My fellow Indoobians, let me apologize profusely for disappearing for the greater part of the month. As you know, I wouldn’t just up and disappear without having good reason. And alas, there is no different case here.
I had been working on two projects. A feature film screenplay (instead of the typical short films I’m accustomed to writing) and various events for my church (or specifically for my father) from working on our website to editing recordings of past sermons to typing Bible study lessons to being the DJ for our recent Friends and Family Picnic. So, I’ve been busy. And I knew something had to give in my busy schedule, and unfortunately it was the Indoob that had to take one for the team.
I kept up on Twitter and Facebook. Unfortunately, I’ve also been too busy to make my rounds to my other favorite sites and blogs to leave my two or three cents. But in due time when some of the heat goes down, I’ll be back to my old tricks.
As for the screenplay I’ve been working on, I don’t want to share much info about it other than it being a creature feature starring a new breed of aquatic life that you really don’t want to meet unless it’s already dead. This is a joint venture with a good friend named Shariff Butler, a performance poet and playwright who hired me as an actor for a short spoken word gospel play that we performed on an off-Broadway stage a couple years ago. He staged another production some time later with a larger role for me, playing his sarcastic and sharp-witted son. Not really a stretch for my real life personality. What was interesting was the fact Shariff starred as my father, when he’s really like two years older than me. But it’s the magic of theater!
Anyway, he had a couple ideas of screenplays he wanted to write and sell. So he called me up and asked if I was interested in helping him. I was struggling with picking which of my own stories to write, so I decided to shelve my ideas for now and work on something brand new. It was exciting and I was ready to go. But somewhere I hit a wall and well, life happened. I wasn’t really able to get as much work done as I had hoped, and then I started working on things for the church until my drive came back, which it eventually did. I didn’t meet the deadline I set for myself, but I have a better roadmap now.
And then of course there is my day job. I was struggling there too for a while, but things have gotten better. I’ve also done some things, seen some things, and been to some places I would’ve loved to have written about. And don’t worry, I most certainly will in due time. But I’m focusing on priorities.
I meant to write a post like this forever ago, but time wouldn’t really allow it. I felt if I had time to write a blog post, that’s one or two pages I could’ve written for the script. I caught a break at work so I figured I’d get this in now so no one thinks I died or just abandoned my blog. No, no. I love the Indoob. I miss it. But I need to focus on greater things before I can return. So stay tuned, I’ll be back full steam soon.
Filed under: friday, fripodding | Tags: audiobook, books, friday, fripod, reading, snow crash, t. sterling
I gotta say, audio books are indoobly awesome. I’d first like to give a special shout out to Melissa Donovan (once again) for recommending this book to me. I was honestly going to buy the actual hard copy book, but after consideration, I opted for the audio version. This is uberhelpful for someone like me who likes multitasking. Such as being on the job and not actually being able to read when I have so many other things my eyes need to be doing. However, listening isn’t required for my job unless there’s an important meeting of some kind or I’m on the phone. Many times, this means both.
So, what’s Snow Crash all about? Well first, this novel takes place some time in the future. It’s quite interesting what kind of world we have to look forward to. Consider, if you will, The Matrix, except the real world isn’t run by machines. Yet. But as droll as reality may seem, most people hang out in what is called the “Metaverse” where you can have your own avatar to represent you, a digital home to live in, clubs to go party in… those who are familiar with Second Life will understand. It’s more like that than The Matrix. I guess.
Our hero is named Hiro. This caught my attention because not only is that his name, but he also has a sword. What other show do I watch about a hero named Hiro who has sword skills? Hmm… I wonder. Well, there’s no time/space jumping here… but it’s still pretty cool.
There’s also a young female character named Y.T. whom I was actually imaging to look different than how she was described. Perhaps it was my fault for not hearing it earlier. But whatever. She is Hiro’s “sidekick” in this story.
But what is it about? Cyberpunk issues. There’s a new drug going around in the Metaverse and it’s so strong, it practically makes you vegetable for the rest of your life. Not just in the digital world, but in reality. But wait, it gets much deeper than that. Who is hustling this drug? Where did it come from? And how and why is it spreading so quickly?! By the way, this drug is called Snow Crash. It looks like TV static… well… at a distance.
Overall, I thought this story was pretty interesting. I’m a self-proclaimed geek, so I got a lot of the lingo. I did get lost when Hiro turned to a source of knowledge called The Librarian. So much babble (inside joke) that I got a little bored. I bought the unabridged version of this audio book which spans about 18 hours total. I assume the shorter version is a bit easier to listen to, but I didn’t want to miss anything.
