Movie Review #1: Open Range

Open Range

2003          Western          2 hrs. 19 min.          Widescreen          ¶¶¶¶¶

Kevin Costner, Robert Duvall, Annette Bening, Abraham Benrubi and Diego Luna

The usual David(the cowboys) versus Goliath(the cattle baron rancher).  Of course, at the end the townsfolk chip in and help.  A lot of gun fights and violence.

Boss Spearman(Duvall) tends to be long winded, which makes up for the fact that Charley Waite(Costner) doesn’t say a lot until near the end of the movie.  Boss expects people to “play by the rules.”  Charley, the ex-gunslinger, doesn’t believe most people care about “The Rules.”

Sue Barlow(Annette Bening), is reminiscent of her character Sydney Ellen Wade(The American President) of almost a decade before.  A strong willed, but soft hearted woman who, unexpectedly for her, falls in love.

There are several places where the movie does a fade-out/fade-in as though the producers may have intended for its over 2 hour length to be a mini-series.  Then again, the director(Costner) may have used these for effect.  I’m just not sure what the intended effect was.

            In spite of what I just wrote, the movie, though a bit long, is thoroughly enjoyable and the touching end scene between Costner and Bening brought a lump to my throat.

Concert Review #1

Star-Spangled Pops

San Diego Symphony Summer Pops

7/3/2011

Conducted by Matthew Gorbutt

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            This was the first concert of the 2011 Summer Pops Series.

We wish we could attend all the performances.  Unfortunately, without a wealthy patron, that’s impossible.

Originally, Marvin Hamlisch was supposed to conduct this concert but he is down with pneumonia in New York.  Get Well, Marvin.

It was a very enjoyable concert, Matthew was brilliant, and it seemed to end all too soon.

The concert included vocals by Hamlisch protégé Felix Ramsey, former American Idol contestants David Hernandez and LaKisha Jones, and the San Diego Master Chorale.

There had to be a salute to George M. Cohan, the originator of “The Yankee Doodle Boy”.  Which most of us know as “I’m A Yankee Doodle Dandy.”

For me, the highlight of the concert was David and LaKisha singing David Foster’s “The Prayer.”

Prior to this, I had only heard it performed by Andrea Bocelli and Heather Headley on a DVD*.  If you want to see a “grown man” get teary-eyed, just have him listen to this.

Of course the show stopper, predictably, was “Battle Hymn of the Republic”, always a moving piece for any red-blooded American.  I love the fact that they recognize all the veterans and active duty personel in the audience.  There seem to be fewer of us standing each year.

On a personal note:  I hope the lawyers and environmental activists trying to stop fireworks displays lose, after spending a lot of their own time and money.

‘Nuff said.

* Andrea Bocelli – Vivere – Live In Tuscany.

Don’t You Just Love Children …

3-year-old Reese:

“Our father, who does art in heaven, Harold is His name … Amen.”

A little boy was overheard praying:

“Lord, if you can’t make me a better boy, don’t worry about it.  I’m having a real good time like I am.”

After the christening of his baby brother in church:

Jason sobbed all the way home in the back seat of the car.  His father asked him three times what was wrong. 

Finally the boy replied, “That preacher said he wanted us brought up in a Christian home and I wanted to stay with you guys.”

One particular four-year-old prayed:

“And forgive us our trash baskets, as we forgive those who put trash in our baskets.”

A Sunday School teacher asked her children, as they were on their way to church service:

“Why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

One bright little girl replied, “Because people are sleeping.”

A mother was preparing pancakes for her sons, Kevin 5, and Ryan 3:

The boys started to argue about who would get the first pancake.

Their mother say the opportunity for a moral lesson, “If Jesus were sitting here, He would say, ‘Let my brother have the first pancake, I can wait.’

Kevin turned to his younger brother and said, “Ryan, you be Jesus.”

A father was at the beach with his children:

His four-year-old son ran up to him, grabbed his hand and led him to the shore where a seagull lay dead in the sand.

“Daddy, what happened to him?” The son asked.

He died and went to heaven.” The dad replied.

The boy thought a moment and then said, “Did God throw him back down?”

A wife invited some people to dinner:

At the table she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, “Would you like to say the blessing?”

“I wouldn’t know what to say!” the girl replied.

“Just say what you hear mommy say.” The wife answered.

The daughter bowed her head and said, “Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?”

Don’t you just love children.

Peace, Love, and Happiness.

Twinkies, Root Beer, and God

A little boy wanted to meet God. He knew it was a long trip to where God lived, so he packed his suitcase with Twinkies and a six-pack of Root Beer and he started his journey.

When he had gone about three blocks, he met an elderly man. The man was sitting in the park just feeding some pigeons. 

The boy sat down next to him and opened his suitcase. He was about to take a drink from his root beer when he noticed that the man looked hungry, so he offered him a Twinkie.

The man gratefully accepted it and smiled at boy. His smile was so pleasant that the boy wanted to see it again, so he offered him a root beer.Again, the man smiled at him. The boy was delighted.

They sat there all afternoon eating and smiling, but they never said a word.

As it grew dark, the boy realized how tired he was and he got up to leave, but before he had gone more than a few steps, he turned around, ran back to the man, and gave him a hug. The man gave him his biggest smile ever.

When the boy opened the door to his own house a short time later, his mother was surprised by the look of joy on his face. She asked him, "What did you do today that made you so happy?

He replied, "I had lunch with God." But before his mother could respond, he added, "You know what? God's got the most beautiful smile I've ever seen!"

Meanwhile, the elderly man, also radiant with joy, returned to his home. His son was stunned by the look of peace on his face and he asked," Dad, what did you do today that made you so happy?"

He replied, "I ate Twinkies in the park with God." However, before his son responded, he added," You know, he's much younger than I expected."

Too often we underestimate the power of a touch, a smile, a kind word, a listening ear, an honest compliment, or the smallest act of caring, all of which have the potential to turn a life around. People come into our lives for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Embrace all equally!