Family Movie Night: Mr. Peabody & Sherman

Title: Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Director: Rob Minkoff
Original Release: 2014
Choice: Our Girl's
My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Our Girl is an old soul.  She is a devoted fan of the old Rocky and Bullwinkle Show so it's not surprising that the new computer animated film from DreamWorks caught her eye.  My Wife and I were a bit skeptical of the idea but it's the girl's week, so it's her choice.

Mr. Peabody & Sherman is based on the Peabody's Improbable History vignettes from the late '50s and early '60s.  Peabody is a dog with a TARDIS... er... WABAC machine that travels through time and space.  Sherman is his boy, tagging along for broadening adventures.  The old shorts are about five minutes long each, at most.  So developing the idea for a 92-minute film obviously required some flushing out.  The writers added a love interest for Sherman named Penny - completely unnecessary, of course, but in this case, it drives the plot.



The animation is excellent, especially in 3-D.  I actually flinched when Robespierre thrust his sword toward the audience.  The voice cast was decent, too, though as much as I like Ty Burrell (watching Modern Family as I write this), I think Stephen Colbert would have been the better choice for Peabody.  Colbert was in the film but as Penny's father.  My Wife suggested John Hodgman for the part - even better.

There are plenty of satisfying elements for fans of the original.  Our heroes travel to revolutionary France, ancient Egypt, ancient Troy, Renaissance Italy and, very briefly, The Future.  Peabody is well-armed with his usual arsenal of bad puns.  "You can't have your cake and edict, too" was my personal favorite.  Purists will almost inevitably be disappointed by the changes but I think if the movie inspires new interest in the old show, a few alterations for a 21st century audience are worthwhile.

And yes, I know the WABAC machine came first...

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: April Blog List

 

Greetings to all!  I hope you'll join us for the next installment of the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, an online gathering of bloggers who love books.  The next meeting is set for Friday, April 25th.  If you're interested, please sign on to the link list at the end of this post.

Also, this month will be the twelfth for the Coffeehouse, a full year of book loving under our belts.  It's a good time for reflection.  I'm quite happy about the way things have gone but I welcome thoughts on how I might improve upon the concept.  So please give forth in the comments section below.  Growth and evolution are good things.

The idea is simple: on the last Friday of each month, post about the best book you've finished over the past month while visiting other bloggers doing the same.  In this way, we'll all have the opportunity to share our thoughts with other enthusiastic readers.  Please join us:

The Cephalopod Coffeehouse: March 2014

Welcome one and all to the Cephalopod Coffeehouse, a cozy gathering of book lovers, meeting to discuss their thoughts regarding the tomes they enjoyed most over the previous month.  Pull up a chair, order your cappuccino and join in the fun.  If you wish to add your own review to the conversation, please sign on to the link list at the end of my post.

Also, next month will be the twelfth for the Coffeehouse, a full year of book loving under our belts.  It's a good time for reflection.  I'm quite happy about the way things have gone but I welcome thoughts on how I might improve upon the concept.  So please give forth in the comments section below.  Growth and evolution are good things.

Title: A Champion's Mind: Lessons from a Life in Tennis
Author: Pete Sampras with Peter Bodo

via Goodreads

It has been my month for reading tennis autobiographies.  I also read Rafael Nadal's book (review here).   As tennis players, Sampras and Nadal missed each other entirely, never having played a match against one another.  But they are currently locked in an historic battle of legacies.  With his next Grand Slam singles title - and he is always the prohibitive favorite at the French Open - Nadal will match Sampras's career total of 14.  Given the fact that Nadal has a Career Slam (all four Major titles) and Sampras doesn't, that would almost surely relegate Pete to 3rd place in most Greatest of All Time discussions.  Both men are still looking up at Roger Federer with his 17 total Slams.

Even viewing from the tail end of the glorious era of Federer-Nadal dominance, Pete Sampras is still my favorite tennis player of all.  The story of his career is very much the story of how I became a fan of the sport - the subject of one of my very earliest blog posts (read it here).  As such, reading Pete's own reflections on his career highlights affords me a quick stroll through the memories of my own young adulthood.

Sampras's insights into the sport are wonderful - in-depth analyses of the games of his rivals, descriptions of the character of each Major tournament, technical rundowns of important matches, etc.  The tone is quiet and conversational, befitting the author.  Of all the famous people I've observed in my life, Pete Sampras was the one who seemed least comfortable with being famous.  Many considered it off-putting, more accustomed to larger-than-life types like John McEnroe.  I found it endearing and one feels all the more privileged to be allowed into his confidence.

Pete is very gracious in discussing his rivals, particularly Andre Agassi.  One could argue that as undisputed top dog of his era, Pete can afford to be magnanimous but it contrasts sharply with Agassi's own book, Open (review here).  Andre is quite petty in some of his stories about Sampras and Pete got off easy compared to others.  Pete probably cast the book aside with a laugh and got on with his day.  Meanwhile, Michael Chang and Jimmy Connors were likely on the phone with their publicists.  Of course, one might say the snarkiness is part of what makes Agassi's book a fun read but it did little to endear me to him as a person.

Always a fun topic, the Greatest of All Time debate is likely to ramp up again in the coming months.  Long retired, Sampras can only watch as Nadal and Federer improve their credentials.  There are, however, two career metrics Sampras should be able to claim over both of them when all is said and done.  First, the record of which Sampras claims to be most proud is the fact that he finished World #1 for six consecutive years.  Federer topped out at four in a row.  Nadal has finished #1 three times, but never twice in succession.  Secondly, Sampras's first Major title and his last were 12 years apart.  Nadal has a shot at that since he won his first at 19 (same as Pete) but it's less likely for Roger who won his first at 21.

Reading this book soon after Nadal's allowed for interesting comparisons between the two men - so different in their public personas and styles of play, yet similarly accomplished as tennis players.  Both have a healthy, though certainly not misplaced arrogance born of success.  Yet both know that at the end of the day, they're just tennis players and their impressive resumes do not make them superior people.  The most interesting contrast to me was their opposite attitudes toward losing.  Rafa is terrified of losing which has driven his work ethic and his competitive spirit for his whole life.  Pete is not afraid to lose, encouraged from a young age to focus on improving his own skills rather than dwelling on match-to-match results.  One wonders where Roger falls on that spectrum.  My guess is closer to Rafa's end.

Like Rafa, this is a fun book though probably most fun for a tennis fan - probably not so much to offer for someone who doesn't follow the sport.  Agassi's Open is a better book for those with more casual interest.

Please join us and share your own review of your best read from the past month.  This month's link list is below.  I'll keep it open until the end of the day.  I'll post April's tomorrow.  Meetings are the last Friday of each month.  Next gathering is April 25th.

Star Trek: The Changeling

Episode: "The Changeling"
Series: Star Trek: The Original Series
Season 2, Episode 3
Original Air Date: September 29, 1967

via Memory Alpha

 "I am Nomad!"

This is definitely an episode I remember from syndication way back in the '70s.  In fact, it's entirely possible this was the first one I ever saw.  I distinctly remember that "I am Nomad!" line though I didn't recall much else about the story before watching again this week.

I believe we are now entering an era of more formulaic plots for Trek.  For the second week in a row, the show aired a Charlie X-type tale.  In this case, the superior being is a planet-destroying space probe called Nomad.  It spares the Enterprise because it mistakenly believes Kirk to be its creator.  The probe is on a Cylon-like purity cleansing binge and the crew knows it's only a matter of time before Nomad realizes its mistake and wipes them out, too.  Unable to overpower the machine, Kirk cleverly tricks it into destroying itself.

