Postcards from Dublin, Ireland and Vancouver, Washington

Friend Kelly went to Ireland for her 50th birthday and sent me this great postcard from the Long Room in the library at Trinity College. She reports that the room was very Harry Potter-esque and she liked it much better than the book of Kells, though all the historical busts were guys.

When you give $25 to a candidate in a different state in hopes your meager donation will help unseat the current representative who is not one of your favorites, you get this postcard. Plus a constant slew of emails in your inbox. Political campaigns have really got this communication thing down. 

Also, the note on the back is handwritten, but I’m pretty sure it’s a printed handwritten thank you, which is another great efficiency. My name and address was written by someone my mother’s age,  judging by the cursive handwriting.

NW Hoyt & 18th not long for this world? Or will it stay?

I snapped a picture of this building and then did some research on what’s happening with it. As usual the Next Portland site was very helpful.

1727 NW Hoyt was originally built as a maternity hospital, most recently was an office building and has been vacant since 2007. In 2014 the developer applied for a demolition permit, but was rebuffed.  The most recent update is from 2015, with talk of converting it to boutique hotel rooms.  It’s certainly got good parking for that purpose. However, the time that has passed has me wondering if that is what will come to pass.

Three sentence movie reviews: Flash Gordon

http://www.impawards.com/1980/flash_gordon.html

While I fell asleep several times during this film, I always enjoy looking at the practical effects of the pre-CGI world. The acting was mostly terrible (exception: Timothy Dalton), but it’s an iconic film that I’m happy to have seen. Or seen most of, I guess.

Cost: $2.00 (I have found the cheapest theater in town!)
Where watched: McMenamins Mission Theater

Three sentence movie reviews: The Bourne Supremacy

http://www.impawards.com/2004/bourne_supremacy.html

In this sequel to the Bourne Identity we find out more pieces of Jason Bourne’s* past and watch him work through some forgiveness things. The action was well paced and made sense** and there were at least three times I gasped aloud in surprise. Plus, Joan Allen!

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home, in preparation for Filmspotting’s 2019 March Madness

*And can we just talk for a moment about what a great name Jason Bourne is? Jason is the ultimate anonymous name of that particular era,*** and “bourne” is both a homonym for “born” a theme of the first movie, and also is a misspelling the the past participle of “bear” which is a good description of the weight Jason Bourne’s carries pre-amnesia and also post-amnesia. Kudos to Robert Ludlum for thinking up this name.
**A thing that is mostly not true for many of the action movies I watch.
***I think a fun fictional coupling would be Jason Bourne and the feminist terrorist organization Jennifer from Sarai Walker’s Dietland.

Three sentence movie reviews: Tig Notaro Happy to Be Here

https://www.facebook.com/funnyordie/posts/tig-notaro-is-just-happy-to-be-here-in-a-new-stand-up-comedy-special-produced-by/10156393989393851/

Tig Notaro is a master of making me like her so much I want to protect her while also making me somewhat uncomfortable during her comedy specials. So was it with this special during the end bit concerning the Indigo Girls. I always enjoy exposure to the machinations of Notaro’s mind.

Cost: Netflix subscription fee ($7.99)
Where watched: at home with Matt

Three sentence movie reviews: Blue Jay

http://www.impawards.com/2016/blue_jay.html

A chance hometown meeting of high school sweethearts launches this two-people-walking-and-talking-style story that you like or you don’t.* Tentative in their conversation at first, Paulson and Duplass crank up the stakes as the hours pass. It’s a quiet movie, populated with good acting and the sadness of nostalgia.

Cost: Netflix monthly subscription ($7.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching: Before We Go, Before Sunrise, Gerry

*I like. Matt doesn’t.

Requiem: Knife

This is a Romanian knife you are looking at!  I visited Hungary & Romania with the church youth group in 2005 (and also 2008, but did not acquire any knives on that trip.) While in Romania, we visited a grocery store to pick up things for a picnic and one of the things the tour leaders brought was this knife.

It somehow got packed into one of the other chaperone’s things and when we were repacking before our flight back to the US, she asked if anyone wanted it.  I volunteered and it’s been a good workhorse since that time.

Three sentence movie reviews: High Noon

http://www.impawards.com/1952/high_noon.html

Various problems with DVDs and many holds at the library meant that watching this classic was a long time coming. However, once I successfully did press play, I was thrilled to find that this is a classic for a reason. Almost filmed in real time, the tension increases with each scene as we find out more of why Marshal Will Kane’s story.

Cost: free from library
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching: Rudy, Battle of the Sexes, the Martian, Legally Blonde

And here is our scratch-off poster roundup:

This clock will be familiar to all who watch this movie.

I tend to be less impressed with scratch-offs that just reproduce obvious things like this iconic picture.

And this one. 

Three sentence movie reviews: Like Father

http://www.impawards.com/tv/like_father.html
(I’m pretty sure this scene was not in the movie)

Into everyone’s life some not-very-good movies must come,* and this falls in the not-good category. I think what it was lacking was the spark that made me want to root for the characters, though Bell and Grammer tried their best. The Newlywed Game scene was amusing, but other than that, this movie was a big thumbs down.**

Cost: Netflix monthly charge ($7.99)
Where watched: at home.

*And as I watch a lot of movies I see a goodly number of so-so features. I watch them so you don’t have to.
**On the plus side, it’s a movie written and directed by a woman.  Let’s hope Lauren Miller Rogan has some more directing opportunities in the future.

Consider watching instead: Dan in Real Life, Hanna, Father of the Bride, the Descendants