim’s Favorite Sports Moments of the Year:  It had to be watching Michigan State (my alma mater) defeat Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game.  I’ve always really, really disliked the Buckeyes (because I’m also, and more fundamentally, a U-M fan, despite my love for MSU).  Seeing the Detroit Tigers win their division for the 3rd consecutive year and also return to the American League Championship was a highlight as well.

Amy’ Favorite Sports Moments of the Year:  My favorite sports moments are a little closer to home.  I enjoyed watching Andrew’s and Bailey’s soccer teams go undefeated for the year and win their championships.  Its fun to now have all of our kids playing at a level that is actually enjoyable to watch.   Also, watching Andrew hit a home run in his coaches’ pitch league was fun, as well as seeing Sam play goalie on his soccer team—a role he embraced with relish.

Jim’s Most Disappointing Sports Moments of the Year:  It’s a three-way tie between (1) watching the now predictable Detroit Lions’ late season swoon, (2) seeing the eventual NBA champion Miami Heat slip by the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern conference championship series, and (3) watching the Tigers falter to the bearded Beantowners.  Big Poppi’s grand slam in game two turned the series, and the Tigers never recovered.  But there are reasons to be hopeful again on all three counts:  the Lions will be getting a new coach, the Pacers are much improved from last year and now have the best record in the NBA, and the Tigers have improved their roster considerably with some smart off-season moves.  Hope springs eternal for this Detroit/Indy fan.

Satisfying Reads of the Year:

Jim:  One would definitely be Thomas Nagel’s Mind and Cosmos.  This long-time naturalist philosopher has shown fair-mindedness throughout his career in pointing out serious flaws with the naturalist paradigm.  This penchant comes to full fruition in this book the subtitle of which is Why the Materialist Neo-Darwinian Conception of Nature is Almost Certainly False.  Another is Herman Bavinck’s The Christian Family, which I reviewed on this blog recently.  Profound, practical and, now after 100 years, rather counter-cultural.

Amy:  With the kids in school and no home school prep to be done, I had a bit more time to read, so I was able to read over thirty books, which felt good.  Among the highlights were Elizabeth Gaskell’s Ruth, Charles Mann’s 1491 and 1493, and Tolkien’s The Hobbit.  In an upcoming post I will have more to say about all of the books I read.

Political High Point of the Year: 

Jim:  Watching Ted Cruz stand his ground in an effort to defund Obamacare.  He was excoriated for this, of course.  But now he’s being vindicated in what is, well, a political low point.

Amy:  The federal government shutdown—because it seemed like there was a glimmer of hope that Republicans would stand their ground.

Political Low Point of the Year: 

Jim:  Obamacare.  And it appears the worst is yet to come in 2014.  Gulp.

Amy:  Obamacare—especially the fact that so much has been made of the botched website when that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Best 2013 Memories of Our Kids:

Amy:  Our whole family and my dad kayaking the Hiawassee River in Tennessee, as well as camping at the Indiana Dunes with the kids.

Jim:  Taking each of the kids, one at a time, out to breakfast.  Something I try to do every summer.  Also, I enjoyed (nearly) all of the baseball and softball practices I conducted with the kids.

Best Kids’ Quotes of the Year:

Andrew:  “What’s so fun about life?”
Maggie:  “Don’t you hate it when scientists just guess?  I like knowing things.”
Sam:  “You need to brain up.”
Bailey:  After attending a seminar concerning sex and being asked what he learned: “I learned that when you’re married and you want to have sex with your wife, you have to talk to her for two hours beforehand.”

Most Satisfying Shared Experiences of the Year:

Jim:  Purchasing our brand new 9-year-old Toyota Sienna was a highlight, though it was done under duress (our Honda Odyssey having just broken down).  And refinishing the floor in what we are now calling our “den” was another highlight—domestic teamwork at its best.  However, I fear I lost millions of brain cells in the process.  Probably too much polyurethane for both of us, but just look at that shine!

Amy:  Enjoying quiet moments together after dropping the kids off at school and watching Jim transform an old dresser into a bathroom vanity for my birthday.  My ideas plus his elbow grease—a consistently strong combination when it comes to our home improvement.

New Year’s Resolutions:

Jim:  To spend a week in the Bahamas with Amy (as well as the Taylor baseball and golf teams) in January.  Okay, so that’s not really a resolution so much as a professional commitment.  Hmm…how about I resolve to post more frequently on this blog—especially book reviews.  Yep, that’s what I’ll do, Lord willing and the creek don’t rise.

