Wall-E Review

We saw the 2:50 showing of Wall-E on Friday. It was a great time to see the movie. The theater was not too crowded which helped with our crowd. Joshua could wander up and down our row without disturbing too many people. We had great seats in the middle of the theater. Also, Grace and Caleb got free Wall-E watches because we were there opening weekend. Gotta love a perk!

There were tons of previews and not a single one stood out. (That is not a good sign if you are in the movie business.) Then the short started. It was wonderful. The premise was crazy and the animation beautiful. The laughs were straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon from my youth. You have to love when they pull you in with the subconscious connections.

The first 30 minutes of Wall-E are incredible. There is little to no dialogue, but I did not hear a complaint from our children. The pictures and movement was so memorable that the kids were transfixed. I thought they would want us to leave, but they loved the growth of the relationship between Wall-E and EVE. When they leave Earth, the pace of the movie really increases. The difficulty of watching a show like this is you know that Pixar has packed in the details. I know I missed these details while trying to get a drink for Joshua or popcorn to the kids. I think this is a movie that you see more with each subsequent viewing.

After the Earth segment, the pace picks up and there is no slowing down until the end. I won't spoil the movie, but I do want to say something about the tone. I have read that what Dr. Seuss' The Lorax is to children's books, Pixar's Wall-E is to children's movies. The environmental message is not as strong, though it is a component of the movie.

So to recap, you might like this movie if you like movies:

• About post-apocalyptic life
• With incredible visuals
• Preaching a save the earth theme
• Depicting robot love stories
• Jabbing us for the over commercialization of America
• Showing kids playing in space
• That mock the movie-going public (and our infantilization and greed), or
• Of a love story between a janitor and a sexy, geeky gal.

I liked it a lot and loved the different messages and themes. But, in fairness, Mary enjoyed it but did not love. I think you should go and see it because it is a Pixar movie. And you have to support great entertainment.

Short Post

We had a great vacation. (I will try to post details.)
We had a great photo session with Rebecca. (Here is a sneak peek.)
We went and saw Wall-e yesterday. You should see it. (The short is unbelievably good.)

I will try to post more information about all of these events, but if I don't at least you know something.

Road Trippin'

We left on Thursday and are enjoying some southern hospitality in North Carolina with Dan and Rebecca. We left at 7:40 pm and made it to Delaware by 1:00 am on Friday morning. Now that is cruising. We did not hit any traffic anywhere up to that point. Here are some thoughts from the road:

• The most expensive state in terms of tolls is Delaware. It costs $7.00 to go about 20 miles. Not cool. We went 20 miles in New York and did not have to pay anything on the way down.
• Mary thinks I might be crazy for driving so late into the night. Obviously, she did not grow up with the Dale and Sally "Haul Rear Across America" program. (Ask Honor about the name. I am sure that my mother will disassociate herself with this particular program. She will say it was Dad. And she just might be right!)
• I saw a weird license plate on the way down. It was from Georgia and it was completely red. I don't think I have ever seen an all red license plate before.
• Grace and Caleb both slept well on this trip. Joshua did not sleep as well. Usually Caleb and Joshua are the better car sleepers.
• Grace slept so well in the car, she even took a nap on Friday afternoon. Grace NEVER naps in the car. Usually she and I are the only ones awake. But she took a nap this trip.

We have really enjoyed hanging out with Dan, Rebecca, and the monkeys. We went to the Duke University gardens and cathedral this afternoon. The gardens were amazing and the cathedral looks stunning. Certainly it is not your garden variety church. Tonight we went to a Durham Bulls game. Minor league baseball is a fun, family-friendly event. The kids really enjoyed themselves, though the later the game went the more difficult it was for them.

Conversation at the Table

Caleb asked me if I knew something over dinner tonight. (I don't remember what we were talking about.) I answered his question and Caleb asked, "How did you know that, Dad?"

I said, "'Cause I'm wicked smaht."

Without missing a beat, Caleb says, "No, you're wicked lahge."

That's my Caleb.

Disorganized Thoughts

I just finished reading this book. Robert Reich is a staunch Democrat. If you don't agree with the Democratic view of government programs, he still has interesting things about the intersection of capitalism and politics. Here is one quote that caught my attention:

The problem is that the choices we make in the market don't fully reflect our values as citizens. We might make different choices if we understood and faced the social consequences of our purchases or investments and if we knew all other consumer and investors would join us in forbearing from certain great deals whose social consequences were abhorrent to us. But we are unlikely to make the sacrifice if we think we'll be the only consumer or investor who refrains. Lonely forbearance can be the last refuge of a virtuous fool.

Interesting ideas in this book.

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I was in Philadelphia last week. My rental car was a Volkswagon Jetta. It was fun to drive. I was surprised. When I was driving to the airport, I passed an old van. It was a conversion van from the 80s. Three guys were pushing it down the highway. That must cannot be fun.

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I was riding a bus home a couple of weeks ago. I was next to three kids in the late teens or early 20s. Two girls were sharing iPod headphones. They were singing Spanish pop hits at the top of their lungs. The next day, the bus ran into a telephone pole with its mirror. It was an odd commuting week.

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I attended a conference in Boston a couple of weeks ago. I was walking through Harvard Square and saw a line of chairs in front of shops. The line went down the block and around the corner. I saw at least 200 people waiting in line. They were sitting in chairs and some had tents. What were they waiting for? They were in front of a shoe store. I think a limited edition of set of shoes were being sold. I can't believe people wait in line like that for shoes.

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Since I was in Boston, it was always fun to see the old sights from when we were in school. I love to watch the stereoscopic advertisements on the T.

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I am digging a new song. It is called "Handlebars" by Flobots. The video is fascinating. (It is on YouTube. It does have some cartoon violence in it.) I have to admit that I am a sucker for songs with compelling ideas. I don't even need to agree with the idea.

Conversations and Happenings

I was ironing a shirt this morning. That is an extremely rare occurrence. The shirt had sat in the dryer for most of the week. I was talking to Grace and asked her if Mom ironed when she was not sewing quilts.

Grace thought for a second and said, "No, not extensively."

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Caleb likes Planet Heroes. Lately we have been coloring pictures from the website. We sat down to color "Earth Ace" and Caleb said, "Dad you can color a pattern or asymigration."

"Asymigration?" I replied.

He thought for a moment and said, "I mean symmetry."

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Joshua loves to empty the dishwasher. He will climb right up there and hand you all the dishes. You have to grab the knifes out first.

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Joshua also loves animals. His favorite animal is a panda. He calls any animal a "nanda." Well, except for a dog. To "say" dog, he pants.