A Quick Update...

hey folks,

While I've got some larger writings in the works (a variety of reviews), it'll be about another week before they're all finished and posted...

But for now I just wanted to give you an update on a few things in our lives.

First, Natasha is ina show that just opened in New Canaan. She's playing Edith the maid in Noel Coward's comedy Blithe Spirit. It runs through November 5 and is a wonderfully funny show with a really good cast (and some top notch production values as well). Call 966-7371 for tickets.

This coming Friday night I have a bit part in a staged reading at Westport Community Theater. Habeus Corpus is being directed by Dan Friedman (and includes a number of people much more talented than myself). Call 226-1983 for more info.

Also starting this Friday and running through November 12 is The Darien Players production of Agatha Christie's Black Coffee. It the only play she wrote that features Hercule Poirot as a character. It should be a wonderfully entertaining evening. Call 655-5414 for more info or tickets.

While it doesn't open until January 13, the Players next production is Cat on a Hot Tin Roof directed by Frank Gaffney. I've signed on to produce the show. Natasha has been cast as Sister Woman and there's a small possibility that Malcolm will be making his stage debut as well as one of the "no neck monsters" that Maggie constantly refers to (we're still discussing the pros and cons of torturing our son who would turn 7 months old during the show's run...but it would make rehearsals easier as we could just schlep him along every night).

There will be two more shows (possibly three) that I'll mention after New Year's as they get closer to opening.

Meanwhile, here at the house...

Our first contractor owes us one gutter for the back of the house and a certificate of occupancy and then we are done with them forever. Hooray!!

Our second one just had a baby boy with his wife and while it's slowed things down a little bit we're happy as can be with the results. Our kitchen is completely finished now that the backsplash has been installed...and the best part is we got what we wanted (something we wouldn't have gotten with the first guy).

Our powder room is almost finished. It just needs to be painted (which we're trying to figure out a color scheme for as there's a mish mosh of colors in the tiles and fixtures).

The office & mudroom that we carved out of the old storage space between the garage and the finished part of the basement is almost finished. There's some minor electrical work that needs to be done, some HVAC issues that need addressing (I'm convinced the guys attached the vents to the upstairs thermostat instead of the downstairs one), some patching and painting of a few walls (due to a major problem with California Closets...DON'T use them if you're ever thinking about it) and that's about it aside from moving things into the rooms and using them.

After that, there are one or two minor things we're doing that should be done before the end of the year and then we're done with any construction workers for a while (unless we decide to redo the back deck in the spring).

On the Malcolm front, he's got his 4 month checkup next week and I'm trying to keep using the infant carrier at least until then...but quite honestly he's pretty much outgrown it (at least his shoulders seem to be a bit wider than it is but he's not complaining yet). Last night I went to transport him to the car and I had to strain to lift it. They grow so fast. Awww.

Anyway...I'm still trying to get our website up and running but I've been too busy to finish my redesigns, so it will be a bit longer.

Next week, catch up reviews and such.

Be seeing you.

Bonding News

So....Daniel Craig is OFFICIALLY the new James Bond ending months of silliness.

Eon and Sony are using Craig and Casino Royale to essentially "reboot" Bond (again). I'm not sure how I feel about all of this being the Bond fan that I am. On the one hand I've enjoyed the film universe of Bond (even in it's silly moments), but on the other hand it is time for some real change to bring the screen Bond even closer to the book Bond (who we haven't quite seen on the big screen yet).

I don't really know Craig as an actor, but he looks fine (even looks a bit like Hoagy Carmichael whom Fleming had described Bond as kind of looking like). The real test will be in the script. If it's anything like the book, it should be a tight and taut little thriller (although we already know for a fact that the big card game has been changed from Baccarat to Texas Hold 'Em Poker...not sure how I feel about that). And then we'll need to see where they take the entire series after Casino Royale. Will they start "from the beginning" and remake books they've already done (and make them closer to the novels only with an updated slant....which would be very interesting for the second book, Live and Let Die, as it's got some very antiquated racial stereotypes tied into a rather dated plot) or will they start adapting the Bond novels of John Gardner or Raymond Benson (which are ripe for adaptation and don't really need any moderning) or will they go back to what they had been doing of late, original stories with things stolen from Fleming's novels.

I'm very interested to see where all this goes. I think it's an exciting time to be a Bond fan.

I'll be back over the weekend with some catch up movie and TV reviews as well as a piece on what's going on in comic books these days.

Be seeing you.

Various TV & Movie Reviews

Okay...it only raked in about $10 million dollars this weekend, so here goes the call for all of you who like good movies, good stories and good Sci-Fi to get off your butts and RUN to the local theater where Serenity is playing. I know I haven't seen much in theaters this year, but this was a film both my wife and I were looking forward to and were not disappointed in any way, shape or form.

Anyone who has caught any of writer-director Joss Whedon's previous work knows that this man knows how to treat his audience. Unlike larger Sci-Fi franchises that play things straight (Star Trek) or don't even bother to play at all (Star Wars), this continuation of the barely watched TV series Firefly is an amazing ride from start to finish. Maybe it's because Whedon sets up the "backstory" without any prior knowlegde of the TV series or because the series was cancelled and he had nothing left to lose, but there isn't a moment in this film that feels cliched or like warmed-over sludge. There are plenty of great character moments amid an amazing Sci-Fi epic with twists, turns and surprises galore. If only George Lucas could do stuff like this in the Star Wars universe then no one would complain.

Again...see this film even if you haven't seen the TV series (you'll want to go back and watch it after this anyway). Best one I've seen in theaters so far this year.

Meanwhile, another TV series that got a second chance (and one that's starting to look very successful) adds a new chapter with the direct to DVD "feature" Family Guy Presents Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story. While this is essentially a stringing together of three episodes, they are pretty funny (why wouldn't they be?) and the raunchy, racy framing footage (a Hollywood premiere party) help boost the show out of the realm of toned down TV and into the realm of "fuck yeah" movies (well...almost, as I said it is three episodes strung together...and they will air on Tv sometime next year as three separate episodes before appearing on DVD again in Volume 4 of this show). Fart jokes, obscure pop culture references and for the first time uncensored swearing abound.

I've been a big Geena Davis fan for quite some time, so there was no doubt in my mind about at least catching the first episode of Commander-in-Chief. I just wasn't expecting to like it as I'm kind of tired of politics at this point (the "I'm right, you're wong" attitude of every politician and TV pundit finally got the best of me...they should all burn in hell). But I actually enjoyed the pilot immensely. Not really sure why yet...I'll let you know after the first three episodes have aired and I have a better feel for it.

Another movie everyone should see is Inside Deep Throat. This documentary is about more than just the making of one of the most famous (or infamous) porn films. It's about our right to free speech, to choose our what we find "entertaining" and ultimately how the film industry (specifically the porn film industry) changed because of it all.

I'm not sure if I ever reviewed Terry Gilliam's latest film The Brothers Grimm, but it was fun. Was it great? No. But even bad Terry Gilliam (which this wasn't) is better than almost anything else in the theaters. This is an intersting film, both in story and in look, and is worth seeing if you like fantasy films that will indulge your imagination.

I also finally caught The Forgotten on cable. Surprisingly, with a cast that includes Julianne Moore and Gary Sinise and starts off as an interesting psychological drama quickly devolves into a script that was most likely rejected from the recent TV remake of The Outer Limits and then stretched to 90 minutes. It is best forgotten.

Next time, more TV reviews and other stuff.

Be seeing you.