"The Changeling" is a good Uhura episode.   Nomad overhears her singing and seeks her out for questioning.  When she gives unsatisfying answers, Nomad wipes her memory, deeming her flawed.  Dr. McCoy and Nurse Barrett set out to reeducate her.  In her training, her native Swahili comes to her before the English.  Apparently, Nichelle Nichols had to fight for that to be included in the story.  Director Marc Daniels wanted her to stick with English, arguing that Nichols herself didn't speak Swahili so why bother?  Nichols countered, saying "Nichelle Nichols doesn't speak Swahili, but Uhura does!"  Nichols won and a linguist was brought in to teach her the lines.

*****

via Memory Alpha

Vic Perrin (voice of Nomad) was born April 26, 1916 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin.  After a long career in radio, Perrin made numerous television appearances as both actor and voice actor including 16 guest appearances on Dragnet.  "The Changeling" was his second of three appearances on Star Trek.  He was also the voice of the Metron in "The Arena" and we actually get to see him in next week's episode, "Mirror, Mirror."  On Super Friends, he performed the voice of Sinestro.

On the Coffee Table: Dungeons & Dragons

Title: Dungeons & Dragons: Shadowplague
Writer: John Rogers
Artist: Andrea Di Vito

via The Neo Tokyo Project

Oh, how My Wife rolled her eyes at me when I picked this one off the bookstore shelf!  But ever since I read the first Pathfinder comic as part of last year's A to Z Challenge, I've been curious about the comics based on the original role-playing game, the one in which I invested years of my youth.  From the ages of about 8 to 13, I was obsessed with D&D.  I bought every book my allowance afforded and played every chance I got with whomever would put up with me for long enough.  There are compartments of my brain filled with vocabulary - troglodyte, halberd, prestidigitator - that would not have entered my lexicon until much later or not at all without those hours of D&D.  Even after I stopped playing regularly, I'd still drag out the books from time to time, roll up a few character sheets, then put it all away again.  The game shall always be one of the main pillars of my geekhood.

I wasn't really expecting a whole lot from the comic book.  I'm a sucker for the trappings, of course.  There are character sheets in the back for all of the principals.  Lots of monsters, lots of fighting, trap doors, magic, treasure - you know, D&D stuff.   But the story of Shadowplague is actually pretty good.  Adric Fell, a 7th level Human Fighter, leads his band on fortune-seeking adventures and they manage to fight the forces of evil along the way.  It's a multi-racial outfit, including Bree the Halfling Thief, Khal the Dwarf Paladin, Varis the Elf Ranger and Tisha the Tiefling Star Pact.  Tiefling? Star Pact?  The realm has evolved since my heyday. 

A few D&D quibbles:
- Why is Adric the captain?  All of the characters are Level 7 and Khal has a higher charisma score, albeit by one point.  In fact, all of his ability scores are higher except for dexterity and you're not going to pick your leader for dexterity.  I sense a human bias!  Maybe Adric's player brought the Doritos and refused to share unless they let him be captain.
- Where did Bree pick up her hand crossbow? It's not anywhere in her character sheet.  I'm all for artistic license but come on!  No dungeon master worthy of the title would let her get away with that.

Di Vito's artwork is lush as one would expect of a fantasy comic.  Rogers's writing is fun, too, with lots of witty, playful banter between the characters in the campaign.  I'm up for more.  IDW, the current license holder, has also published collections of the earlier DC comics as well so I may keep an eye out for those, too.

On the Road: Montpelier

While this was not our first time attending the annual Green Mountain Film Festival in Montpelier, Vermont, it was our first time staying in town overnight in an effort to see as many movies as possible over two days.  We stayed at the Capital Plaza Hotel right downtown.  It served our purposes well, though we didn't spend much of our time there - perfect place to sleep and park our car with participating theaters within easy walking distance.  We managed to see five films in all, representing a reasonably broad range, I think.

