81 Watch every single dvd I haven't already watched

This is not yet completed. However, as I am doing with Shakespeare, it makes more sense for me to update as I go along than to wait until I have completed the process. Before I woke up with vertigo, I had joined the Spiritual Cinema Circle. I had hoped to watch the movies with friends and family but I rarely can find anyone who is willing to watch them with me so I have given up and am now watching through the backlog of dvds I accumulated over the months of my now canceled membership.

Volume 9 2007

Believe in Me is a feel good movie about a man who is hired to coach a high school basketball team. He thinks he will be coaching the boys team but discovers that he actually has to coach the girls team. It’s based on a true story and the ending is unsurprising.

5 Wishes is a short that was inspired by a real experience Gay Hendricks had, a conversation that helped him focus his life when he was younger. Apparently he has written a book by the same name but this short movie didn’t inspire me enough to want to read it.

Now You See Me, Now You Don’t is a thirty minute Hungarian movie that is beautifully filmed, emotionally intense, and surprising. I honestly thought that the story would conclude differently and to see it unfold so beautifully was wonderful. I’m definitely glad I took the time to watch this one.

7 Days With 7 Dogs is about a family who rescues dogs and decide to take the dogs, most of them older or with health problems, on a road trip to dog friendly locations. It’s a very short “dog-umentary,” as the opening credits call it, lasting only seven minutes. It’s cute. That’s about all I can say about it really.

Volume 10 2007

Déjà Vu is the feature film with Vanessa Redgrave in a small but pivotal role. I am not a huge fan of Redgrave for political reasons. This movie is predictable and I don’t necessarily agree with its message. With better editing, the movie would have been enjoyable in spite of how unsurprising the climax of the movie proves to be. If every repeated line were removed, I am almost positive that the movie would have been at least 20 minutes shorter without the story being compromised at all.

Between Heaven and Earth is an adorable short with deep meaning. A Master and his two disciples sit in meditation (Heaven) but then when one gets the other in trouble (Earth) the lessons the two disciples learn are relevant to anyone who would watch this. In a way, we all live between these extremes of being what we should be and what we often fall into being when we lose awareness.

Magic Mile is another short, a curious movie about a woman who experiences something extraordinary while walking along the beach. And how she responds to the magic is where the lesson lies.

Dream People of the Amazon is a documentary, a brief film that introduces SCC members to the new Earth Cinema Circle. The Achuar are an indigenous people who live in the Ecuadorian jungle and fighting the encroachment of oil companies. And so far they are winning, which is wonderful. It was especially interesting to see how they use the plants for healing, enlightenment, and productivity. Seeing how they live and listening to their stories, it is hard not to feel a connection to these people.

Volume 6 2007 (my favorite of these three)

Wondrous Oblivion is the feature film for this month’s dvd and although it is only 106 mins once again I find myself seeing ways in which the story could easily have been edited to make it tighter and allow the movie to move along more fluidly. But this is my favorite that I have watched, having watched three of these dvd selections in a row. My biggest disappointment was an unnecessary subplot that involved the adults. The theme of the movie could have easily been communicated had the movie remained focused on the boy and his understanding of his experiences.

Grace is one of three shorts. A lovely little movie with a remarkable little actress in it. Somehow the director managed to keep this potentially saccharine story from becoming too sweet to be appreciated.

After Shave is delightful, a charming short movie about a relationship between a barber and his affluent, reclusive customer. I did not know what to expect and was pleased with it from beginning to end.

Miraculous Collision is a quirky piece that touches on depth but with a sardonic light tone. The introduction has Stephen Simon, the creator of SCC saying that the director and star, Scott Cervine, is like Woody Allen. I suppose so but Cervine doesn’t seem to take himself nearly as seriously and his humor is perhaps less intellectual or perhaps it is merely less New York City-centric.

Puppy of the Day: A

Note: There will be a brief haitus from the Puppy of the Day posts until puppies start opening their puppy eyes. I mean, taking pictures is fun and all but this blog has become rather canine-centric and it is time for me to branch out again. (In other words, I have a few books to be reviewed.)

Introducing Puppy A!!!


Puppy A is actually the first puppy to be born. He is the puppy that started it all.

A looks more like Romanov than almost any other puppy, other than G. (I'll have to take a side by side pic of them.)

He is a loner. Most of the time when I see him sleeping, he is by himself and not snuggling close to any of his siblings.

He is a sweetie. Maybe not a snuggler but I can already tell he has a mild temper. Of course, I may be mistaken and I can only say this based on how he behaves now. Wouldn't it be ironic if one of the more mellow ones was the first to escape the box?

#1 Twelfth Night 4/27

Because Marc had to read this for his British Literature course, I decided to read along with him. I am glad I did, having never read the play before but having heard of it, naturally enough. And when I recently watched Shakespeare in Love I was reminded of this play just in time for Marc to announce that he has to read it. Woohoo!

What's more, I have it on dvd. I can't even remember buying it which reinforces why one of the things on my list is to watch every one of my dvds. Now that I have read the play, I am sure to watch the dvd.

As I read it, the story was clear but I kept thinking that it would be a confusing play to watch. I like that, although this is a comedy, it is not all sweetness and light. Of course, if I were an actress, the opportunity to play Viola would be downright irresistable as her character goes through so many confused and confusing moments, her emotions running the gamut of wry to wrenching.

This was also a nice break from the histories which I had been reading. I needed the break. But now I must return to the Henrys because I have yet another dvd in my collection I won't watch until I have read the play. (I actually am almost certain I have already read Henry V but because I am not 100% convinced I have done so I am willing to read it just in case. Ahhhh . . . the sacrifices I make!)