Archive for the Movies Category

We just rented Pieces of April from iTunes Movie Rentals—a first for us on both accounts.

Verdict: it works! Initially we were worried when we saw the huge file start to download and the timer showing 30 minutes of download time. But we were able to start the movie immediately and watch as it downloaded.

As for the movie itself we both thought it got off to a shaky start but got better as it went along. “Sweet” is how we would describe the ending. It’s not for everybody. It’s “indie,” a little rough in the editing and cinematography, but there are some great moments. The actors were good. The characters were believable.

As for iTunes and the quality of the downloaded file we can’t say much. [noses up] We don’t own a TV [noses down] so we’re unable to make any comparisons. We watched the movie right on our little Macbook and it was fine.

We can say that iTunes needs more movies. The choices are pretty limited. However, when you consider that renting from Blockbuster costs the same, plus you have to drive, plus you might end up with late fees, we’re fine with the limits. For now.

This is definitely the future of movie-based entertainment, though. Hollywood, you need to get with the program. Get the picture? Good. It’s not a question of if, but when.

Lastly, considering the turn of events here, the debate over Blu-ray vs. HD-DVD is moot at this point. That’s a contest that should have happened five years ago. Next year, high definition DVD quality films will come streaming right into my house over the phone line. Why would I buy a DVD player, much less [snicker], DVDs? [snort]

[cackle]

The questions we answered last year still feel relevant this year so we’re going to answer them again.

What are you happiest about?

Kathleen: Having a baby.
Harry: Having a baby.

What’s the baby’s name?

Kathleen: Justin Uhlotta
Harry: Asurp Rize

No, really

…did some of you fall for that last year? We know you did. Here’s the birth announcement we posted last year.

Share a memorable laugh you had

Harry: These are two of my favorites: Charlie and the Crazy Cow; The Hand

Kathleen: I like Harry’s choices, as well as a night not so long ago when Harry talked while sucking in air and I communicated only through gesturing. Harry’s inhalation comments made me laugh so hard that I was crying.

If you could walk through any door, what would you like it to open to?

Kathleen: The honest answer is the inside of our friends’ homes in Seattle.

Harry: The honest answer is the inside of one of these.

Who is your favorite neighborhood cat?

Kathleen: Do coyotes count?

Harry: Yeah, I think the coyotes eat the cats around here because I’ve never seen one.

Will you be happy to say goodbye to anything from 2007?

Kathleen: Moving.

Harry: If I’m honest, my job at UW. I enjoyed the people, of course, but the job dynamics didn’t fit my personality. I was there 6 years, probably 4 too many.

Who has inspired you?

Kathleen: Harry. Charlie. Angie. Nickie.

Harry: Kathleen is my hero. I’m inspired by her endless thoughtfulness for Charlie, me, her family, and her friends. She has more care and concern for people than anyone I know.

When do you feel like time flies?

Kathleen: When I reflect on how much Charlie has changed since birth!!! Otherwise, it’s felt quite slow this year.

Harry: Working on Jetrecord. There just aren’t enough hours in the day.

Any favorite movies or videos?

Kathleen: All our videos of Charlie on Vimeo. Bourne Ultimatum. Ocean’s 13.

Harry: Dramatic Prairie Dog, I Trusted You, Beverly Hills Cop, Bridge to Terabithia (watched without sound on the plane to Louisiana), Superbad, and surprisingly, Blades of Glory. Yet again we’re way behind the times on movies. We became Netflix members this year so I hope we’ll at least catch a few recent releases.

Any favorite music or books?

Kathleen: I’m still playing the same music from last year’s post! I finally read One Hundred Years of Solitude which was incredible, but probably not a good choice when I’m feeling a bit of solitude myself these days…

Harry: As for music I discovered The Acorn this year. I also bought Radiohead’s new album In Rainbows and I love it. Sadly, no books to mention. And really, my music appreciation has been restricted to passive listening at work so I’m not sure that counts, either. Maybe four years from now when someone buys the business for $20M I’ll take some time to read fiction again.

Favorite web sites?

Kathleen: Same answer as last year: “I’m not much of a web surfer, so my vote is for my email account. Harry always shows me funny sites, so I get to see the good stuff without searching for it.” Although—and I’m hesitant to admit—I joined Facebook after getting roped in by a friend (you know who you are!).

Harry: Tip: for the last few years I’ve found all my interesting sites from two places: Delicious/popular and kottke.org. Of course there’s more going on out there but that’s where I start. I joined Twitter in March. Interesting communication medium.

Other than the baby, what are you looking forward to this year?

Kathleen: For the first time in my life, I have almost no idea what this year will bring…apart from spending most of my time with Charlie. I hope to get back to work (very) part-time if we can figure out good care for Charlie and I hope to visit Seattle. I am looking forward to starting the seeds of new friendships and fellowship, growing relationships in Colorado, and the treasured conversations with friends of old.

Harry: The day after Christmas this year I realized that I have everything in life that I’d ever hoped for. That said, I’m looking forward to opening the doors on Jetrecord for the second year in a row.

The End.