Speaking of which, kudos to the reader whose name escapes me. I apologize. But he did a great job portraying all the characters and giving them all their own distinct voices just by his one voice alone. I started having a crush on Y.T. even though she is too young and probably a bit too spunky for me. But now I understand why they give these guys Grammys.
Just a note, this novel has some graphic nature to it. If this were made into a movie (which they tried to do when it was first published in 1992), it would definitely be rated R, for graphic violence, strong language, and a scene of sexuality. LOL… so you’ve been warned.
Filed under: friday, fripodding, michael jackson, music, music video | Tags: friday, fripod, legend, michael jackson, music, r.i.p., t. sterling
As the whole world already knows, yesterday was indeed a tragic day, for we lost not one, but two great stars.
I can’t say I was a big fan of Farrah Fawcett, but any life lost is certainly devastating. Not just a beautiful Angel on TV, but in real life too. My prayers go out to her family and friends.
As for Michael Jackson, what can I say that millions haven’t said already? The nice thing about stars, even after they die, their light continues to shine for many generations. Perhaps another day I will go into greater detail of what one of the greatest legends of my generation has meant to me. In the meantime, I’ll let his music speak for itself.
From Moonwalker, I’d post the entire movie, but who’s got the time to watch it? I would recommend any fan buy it, but who has a VCR anymore? And the DVD isn’t quite availible here (in USA) …yet.
Someone made an awesome dance montage video.
This is the actual montage music video for “Who Is It.”
Probably, possibly one of my favorite music videos. Like movies, it’s hard to pick just one. But for the moment… (For the record, watch the Moonwalker version, it’s so much better, this just has a fitting final shot.)
Back to Moonwalker, which is actually the very beginning of the movie. It starts with an extended version of Man in the Mirror which is one of my top favorite songs and I think it embodies what he was all about as a humanitarian. I have blogged about this song before back in November with the theme of change. Take a look, you’ll see I’m still the same fan, just in mourning. I also think the ending song and scene is poetic in it’s own right, and for now, it’s one of the best ways I can think of to end this tribute.
We love you Michael.
(I can hear him saying “I love you more!”)
Rest in peace.
Filed under: Friends, memories, story, storytelling, vacation, weekend | Tags: casino, food, foxwoods, Friends, fun, getaway, hard rock cafe, memories, story, storytelling, t. sterling, vacation
Due to the fact that I’ve been a little quiet lately, I decided to just do a short post about a favorite site I like to visit on a frequent basis. Consider this to be a “free plug.” I don’t get anything out of it other than the satisfaction of knowing you will probably be entertained or amused just as I am every time I go.
AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com – Surely, many people have heard of this site by now. If not, I highly advise you check it out and look at each picture. The theme is exactly what the URL says: awkward photos of families. The fun part is the categories like awkward baby pictures, wedding pictures, pictures with grandparents, hall of fame, mullets, and the subjectively creepy pregnant pictures. For the professional photography, you just have to wonder what the photographer is thinking. Is this shot really a good idea? Really? That’s the pose you want to last forever? Might I add, be sure to read the captions under the pictures… they really add to the awkward funniness of it in case the picture itself isn’t funny or awkward enough. And yeah, there are a few.
Filed under: family, girls, rant, wisdom | Tags: anger, father's day, gentleman, ladies, manners, politeness, rant, respect, t. sterling
I have a few friends that, unfortunately, keep running into idiots. Some call them “dogs” or “pigs” or “man whores” or much worse and vulgar terms I choose not to publish. Such dudes are only out for one thing: to bed any attractive female they see. This is a problem for me because the majority of my closest friends happen to be attractive females. And growing up in a house of sisters, I acquired an overprotective trait, particularly to any male that might peak at any female close to me. I can’t help it. It’s not that I consider them my property and I’m ready to grumble “get off my lawn!” all Clint Eastwood style, but I just don’t want to see them disrespected or hurt. I perfected a specific “back off” look so well, that I didn’t even need to speak.
I recall walking aroung a store with my sister one evening. In the distance there was some dude checking her out. I suppose one could compare “the look” to what is called “the crazy eyes” in the movie The New Guy which is a movie I love by the way. Need a reminder? Here’s a couple…
Anyway, while I didn’t give an actual “crazy eyes,” I gave a look that had the same effect and said dude effectively looked away from me and my sister and began walking in another direction. Another instance, I intimidated a guy taking my sister out on a date of sorts by going out to the car to meet him. For some reason, I was holding a broomstick and brought it with me as I went out to chat with the dude. I wasn’t going to hurt him, I just wanted to say hi.