Amy:  To be in the best shape of my life when I turn 40 next December.  Might not be saying much, but that’s my goal.

Happy 2014 everyone!

 

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Gravity: Lost in Thematic Space

By Jim Spiegel

A Dual Film Review by Jim and Amy

We recently went to see Gravity, directed by Alfonso Cuaron and starring Sandra Bullock and George Clooney. It is the story of two astronauts whose shuttle is destroyed by some orbiting debris, leaving them stranded in space. How will they ever return safely to earth? It is a 90-minute, heart-pounding thrill-ride. The film is also garnering over 90% positive reviews, according to Rotten Tomatoes. So we thought it would be worthwhile to do a tandem review of this one.

Amy:  Ask any kid who has fallen off his bike and he can tell you gravity can be a very unpleasant experience. Well, okay, maybe he won’t be able to name the force that keeps us tethered to our home planet, but he certainly understands the pain it often causes.  Unlike most reviewers, the experience that Jim and I had watching Gravity was much like that of the kid on his bike. Cuaron’s film is paradoxically heavy and weightless at the same time. I will give credit to the filmmaker for his breathtaking cinematography and special effects but in some respects it is like Titanic, another big—dare I say astronomical—budget film with a shallow story, very little character development, and poorly written dialogue. Gravity doesn’t just portray a vacuum (of space); it is a vacuum (of emotion and meaning). The director refuses to make a statement regarding the deeper realities of life and the film falls flat. Watching it, I felt like Sandra Bullock’s character, Ryan Stone, drifting alone in space, calling out “Hello? Anyone?”

Jim:  This is one of those films that is very strong in some technical categories while being very weak where it matters most—thematic content and character development. In this regard, Amy’s comparison to the film Titanic is apt.  That film excelled in terms of set design, costumes, and CGI. (I recall thinking that the scene where the ship sank was so visually stunning it was worth the price of admission.) Similarly for Gravity, which is a true visual feast. The special effects are astonishing, and the film is also award-worthy in such categories as production design, soundtrack, and sound editing.  Unfortunately, for all the beauty of the package and the film’s gripping tension, the story has no real theme. Some fledgling efforts are made to emotionally connect us to Ryan Stone—we learn that years earlier she had lost her young daughter in a tragic accident, that Stone never really learned to pray, and that one of her main reasons for becoming an astronaut was her longing for solitude. One needs more than this to connect to and really care for a character.  Some will say, “yes, but this is an action-adventure film; its not about the characters!” Then why bother bringing in these facts about Ryan Stone, tantalizing us with the expectation that they will be relevant in the end? And speaking of the end [spoiler alert!], I was almost disappointed when she made it back to earth safely, providing the happy ending that we all knew was coming. It would have been a more daring, and I’d say artful, move to have her die in the final scene, after she had survived so much, if only as a declaration of the absurdity of the human struggle. As it was, the film was just non-committal from a worldview standpoint. I’d rather be slapped in the face with nihilism!

Amy: Since Jim has gone and ruined the ending, I will jump on that spoiler wagon. I too really disliked the ending. As far as I am concerned, it can go live on the same movie block as Inception. Make a statement already. The only doubts I had of Stone making it back were when it became so obvious that she was going to make it back and I couldn’t believe they would be so obvious.

Jim:  Okay, Amy, I think I resent that comparison to Inception, which while non-commital at the end was still a strong film in most respects—certainly much stronger than Gravity.  But I don’t want to start a debate with you about that film. The point here is that we both give Gravity a thumbs down, right?

Amy:  Right, honey. Thumbs down.

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Snapshots

By Amy Spiegel

Brief comments on film by Amy.
Some old, some new.  Domestic films and foreign too.

Oblivion — I must confess to becoming a bit more of a Tom Cruise fan than I used to be. Or maybe I should say I have become a bigger fan of his movies (Mission Impossible series, Jack Reacher). I still don’t think he’s all that as an actor (and don’t get me started on that Oblivion2013Postergoofy, obnoxious smile of his) but I think he makes some interesting movies and Oblivion is no exception. Really interesting questions about personhood wrapped up in an appealing action-drama package.

A Dangerous Method — What is it with me watching movies starring actors I find really annoying? I really don’t care for Keira Knightley. Maybe it’s because she tried to ruin Pride and Prejudice. Maybe it’s because she has that annoying, Tom Cruise-like smile thing going on. But I must give her props for an impressive performance in this film. 220px-A_Dangerous_Method_PosterWhile I certainly don’t appreciate the sadomasochism, it was an education on the development of psychoanalysis.

