Movie Mini-Reviews

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George Lucas, father of "Star Wars", is a pioneering filmmaker who redefined how films are made. Lucas wanted to make a movie that would teach children the central ethic of right and wrong, good and evil. “I want[ed] to see if I can bend their lives at a particular point in time when they’re very vulnerable,” he recalls, “and give them the things that we’ve always given kids throughout history. The last time we had done it was with the Western. And once the Western was gone, there was no vehicle to say, ‘You don’t shoot people in the back’ and such.”

He’ll receive a Kennedy Center Honor this weekend for his blockbuster work in movies and film technology, but he’s quick to point out that he’s the only recipient this year who isn’t technically a performer. The Honors are being held a mere 12 days before the intensely anticipated release of “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” the saga’s seventh episode. Harrison Ford said: “George has been amazing to me. He’s been the author of the early chapters of my life and given me the opportunity to have a really extraordinary life.”  read more »

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The spending bill presents Mr. Ryan with his most important test so far as speaker and will be a measure of how long members will remain enchanted with him. He can only hope their newfound ardor will match that for his new beard.
The short exchange had many signets of Mr. Ryan’s nascent leadership style, which contrasts sharply with that of his predecessor, John A. Boehner. Mr. Ryan has for the most part pushed the privilege of crafting legislation — and with it, the responsibilities — out of the leadership offices and back into the hands of members, replacing Mr. Boehner’s smoke-filled rooms, at least for now, with energy bar-lined committee conference rooms. When he wants to chat, he texts. In a grooming contrast to Mr. Boehner that seems almost willful, Mr. Ryan now also shuns shaving.

Proud of his furry face, Mr. Ryan wondered on social media whether he was, in fact, the first bearded House speaker in a century. While it was has not quite been 100 years, Mr. Ryan was close. According to the House historian, the last speaker with a beard was the appropriately named Frederick H. Gillett, who presided over the chamber until 1925.  read more »

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"If a man loves the labour of his trade, apart from any question of success or fame, the gods have called him." - Robert Louis Stevenson

Daredevil Nik Wallenda wowed the world on Sunday November 2 when he crossed between two Chicago skyscrapers blindfolded and without a harness.

Maggie Smith interview for My Old Lady: 'If you have been around long enough you are an icon' - More famous than ever thanks to Downton Abbey, the 79-year-old actress tells Elizabeth Grice why she keeps going  read more »

"Lion Man: Meet the extraordinary man known as 'The Lion Whisperer'. Kevin Richardson's bond with Africa's dominant predator is as astonishing as it is touching. He's devoted his life to understanding and protecting the mighty Lion which is battling human encroachment and shrinking habitat.
Along the way, he cuddles them, tickles them, even sticks his head in their jaws! Despite Kevin's research, it's now feared that within just twenty years there will be no lions "born free"."

The LION WHISPERER Kevin Richardson - Living with the LIONS - Full Length Documentary

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After graduating with a BSc in Anatomy and Physiology, Kevin began his career in postoperative rehabilitation. He made a dramatic career switch when he was given an opportunity to work with lions at a local lion park, sixteen years ago.

As a self-taught animal behaviourist, he has broken every safety rule known to man when working with these wild animals. Flouting common misconceptions that breaking an animal’s spirit with sticks and chains is the best way to subdue them, he uses love, understanding and trust to develop personal bonds with them. His unique method of getting to know their individual personalities, what makes each of them angry, happy, upset, or irritated-just like a mother understands a child-has caused them to accept him like one of their own into their fold.  read more »

Colorado lawmakers unsure how to spend marijuana tax revenue

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"Saving Grace":
In this Sundance Audience Award-winning comedy from director Nigel Cole, newly widowed Grace (Brenda Blethyn) finds herself in financial ruin when she discovers that her dearly departed husband has left her deep in debt. With the help of her gardener, Matt (Craig Ferguson), Grace applies her green thumb to ganja plants -- and soon, everyone in her small English town is getting high on more than life.

Critical reaction to the film was generally positive and it received favorable notice for an independent British comedy film, eventually grossing $24,325,600 worldwide, following its theatrical release in the United States.

[2013] Reuters: Uruguay becomes first country to legalize marijuana trade  read more »

US Ambassador to Japan Caroline Kennedy calls Japan's dolphin slaughter “inhumane”

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(rated 93% at RottenTomatoes.com) which tells the true story "of the Extreme Mustang Makeover Challenge, an annual contest that dares 100 people to each tame a totally wild mustang in order to get it adopted into a better life beyond federal corrals. Stunning and poignant, Alex Dawson and Greg Gricus' debut feature documentary chronicles a handful of unforgettable characters from their first uneasy meeting with their horses and over three months as they attempt to transform from scared strangers to the closest of friends..."