Movie Review: It (2017)

It (2017) directed by Andy Muschietti

The town of Derry, Maine, is plagued by the disappearances of children in 1988. We see one of the abductions at the very beginning of the movie. Georgie Denbrough gets pulled down a storm drain by a malevolent clown hiding in the sewer. Georgie's middle-school brother Bill is obsessed with finding his brother, which doesn't help his already outsider status in the cliquish community. He runs afoul of school bully Henry, but a bunch of other boys and one girl are also on the outs with the bully and the school population in general. They band together to spend their summer trying to solve the mystery of what's happening to the kids. And avoid the bully. Since the story is based on a Stephen King novel, things are bound to get more horrible before they get any better.

The malevolent force (the "It" of the title) comes to town every 27 years, as is discovered by the library nerd in the group. The history isn't very detailed but has enough clues to point to the terror and where it might be located. The friends have to muster the nerve to confront It, hoping to bring back Georgie and the other missing kids.

The cast of young actors are uniformly great in their roles. Their characters are mostly well developed (one or two of them get little screen time) and are believable as early teens. They use foul language a lot more than is believable but that's a fault of the script, not the performers. The handful of adults in the movie are good enough; Bill Skarsgaard as Pennywise the Clown (the main manifestation of "It") is very good.

As compared to the television miniseries, this film comes out well. The miniseries blends a modern day story with the "27 years earlier" story, depriving the early story of drama since viewers know all the kids survive to fight another day. The film only tells the earlier story and the end credits hint at a "chapter two" movie. Since the movie did phenomenally well at the box office, a sequel is certain. The special effects in the movie are naturally better than a twenty-year old TV miniseries. The scares are a little bit better in the movie. The movie looks even better by comparison.

I might make the effort to see "chapter two" in the theaters when it comes out. Recommended for horror fans, especially of the Stephen King variety.

Cute Kid Pix January 2018

Some more pictures of happenings that didn't happen to get their own post...

The library had a Storybook Friends story time with a character I'd never heard of before, Minerva Louise. This chick is in fact a chicken! She has a variety of adventures, often doing silly and charming things. One book the librarian read was about Minerva Louise (who lives on a farm) wanting to go out of the barn on a snowy day. She needs some extra layers to keep warm, and tries all sorts of comically inappropriate things, like a human's mitten for a hat (that covers her whole head) or gloves for boots (also way too big). The craft recreates a moment where she sneaks into the farmer's house and decides a pot of flowers is a comfy chair.

Gluing the flowers together

Adding flowers to their stems

The box came with crayons, I must color!

Finished product

We had a snow day (i.e. no school) in mid-January, so what did the boys want to do? Go use the big hill at the back of the school to go sledding! We went to school anyway. Since I was the lone parent (my wife's work didn't even have a two hour delay), I only got pictures from the top of the hill. My phone is far too slow to take videos after I push the toddler's sled. My older son was able to get himself up and down the hill with no problems.

New long-distance record

Close-up of glove check

Two in one picture

Close-up of sideways sledding

Later in the month, a regular story time used "sweet" as the theme, which meant a fun, I-wish-it-was-edible craft. My son made a cupcake.

Gluing the frosting to the cake

Adding sprinkles

An artist is his own toughest critic

Judgement: Good enough to eat!

The kids found our old Iron Man costume parts. The mask and the bracer both still have good batteries, making these toys as fun as ever.

Introducing--Iron Preschooler

Taking his mask off

Receiving a message that lights up her life

Where should I aim?

Here comes the shot!

Random Bits from California Christmas 2017

Some stuff from California that didn't make its own post...

We also did some sports beyond the house. We went to a local middle school and played parents versus children baseball, which was fun. We didn't follow all the rules, making it easier for the smaller children to have bigger enjoyment.

Grandpa pitches to my son

A "runner" on second base

We also went further afield and did some iceskating with the cousins and extended cousins. It was fun but both too cold for my daughter and too packed for us adults. The place had an outdoor rink which was full of holiday skaters (which is a bit of a novelty in San Francisco, I suppose). It also had an indoor rink for those with children five and under. My youngest niece is three, so we all got in on her.

My daughter happy in her rental skates

The outdoor rink

The indoor rink

In addition to the fun playground, Berkeley had some fun architecture (photos below) and we visited the Cheese Board, which is more famous as a bakery than as a cheese counter (no photos, we were too busy eating!).

A cool house

The next cool house

A third cool house

An old hotel hiding behind another building

Last Day in California, Christmas 2017

For our last day in California during our Christmas 2017 trip, we did what we so often do--we went to a playground. This one was at the same community center where we started the Art Appreciation geocache. The kids were more interested in the play equipment than appreciating art, which was fine.

Playground

An odd climber

Our prescholar climbed up a short tower and started serving pretend food to anyone who walked by. We were the only customers and were able to request all sorts of things. I had a pineapple/banana milkshake with my nuggets and fries. He had so much fun, he never made it to the swings!

Playing restaurant

At the bottom of the slide

After gathering clues for the next stage of the geocache, we had a brunch at Waterdog Tavern just down the street. The restaurant has outdoor seating (their beer garden really is a garden!) just below the main restaurant. The area has a little artificial waterway with plenty of flora and some heaters for the colder weather.

A river runs through it

The other end of the river

The bar offers a wide variety of beers, many from local brewers. I had the Full Boar Scotch Ale from Devil's Canyon Brewing Company, which was delightful.

Double decker beer taps!

We had a lovely brunch. I ate French Toast Bread Pudding, which was wonderful. The kids mostly had regular french toast (which was surprisingly similar to my dish) since the waffles were sold out. The kids also enjoyed the warmth of an open fire and of Grandpa's hug.

