: in truth; indeed
I had a wonderful birthday yesterday, just wonderful. Nice morning sitting in bed reading, good lunch and yogurt, relaxing afternoon, good movie and dinner, and gift cards from my mom that Julia and I took advantage of very quickly: we ordered over $200 worth of movies and books! Oh, and I almost forgot: Daisy went to the vet yesterday and got the good news: she has no heartworms.
I really enjoyed Dolphin Tale (2011) last night. Directed by Charles Martin Smith and based on true events, the family-friendly film stars Winter as herself. Winter, you say? Who's Winter? She's a dolphin who is injured after she is caught in a fishing boat's net. She is rescued by a shy boy (played by Nathan Gamble) and eventually finds herself in Clearwater's Marine Aquarium Hospital. When Winter loses her tail, the humans caring for her (among them Harry Connick Jr's doctor) feel that she won't make it, for Winter can't continue to swim moving her back from side to side - as opposed to the more natural up and down. Morgan Freeman shows up as a kindly VA doctor who sets about making a prosthetic tail for Winter. The filmmakers do a superb job at capturing the beauty of Winter's movement and intelligence. It's just a feel-good movie. I know that sounds like a corny, generic description of a film, but that's what this movie is - a film impossible to like, full of good cheer, wonder; it's inspiring too - a reminder that simple acts of generosity and friendship can make life better for us and the natural world around us. Ashley Judd and Kris Kristofferson co-star.
(Winter even has a website too: http://www.seewinter.com/
Football picks for the weekend:
Cincinnati over Jacksonville
New England over Buffalo
Green Bay over New Orleans
Minnesota over Detroit
Atlanta over Carolina (is Atlanta one of the top 2 or 3 teams in the league?)
St. Louis over Seattle
San Francisco over NY Jets
Houston over Tennessee
Kansas City over San Diego
Arizona over Miami
Denver over Oakland
Tampa Bay over Washington
Philadelphia over NY Giants (if NY Giants win this, I'll never pick against them again - ever)
Chicago over Dallas
A performance this weekend for my list of the 500 Greatest Performances of All Time:
Laurence Fishburne
as Ike Turner in What's Love Got to Do With It?
Along with Fishburne, Angela Bassett's fine performance as the strong-willed but battered Tina Turner received an Oscar nomination for her work in this 1993 biopic. Bassett gave a fine performance, but looking back on her work now, I can't help but be distracted by the fact that she lip-synched the whole thing - equally distracting is just how ridiculously buff Bassett got for the role; she never really looked like Tina Turner. Fishburne, who sometimes just coasts in roles, however, gave a a frightening, intense turn that still holds up. He made Ike a charismatic wife-beater (an oxymoron if I've ever heard one), an electric presence, talent seeping out of his pores. He doesn't make Ike Tuner sympathetic per se; he does make it hard to look away.
*
On this date, we think Miguel de Cervantes was born almost 500 years ago. Cervantes, of course, was the author of the one of the most famous works of literature in the history of the world: Don Quixote. It's shocking, though, how little is known about him. You can go to this website to find more about him (http://www.abt.org/education/archive/other/cervantes_m.html), but, quickly, here are some curious facts - and mysteries - about him:
- we have no idea where he went to school at; almost nothing is known about his first twenty-one years
- during his time in the Spanish legion, he permanently maimed his left hand in a naval battle
- he and his brother were twice captured by Algerian pirates
- he began writing around the age of 34 (plays)
- as deputy purveyor for the Spanish Armada fleet, he was excommunicated (for confiscating supplies belonging to a Seville cathedral) and imprisoned multiple times
- the first half of Don Quixote was reputedly written in prison
- the book made him an overnight success
- after he and his family were imprisoned for being the suspects of a stabbing, Cervantes then disappeared for while; for three years, there is absolutely no record of his existence
- he wrote a sequel to Don Quixote: Did you know that? I had no idea.
*
And, finally, to close the week. A painting by birthday boy Francois Boucher (1703-1770), the French rococo artist:
Girl Reclining: Louise O'Murphy
1751
oil on canvas
Wallfaf-Richartz Museum, Cologne
An erotic, sexually provocative portrait of an 18-year old model and dancer, pink and nude, her buttocks available for all to see. This work was done during Boucher's period as First Painter to the King: erotic works were not uncommon during this period. What's noteworthy is how realistic the pose and room is - most of the other great rococo artists (Watteau, Fragonard) painted clearly unrealistic, fanciful behavior and movement.
Images: http://msnbcmedia.msn.com/j/MSNBC/Components/Photo/_new/at-110912-dolphin-tale-01.photoblog600.jpg
http://awardsoffseason.files.wordpress.com/2011/07/lawrence-fishburne-whats-love-got-to-do-with-it1.png
http://www.studydroid.com/imageCards/06/sg/card-7226225-front.jpg
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