As always, we update Loveoirs from time to time with our thoughts so you can keep up with what we’re doing. Our photos (all 2,700 of them) are still on Flickr and we’ve put together a set of 2007 highlights to spare all of you who aren’t his grandparents from looking through our hundreds of pictures of Charlie. Our videos are on Vimeo. Everything else will at least be mentioned here.

Cheers and Happy New Year!

Here are some of our questions and answers from 2006. Happy to say we got all of them right.

What are you happiest about?

Kathleen: Having a baby.
Harry: Yep, I concur.

What’s the baby’s name?

Kathleen: Justin Uhlotta
Harry: Asurp Rize

No, really:

Kathleen: …
Harry: …

Share a memorable laugh you had:

Kathleen: Photo booth pictures
Harry: More photo booth pictures
(yeah, we did this for hours)

If you could walk through any door, what would you like it to open to?

Kathleen: My gut-reaction response is that it would open to our little boy…sans labor & delivery! On a deeper level, I’d love to walk through the many doors of unbelief, pride, and fear that keep me from experiencing life to its fullest. However, I’m also thankful that this journey involves a more dynamic path.

Harry: Sainte-Chapelle, the night we saw the concert there; Zoka, my favorite coffee shop.

Who is your favorite neighborhood cat?

Kathleen: Even though he sprayed my friend, Copper takes the cake (for letting me rub his enormous belly on a regular basis).

Harry: Tough call, but I gotta go with Chester.

Will you be happy to say goodbye to anything from 2006?

Kathleen: Pregnancy-induced heartburn.
Harry: TV.

Who has inspired you?

Kathleen: Countless people, including strangers, friends, and family, through beautiful acts of generosity, perseverance through difficult times, faithfulness, and sacrifice. Maya Angelou’s Seattle visit, during which she recited poetry, sang, and shared about life, was also deeply inspirational to me.

Harry: Kathleen: it’s been amazing to watch her experience pregnancy. Guy Kawasaki: I read The Art of the Start in 2005 and now I follow his blog. Very motivating. Maya Angelou was fantastic.

When do you feel like time flies?

Kathleen: Dates with Harry. Watching our son move in my belly. Reflecting on the past year.
Harry: Reading. Watching movies.

Any favorite movies or videos?

Kathleen: Millions, Akeelah and the Bee.

Harry: Casino Royale, Tony vs. Paul, everyday, Martians Descend on Sesame Street, Bein’ Green, Evolution, Pythagora Switch, Imagination.

Any favorite music or books?

Kathleen: Some Wildflower in my Heart. Re-reading Maya Angelou’s early autobiographical works. I’ve continued to play many of the same albums from last year over and over again this year: Garden State Soundtrack, Illinois by Sufjan Stevens, How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb by U2, and anything by Coldplay. Harry also made me a fantastic iTunes digital album for Christmas that will probably be overplayed during 2007.

Harry: The Tale of the Unknown Island, Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century (still reading this one), The Game Design Reader: A Rules of Play Anthology (still reading this one, too), Slouching Towards Bethlehem by Joni Mitchell, Understand by Pete Rock (watch out, this might be too funky for you), and most recently, Black and Blue and Numb All Over by Graig Markel. Also, by way of video: Drifting, and The Wind and the Wheat.

Favorite web sites?

Kathleen: I’m not much of a web surfer, so my vote is for my email account. Harry always shows me funny sites, so I get to see the good stuff without searching for it.
Harry: Line Rider, Animator vs. Animation (choose Watch this Movie)

Other than the baby, what are you looking forward to this year?

Kathleen: I could write paragraphs to answer this question…but I’ll spare us all the time! Instead, in a nutshell: growth and development in my relationships and new roles, watching the same in others, Harry launching his business, and returning to gardening & physical activities (besides waddling around the lake).

Harry: Opening the doors to my web business (still under development). Ocean’s 13. Writing more. Adding more fiction to my non-fiction-leaning book list.

As always, we update Loveoirs from time to time with our thoughts so you can keep up with what we’re doing. When the little boy is born we will post an update here, so check back in the first few weeks of February. Our photos are still on Flickr. Here’s a collection of some of our favorite memories from 2006.

We wish you all the best in 2007. We hope you get at least some of the best. We’ll rock-paper-scissors you for it.

If you’ve read the book you can safely skip it. If you haven’t read the book you can safely skip it. “The Da Vinci Code” is essentially “National Treasure Part 2: Templar Boogaloo.”

Warning: possible spoilers ahead, but you’ve already read the book, right?