My sisters have since been married to wonderful, loving gentlemen and I am not worried about anyone disrespecting them whatsoever. If they were, their husbands will handle it, then my father, then me. Not necessarily in that order, but whatever.
Speaking of fathers, that’s the very reason why I’m the kind of guy that I am. And today, I became an angry man due to such an idiot disrespecting a wonderful female friend of mine. I was taught that a woman should be treated with the utmost respect at all times. You know, opening their car doors, pulling out chairs, giving them compliments, etc. All of that and more my daddy taught me. And not just by sitting me down and going, “Boy, this is how you respect a lady.” It was more of a learning by observation. Not only does this make the woman feel good, but it shows others that she is in good care. In fact, I’ve heard other women complain to their man when they see another man opening a door for a woman. “Look at that! You never do that for me.” And the guy groans, secretly hating the gentleman. Sadly, I feel like guys are doing less and less of this as time goes on. I hope I’m wrong.
I don’t do the opening-her-car-door all the time, especially with my car, Sam, who’s doors continuously lock every time it rains which makes it difficult to keep it unlocked while I’m outside. Forget the car remote, it makes it worse. But when I can do it, I do. And sometimes, the girl I’m with will race me to the car door just so she can open it first. I have weird friends.
Anyway, from what other women tell me, this classic gentleman is a dying breed. And it’s a shame. The stories I hear these days about how their men treat them angers me because it goes against what I’ve been taught about how to treat women. There are some guys that are out there that still believe women are objects. You see it in the music videos or maybe you know someone who does it. And it’s not all guys, of course. But I know a specific group of guys who go around to see how many women they can sleep with before they move on. Like a conquest contest. The catchy title is not meant to be flattering in this instance. It’s quite sickening.
Unbeknown to my friend and I, one of these conquistadors was attracted to my friend. She, at first, thought the guy was cute and even her type. After meeting him after weeks of shyness from both parties, she got a bad vibe and it turned out that she was correct in thinking he was trouble. Instead of a formal meeting, or even a friendly greeting, she gets a very vulgar R-rated text message from this guy. (I’m not going to talk about texting someone for the first time because it doesn’t matter to me. I’m a person that texts a lot more than calls, but that’s not the point I’m making today.) Really? Who does that? For the sake of argument, let’s just say the text said, “Let’s hook up tonight.” It was worse than that, and when I heard it, even I felt insulted. Again, there are some women out there that don’t mind one night stands or hooking up with random strangers they just met… this isn’t about them. This is in defense of those girls who like to get to know somebody first and take things slow. The kind of girls that are looking for a good man.
And I do know quite a few guys who like to cut to the chase, and perhaps that has worked on some women. Good for them. But my beautiful female friends have class. They have morals. Values. And they want to be treated and talked to like the beautiful women they are. And that’s where my a lot of my frustration comes from: I think some guys just don’t know how to talk to a girl they admire. I guess it’s different if you aren’t really looking for a relationship, but still. I’ve also heard stories of some dudes that think they are giving compliments, but come off as rude insults. Many of my female friends are sensitive about their hind parts and guys who “compliment” them in their guy-ly way only makes them feel worse. Again, I repeat, this does not apply to all women, nor am I talking about all guys. I just need to voice some frustration since I’m not the violent type. If I was, I might be in jail by now for knocking out the guy who said some pretty nasty things to my friend.
This really isn’t anything new, its just never been this bad for her. I think these kinds of guys should really keep their thoughts in their heads. But that’s my opinion. It angers me because it upsets her and other girls like her. It might even cast doubt on the next guy she meets that could be a genuinely nice guy, but is turned down because of a bad experience. So now, what’s left of these gentlemen must work even harder to prove that not all men are pigs. Some of them are actually looking for friends, girlfriends, companions, wives and not just a one night stand or bed buddy. They also call these guys keepers. So ladies, I think if you know any like that, you should let them know. Not that you want to keep them, but that they are someone who should be kept.
For the record, I’m aware of Ne-Yo’s album “Return of the Gentleman” or something like that, I haven’t listened to it and have heard good things about it, but I’m glad someone else has the right idea. Leave it to the soulful singers to get it right. Thus ends my rant. Goodnight and Happy Father’s Day to the real men doing it right.
Filed under: ipick, ipod, itunes, music, sam cooke | Tags: classics, friday, fripod, gospel, heavy rotation, ipod, music, sam cooke, soul, t. sterling
I lied once again. Not that anyone would know what I was lying about, but I already had a predetermined friPod pick for today, and I’m changing my mind again. I just want the record to show, that if I had money to burn, not only would I raid a grocery store and probably Best Buy, but I’d be a total iTunes junkie.
With that said, let me introduce, for probably the first time, a Sam Cooke song. Amazingly, I don’t really speak of him that often or choose many of his songs to my pick for the week, but this particular song struck me in such a way that I had to share it! And I can be the first to tell you, even though I’m one of his biggest fans, I know I haven’t heard every song he’s ever done. I personally think that’s what makes being a fan of a late legend pretty cool because there are strong possibilities you find a lost treasure like that.
Today’s iPick would sorta be considered two songs, and I’ll explain why. The song is called “Yeah Man.” Simple enough, right? So are the lyrics to the chorus. It’s just that, “yeah man.” Don’t be fooled by the ballads and love songs Mr. Cooke has provided in his career. He definitely loves to party. If you are Cooke fan, you already know because his list of love songs probably matches the list of party songs. And all the live performances I’ve heard sound like a good time indeed. (Incidentally, “Good Times” and “We’re Having a Party” are a few favorites of mine.) And it certainly sounds like a party is going on while “Yeah Man” was recorded. I wouldn’t be surprised. He talks to “the party-goers” like they are there, or he is with them… so you know it’s meant to be performed live, or at least played at dance parties. Unfortunately, I can’t find a recording online, but here is a really good live cover performing the song the way it’s meant to. Almost modernized too. And with the actual dance moves of the 60’s with moves from today. Trust me, I was skeptical when it first started playing, but I’m impressed. I don’t think I could do better as much as I love to sing this song in my car.
Awesome? I think so. I would definitely say he did the song justice. He had the passion, the dance moves, and importantly- the soul. And his dancing buddy certainly helped a lot too. I wasn’t really sure how the Watusi was done even though I’ve heard it in so many songs. The same goes for the Mashed Potato, which is another song I like.
But if the song sounds familiar, you probably heard what was a big hit in the later 60’s by Arthur Conley, Jr, “Sweet Soul Music.” A very soulful updated version of “Yeah Man” that pays homage to soul music and many soul artists at the time. My only disagreement with the song is that Sam Cooke doesn’t get a shout out, but I’m willing to let it go since Otis Redding (Cooke’s protege, if you will) was involved in the rewriting of this song with Conley. I actually heard this song before “Yeah Man” so I’m really used to hearing this version with the louder instruments. I probably like “Yeah Man” an ounce more though. I’ll let you judge for yourself. I found this recording, apparently he’s performing, but I think he’s just lip-synching. It doesn’t matter, it’s still a great song and there are a few live versions of him performing the song.
I have plans of my own with this song. My original plan was to rewrite it so I could include Sam Cooke as well as other great soulful talents like Al Green, Areatha Franklin, Marvin Gaye and Luther VanDross, just to name a few. Then after I heard “Yeah Man”, I considered a gospel version of this song, meant to be performed during a church service to get people moving and out of their seats. I don’t know about you, but my church loves to party, and this would be the perfect song for that. As I told my mother, whom agrees with me, the only bad thing about these songs is that they are too short. Thank God for the repeat button, and I apologize to anyone who’s within earshot that hears the same song for an hour.
Filed under: anniversary, car, church, driving, life update, office | Tags: car accident, driving, fender bender, job, life, miracle, storytelling, t. sterling, work
I’ve had such a day today that I consider a couple miracles had happened.
My work week started out like any other, except for an email from my boss telling me to get rid of close to 90 aging files. As a reminder, my job is to analyze and verify applications for an insurance company. Specific details of my job aren’t necessary, all you need to know is that I work on production which means I have a quota to fill.
55 files a week is what they ask of us. I don’t consider myself an overachiever, but if I can do more, I will. And most of the time I do. I like to earn my right to slack off at the end of the week. Work hard now, play harder later.
The majority of the files I work on, I complete within 24-48 hours. Sometimes I need some info faxed into me, and that might take a week or two. I’m supposed to follow up on these faxes or phone calls every few days so I can get the file done ASAP… but as I just said, I’m a bit of a slacker, I admit it, I have no shame.
Well, some of these files had gone un-followed-up for not just a few weeks, but a few months. This is not good. So this week I devoted time to these old files to get rid of them. I figured some non-stop calls to all the places I needed to talk to would fix the problem. Well, it didn’t. It took me 2 1/2 days to get through about 75% of the list, and by Wednesday morning, the time when I usually have 30 or more, I had a mere 11. I also had a few frustrating phone calls that dampered my morale so I wasn’t feeling too chipper.
Fortunately, God has blessed me with awesome friends. Sometimes all it takes is a someone being silly or a warm genuine smile to flip the world back on the right side. And that’s what happened. I went back to work with a new attitude and new plan of attack. To wrap up this story, when I left, I had my 55 files done completely, plus a little extra (we get time off for meetings or files we had to cancel, so consider my actual number to be 58 or 59).
Happy as a kid on the last day of school, I rushed off to choir rehearsal. I didn’t really want to go to rehearsal, but I did want to get out of the house. And I’m glad I went, as I usually am. I think it’s just me being lazy and not wanting to drive.
Afterwards, I was just ready to call it a day and get home. I tried enjoying the ride by cranking the volume to enjoy some newer music. I stopped at a light behind about two to three cars. The light turned green, we all started to move and then the car in front of me stopped short. I also tried to break as quickly as I could, but it wasn’t quick enough. I was too close. BUMP. Facepalm. I can’t say crash, and tap is too light. But still, I felt it. The lady I hit felt it. I waited to see what she was going to do first. Then I knew I had to get out of the car once I saw her hazard lights go on. After another facepalm, I followed suit and then got out of the car.
Oh yeah, it was raining too.
So we made sure no one was hurt. She suggested we exchange information: name, number, license, insurance, blah blah blah. Honestly, I wasn’t really sure if that’s what was supposed to happen when she asked me if that’s what we were supposed to do. I just agreed.
The whole transaction took about 20 minutes. Did I mention it was raining?
The lady I hit was a Christian. I consider this a miracle in a way because I could have hit someone who was crazy. And you know what I mean. Some people reading this might be one of those crazy people. And if the truth is told, there are some Christians that aren’t the nicest people either. Hypocrites. Anyway, this was a kind gentle lady. A bit shaken, understandably so, and I kept apologizing since technically I’d be considered the one at fault. She told me the car in front of her had some issues that made her stop short. As interested as I was, I just wanted to get out of the rain, So I really don’t remember what she said. I was getting wetter and colder the longer we stood out there. And I’m not one for making a scene out on a busy street like we were on, parked in the middle of the road like we were.
It turned friendliest by the end. I invited her to my church and explained that’s where I had been coming from. She even shook my hand after I told her I was the pastor’s son. This bit of information seems to benefit me when I was wee and just a preacher’s kid. Well, benefits at church functions. It got me better seats, better snacks, like a pseudo-V.I.P. It’s pretty good. I wasn’t and still don’t expect special treatment this time. I’m human like everyone else. The miracle is that no one got hurt and this little incident was a lot more peaceful than any alternative.
And another miracle within itself is my parents celebrating their 26th anniversary. Yes, some people still believe in staying with the same person for more than two years (ahem, Usher…)
So this was a longer post than usual, I’m just making up for not blogging all week. At least now you know why: hard at work getting the job done… and crashing into other people’s cars.
Filed under: friday, fripodding, ipick, ipod, itunes, memories, music, music video | Tags: bad boy, friday, fripod, music, music video, notorious big, t. sterling
I lied a little bit. This wasn’t going to be today’s friDay friPod pick. I think I’ll save it for next week so I can analyze it a little more and give you a real breakdown of what I think about that pick.
Anyway, today’s pick is what we can consider a throwback track. At the time, it was fresh, it was hot, and all about the money. It was Bad Boy. And they don’t stop. And the music video was nothing to sneeze at either. It’s still one of my favorite videos and songs of all time. I can’t help that I’m a sucker for colorful entertainment with a catchy party song. I would embed the video here, but I don’t want to get in trouble so just follow the link to YouTube before/after/while you read this.
But let’s talk about the song first. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure a good majority of the kids I grew up with could probably sing the entire song today as soon as they heard the very first second of the intro. I know this because back when it was new and it played in class, everyone sang/rapped along. Especially when it came to Biggie’s verse. For the record, just to get it out there, the song sampled is Diana Ross’ “I’m Coming Out” which is a very hot song on it’s own right. Here, it is covered by Kelly Price.
