Movies and Such

I just had to break up a sparrow fight on my balcony. Those little buggers get LOUD when they're fighting over stale popcorn. This, ladies and gentlemen, is what you do after three hours of videotaping middle schoolers pinning bugs to styrofoam for the Fair. (Part of that project I'm working on.) When you catch the bug, you stick it in a baggie and put it in the freezer to kill it so you can mount it. One of the girls had caught a moth so large, she had to put it in Gladware because it wouldn't go in a ziploc bag. I think it was so big, it had a license plate.

So I've seen a couple of movies in the past few days worth watching. Tammy and I rented "Guess Who's Coming To Dinner" (Spencer Tracy's last movie, if you're interested) and what I wasn't expecting was that it would be FUNNY. Of course it's poignant and it makes you think, but it also has some priceless moments. Watching Isabel Sanford herself chewing out Sidney Poitier is absolutely hilarious. And speaking of Poitier, who knew he had such a lovely smile? All the movie roles I've ever seen him in have been serious ones. It's nice to see his lighter side. And there's always the inimitable Katharine Hepburn, who shows her acting chops as she always does. And Tracy is actually quite hilarious (Oregon Boosenberry, anybody?). So I recommend this one, both for its deep themes, great acting, and its lighter moments.

We also rented "About a Boy" which is a Hugh Grant vehicle, but he plays the cad part well, and he looks pretty good doing it, I thought, although I would say I'm not one of those that swoon for him (I save that for other actors). But it's a great story, Toni Collette is, as always, priceless, Rachel Weisz is, as always, gorgeous (but a bit underused) and the kid who plays the kid is really quite good (I just can't recall his name). By the way I figured out where I'd seen that female friend of his, Tammy. She was Havers in the Inspector Lynley mysteries.

And I'm halfway through "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" and I feel like I've been taking some very powerful drugs. I'll keep you posted on how that turns out.

Horse racing tip of the day: If you're interested in watching the Breeders Cup Nov. 4th, now's the time to start checking NTRA.com and ESPN.com for race results. We're at the point of prep races for the BC event and we will do that over the summer and into the fall, but this is when attention starts to focus on the contenders here and overseas.

Also a Barbaro Update: he's got a new cast and some new screws, but seems to be doing well. I'll keep you posted.