FURY

I have been slow to see this film. I knew it had good reviews and was well acted, but I also knew that it had an "Alamo" type ending.  We went last night. It is a well done movie with grit, grime and gruesome war scenes akin to "Saving Private Ryan".  It is hard to watch at times but worthy. It is also Hard "R"!

NOT A POPCORN MOVIE!

I give it ***1/2 stars  2014 movie 51

War never ends quietly.

Standing in the Breach

Jackson Browne has a new album out and it is great.  You won't here it though because he is demographically challenged. That means he doesn't sing about getting drunk, partying and other banter. This collection of songs compares well to the "Running on Empty" album. We were in Starbucks this weekend and they were selling it at the check out.  Starbucks has good taste!

Here is the last lines of the title track:

And though the earth may tremble and the oceans pitch and rise
We will all assemble and we will lift our eyes
To the tasks we know lie before us
And the power our prayers beseech
And cast our souls into the heavens
Atanding in the breach.

You don't know why its such a far cry
From the world this world could be
You don't know why but you still try
For the world you wish to see
You don't know how its going to happen now
After all that's come undone
And you know the world you're waiting for may not come
No, it may not come
But you know the change the world needs now
Is there, in everyone.

Jackson Browne

Christmas is Coming!

Kathy Mattea 2014

I

n 2010 we were lucky enough to get tickets to see Kathy Mattea in Eureka Springs. Her Christmas tour is a rare treat. For the first half of her almost 3 hour concert she performs the songs that made her famous. The second half is a full Christmas performance with much heart, faith and joy filling the room.

Friday night She came near to Tahlequah and we were able to enjoy it again.  It was superb. She has four super talented musical masters with her and she also plays guitar, flute and percussion.  It is a joy.

My favorite two songs are "Where have you been?' performed in the first half and "Mary, Did you know?" in the Christmas half.  If you don't get emotional listening to these, you heart problems.

Big Hero 6: Mike gets fooled!

 

When I saw the preview for "Big Hero 6", I imagined another lovable cuddlyDisney Character in a "duck out of water" sort of way.  The first half of the movie was in that vane.  And then------it changed into an animated super hero flick, the very kind of movie that I try to avoid.  It is a movie for computer minded kids (Grandson Avery to be exact) and is a movie for geeks and nerds by design.

I am sure the target audience loves it, but in this world of Avengers, Batman, and the rest but I need a break. Another Comic Book Movie.

Great graphics.  The Joke on me was that I thought Big Hero 6 was the big inflatable robot but to my surprise it is 6 more heroes good for 6 more sequels.

Yes, It's ok for kids, but not ok for this Grandpa.

2014 Movie #50   I give it ***stars for the first half and **stars for the second half,

Cartoon Fix

I like this!

Mike has surfaced!

My Christmas present this year was to have been a new iPad Air 2 with 128 gig and 4g.  Funny thing happened along the way.

You see I like Apple products. I have a MacBook, an iPod classic, an iPod Nano, an iPad 2, and Apple TV.  I needed an iPad that is always connected to the internet for my Panhandle trips.  I had looked and visited my future iPad several times at the Apple Store.  Then I saw a commercial comparing the iPad Air with a  Surface from Microsoft.  It was a Microsoft add so it always won.  It had something that caught my eye though--a stylus that allows drawing, editing, etc.  I figured that it was like the Palm of old that also promised the same but did not deliver.

Then during Christmas Shopping at the Mall, I happened onto the Microsoft Store which has just opened across from Apple.  After playing for a while, I was hooked on the Surface.  It is a laptop with the same power as my MacBook AND a Tablet that I can sketch with and email.  

The Pro 3 did not come with 4G so I went to ATT and rearranged my business account and purchased a HOT SPOT. With that both the Surface and the iPad can send and receive anywhere. AND it handles 10 devices at a time with 15 meg speed. So family vacations take a new twist.

I am still learning but it has been great so far.

I have Surfaced!