The title pretty much states what the song is about, or supposedly what it’s about. “The more money you make, the more problems you get.” To be honest, I never looked too deep into the lyrics because I was just enjoying the music and the beats. However I almost want to agree with Puff, er, um, Diddy that “ten years from now [they'll] still be on top” is kinda true. The song came out in ‘97 and here it is ‘09. Diddy and Biggie are certainly not forgotten. Notorious is now on DVD and Puff is still a big player in music and TV. But you’d think a song that is 12 years old might be $0.99 on iTunes but NO! That’s okay, I found one anyway.
But back to the video… I didn’t buy it for iSaac to play… yet. But it’s certainly one I’d collect. The song is definitely one to blast at a party (like one I recently attended, and it brought back so many memories that we played it twice). But the video… I never really understood the sets… with the dancers in white… and all the explosions behind them (and Puff and Mase). And the shiny suits. But do you really need a reason for the sake of art? I much prefer videos of this nature than the rump-shaking, look-at-my-rented-car and flashy jewelry videos that followed. And yeah, a few of those are classics too.
But there’s one dude in this video that always stands out to me. He can be spotted at 4:14 and 4:42 with the corn rows. It’s just something about the look on his face and the way he is dancing. I won’t lie, I’m sure I’d be doing something just as foolish if not worse… but not in front of recording cameras. I’m still stuck on the now infamous “dance” moves from both Puff and Mase, way before the Harlem Shake days. Regardless, it’s still a classic and I love every minute of it including the little golf part in the beginning.
Filed under: movie, review | Tags: disney, movies, pixar, review, storytelling, t. sterling, up
If you haven’t heard, the creatively awesome storytelling geniuses over at Pixar have done it again! This would make their winning track sheet 10-0; meaning Pixar has yet to make a movie that flopped. Critics and regular moviegoers alike have spoken, and I must agree, this was another job well done.
I’d like to take an aside by saying what I like about the Pixar movies. Do you need a refresher of the 10 winning movies I’m speaking of? Sure, I’ll tell you. Count with me now and reminisce the good times you had the first and/or second time you watched these amazing, imaginative films. Toy Story, A Bugs Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL-E, and finally, Up. Might I add that the animation seems to get better with each movie? I felt like I was watching stop-motion photography like the good-old-days with miniature dolls and houses. What I also like about these movies is how they appeal to kids, but appeal even stronger to adults. That’s mostly my opinion, but it’s no secret that many parents take delight in watching many of these films even without their children. I believe Pixar breaks the stereotype that animated movies are for kids only. Everyone enjoys their movies no matter how old they are. And, might I add, they are timeless.
Up is the same way. Indeed, ’tis very child friendly, but it has some grown-up themes. I think they handled the serious stuff very well, like a character dying and memories of absent family members. These back stories were told so well, I think I felt my eyes getting a little more moist than usual at certain dramatic parts. It could’ve been my allergies though. I did forget my medication that day, and there are always specks of dust wherever you go. So who knows?
The funny thing about this movie (one of them anyway) is the title. I’ll tell people “I’m going to go see Up.” “Up?” “You know… the movie… Up?” [Blank expression.] “The movie with the old guy in the house with balloons…” “Oh! Up!” Yeah, I had this conversation almost word for word at least four times. You can have a lot of fun with it though. (“What’s Up?”)
If you are still a little unsure of the plot, it’s about an elderly widower who is forced to leave his home. He and his wife have strong connections to the house they grew old together in, and can’t bare to leave it behind after she passes. [Tear.] So to fulfill a life long promise to her, he decides to uproot the entire house to carry out a marvelous adventure. Unfortunately, this grumpy old man unknowingly brings a scouting companion whose goal is to earn his “Assisting the Elderly” badge so he can graduate to a senior scout. He’s a cute kid. I don’t blame the old man for finding him to be irritable, but he’s cute and it’s definitely entertaining to watch these two interact.
Another source of entertainment comes from the animals these two encounter. I don’t want to say much about the animals, because I went into this movie not knowing and I think that made it more fun for me. I will say that when my friend and I left the theater that night, we had a new favorite joke about squirrels that’s only funny after watching this movie. Or perhaps we just find random things funny and we were the only ones laughing the hardest at the little things we noticed. (There were 10 people total for this showing. My friend and some lady behind us were the loudest.)
Overall, I’ve got to say this was a great film. This movie does have the 3D viewing, but I wasn’t at a participating theater. [Tear.] Like all Pixar movies, make sure you are on time to watch a Pixar short before the feature presentation, which is worth watching for a good laugh. Special thanks to such wonderful coworkers who supplied my free screening of this movie. My next step is free tickets to the big premieres in Hollywood.
