Uninspiring

. . . is how I would describe the much vaunted Narnia movie. It was good but not wow. Also, I fail to see how on earth anyone can consider it a family movie. There are downright child-unfriendly scenes such as the Aslan on the rock scene (trying to be vague so as not to spoil anything). The witch lady was perfectly cast and was very, very good in that role . . . didn't care any for the children actors. The kid was quite good, but not memorable and who wrote those lines? Overall, good. I enjoyed it. I just think animals talking back to you is an issue of concern.

On the other hand, I did finally get to watch Dirty Pretty Things about a Nigerian and Turkish immigrant in England. Great movie. There are some disturbing scenes, but nothing that you don't find in your average modern day movie. It was very good acting, the script was tight--all around two thumbs up. It's about a Nigerian illegal immigrant man working two jobs and who lives with a Turkish legal immigrant who works as a maid in the hospital he works at. He sleeps on the couch during the day while she is at work and he is at work overnight when she is home. He basically finds a human heart in the bathroom of one of the rooms and inadvertently stumbles on a thriving illegal body parts trade. Good stuff.

Currently reading Mayflower by Philbrick about the Mayflower ship that brought the Pilgrims and the ensuing community and their relationship with the Natives. Very good book, though not as compellingly told. It seems more like a history book and less like a literary crafted story like some recent reads, 1776, Manhunt and Cobra II. Those books gave a great historical account of their subjects, but brought the histories alive by making the histories about people and also by probing the psychology of their subjects through letters, diary entries, etc. I actually read a book called The History of the Oxford Movement by marvin O'Connell and it was so good that when one of Newman's friends died, I felt like I lost someone close. That's how invested the writer got me into the book--and this was dissertation reading too! In Mayflower, I have little personal investment that I feel little for the characters that come in and out of the story.

It is a very good book, nonetheless, and any history buff would enjoy reading it and even non-history buffs like myself. I'm 3/4 done with the book and my next venture I think will be James Carroll's House of War about the Pentagon and its role in the world affairs in the past 50 years.

Meanwhile, the Bills are quietly doing their thing. It's hard to see where this team is going. We have no quarterback, at least, no championship quarterback, in the stable, unless J P Losman unleashes his full potential and makes everyone see why he was drafted in the first round. Buffalo has made the California laid-back quarterback mistake before, i wonder if they made another. Rob Johnson was so West Coast California and that was his downfall. Losman, even though Californian and went to HS there, played at Tulane, so his work ethic and mindset is supposed to be different. Troy Aikman was UCLA (but is he from CA?). But then again, this was a guy who got concussions from crashing into a feather . . . and no I am not bitter about Super Bowls 27 & 28.