Entertainment

I recently watched Boy Interrupted (2008).

On the night of Oct. 2, 2005, Hart and Dana Perry’s 15-year-old son Evan jumped to his death from his New York City bedroom window. This moving film is the story, told by his filmmaker parents and others who knew him, of Evan’s life and death, and his life-long struggle with bipolar disorder. It delves into the complexity of Evan’s disease, sharing his family’s journey through the maze of mental illness. In showing how one family deals with generations of loss and grief, the film defies the stigma related to mental illness and suicide and tells a human story that touches everyone.

For a parent of a kid who is presumably healthy but occasionally seems "bipolar" or makes suicidal statements, this film is chilling.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Today we watched Coraline (2009,PG) for family movie night.  From ScreenIt!:

A lonely and bored preteen discovers a tunnel in her new house that leads to an alternate reality where most everything is the same, save for attentive parents who have buttons for eyes and want her to join them there.

Finn needed some convincing ahead of time about watching a movie that had people with buttons for eyes.  We convinced him to give it a chance.  The boys enjoyed it.  Finn said, "It wasn't scary.  It was creepy.  Indiana Jones was scary."

I give it 4 out of 5.

Tonight I finished watching Body of Lies (2008,R).  From Screen It!:

A Middle East based CIA field operative clashes with his supervisor back in the states as the two try to find and stop a terrorist ringleader.

We started it last weekend.  Lisa gave up on it pretty quickly with all of the non-stop gunfire at the beginning.  She missed the romance in the middle before the violence returned at the end.  It was OK...reminded me of The Kingdom. 

I give it 3 out of 5.

Here are a couple videos from last night...First, Stewart laments what Olbermann has become:

Then, Colbert discusses how Obama is apparently "Adolf Carter": somehow "both an iron-fisted autocrat and a laughably incompetent waffler":

Here's an embedded playlist of what I've been listening to lately (you can use it stream the songs once for free):

• Mistaken For Strangers – The National
• The Wind And The Dove – Bill Callahan
• Isaiah 45:23 – The Mountain Goats
• Indefensible – My Dad Is Dead
• Go First – Damien Jurado
• Furr – Blitzen Trapper
• Your Love Is Forever – Ben Bridwell
• Year in the Kingdom – J Tillman
• Beggar’s Bowl – Polvo
• Flightless Bird, American Mouth (alternate) – Iron & Wine
• We Don’t Do That Anymore (acoustic) – The Sidewinders
• the birth of g.c. – Ocelots