Doc Martin — Total fluff but such lovely fluff. A great BBC comedy with just the right mixture of quirky characters, touching relationships, a great love story and beautiful scenery. I fill forgive them for dragging it out into five seasons when it should have been condensed to three. If I was getting paid to live in Cornwall, I wouldn’t have wanted it to end either.

The Lady Vanishes — I have been looking forward to this remake of Hitchcock’s classic since I saw the first preview months and months ago. At least I got months of enjoyment from the anticipation because this was a humorless flop. Unlike last summer’s 39 Steps, which I thought rivaled the original and was cast to perfection, this was flat and dull. As much as I looked forward to watching it, I couldn’t wait for it to be over. So many wonderful character actors! What a waste.

Take This Waltz — This is the first indie film I have watched in a long time. It has everything I have come to expect from that genre. Good actors (Seth Rogen was miscast but Michelle Williams and Sarah Silverman were great), good script, gratuitous language and sexual 220px-Take_This_Waltz_(film)_poster_artcontent. The statement regarding marriage and relationships is very powerful and I have quoted it often since watching it. Just wish they could deliver the same message without the graphic sex. And what is up with the baby talk?

Honorable Mentions — Last Tango in Halifax, Foyle’s War, Silk. These are all from Masterpiece Theater and I loved them all, especially Silk. If you are looking to get into a series but don’t want to commit to the typical American 15-episode season, I recommend these. They leave you wanting more but in a good way.

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Lincoln vs. The Iron Lady

By Amy Spiegel

I have no problem admitting that I am a total history nerd. For someone like myself, who struggles with non-fiction reading, history is the perfect bridge between the dramatic and the factual. In history, I find all the elements of fiction I appreciate but can still enjoy the feeling of moral superiority that comes from reading non-fiction.  So make a movie based on a historic figure and, for me, it is analogous to eating chocolate-covered Brussel sprouts—the pleasure of dessert without the guilt.

Recently, I have watched two such movies, Lincoln and The Iron Lady, and was struck dumb by the contrast. Obviously, the dumbness has worn off, though I still may gape a bit now and then when comparing the two films. I have read several books about the life and death of Abraham Lincoln_2012_Teaser_PosterLincoln and especially enjoyed Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin. So Lincoln, based it loosely on Goodwin’s book, was just my cup of tea. I highly recommend the movie though I will say that being knowledgeable about Lincoln and especially the back story of his relationships with his cabinet enhances the experience. There just isn’t enough time to develop the complexity of those stories within the film, especially with Spielberg’s focus on the passage of the thirteenth amendment.

I wish we had the time and money to have seen the movie twice because I am still undecided as to whether or not it was a truly great movie or if it was good movie with an amazing performance. Daniel Day Lewis makes you feel as though you are watching Lincoln the man rather than Lincoln the movie. My respect for him as an actor could not be higher.

There is another amazing portrayal of an historical figure in The Iron Lady—Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher. This is an example of a terrible film with a fantastic performance. Told from the perspective of an aging, delusional and alcoholic Thatcher, this film manages to take one of the MV5BODEzNDUyMDE3NF5BMl5BanBnXkFtZTcwMTgzOTg3Ng@@._V1._SY317_most interesting political dramas of the twentieth century and reduce it to a pathetic old woman watching home movies with her long dead husband. As Jim asked me afterwards, why make a movie about a person you so obviously dislike?

The best I can say about this film is at least it has inspired me to find out more about Lady Thatcher. While Lincoln had everything I love about history, The Iron Lady wasn’t even Brussel sprout, take-your-medicine-like-a-good-girl history. While Lincoln was both enjoyable and edifying, The Iron Lady was neither chocolate nor Brussel sprout, just a gooey, unappetizing mess and that is certainly a meal I am happy to pass on.

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The Best and Worst of 2012

By Jim Spiegel

It’s been another exciting year, and we want to thank you all for reading and, if applicable, posting comments on our blog.  Once again, we would like to close out the year with some summary remarks about good and bad stuff related to film, music, books, politics, and family.

Best Film Experiences:

  • Jim:  This year I was blown away by two films whose plots involved the silent film era:  Hugo and The Artist.  The former, directed by Martin Scorsese, is a powerfully redemptive story that is a visual and emotional delight.  Even given his impressive filmography, I regard Hugo as one of Scorsese’s best.  And The Artist is a true original at a time when Hollywood needed a breath of fresh air.
  • Amy: What have I watched this year? Obviously nothing that great or I would be able to remember. I did love the experience of watching Lincoln, but I told Jim afterward, I don’t know if I loved it because it was a great movie or because it was such an amazing performance by Daniel Day Lewis.  He is so good, it’s hard to evaluate the film as a whole.  From a pure experience standpoint, gasping in shock surprise with several girlfriends and a theater full of shocked fellow watchers in Twilight: Breaking Dawn was a highlight.

Worst Film Experiences:

  • Jim:  I didn’t see any really bad films this year, but Hunger Games was a definite disappointment.  I read the book, and then watched the film, and they were equally disappointing.  The problem: none of the characters made any reference to God, prayer, the afterlife, etc.  Given that death and physical trauma figure into the story so prominently, this is highly unrealistic and a significant flaw in the narrative.
  • Amy: This year has seen a lot of disappointments for me, more in the shows that I watch than in films.  Frankly I expect most movies to be bad but several favorites on the small screen turned into just another agenda driven lecture punctuated by commercialist drivel. I guess one of the worst would be Snow White and the Huntsman but was I really expecting that one to be good or did I just want to get out of the house?  Hmm.

Best and Worst Musical Experiences of the Year:

  • Jim:  The new Dylan album, Tempest, was the highlight of the year for me.  These days, every new Dylan album, especially given the fact that the man is so well along in years, is a treat.  And the fact that his music is as good as ever is really astounding.  Unprecedented, in fact.  What other popular artist is still writing and recording great songs into his/her 70s?  Another highlight was the Black Keys concert in Cincy that I attended last March.  Those guys are finally getting the recognition they deserve.  But will their popularity undermine their creativity from here forward?  Time will tell.
  • Amy:  I don’t really do musical experiences.  Concerts give me vertigo and my iPod is mostly full of stuff for the kids.  But I did enjoy discovering The Tallest Man on Earth, The Temper Trap, Grace Potter and The Nocturnals, and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros.

Jim’s Favorite Sports Moments of the Year:  Seeing the Detroit Tigers win the American League Championship was definitely a thrill.  But like 2006, they swept their way there (defeating those darn Yankees 4-0), while the Giants had to go the distance to defeat the Cardinals in the NLCS.  So, just like 2006, the Tigers were hurt by the long layoff and got swept in the World Series.  Hopefully, next year, the Tigers can win the ALCS in a more protracted series so they’ll be well-tuned for the World Series.

Jim’s Most Disappointing Sports Moments of the Year:  Watching the Giants sweep the Tigers hurt, but the whole “Bounty-gate” debacle concerning the New Orleans Saints hurt even worse.  Ugh.

Amy’s Best Eating Experience of the Year:  Eating curried goat with my hubby in the Bahamas.  I seriously would have licked the plate had no one been watching.

Amy’s Worst Eating Experience of the Year: I made the mistake of purchasing heavily scented yet temptingly discounted dishwasher detergent a few months back and paid dearly for my frugality when it “tainted” all of our dishes.  No matter what we ate, all I tasted was synthetic lavender.  Yuck.

Satisfying Reads of the Year:

  • Jim:  In the scholarly category, it’s Plantinga’s Where the Conflict Really Lies.  As is typical for Plantinga, it is lucid and well-argued—the best treatment of science and religion I’ve ever read.  Also, this year I resolved to read three classics every year, and this year they were Virgil’s Aeneid, George Eliot’s Silas Marner, and Eusebius’s History of the Church (which I am still reading).  Three very different books, but each rich with insight and deserving of the moniker “classic.”  I also greatly enjoyed reading another superb apologetics book by Paul Copan—When God Goes to Starbucks.  He tackles some really challenging questions, such as regarding homosexuality and the Old Testament “holy wars,” and his responses are consistently insightful and sensitive.
  • Amy:  This has been a good book reading year for me. If I am going for mind-expanding, worldview-challenging it would be The Fountainhead.  I realize she would think I am a mindless religious zombie but I still love Ayn Rand.  I read a lot of history this year, my favorite being Destiny of the Republic about the assassination of James Garfield.  For sheer pleasure, Roald Dahl’s Boy and Going Solo were pure delight.

Political High Point of the Year:  Jim:  Still waiting for one.  Amy:  Ditto.

Political Low Point of the Year:  The presidential election.  Nuff said.