Title: Ernest & Celestine
Directors: Stéphane Aubier, Benjamin Renner and Vincent Patar
Original Release: 2012
My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Ernest & Celestine was the festival's main family-friendly feature, based on the children's book series of the same name by Belgian author/illustrator Gabrielle Vincent.  Ernest is a bear, sweet-natured but down on his luck.  Celestine is an orphaned mouse with an artistic flair.  Their worlds want nothing to do with each other but the two form a bond that surprisingly reminded me of The Professional, though certainly cleaned up for a younger audience.  Wife and daughter both liked this animated movie more than I did.  The story is, indeed, very sweet but one viewing was enough for me.

Title: The Keymaster: Patrick Olwell's Story
Director: Blayne Chastain and Jem Moore
Original Release: 2013
My Overall Rating: 3 stars out of 5

via Whistle & Drum

The festival's bread and butter is documentaries and this profile of master Irish flute maker Patrick Olwell (Irish flutes, that is.  The creator is American.) seemed a likely fit for us.  While there are some panning shots of the craftsman's workshop, most of the film centers around Olwell, his sons and the many players who are partial to his product, up to and including Matt Molloy of the Chieftans.  I certainly enjoyed the film but I couldn't help feeling there was something missing from it and I didn't realize what it was until we watched the fifth and final movie in our marathon - so more on that when we get to it.  Of the five, it was also the one that proved the strongest test of Our Girl's stamina - nothing inappropriate, but still well short of child friendly.

Title: More Than Honey
Director: Markus Imhoof
Original Release: 2012
My Overall Rating: 4 stars out of 5

via Facebook

I am a sucker for nature documentaries.  Our daughter likes them, too, but My Wife is not so keen.  As such, she approached this German film about the global bee crisis with great reluctance.  But in the end, even she was impressed.  Of the three documentaries we saw, this one definitely had the biggest budget, with travel through Europe, the United States, Australia and China plus CGI graphics portraying the miniature world of bees.  Some have criticized the film for not taking the bee problem quite seriously enough but I was definitely convinced of the threat to the world's food supply.  According to the movie, 1/3 of what we eat is dependent on bees and populations are dwindling throughout the globe.

Title: Approved for Adoption
Directors: Jung Henin and Laurent Boileau
Original Release: 2012
My Overall Rating: 5 stars out of 5

via Eye on Films

Approved for Adoption, our second animated French-Belgian film of the weekend, was my favorite of the whole bunch.  Based on his comic book of the same name, the movie is Jung's autobiographical account of his childhood being adopted from Korea into a Belgian family.  Interspersed with the animation is family-movie footage as well as a live-action documenting of his first return trip to Korea as an adult.

Classified by the festival as a kids movie, Approved for Adoption is definitely PG-13.  While there is plenty of humor, a lot of the material is very heavy.  Jung's quest for self-identity was not always a happy one and we are spared few details.  There is also brief, animated nudity during an adolescent fantasy sequence ("Why'd they have to show that?" Our Girl demanded to know.).  Any movie that makes me tear up is guaranteed at least a 4 in my book and Approved for Adoption was safe on that score.  5s are the films by which I judge other films and this movie's honest portrayal of navigating family dynamics and coping with a sense of otherness was breathtaking.  The story was riveting.  Of the weekend's five movies, it was the one in which I worried about our daughter's restless wiggling the least.

Title: Béla Fleck: How to Write a Banjo Concerto
Directors: Béla Fleck and Sascha Paladino
Original Release: 2013
My Overall Rating: 5 stars out of 5

via Wikipedia

Regular visitors to The Squid know that I award movies a 5 only very rarely so seeing two worthy films within a few hours of each other was a delightful surprise.  When banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck was commissioned to write a concerto for his instrument, he decided to document his creative process with the help of his filmmaker half-brother Sascha Paladino.  Beginning with an empty computer screen in a cabin on the Oregon coast and ending with the first public performance at Nashville's Schermerhorn Symphony Center, we are witness to moments of triumph, doubt and anguish throughout.  While certainly a grand master musician by any measure, Béla is a bit out of his depths with orchestral music and is very generous in sharing his insecurities with us.