Chillin' out by the fire

A happy granddaughter

The bar area had some amazing redwood tables that I am sure are popular during happy hour.

More tables

After brunch (thanks for picking up the tab, Grandpa!), most of the kids went back for naps/relaxing while a few remained to go for more geocaching. We had a fun afternoon and very much enjoyed our visit to California.

Book Review: Asterix at the Olympic Games by R. Goscinny et al.

Asterix at the Olympic Games written by Rene Goscinny and illustrated by Albert Uderzo

Things are quiet in the Gaulish village that is home to Asterix. The nearby Roman encampment Aquarium is full of excitement. Their finest athlete, Gluteus Maximus, has been selected to represent Rome in the Olympic Games in Greece. He trains in the forest where his confidence is shattered by Asterix and Obelix, whose magic-potion enhanced powers make them faster and stronger. Once the village chief finds out about the games, he wants his tribe to go too. They'll easily be victorious thanks to druid Getafix's magic brew. The whole tribe goes off to cheer on Asterix and Obelix as they compete against the Romans, the Greeks, and the occasional Egyptian, for Olympic glory.

The story is quite funny, with gags about their travel and tourism during their trip to Greece. Also, their conflict with the Romans is smartly handled, as is the gags about the Olympics. This book is among the best of the Asterix stories.

Highly recommended.

Sample text: The Roman lament...

Movie Review: The Lure (Corki Dancingu) (2015)

The Lure (Corki Dancingu) (2015) directed by Agnieszka Smoczynska

Two mermaid sisters (whose names are Gold and Silver) are drawn to the shore by the siren song of a nightclub trio singing on a beach. The sisters sing their own siren song to get noticed and taken to land. After an interview with the nightclub owner (which includes the revelation that they are mermaids and will grow long, luscious tails when they get wet), the sisters become part of the act. The story is set in 1980s Poland and the club is a bit trashy--a lot of the acts involve stripping or otherwise exploiting the talent for the benefit of the patrons. There's sex in the bathrooms. Anyone can get a smoke or a drink, including the probably underaged sisters. Nevertheless, they enjoy what they think is a glamorous life and Silver falls for the trio's guitarist. That spells trouble for a number of reasons. If she gets the tail-to-legs operation, she'll lose her voice (just like in The Little Mermaid, a clear jumping off point for this film). Also, if he falls in love with someone else, she'll turn to sea foam if she doesn't eat him before the next sunrise. Did I mention they are carnivorous mermaids? The tale has more dark themes beyond the squalor of the night club.

The musical numbers are not limited to the night club. The girls sing a tune as they shop for clothes; Silver has one during the surgical swap of her fish tail with another woman's lower half. A lot of the songs are rather bleak (even the upbeat ones aren't very catchy). The music has a lot of synthesizers, which goes well with the 1980s setting but isn't my favorite style of music. I'm not inspired to run out and get the soundtrack. The musical element is persistent but not strong.

The coming of age story is more like Ginger Snaps or The Company of Wolves, i.e. a more adult and horror-tinged look at female sexuality. The contrast between Silver's search for true love, with its inherent dangers of offering yourself to someone who may not reciprocate, and Gold's exploration of her sexuality, looking for a tantalizing experience or maybe her next meal, is interesting. Sensuality is fairly rampant in the movie. The movie has a lot of nudity (entirely female, by the way) and frank sexuality. Having two young females going through that journey of self discovery lets the filmmakers look at their sexuality in different ways without sacrificing plausibility.

Overall, I found the movie interesting but I don't know who I'd recommend it to. It has elements of a musical horror like Little Shop of Horrors and of a musical fairy tale like Into the Woods, but is much darker and less comedic than either. It's not a brilliant combination of music and storytelling as the film Once. The actors are endearing and the theme is explored in interesting ways. The movie defies easy categorization.

Book Review: The Life and Times of Fray Junipero Serra by Msgr. Francis J. Weber

The Life and Times of Fray Junipero Serra by Msgr. Francis J. Weber

For the two-hundreth anniversary of the death of Fray Junipero Serra, Msgr. Francis J. Weber wrote a long series of articles for California diocesan newspapers about the life and times of the California missionary. He based these essays mostly on a two-volume scholarly biography of Serra published in 1959 by Meynard Geiger. This book collects those articles along with one final article written in 1988 when Serra was beatified in Rome. He has since been canonized by Pope Francis in 2015.

This book moves quickly through Serra's early life in 1700s Mallorca (a Mediterranean island governed by Spain). After teaching and preaching several years, he felt the call to be a missionary and left for Mexico (then a Spanish colony) in 1748. He taught and managed missions in Baja California until he was given permission to establish missions along the Alta California coast. He intended to convert the indigenous populations; the Spanish government intended to strengthen their claim on the lands. In addition to being a holy man, Serra was a competent administrator and forthright leader. He occasionally came into conflict with the government over issues. His humility, honesty, and integrity often won the day and he founded nine of the twenty-one missions that make up El Camino Real, the royal highway from San Diego to Sonoma. This part of his life is covered in more detail. He died in 1784. The final few essays document his impact on California and the many memorials there and in other parts of the world.

The book is a quick read. Each chapter is two pages long--the articles seem to be exactly reproduced and the book is only 106 pages. Occasionally the transitions are choppy. An article comparing Serra to George Washington reads like it was written for the Fourth of July week during newspaper run. The book could use some editing to smooth things out. An update with the canonization would be nice too.

This book is a good introduction to Father Junipero Serra and well worth the quick reading time.