Best 2011 Memories of Our Kids:

  • Bailey: “There is no better feeling than picking up a heavy whipped cream can.”
  • Sam: Through tears and cries of pain over a splinter “You promise it’s just a thin layer of tissue?”
  • Maggie: “Mom, do you have a town inside your head where you go when you are bored?”
  • Andrew as he hands us his front tooth after riding the bummer cars: “That was the most awkward time I ever lost a tooth.”  And another good one from Andrew, when explaining that he would rather listen to Rascal Flats than my gospel choice: “I don’t like this one, no offense to God.”

Most Satisfying Shared Experiences of the Year:

  • Jim:  Our time in the Bahamas last January with the Taylor softball team.
  • Amy:  Redoing our upstairs bathroom.

New Year’s Resolutions:

  • Jim:  To take my wife out on even more dates and to avoid sugary carbonated soft drinks.
  • Amy: To limit the number of times I begin sentences with the phrase “I am so sick and tired…” and to take time every day to remember what an awesome guy I married.

Happy 2013 everyone!

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Moonrise Kingdom: A Review

By Jim Spiegel

Wes Anderson is one of the most creative filmmakers of our time.  Beginning with Bottle Rocket in 1996, he has directed a string of surreal, emotionally complex dramas that explore the dreams and aspirations of underdog youths, usually within a context of dysfunctional relationships.  These include Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, and Darjeeling Limited.  I have found all of his films to be fascinating narratives and visual delights (including his 2009 animated feature Fantastic Mr. Fox).  So naturally I eagerly anticipated viewing his acclaimed new film, Moonrise Kingdom.

215px-Moonrise_Kingdom_FilmPosterThe film centers on the relationship of a twelve-year-old boy, Sam Shakusky (Jared Gilman), and the slightly older Suzy Bishop (Kara Hayward), who meet on the New England Island of New Penzance during the summer of 1965.  Suzy lives on the island with her parents (played by Bill Murray and Frances McDormond), and Sam comes to the island with his fellow “Khaki Scouters” for a summer camp.  The two youths, like so many of the heroes of Anderson films, are misunderstood prodigies, and they find refuge at a picturesque island cove they dub “Moonrise Kingdom.”  Eventually their quirky relationship blossoms into a romance that is apparently both rebellious (they defy parents, the camp leader, and other authorities) and innocent (though highly erotic, their relationship is never consummated sexually).  However, their efforts to preserve their idyllic two-person “kingdom” are foiled, as they are pursued and ultimately captured by the authorities in an apocalyptic conclusion full of biblical flood imagery.

As with all his films, Anderson weaves a rich cinematographic tapestry.  And the narrative is loaded with disaffected characters who seem to take even the most bizarre turns of events in stride.  Anderson has an ingenious ability to communicate universal themes of the human condition using the most unusual characters and plots.  These are people we would never meet doing utterly ridiculous things in the most preposterous situations.  Nevertheless, somehow it all seems familiar, meaningful and even right.

Yet, upon further reflection, it is not all right.  In fact, there is something seriously wrong here.  And it’s not just the relational dysfunction or even defying of authority.  Anyway, such things are commonplace in contemporary film and often function as narrative elements that serve redemptive themes.  No, the problem with this film is the way it eroticizes youth.  There is an intense sexual energy between Sam and Suzy that will make most viewers uncomfortable, and for good reason.  One is relieved, of course, that the two youths do not do anything more than kiss (though they do so while stripped down to their underwear).  Perhaps most viewers’ moral qualms will be assuaged by this fact.  But this is precisely what makes the film so morally subversive.  It encourages viewers to regard Sam and Suzy’s erotic relationship as innocent.  Moreover, these pubescent characters are eroticized for the viewer—especially Suzy for male viewers.  This might sound prudish, but it is not insignificant, especially given the trajectory of our culture when it comes to all things sexual.

Many other films have been controversial because of their use of children in sexual situations.  Moonrise Kingdom is noteworthy in that it does the same thing but has avoided serious controversy.  This is no doubt because of the comparative subtlety of the sexual content and the false sense of innocence that Anderson manages to project onto Sam and Suzy’s relationship.  This, too, is a tribute to Anderson’s genius as a storyteller.  But it is also a testament to the power of film—especially an otherwise good film—to deceive and confuse a viewer’s moral discernment.

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Snapshots

By Amy Spiegel

Brief comments on film by Amy.
Some old, some new.  Domestic films and foreign too.

Maybe it’s the spring time sunshine, but I am pleased to present an almost entirely positive set of reviews to you this month. I have more negative things to say about the previews shown beforehand than the films themselves. What’s up with showing Footloose previews before Hugo, Mr. Movie-Preview-Approval Dude?!?