As part of his process, Béla asked to visit with the Nashville Symphony's principals so he could learn about their instruments.  He was surprised they accepted but I wasn't.  Orchestras commission works all the time and I would imagine few if any of the composers bother to ask the contra-bassoonist, the principal trombonist or even the concertmaster for input before submitting a near-finished piece.  For me, these interviews were the best part of the movie.

Watching this film helped me to sort out what was missing from The Keymaster.  What I love most about music documentaries or films about any art form is learning about the creative process.  The Keymaster was mostly about Olwell's life - fine but I don't know a thing about making flutes.  Even if I did, I'd want to see more of the craftsman in action, to understand what his art is all about so I can better marvel at his genius.  As the title implies, Béla Fleck's movie was all about process and was far more satisfying to me as a result.

Finally, the real treat: the headliner moment of the entire festival.  After the screening, Béla Fleck himself came out, first to perform, then to answer audience questions.  We didn't stay for the entire session - Our Girl's patience was reaching a quite reasonable limit by that point - but long enough to enjoy the magic of the moment.  Both on film and on stage, Béla Fleck comes across as a very articulate and accessible artist.  Bluegrass has never really been my thing but I'm certainly a fan now.


The festival was definitely a test of endurance for our daughter but on the way home, she said she'd do it again sometime.  If our school and work schedules allowed it, I'd happily go for the entire 10-day event.  I'm not sure My Wife is quite there but I think she'd be up for more.

On the Coffee Table: Rafael Nadal

Title: Rafa
Authors: Rafael Nadal and John Carlin

via Barnes & Noble

If you are a sports fan, Rafael Nadal requires no introduction.  The world's current top-ranked tennis player is one of the most mesmerizing athletes you'll ever see.  He is a ferocious, irresistible warrior when the match is on and a humble, gracious gentleman the instant it's over.  Still only 27 years old, he is on a very short list of the greatest players of all time.  I would happily wax poetic about the man myself for paragraphs on end but for this post, I shall endeavor to stick to the book.

The book is written mostly in first person from Rafa's perspective but interspersed are sub-chapters in third person, usually about his home life in Mallorca.  Nadal, for all of his unfathomable wealth, fame and success, still lives with his parents in Manacor.  His family, especially his parents and his uncle/coach Toni, have worked hard to maintain a normal life for him when he is not on tour.  In Mallorca, he is nothing special - just a guy with a job that pays him handsomely.  His family and his neighbors never gush, by design.  The book asserts that without this solid rooting in the everyday, Rafa's extraordinary success - as both player and human being - would not be possible.

The story begins in medias res at the 2008 Wimbledon final with Roger Federer on the opposite side of the net, certainly the turning point of Nadal's career and arguably the most important tennis match of the current era.  From there, Rafa reflects back to earlier stages in his life, but always returns to the match at Wimbledon.  I have to admit that this structure was a bit disappointing since, in a sense, I have already read that book.  L. Jon Wertheim's excellent Strokes of Genius (review here) examines the match thoroughly with flashbacks for both combatants.  Of course, the perspective of a player is not that of a journalist so Nadal's thoughts are still valuable.  Still, I would have appreciated a different structure.  The second half of the book takes a similar approach to the 2010 US Open final against Novak Djokovic, a less interesting match but equally important to Rafa's career arc.

In the world of megastar athletes, one would be hard pressed to find one more admirable than Rafael Nadal.  The book only enhances his public persona.  That said, Rafa's not as much fun as Andre Agassi's Open (review here).  Agassi has lived a more colorful life but I'd say his book is also better written.  A non-tennis fan could still enjoy Open.  I'm not so sure about Rafa.  If you are lucky enough to be a tennis fan, it's a must read.