| Here are some things I enjoy a lot, that I feel very comfortable in recommending: |
| A favorite author: Ted Dekker |
|
Here
are some more books, movies and albums that I've really enjoyed
at various times in my life. I would recommend any of
them for your reading, viewing and listening pleasure: |
 |
The
Chronicles of Narnia - I truly loved these books.
Back in the early 80s (before I understood copyright laws),
I used to read them on the radio as part of a Saturday
morning children's program. Everyone loved them...kids
and their parent. The imagery is wonderful. There are
some scary parts...maybe too scary for very young children...
but, when my children were very young, I started paraphrasing
the story, so they knew the essence of it by the time
they got around to actually reading them. |
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Live
in L.A. - Oh my...how to describe this album? How about "one
of my favorite all time listening experiences"? This
album is full of magic musical moments. Jeff Kashiwa on
soprano sax and EWI, Russ Freeman on guitar (half the
time you don't even know you're listening to a guitar!),
David Benoit sitting in on piano. There are not words
to describe this disc. The energy is amazing. Both my
teenage son and I (an old guy!) love this disc. I dare
you to try to sit still as you listen...especially to
the final cut! |
 |
The
Natural
- This wonderful movie,
starring Robert Redford, is based on a novel by Bernard
Malamud, I believe. This is what I love most about moviemaking:
suspension of disbelief. I find myself being carried away.
The movie, directed by Barry Levinson, looks to my eyes
almost as if it was painted onto the film. I just love
to drink in the story. Great theme music. Redford is great.
I'm not a Glenn Close fan, but she's very strong here,
too. |
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Superman
II
- Considering that III and IV were hardly were mentioning,
much less seeing...you'd do well to see Superman
- The Movie and this one, which I consider the best
of the lot. Great storyline (if a little weak at spots...),
but Terrence Stamp as General Zod is a lot of fun...plus
solid performances from Margot Kidder, Chris Reeve and
Gene Hackman as Lex Luthor. All the great characters from
the comic brought to life. It's a tale well told and a
lot of fun to watch. |
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The
Name of the Rose - This is a marvelous, thought-provoking movie. I almost
read the book, though I never got around to it. Sean Connery
is a Sherlock Holmes type in a monk's habit (William of
Baskerville), Christian Slater is decent as Adso, a young
apprentice. F. Murray Abraham and Ron Perlman also have
siginficant roles. I can't say much about what I liked
about this without "spilling the beans", so
I'll restrain myself. It moves slowly...but it's worth
the wait. And you'll see some of the ugliest people ever
committed to film in this movie...but it fits the story
perfectly. |
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Somewhere
in Time -
Looking for a great "chick flick"? It's hard
to go wrong with this one. Part sci-fi, part "love
story that spans the ages". Chris Reeve (again) and
the magnificently beautiful Jane Seymour. Christopher
Plummer is perfectly unlikeable. Wonderul music. It doesn't
look as good as some films even from its time (the quality
of the image on the film feels a bit flat, I guess...if
it was intentional, it didn't work for me), but it's still
a story you can love getting lost in. |
 |
James
Taylor: Greatest Hits - Noone does it better than James (at least that's what
Carly used to say!). Every one of these songs is a killer...except
for the last cut...which should have been "Long Ago
and Far Away" to have made this the perfect album. |
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Escape
from New York - I guess this has to fall under the category of "guilty
pleasures". You're not supposed to like this kind
of thing, but I love it. I have watched this so many times
and have never grown weary. John Carpenter (Starman,
Big
Trouble in Little China, Halloween)
must have had a blast on the set with Kurt Russell, Adrienne
Barbeau (Carpenter's ex-wife), Ernie Borgnine, Harry Dean
Stanton and Isaac Hayes. Great theme composed by Carpenter
himself as well. "Snake Plissken...I heard you was
dead!" |
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Highlander
- If you showed up late to this party, you really missed
it...cuz the TV show and movie sequels really stink. But
this first movie was excellent! Chris Lambert is very
strong (although he's always a bit hard to understand),
Sean Connery (again) is very good and the menacing Clancy
Brown as Kurgan (Brown is also really good in Shoot to
Kill with Sidney Poitier and Kirstie Alley...and, freaky
coincidence...as the head of Brown Publishing in Xenia,
OH, he's also my sister-in-law's former employer!). Great visual
effects for the time. I loved everything about the movie.
The story concept is very strong and the stylish transitions
make it something very special. Too bad it went south
after this one...but don't let yourself be scared away
by what came after! |