Movies, books, and wine, this morning…
Have a great weekend…
- Movies. We saw "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" last night, dragged to the 10 pm show by our 16-year-old movie fanatic son, David.
We have to admit being surprised…it's pretty good, with great special effects (of pirates who turn into skeletons in the moonlight), gorgeous cinematography, and some neat performances (a scene-stealing turn by Johnny Depp as a pirate, and a lovely job by newcomer Keira Knightley, who shows signs of being a future Charlize Theron).
The movie has some humorous nods to its inspiration - the Pirate of the Caribbean ride at Disneyland - and quite frankly, it's also just fun to have an old fashioned swashbuckling pirate movie on the screen. (And the theatre was packed with teenagers - go figure.)
Maybe it's time for a rebirth of old movie themes. For example, we've always liked movies with horses, and regret the fact that nobody makes westerns anymore. And in the next few months, there will be three movies with horses!
• "Hidalgo," set in 1890, about a cowboy who enters the 3,000-mile Ocean of Fire horse race across the Arabian desert.
• "Open Range," Western about cattle rustlers and former gunslingers battling a corrupt sheriff and a kingpin rancher, Robert Duvall, Kevin Costner and Annette Bening.
• And while it isn't a western, we're most looking forward to "Seabiscuit," a movie about the legendary racehorse. - Books. Before the movie comes out, try and pick up a copy of "Seabiscuit," by Laura Hillenbrand, one of the best sports books we've ever read. Scrupulously researched and written so that it is accessible both to those who know a lot about horse racing and those who know nothing, "Seabiscuit" has wonderfully vivid characters and a complex, thrilling narrative. Great stuff.
- Wine. It isn’t our favorite wine of the summer, but we have to admit being taken by a 2002 Torrontes from Crios de Susana Balbo in Argentina. It's got a little bit of fruit and a little bit of spice…neither is overwhelming, though, and it is a nice bottle to keep cold and open on a hot summer night.
Have a great weekend…
- KC's View:
