April 20th marked the opening of the 11th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival.
i've never done a film festival before, so it's been quite an experience. it's an opportunity to see all kinds of movies; features, documentaries and shorts, that are not in widespread distribution. i assume that some, if not many, of these films never make it to major release.
so far, i've seen 11 movies, including 2 shorts. two were incredible, a few others were really good while a couple were so-so and one was just plain disappointing.
the top pick, for me, is a movie titled "Miles From Home" about a young man who wanders off the straight and narrow path and ends up in places that most of us can't even imagine. with an amazing script and cast, we experience this man's deepest emotions, while witnessing the traumatic unraveling of his life. it's not all bad, however, for somehow, in all the chaos and tragedy, our hero still finds hope and a future.
be warned, the start of this movie is extremely disturbing. but, if you make it past the first few minutes, you won't be disappointed.
on imdb.com, i wrote that this just may the best movie that i ever have, or ever will see.
this film is the whole package - the script, the directing, the acting, the filming AND the message.
the official miles from home website
a very close second goes to "Heart of the Beholder". this is a true story about a man who owned a string of video stores in st. louis and how he and his family were persecuted for renting videos that were considered sacrilegious. anyone who thinks that terrorists only come from asia and the middle east need to see this movie.
the official heart of the beholder website
next in line is a tie between "Unconcious" and "Johnny Montana"
these movies are both drama/comedy and were the most entertaining movies that i've seen at the film festival, so far.
Unconcious is a movie about six different people who think that an unconcious man in intensive care is their missing person.
Johnny Montana is a frenetic journey over the course of a year in the life of a young man trying to find his place in the world and in life.
these are the other movies that i've seen:
rain
10th and wolf
quest for nutrition
the third wish
white space (short)
dirt nap
closing time (short)
I will post my comments on these other movies in the near future.
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Thursday, April 20, 2006
freight trains suck
i know that trains are an important part of our economy, but why do they all have to blow their horns a million times as they go by. it seems as if the conductors use their horns more at night, than during the day. do they feel bad that we are sleeping and they're not? what's with that?
and what about the intersection blocking. i watch these trains PARKED for 15, 20 30 minutes sometimes blocking 3 different intersections. talk about a double edged sword- on the one hand, i think that trains should be shorter to avoid blocking the intersections, but that would only mean that there would be more of them.
quite the quandry, don't you think?
it did not seem so bad until after the hurricanes of 2004, but ever since then, the train frequency has skyrocketed making it almost unbearable.
btw, this would not be an issue if i kept the windows closed all the time, but i like the fresh air.
so, if i want to keep my windows open to enjoy the sweet florida intra-costal breeze, i have to put up with the trains.
that's my issue for this morning.
and what about the intersection blocking. i watch these trains PARKED for 15, 20 30 minutes sometimes blocking 3 different intersections. talk about a double edged sword- on the one hand, i think that trains should be shorter to avoid blocking the intersections, but that would only mean that there would be more of them.
quite the quandry, don't you think?
it did not seem so bad until after the hurricanes of 2004, but ever since then, the train frequency has skyrocketed making it almost unbearable.
btw, this would not be an issue if i kept the windows closed all the time, but i like the fresh air.
so, if i want to keep my windows open to enjoy the sweet florida intra-costal breeze, i have to put up with the trains.
that's my issue for this morning.
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
about my links
the links listed at the right are to things that we should really be paying attendtion to.
u.s. casualties points to globalsecurity.org. that site is all about the dangers we face, globally. it's just my opinion, but i'd say that we created most, if not all, of them. why do I highlight casualties? because although I am against the war that bush started, good americans have been sacrificed and they should not be forgotten or taken for granted.
the cato institute slogan is "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace". nuf said.
bill maher - this guy calls it like it is. HBO on friday night at 11pm - a must see. he always has guests who are fairly well-spoken, and tries to have people on both sides of an issue, even when he is squarely on one side. it's worth staying up for.
endangered species takes you to redlist.org- a site that focuses on the flora and fauna that we are killing...permanently.
on-line surveys takes you selectsmart.com- a site that gives surveys. some are stupid, some help you to see which candidate you are most closely aligned with.
charity navigator.org is a web site that will help you to not get scammed by bogus charities. as a resident of south florida, i heard way to many stories about people trying to raise money for hurricane victims, but in fact were raising money for themselves. hoepfully, this site will help to prevent abuses like that.
u.s. casualties points to globalsecurity.org. that site is all about the dangers we face, globally. it's just my opinion, but i'd say that we created most, if not all, of them. why do I highlight casualties? because although I am against the war that bush started, good americans have been sacrificed and they should not be forgotten or taken for granted.
the cato institute slogan is "individual liberty, limited government, free markets and peace". nuf said.
bill maher - this guy calls it like it is. HBO on friday night at 11pm - a must see. he always has guests who are fairly well-spoken, and tries to have people on both sides of an issue, even when he is squarely on one side. it's worth staying up for.
endangered species takes you to redlist.org- a site that focuses on the flora and fauna that we are killing...permanently.
on-line surveys takes you selectsmart.com- a site that gives surveys. some are stupid, some help you to see which candidate you are most closely aligned with.
charity navigator.org is a web site that will help you to not get scammed by bogus charities. as a resident of south florida, i heard way to many stories about people trying to raise money for hurricane victims, but in fact were raising money for themselves. hoepfully, this site will help to prevent abuses like that.
and now for something completely different!
nah, not really. just more of the same. another soul sharing thoughts and experiences with the masses. i used to host my own blog, but didn't like the program i was using so kind of abandoned the idea. this seems much better.
i don't know why i called this blog "mindful chatter" because i can't guarantee that it will be "mindful", although it will certainly be "chatter".
among my interests for discussion are ADHD, yoga, health and diet, and the horrifying world decline.
more to come.
i don't know why i called this blog "mindful chatter" because i can't guarantee that it will be "mindful", although it will certainly be "chatter".
among my interests for discussion are ADHD, yoga, health and diet, and the horrifying world decline.
more to come.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
