Massive Update

Well, I’m not so sure how long this actual update will be, but I’ve got plenty to fill you all in on. Yesterday was officially the Most Effective Day Off Ever, as I got the following done: painted trim in one room, helped DKC paint the entryway, wrote (my current effort is a Groundhog Day murder mystery, watched the Bluray Pinocchio (review below), painted Lightning McQueen on TRC’s wall (my first foray into wall art–I’ll post pictures once it’s totally done), finished The Great Hunt, cleaned the garage, cleaned the interior of my car, and worked on editing a friend’s book. All in one day. And as a reward for all that hard work, I was down to 204.8 this morning. Very nice. Of course, I’m pretty darn tired now, but it’s all good. Every now and then I get into this strange hyper-efficiency mode, and I just have to keep working until it wears itself out. Maybe it’s sort of like all the efficiency I’m usually capable of (but don’t exercise) stores itself up until it just explodes out in an exhausting whirlwind. In any case, I should be good for the next month or two at least. 🙂 What did all of you do on your day off?

And now, a couple of movie reviews:

Pinocchio–What’s not to like about this film? (Especially when it’s in 7.1 audio.) TRC really enjoyed it–he wasn’t even as scared of the Monstro scene as he thought he’d be. I think this might be one of the best Disney “boy” movies, at least for small boys. It’s got conflicts in it that they relate to and understand. In any case, it had been a long time since I’d seen it, and I still loved it. Three and a half stars.

Across the Universe–Over 30 Beatles songs crammed into one movie. This film was almost everything I wished Mamma Mia had been. It’s not perfect, but it got a few things right: number one, the characters were actually appealing, or at least not actively revolting. Number two, they hired singers, not actors, so the vocals are really good. Number three, the plot has some semblance of sense to it. Yes, there’s a long psychedelic part in the second third, but that felt right at home with some of those Beatles songs. Plus, it has Bono singing “I am the Walrus,” which makes just about any film better. (Think about it. War and Peace? Boring. War and Peace with Bono singing “I am the Walrus”? Strangely intriguing.) Three stars. Could have been more if the plot made a tiny bit more sense, but hey–nobody’s perfect. Strongly recommended for Beatles fans or musical lovers.