National Treasure	The Da Vinci Code
Nicolas Cage plays Nicolas Cage the cryptologist	Tom Hanks plays Tom Hanks the cryptologist
searching for the greatest secret mankind has ever known	searching for the greatest secret mankind has ever known
assisted by the smart, pretty, yet confused Abigail Chase (Diane Kruger)	assisted by the smart, pretty, yet confused Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou)
chased by a cop (Harvey Keitel) who belongs to a secret society	chased by a cop (Jean Reno) who belongs to a secret society
and a villain (Sean Bean) who wants the treasure for bad-man purposes.	and a villain (Paul Bettany) who wants the treasure for bad-man purposes.
Along the way they’ll seek the help of an older expert (Jon Voight)	Along the way they’ll seek the help of an older expert (Ian McKellen)
who will make redundant, exaggerated statements about the importance of the quest and ultimately, just get in the way.	who will make redundant, exaggerated statements about the importance of the quest and ultimately, just get in the way.
In the end you’ll have the urge to steal the Declaration of Independence and join the Masons.	In the end you’ll have the urge to dig up Mary Magdalene’s remains underneath the Louvre and expose The Great Christian Hoax!
No, really, what if it’s true? Really!	Non, vraiment, ce qui s’il est vrai? Vraiment!
Musical score by Trevor Rabin, who sounds surprisingly like Hans Zimmer	Musical score by Hans Zimmer, who sounds surprisingly like Trevor Rabin

Here’s the difference: National Treasure is only 2 hours and 11 minutes long.

I thought the opening number would make a good cell phone commercial; the only thing missing was Catherine Zeta-Jones. Other than that, you can skip this one. We had to turn it off after the first ten minutes as it was utterly devoid of substance. And good music.

Cue CHOIR: 525,600 minutes!

(music continues; CHOIR looks out into space and keeps dancing)

CATHERINE ZETA-JONES enters.

CZJ: T-Mobile’s Rent Anywhere plan gives you the freedom to talk whenever and however you like. You don’t have to pay last years’ rent, either, you struggling artist, you.

CHOIR: 525,600 minutes!
(music continues; CHOIR can hardly contain itself; we have Broadway jobs!)

CZJ: With 525,600 Anywhere-minutes, T-Mobile has the number one cell phone plan in America. You can talk for the rest of your life. Talk in your car, talk on the bus, talk in the middle of a movie or a concert, talk in your sleep. Heck, you could leave your cell phone on for two weeks straight! Your battery will wear out before this plan does!

CHOIR: (raising hands) 525,600 minutes!

CZJ: (Smiles and walks to the camera)

Logo. Fade to white.

According to this article from the BBC, “Prince Caspian” will be the next Narnia movie.

As a C.S. Lewis fan and a believer, I admit I’m a little biased. However, I think you should see this film.

If for no other reason, go see it for the performance of Georgie Henley, the little girl who plays Lucy Pevensie. She had more genuine (and believable) enthusiasm for her character than any child actor I’ve seen. Excellent casting.

If you need another reason, I give it 4/4 stars for a retelling of a children’s fairy tale. I and the others with me were completely absorbed in the film. The pace was good. The computer animation was very well done; the battle scene in particular had me glued to my seat. Seeing cheetahs and tigers running flat out towards each other at the onset—wow!

Finally, I had the same reaction to Aslan and the story that I did while reading the books. In short, I was overwhelmed. Honestly, as I believe the underlying truth presented in the story, there were a few times that I almost lost it during the film. It was very easy for me to put myself in the story. For that I would like to say bravo and thank you to the cast, crew, and filmmakers. I’m very much looking forward to the next parts in the series. Please give them the same attention you did here.

Kathleen and I remarked that we’d both go back and see this film again in the theater; that doesn’t happen very often for us. Perhaps the Cinerama next time?

I think I go to the movies for three reasons. Either I perceive that the writing and/or acting will be good, that the story or perspective will be worth hearing, or that the dazzle value will be worth the expense.

• The Gospel
• Syriana
• Kiss Kiss Bang Bang
• Serenity
• Lord of War
• Little Manhattan (assuming the theater is not packed with 10-year-olds, no offense; perhaps the midnight showing?)
• Good Night, and Good Luck (deliciously appropriate for our time)

On a related note, I recently saw “Flight Plan” and I don’t recommend it. The writing is a classic example of spoon-feeding emotions and plot resolution, something I have come to despise about American cinema.

And while I’m at it, and since everything we’re going to see in 2006 has already been made, can 2007 be the year in which we don’t have comedies that rely on a clever turn of phrase? I don’t want to hear, for example

“Come on in, I’ll put on a pot of bourbon.”

or

“I love you, it’s just that I want to kill you.”

While I love understatement and oxymoron as much as the next person, I’m sick of seeing them used over and over again.

And music. Where would the American movie trailer be without indie rock, hip hop, Peter Gabriel, Simon & Garfunkel, and “Under Pressure” by David Bowie and Queen? And for dramas and epics the front runners tend to be re-purposed James Horner, Hans Zimmer, or Randy Edelman scores, all of whom take their cues from the concert music of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Please, can we get away from romanticism and neo-romanticism?

And we might as well go down the list:

• The gravel-voiced trailer narrator has to go. Too long have we suffered his low-pass utterances. He must depart. How about a female voice? How about no narrator?
• How about shorter films that cost less to see?
• How about getting real with concession costs? Why does 25-cent candy cost 25 dollars?
• Why does the price continue to go up while the quality continues to go down? Of both concessions and movies?

Anyone else with thoughts on this matter?

Did you know that we’re movie stars in our spare time?

See our movie!

Hope you enjoy the flick!