Since the last list was so much fun!

Are These the Most Iconic Restaurants in Every State?

So. . . . what was I reading you ask?

It is very well written.
I like a book that is written about people who are well versed on books, and can talk as such.
The characters are very well written and the dialog suits the story.
And I picked up a few other book ideas from the narrative also that I would like to read.
You ended up caring about the folks in the story.

A must see if you like comic strips or good art. "Dear Mr. Watterson"

As both of my two followers are keenly aware, I love good comic art. Whether it is in comic strips, comic books or animation. And the better it is drawn, the more I like it. Good comic art is high art.
And it can hardly be argued that many comics are better drawn (and painted) than Calvin and Hobbes.
Even now, after almost twenty years since the final strip, the books sell well and keep the strip alive.

Last night I had the chance to watch Joel Allen Schroeder's movie "Dear Mr. Watterson".
The movie doesn't so much go into the life of Bill Watterson as it does the appeal and longevity of Calvin and Hobbes.
The interviews with other comic artist's is well worth the price of admission alone.

Mr. Schroeder made a very personal documentary and also made a quality film. Well filmed and well edited.

It definitely seemed a labor of love.

'Wild' - A long walk back to one's self.

Just finished reading this. A good book about finding one's way back after a great loss and heart break.

Reads part adventure book (she hiked the Pacific Crest Trail mostly alone) and part reclamation of a life in turmoil.

Very well written mixing flashbacks and hardships (and good things) while hiking the trail.

It was an Oprah choice book, and Reese Witherspoon has optioned it for a movie.

I would like to know what happened to several of the people mentioned in the book, but that is not to be. Cheryl probably doesn't know either.

A very good read.

Soon to be one of my favorite art books. . . . Hal Foster, Prince of Illustrators

If you know me or this blog you will know I love good comic strip, cartoon, animation and illustrative art work.
I just received a copy of "Hal Foster, Prince of Illustrators-Father of the Adventure Strip" and just thumbing though it I have already fallen in love with it.

Recognized now mostly for his work as creator and artist for Prince Valiant, his legacy goes way beyond that.

In his youth in Canada he spent a lot of time out-of-doors and much of his early work centers around that.

While much of his later work reflects on his knowledge and love of the natural world and shows up in Prince Valiant and other works.

This represents some of his fine work while spending lots of time on long portages.



You can tell by his drawings of canoes that he spent lots of time in one.


Check out the book if you can.

Movie Review - 'An Unfinished Life'

'an unfinished life' - 2005

Robert Redford
Morgan Freeman
Jennifer Lopez

This movie did not fair well at the box office and probably for good reason.
There was nothing new or outstanding about it. The story, in one form or another, had been done many times before. Mostly it was a story about forgiveness and moving on, and not holding on too tightly to past hurts.

The movie was very subtle in every way.
The scenery was played down for being filmed in beautiful Canada. The farm was rather bleak looking, adding well to the atmosphere of the story.
The characters were un-kept and damaged.
With the exception of Lopez's love (lust) interest, all the individuals had lots of baggage.
Jennifer Lopez did a good job as 'Jean Gilkyson', a guilt ridden, self inflicted mother.
And of course, ever the professional, 'Bart' the bear.
Every thing about the movie was kept very low key, even what violence was involved.

But despite it's lack luster showing at the box office it did have one thing going for it; watching Robert Redford and Morgan Freeman working together. Robert Redford's  'Einar Gilkyson' was un-shaven and seemingly emotionally damaged beyond caring. Morgan Freeman's 'Mitch Bradley' was physically damaged beyond complete repair, but emotionally complete (which we have come to expect from Freeman).
Watching them together was a treat.

So, for that reason I give it

Three Bart the Bears out of Five.

Oh, yea. There were log cabins in it also.

Our need for recognition, or is it the need to fill air time?

While slavishly trying to loss weight working out at the gym the other day, on my ravaged knees and aching joints (OK, dial down the whine button!), the screen above my elliptical running machine was set to Fox Sports Midwest. And since you can't change the channel from your machine you are kinda stuck with what is on.
Usually it is some sports channel or infomercials (did anyone get the number for the battery powered weed-whip?).

On my third visit to the gym this week, it was on Fox Sports Midwest.

And I was 'lucky' enough to catch the 'Ultimate Dodgeball Champinships'. And since I was on the machine for the incredible duration of 16 minutes, I was able to catch several matches. (And it was still on when I left the gym 30 minutes later!)

I guess since the fall from grace of Tiger Woods we should expect some unusual sports to try to carry the mantel till his return.

But, Holy Cow! Dodgeball?

The championship is sponsored by Sky Zone Trampoline Parks (which are really fun places for birthday parties) and held through 35 different parks till a winner is decided.
There is $50,000 dollars worth of prize money at stake. (OK, now I get the incentive.)

Now, don't get me wrong, I love trampolines (I have had one since 1973) and I love watching people on them in gymnastic competitions,  and I love all good sports (can't wait till the next table tennis season starts). But geez, are we so in need of recognition and reward that we now have to have a tournament for Dodgeball (didn't Ben Stiller make a movie about this?), but now played on a big bouncy floor.