Sherlock Holmes 2: A Game of Shadows — I am not much one for action-adventure films but the older boys have been bugging me to see this sequel since Christmas Day, when they returned from the theater with their dad. So over Spring Break, we lucked and found a discount theater that was showing it. Of course, one of my boys (Sam) decided he didn’t need to actually accompany me to the movie and went with his friends to see So We Bought a Zoo. Bailey went with me, but I am pretty sure that was because I almost cried. But I digress. Saw the movie, found it very entertaining. Definitely worthy of a discount theater viewing. As a side note, I may have mentioned before a Sherlock Holmes mystery series by Laurie R. King. Also very entertaining. A good beach read if you are in the market for one.

Hugo — I fear my experience of this one was a bit diminished by the fact that the kids watched it…twice, before I got a chance. So I had picked up bits and pieces while straightening the living room and emptying the dishwasher. Still, it was a beautiful film. Pure and beautiful.

The Hunger Games — So we have been waiting for this film…f..o..r..e..v..e..r! We have been making do by watching the trailers over and over. Jim even read the book in a day and half in order to go with the older boys and I to the theater. (That’s the Spiegel, or more to the point Mom Spiegel, rule—you don’t get to see the movie unless you have read the book first.) When people asked me if I liked the film, I kept saying “If you liked the book, you will like the film.” This maybe isn’t the ringing endorsement it might seem. The movie is good but it is regrettable when filmmakers cower so to book fans that they compromise the movie in order to stick with the book. Learn from Harry Potter and make a good movie that stands on its own. If you do, it will endless loop back and forth as fans of the movie are then drawn to the book and then to the movie, etc.

Crazy, Stupid, Love — Hated it and don’t really have much to say beyond that. I went in loving Steve Carell and still do, but hate, hate, hate it when as my friend said “There is a complete lack of character consistency.”

Honorable and Not So Honorable Mentions — Moneyball: Enjoyed it more than I thought I would, but what is going on with Brad Pitt’s face?  Downton Abbey: Season 2: The writers scared me a bit midway through the season but they pulled it off in the end. Jim is still desperately awaiting its arrival on Netflix. I told him PBS was pulling it off their website, but did he listen?  Pillars of the Earth: Fascinating history lesson but I could have done with so much cleavage. Somehow it takes away from the horror of the raping and pillaging when all those being raped and pillaged are suspiciously attractive. Awake and Up All Night: These are my two new favorite shows. One leaves my mind teetering on the brink of confusion, the other makes me laugh so hard I pee my pants. It’s a messy but satisfying combo.

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The Best and Worst of 2011

By Jim Spiegel

2011 was another exciting year, and we want to thank you all again for reading and, if applicable, posting comments on our blog.  Here are our annual summary remarks about good and bad stuff related to film, music, books, politics, and family.

Best Film Experiences:

  • Jim:  Tree of Life was easily my pick for the year’s best film.  Emotionally gripping and theologically profound, with brilliant directing by Terrence Malick and superb acting all around—even by the child actors.  See my October 3 post for a full review.  But I also loved Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.  Riveting action and great intellectual stimulation.  Can’t say that about too many films.
  • Amy: Not my favorite year for movies but Winter’s Bone was definitely a bright spot or albeit a rather dark, bright spot. It has haunted me. I wanted to choose the latest version of Jane Eyre but couldn’t forgive the poor handling of the last 30 seconds.

Worst Film Experiences:

  • Jim:  Batman: The Dark Knight.  Yep, I’m a few years late on this one.  I planned to avoid it altogether, but finally gave in at the request of a friend.  It was just as bad as I feared.  Yes, Heath Ledger’s performance was excellent.  But the screenplay is dull, and the overarching theme of the basic goodness of human beings is, well, just false.  Am I taking it too seriously?  Not as seriously as many hardcore Batman fans, I’m afraid.
  • Amy: I have to agree with Jim on this one. It was dull, so very dull. But at least it was super, super long. I would also throw in Thor and Black Swan, both featuring Natalie Portman. Still trying to figure out if she can really act or not.

