Plato: The Legend

Plato’s mother [upon receiving some indication of his divinity] took her newborn son “to Mount Hymettus where she wanted to sacrifice him to Apollo god of herds and to the Nymphs. In the meantime she laid him down there, to find, on her return, that he had his mouth full of honey: bees had come and done this, as an omen that the words flowing from his mouth would be, as the poet has it, ‘sweeter than honey.’”

-- James Miller, “Examined Lives”

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"To Kill a Mockingbird"

Gregory Peck between scenes of To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

Gregory Peck's performance became synonymous with the role and character of Atticus Finch. Alan J. Pakula remembered hearing from Peck when he was first approached with the role: "He called back immediately. No maybes. [...] I must say the man and the character he played were not unalike."[2] Peck later said in an interview that he was drawn to the role because the book reminded him of growing up in La Jolla, California.[3] "Hardly a day passes that I don't think how lucky I was to be cast in that film," Peck said in a 1997 interview. "I recently sat at a dinner next to a woman who saw it when she was 14 years old, and she said it changed her life. I hear things like that all the time."

-- Wikipedia

"Skyfall"

I can’t believe Pop did not open the kitchen sliding-door? He definitely has a different, simpler mind. But this is hardly news. But he keeps us comfy and wired up, and that’s what’s really important, isn’t it?

I just came back from catching the “Skyfall” flick. I didn’t go downtown, but caught it at our Westlakes outlet, which is now known as The Alamo Drafthouse, a combination theater and restaurant, and the restaurant part is really more like a bar than a restaurant. Being in these environs did awaken something in me. I starting thinking about how much I would like to get a little buzz on. Maybe a couple of margaritas. The old Austin days came to mind, being able to walk into a bar and get a couple of drinks. I miss that. Having a little money would be nice. That is what civilization is all about.

By the way, walking from the theater to the bus stop, I noticed that one of the shops is SAS Shoes, and I figured the chances were good that Lorie may work there. I walked alongside it, looking in the windows, and she actually saw me first and was waving. I waved back. That was interesting. Being like a normal, sociable being. I am sure it was just a passing experience.

“But how was the movie?”

Ah, yes, I almost forgot. It definitely rose from the blah depths of “Quantum of Solace”. If the movie did not do better than that, I would have had to give up on the franchise again. However, there has been a lot of buzz about how the new movie is even better than “Casino Royale”, which I think is nonsense. But I am starting to think that “Casino Royale” was just one of those stellar movies that you really should not expect to see matched so easily. This latest effort showed a more depthful James Bond, and I am glad I saw it - it is worth seeing - but, in all honesty, I did not really feel any of the old double-oh!-seven magic.

I am not sure why I feel this way. Could it be that the lack of a real Bond romance deprived the movie of some of its sizzle? Moreover, I know I did not really feel the suspense. The movie presumably intended to draw much of its energy from the threat to M.’s life, the elderly Judi Dench, Bond’s mother-figure, but I was not moved by it.

“*chuckling* It sounds like you thought the movie sucked. Is that what you are saying?”

I know what you mean. And, no, I don’t want to say that. “Quantum of Solace” is a prime example of suckage, and “Skyfall” is nowhere near that low-rent neighborhood. Let me put it this way: I appreciated its aspirations and its execution, but it is a movie that I would not mind never seeing again. It filled its slot in the series decently enough, but it was nothing special to me. And for the record, let it be written that there are only a few Bond films that truly succeed with me. It is the mystique that keeps me interest. They only have to keep from blowing it completely, as they did with “Quantum of Solace” and the last few of the Roger Moore and Pierce Brosnan movies.

Though, I also want to say this about my movie experience at the Alamo Drafthouse. I liked it enough that I think I may see more movies. Not every week, nor even every month. But I can see myself catching three or four over the year. It eats up much of my day, and I would prefer to enjoy a movie at home, where I can pause it and rewind as well as watch it across a number of meals. The big-screen effect is not that big a deal to me, not with Pop’s big-screen TV at home. The advantage of going to the theater, though, is to see a movie that looks very promising right away, rather than waiting for a year for it to come out on HBO or Showtime. And there are a few movies every year for which I would like to take that advantage.