What was really cool (not!) was that they also did player profiles and interviews and displayed there photos on the little circles showing each member on one screen, with their names underneath (can't wait to see them do that on the duck hunting show, each dog in a little circle, blood line profiled.) and real cool team names like the 'St Louis Dream Team'.

The way I remember Dodgeball is like this; another indoor game you played in school, when it was to hot or to cold or to rainy to go outside and play, well . .,  dodgeball, that they called a sport in gym class, but was really just another game that kept the gym teachers from having to come up with anything new, and also allowed the bullies to once again pick on the fat guys with glasses, that were really slow (can you say 'run on sentence') and easy targets.
The big jock/bully could usually throw the ball harder than most quarterbacks, and he usually aimed for the head of us guys wearing glasses. We (I mean 'they') rarely lasted past the first couple of throws, blood dripping from where our glasses had cut into our noses, to then usually enjoy most of the gym class from the side lines, and we were never, ever, the first picked because something about wearing glasses made you bad at sports but good as targets (do I need therapy on this issue? No, I'm over it, really.)

Flash forward to 2013 and we now place a trampoline under the players and we call it a sport worth television time. I am going to check the ratings as soon as I am done here.

There was nothing particularly new or overly athletically different about having it played on a trampoline other than if you fell down you bounced back up. Actually, most of the time was spent running on the blue padded areas of the court. There were no flamboyant costumes or players. It was almost more exciting to watch duck hunting on the outdoor network two TV screens away (actually, it was more exciting to watch duck hunting, at least the dogs are great swimmers.)

If the players were required to take advantage of the trampolines it could be fun to watch. Like, say, each player had to do at least four flips or aerials during each match and you had to be in the air to throw the ball. Or you got to bring a player back in if someone caught the ball while doing a flip. I don't think they should be allowed to touch the blue mats either once the game starts.
Maybe, if the right sponsors sign on to the show, some of these changes I have suggested could be implemented.

OK,OK, I get it, we all want to be recognized for doing good at something we enjoy. And it's always fun to win an award for doing good at a sport or event we enjoy (I have several medals for kayaking and one plastic one ounce beer stein for a chili-cookoff).
But come on! Dodgeball! on TV! as a sport! with prize money! (I also noticed that none of the teams had anyone that wore glasses.)

Maybe we have to many sports channels, or maybe we except to much mediocrity as valuable. You can't blame the Dodgeball players; Who doesn't want to be on TV sometime? You have to blame the viewers for giving such stuff relevancy (yea, yea, same with 'Jersey Housewives').

OK, so I am going to get off my soapbox now, after all, it's time for me to program my DVR to catch the latest episode of 'Ninja Industrial Tumbling Janitors'.

Clic here if you want to hear what the Huffington Post says

My favorite new show.

I have always admired people who pursue a passion, and better yet, can make a living doing it.
Artists, athletes, actors, builders, writers. It doesn't matter. If you are doing what you love, I admire that. Although I think of myself as consumed by a couple of passions, I have never been so consumed as to pursue them as a life style.

That is probably why I like 'Treehouse Masters', Pete Nelson is doing something he loves and his passion, although sometimes cheesy, comes shining through.

'Treehouse Masters' is on Animal Planet on Friday nights. Hey! That's tonight!

Here is a piece from the New York Times on the show.

And here is his web site and gallery. . .

They even built a tree house micro-brewery.
How cool is that.

EPIC! - Hardly

Ever on the look out for great animated movies to take daughter to, we checked out EPIC last night.

And as I alluded to in the title of the post, it was hardly that.
I am probably being a little rough on it because I was expecting so much, but I think I am being fair.

While at times there were moments of stellar animation, there were also many times when the quality of said animation let it down.

Also true, while there were moments of great character animation; M.K., Mandrake, Mub, Grub and Nim Galuu, along with some of the lesser characters, there were also moments of bad character animation; Nod, Queen Tara, Ronin.

At times the background paintings were awesome. Then at other times they would not be much better than some T.V. fare.

The story was nothing new, almost being a combination of 'The Great Fairy Rescue', 'Fern Gully', 'A Bugs Life' and 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids'.

The slug and the snail had the funniest moments. The main bad guy was very well done, but was nothing new.

The lead character, M.K., jumped to quickly into her new world, without any shock or surprise (maybe kids in this high-tec age don't get shocked and surprised as much,).

'Nim', voiced by Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame, was my favorite in both animation and voice, but even that character seemed stolen from 'The Wizard of OZ'.

Although I like Josh Hutcherson, the voice of 'Nod', in most things, the animation of his character let down his performance.

M.K's father was also well acted and drawn, but was to much like Rick Moranis' character in 'Honey I Shrunk the Kids' and "Dr Griffiths' in 'The Great Fairy Rescue."

The best animation seemed to be reserved for the lesser characters, some of which were very well done.

I was hoping the animation of the forest atmosphere would be on the lines of 'Avatar', when in fact it didn't even measure up to the 'Tinkerbell' movies.

The battles and conflicts were not epic enough.

Even with a few visual delights, I came out a little disappointed.

Daughter found parts a little scary and dark, but over all she liked it.

So, for these reasons, I can only give it 3 Mub's and Grub's out of 5