Best and Worst Musical Experiences of the Year:

  • Jim:  The Black Keys’ El Camino is an instant classic.  Just when you thought these guys couldn’t get any better (after last year’s album, Brothers), they blow us away with this effort, produced by Danger Mouse.  It’s still soul-tinged blues rock, but bit more polished and radio ready.  Can’t wait to see these guys live in Cincy on March 2.  As for the worst, it’s easily Rebecca Black’s Friday.  Or does she win for “Most Nasal Vocal Performance of the Year”?  Gotta love the lyrics.  “We so excited!”
  • Amy: My musical experiences are much more low brow than Jim’s, though I wholeheartedly agree regarding The Black Keys. Mostly I listen to the stuff the kids are into (Party Rock Anthem and Uprising) and whatever will keep me moving on the treadmill. I have been rolling in the deep with Adele and no one can accuse her of being low brow. My worst experience involved creating the perfect Christmas playlist for the “Jingle Bell Jog” (a 5k held to benefit lighthouse trips) only to be stuck in front of the Taylor Women’s Cross Country singing “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” I don’t know which was worse: not being able to hear Sufjan Stevens’ amazing version of “I Saw Three Ships” or the obvious fact that they were not winded at all.

Jim’s Favorite Sports Moments of the Year:  The Detroit Tigers winning the American League Central Division was definitely a thrill.  But, even as a non-Denver sports fan, following the Tim Tebow-led Broncos’ comebacks for much of the NFL season was pretty exciting, too.  Watching him scramble while trying to find an open receiver has been fun, but its been just as fun watching football pundits scramble to find ways to justify their hatred of the guy.

Jim’s Most Disappointing Sports Moments of the Year:  It was hard to watch the Texas Rangers dispatch the Tigers in the ALCS two months ago.  (After their World Series heartbreak, I bet they wished they’d been bounced earlier.)   Watching the Saints lose to the lowly Seahawks in the NFL playoffs last January was tough too.

Amy’s Best Eating Experience of the Year:  Oven-roasted tomato soup topped with a slice of French bread and cheddar cheese. It’s just a bubbling pot of love!

Amy’s Worst Eating Experience of the Year:  This would be a tie between two experiences, one which involved not eating. On the way to Jim’s mom’s house, we stopped at Subway for lunch. Faced with a long line and with Cracker Barrel gift cards burning a hole in our collective wallet, we hustled the kids back into the van. Faced with an even longer line, we hustled the now really hungry and annoyed kids back into the car. Lots of whining and a 45 minute car ride later, we met with an even longer line and gave up on the Barrel altogether. Ten minutes down the road, Chick-fil-A came to the rescue. The other experience was least dramatic and involved my forcing the fam to eat whole wheat oatmeal pancakes only to discover they weren’t exaggerating when they said they were “awful.” Sorry guys.

Satisfying Reads of the Year:

  • Jim:  In the scholarly category, I loved Roger Scruton’s Beauty, an insightful and elegant little book, aesthetically satisfying in a way the subject matter deserves.  Also, I enjoyed Craig Evans’ Fabricating Jesus.  It works as an introduction to Jesus studies and New Testament scholarship, as well as a powerful critique of many of the popular biblical skeptics (e.g., Bart Ehrman).  And as for general audience stuff, I appreciated Wesley Hill’s Washed and Waiting, a deeply personal reflection on living as a celibate homosexual.  I highly recommend this for anyone who struggles in this area.
  • Amy:  One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp has deeply inspired me as a believer and a writer. On the non-fiction front, Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand was amazing, especially given the author’s back story. I enjoyed Killing Lincoln and 1776 and for pure pleasure reading The Hunger Games was a great story if not perfectly executed.

Political High Point of the Year:  Jim: Were there any high points?  Amy: Yes, any time Chris Christie opened his mouth.

Political Low Points of the Year:  Anything having to do with the “Occupy” movement.  As if all the rapes, deaths, theft, and property destruction, weren’t enough, we still haven’t heard a coherent position statement from OWS folks, particularly regarding why they take their protests to “Wall Street” rather than Capitol Hill.  Come on, ya’ll.  And what’s the deal with those creepy masks?

Best 2011 Memories of Our Kids:

  • Our summer trip to the Indiana Dunes and then, via train, to Chicago (notwithstanding Andrew’s nausea at one point—happily we got him to a trash can before he “tossed his groceries”).
  • Going to the midnight showing of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 with Bailey.
  • Watching all our kids ride the “big” roller coasters at Dollywood.
  • Seeing Sam give his first public performance as a percussionist (on bongos).  He has so much rhythm, we’re wondering if he might have been accidentally switched with a Brazilian baby at the hospital nine years ago.

Most Satisfying Shared Experiences of the Year:

  • Jim:  Helping to edit Amy’s fantastic first book.  Can’t wait till May, honey-bunny!  (BTW, will you share some of the royalty money with me?)
  • Amy:  Redoing our upstairs bathroom. (BTW, yes but only if you promise not to spend it on anything practical.)

New Year’s Resolutions:

  • Jim:  To take my wife out on more dates and read more John Updike essays.
  • Amy: To have more in-house dates with my husband that don’t require a babysitter or me folding laundry.  And to read the entire New Testament, even the really convicting parts.

Happy 2012 everyone!

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Snapshots

By Amy Spiegel

Brief comments on film by Amy.
Some old, some new.  Domestic films and foreign too.

Bridesmaids—I was stalking area Redboxes on a regular basis in order to get this one soon after it came out. While it was funny, I am uncomfortable with seeing woman stoop to the level of potty humor (literally) once reserved for guys like Jim Belushi and Chris Farley. If this is how far we’ve come, baby, I think a u-turn might be in order.

The Dark Knight—I tried. I truly I did. But I just don’t get it. Certainly, I have no objections to a bit of fluff but why do these Batman films take themselves so seriously? And why do they have to be so stinkin’ long? As the saying goes, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all. (Cue silence and chirping crickets).

The Trip—For the first 30 minutes, I felt so uncomfortable watching this movie that I actually turned it off several times. This mockumentary about two friends who go on a food road trip through the north of England inspires such observer discomfort that I found myself cringing. It is difficult to decide who to have more sympathy for—Stephen, the commercially successful actor looking to prove he’s a true artist, or Rob, his less well-known but better adjusted friend. I kept turning it back on, if for nothing else than to witness the amazing scenery and eat vicariously through the film. The characters settle in and as they become more comfortable with one another, I felt like I could make direct eye contact without embarrassing anyone. Also, I was actually touched by the message. If you like food, England, Michael Caine or ABBA, this film is for you.

Everything Must Go—Will Ferrell is a stud of an actor. The guy can do anything. Anyone who has convincingly played an elf, an IRS agent, and a down-and-out alcoholic salesman must be good, not to mention (but in fact to mention) that he actually kept up with Bear Grylls in the Arctic. This performance was no exception in terms of quality, and though I didn’t think the film as a whole worked, it certainly wasn’t due to Ferrell’s performance.

Mentions, both Honorable and Otherwise—Homeschooling and crazy kid schedules have me curled up with the iPad and my favorite network apps lately. I know I should be ashamed but my brain just doesn’t feel capable of much more than mainstream television right now. I have been really enjoying Up All Night (NBC) and Case Histories (PBS). Is anyone else still trying to figure out if they like Once Upon a Time (CBS), by the writers of Lost? With certain shows, I can acknowledge their lack of intellectual content and love them anyway, like the bad jokes your kids tell you. They are beneath you but entertaining. But if I am going to watch a show about fairy tale characters suffering from amnesia and trapped in modern Maine, it better be good. Part of me is ready to blow it off but the other part appreciates the moral certainty of good and evil the show embraces and doesn’t want to lose bragging rights (i.e. “I watched it from the first episode,” as opposed to “I caught up with three seasons worth of shows in less than a month”).

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The Tree of Life

By Jim Spiegel

As Fall approaches every year, I begin to compile my “best of” music and film lists.  This year it appears my choice for film of the year will be an easy one:  The Tree of Life.  And judging by the critical responses and festival awards, it might top plenty of other lists as well.

The Tree of Life is the creation of Terrence Malick, whose other films include The Thin Red Line (director) and Amazing Grace (producer).  You know a filmmaker has accomplished something special when people begin to compare him to some of the great poets and novelists.  In this case, reviewers have put Malick in the company of literary figures such as Wordsworth, Melville, and Whitman.  This is because of the singular artistry of The Tree of Life, which is innovative in just about every way a film can be.  The story line concerns a family’s fumbling efforts to deal with tragic loss, and Malick drives the narrative with mosaic-like cinematography.

But what might be most remarkable about The Tree of Life is its strong Christian message.  The film opens with a quote from the book of Job:  “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation . . . while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy?” (Job 38:4, 7).  All that follows powerfully reinforces that rhetorical question, as God’s meticulous design in nature is visually illustrated in everything from astronomical events to microscopic biological functions.  So as viewers experience the characters’ grief, they do so in light of God’s sovereign care.

Malick takes stylistic and thematic risks in The Tree of Life.  Some have been critical of the film’s storytelling technique, and I believe that is just because it departs from the usual Hollywood narrative approach.  But if ever such a departure was appropriate, it is in The Tree of Life—a film that counters standard thinking about suffering with a biblical perspective.  Such a bold endorsement of Christian themes in an artwork requires radical artistic innovation, both to get our attention and to match form to content.  Malick’s innovation pays off, and the result is a cinema masterpiece.