C is for animated, infertile, love...

I love claymation and Nick Park and Peter Lord (the makers of Wallace & Gromit-another favorite) are the best. Back when Mel Gibson wasn't crazy (remember those days) he lent his voice to this wonderful take on World War II escape movies like 'The Great Escape' and 'Stalag 17'. These references help to endear the film to adults as well as their children. With lots of obvious laughs and even more fun poked at Mr. Gibson, this is a great movie for the whole family. I never get tired of watching it.

If you haven't seen this movie, you are missing out on one of the best sci-fi movies of the past decade. This is not because it's full of amazing cg shots, great alien worlds, or lots of make-up clad actors. This film has a fascinating plot-a probable future of infertility, a strong, mostly ignored performance by Clive Owen, and some of the most intense moments caught on film in recent movie history. Director Alfonso Cuaron proves why he's one of the best film-makers around with his use of long shots that build in intensity until you practically fall out of your seat. The best example is the scene where Theo and Kee try to escape to the boat. Using a hand-held camera, Cuaron gives you the feeling you're watching a news report as the scene is revealed in over six minutes with no cut to another camera. For those of us who are movie geeks, this is incredible. You can't help but hold your breath.

 

I could not decide which to review, so why not do both? Both are wonderful stories of love that teach us to live life to it's fullest. Chocolat is a fairytale story of Vianne, a free-spirit who uses her talents as a chocolatier to both please the sweet-tooth and heal the soul. The cast includes stand-out performances by Juliette Binoche, Judy Dench, Lena Olin, and Johnny Depp. I strongly suggest you watch this film with plenty of the named confectionary. Trust me, you'll regret it if you don't.

Cinema Paradiso is a film after my heart. A beautiful story of one man's life and love of movies that grew from his friendship with the projectionist of his small Italian village. Full of laughter, heart-break, and tears, this film never ceases to get me. Especially the wonderful montage of film kisses. I cannot recommend this movie more. 

Over all, this was a difficult letter to choose. I had to pick from not only the previous films, but other such greats as the multi-Oscar winning Chariots Of Fire, Cube (a great Canadian sci-fi film), and Crash, another Oscar winner with an amazing cast. It will be interesting to see if 'D' can produce as many excellent films.

MEMORIES OF BIG JOHN

John came into my life at a typically difficult time. My parents had recently divorced, my sisters (being older) were entering a new, rebellious stage, and I was about to become a teenager. With all that weighing on my mind, in walked this tall man whose presence was anything but overbearing. ‘Big John’ not only described him physically, but in every other way as well. His laugh, his intellect, his heart, everything about him was larger than life. Everything but his ‘intrusion’ into a new family. He subtly and quickly became a very important part of my youth. He loved life and lived it to its fullest extent and that is the best lesson I learned from him.
My memories read like a laundry list of music, fun, and travel.
I can remember going to numerous bluegrass festivals. Initially, I didn’t want to go because I thought it was like country music which was full of tragic love stories and loss. I quickly found that it mirrored John’s upbeat attitude and found myself dancing and singing along with him. We also would go to square dancing nights at People’s Church. A typical teen would have found this uncool; however, I knew that it would be loads of fun.
One of his favorite tv series was M.A.S.H. I can remember a t-shirt he had that quoted Col. Potter: “the general answers his own phone, must be a Unitarian.” In fact, most of my memories of John include him laughing at some point. Watching M.A.S.H.; going to Le Bijou theater downtown and watching Monty Python films; spending hours at the dinner table with his kids sharing jokes. I can still hear that warm, addictive laugh.
My best memories are of the places I went with him. They weren’t far-off journeys to exotic lands, but that wasn’t what mattered. John’s presence was what made things fun. Listening to Harry Chapin on the drive up to the cabin on Lake Michigan; walking down the beach; watching him stoop as he walked through Taliesin East. I wouldn’t have traveled in the VW minibus with anyone else, if for no other reason than it needed an accomplished mechanic. John was great at finding Petoskey stones dry, which is quite a feat.
I will always feel fortunate for the time I spent with him. Our paths may have drifted different ways, but I cherish these memories and always will. He and my mother divorced when I started college, but he has always been and will always be my step-father, my friend:

Big John