Witty Sampler

Confessions, today:

1. I “happened upon” a copy of the movie “The Naked Gun”. I remember thinking that it was funny when I was young. I watched a bit today and practically laughed myself off my chair. Get a copy, people. Watch it. It’s still funny.

2. I am not sure if I have mentioned this before…so forgive me if I repeat myself. Sometimes, my muscles kind of tense up, especially in my upper back and trapezius muscles. It takes a lot to get them to release. Magnesium helps a lot. But, the only thing that is sure to work every time is 12-13 minutes in a 90 degree (Celsius) sauna followed by about 6 or 7 minutes outside (during the winter). This hot/cold combination forces my muscles to release and gives me an overall almost euphoric feeling. I highly recommend trying the sauna sometime if you are not familiar with it! And, now when Frühjahrsmüdigkeit is creeping up on a lot of people, this hot/cold combination is a great cure for the time between the winter and the spring when we all start to feel unusually tired.


3. An absolutely fabulous movie that I recently came across is “Atonement”, based on the story by Ian McEwan. This movie has everything in it—great acting, sumptuous cinematography, and a story that is just beyond belief gut wrenching. Atonement is a Merchant Ivory kind of movie set in the 30s and 40s in Europe. It has my greatest stamp of approval of any movie I have seen in some time. The only weak point is the music, in my opinion. It is a score by Dario Marianelli, and is some rather lame attempt at minimalism, based strongly on the sounds and rhythms of a typewriter. Mr. Marinelli also wrote the music for “V is for Vendetta”, and I remember much appreciating its Neo-Classical flare. I guess the point being is that not every composer can compose in every genre. To most of you the music of a film is not so important. For me, though, it is something that I really notice. His score, apparently, has also been nominated for an Oscar. I had no idea this movie was even in the running for so many awards before I had seen it. (I just had to reveal what great taste I have.) Anyway, I strongly disagree with the nomination of the composer.