Oscar?

PinF went to the movies last night and saw a movie that could easily be considered among the top four films this year. No special effects. No spellbinding plot. No sex. Excellent character studies. Hilarious scenes, sad moments and real people all acting so believably it almost seems real. Little Miss Sunshine.


What this film did have was some drug abuse, offensive language, along with very gritty images of real life with a very real and stressed out family. Incredibly dysfunctional, abusive, mean, and loving all at once; the brilliant casting of this movie allow the two childrens' roles to shine through.

This movie works despite its predictabilities mainly due to the characters and their quirks. The cocaine sniffing grandpa, the angry mother, the failing father, the suicidal gay uncle, the angry and uncomfortable teenage boy and mainly because of the movie's champion as an incredibly cute, chubby, and real portrayal by seven year-old Abigail Breslin. This movie will have you crying then laughing --at and then with, this family. Just as quickly it will also have you ready to shed a tear of sadness as the movie veers down as many touching as comedic paths, often combining the two emotions as in the hospital scene.

PinF whole-heartedly recommends this film as a "must see" this summer. In the end this film succeeds on the love of the family despite their faults and weaknesses so convincingly brought forth by the actors. As quirky, contentious, and dysfuntional as they all may seem, they belong to each other. And because of this fact they are drawn to protect, comfort, and assure each other in their most dire, sad, and insecure moments throughout the film. The pinnacle scene of the movie may very well be the seven year-old Olive confiding in her grandfather of her fear of competing in "Little Miss Sunshine" for fear of losing, based on her father's disdain for losing. Alan Arkin is at his best here, assuaging, and assuring his grand-daughter Olive that the "....losers are those who are afraid of attempting to achieve...", the performance, tears, and general likeability of Olive may in fact place her and Arkin in contention for an Oscar.

The predictable parts of this movie are in fact probably the sweetest rewards of such an ensemble cast. Because of their character flaws-- rather than in spite of them, the family champions' each other's shortcomings and fears and become a cohesive team bent on the protection and care of one another - like real families do. I was accompanied last night by a close friend of mine, herself from Europe, and despite the cultural differences of lifestyles, and humor, she too felt the message in this movie, and could relate to the movie's theme of family. Go see this movie, PinF is giving it 5 PinF's.

POWDA DAY

HAPPY BIRTHDAY POWDA!!!!!!

Beta is Better

Ok, so I guess it worked? I upgraded to the new "Beta" Blogger version....which I assume is what kid Technicolor (JGLOW) did as well. So it's all good in the 'hood. Received salutations from fellow bloggers AKJN and MofC regarding my changes, so I guess the new PinF is out there.

On another note...PinF is adding a new link of interest today. I've recently coreesponded with another galavanting world traveler who is also making the treak from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, Argentina and almost 20k mile journey. This journey is a bit different that my last link of a fellow who made this journey by BMW motorcycle . For starters my new "linkee" will be documenting this entire journey on camera that has been mounted on the handlebars of his BICYCLE. That's right. This Brit is driving from top to bottom on a bike. His gimmick? He'll make the trip on a tandem bike and offer rides to people the entire length in exchange for the company, pedal power and videography. He's sure to encounter countless stories and characters along the way, especially when he enters south of the border where a bike is sometimes a luxury. His journal is interesting already as are the photos of such pristine counrty. Currently he is poised to enter the US from Canada, just north of Seattle.

I have my good friend Bubs, himself a professionsal cameraman with several Emmy awards to his credit standing by to greet him into Seattle. Bubs will be offering techical camera assistance. Dominic is looking for riders his entire route so if you know anyone on the west coast who wants to knock out a few miles, direct them to his site where they can get in touch and check progress. He is hoping to raise money for needy children and put together a documentary of the trip once completed. Interesting and grueling journey. PinF will once again follow vicariously, knowing his trip will come soon.

Take it Easy Now......

PinF hasn't gone anywhere.

Same PinF channel, same PinF time. Yes my blog was temporarily inaccesible---temporarily, I say. Truth be told I was motviated after viewing the new upgrade to AKJN to technicolor, and started dabbling in the "template" area of the Blogger Console. A technical "quicksand" area for PinF, as I was trying to make some changes on the "fly".....bad idea. PinF was in over his head. I eventually gave up, figuring I would make an attempt another day. Much to my surprise I had tweaked something, problem was I didn't know what? I dispatached the tech nerds immediately-- suffice to say the source of my snafu was located and dealt with. It really wasn't until I recieved several distress emails that I even realized I had done something. In a sense it was kid-technicolor herself, AKJN who sounded the alarm---good one JGLOW. So PinF is back...unimproved, un-technicolored, and basically the same. Leaving just the words to provide the illumuniation.

August 10, 2006

Dear Dad,

One hundred nineteen days ago we said goodbye. That sounds like a lot of time, but it still feels like yesterday. It's hard still, the good memories haven't blocked out the last remaining days yet. Everyone is dealing with your departure in different ways, and as you always said-- life goes on. I'll say for my part that there hasn't been a day that has gone by that I haven't thought of you at least one time if not more during the day. Your name is a recurrent one in conversations or reminiscences with Sophia and me. Certain songs I hear or things I'll think of will make me chuckle to think of how you'd have reacted to them. The recent weather is one of those events. I can hear you now harping on the 100*+ weather Philadelphia just experienced, you loved talking about the "humidity"..... so you're in a better place in that regard.

The Phils are still floundering in mediocrity. They just traded away the "franchise" players yet somehow they still continue to illicit hope amongst the faithful by putting together a few sweeps here and there....this too would be driving you crazy. You were heavy on my mind Sunday. I've never started an Eagles season that I could remember that we weren't either watching the game together or in contact over the phone. I miss that alot. The 1st team looked crisp, the rest as you always said, wasn't worth watching. Something that you would have loved is about to happen. You actually talked quite often about it the last year or so ago. The Vince Papale movie opens this month. Man you would have loved to have seen that, I remember how you loved him so.

What else? Sophia and I spent a week at your beloved shore in New Jersey. I passed the old Buck Tavern and it made me think of you and how we'd stop there on our way to the Springfield Inn for a hot roast beef. You were heavy on my mind that week, we had such great times at the beach eh? It left me with regret that i hadn't done this with you and her when I could've of. Sophia and I are going to Mass later today to say a few prayers for you; she speaks often of you and how she misses your phone calls and questions. She still has that art kit you gave her, and she is constantly drawing me loving doodles. She still talks about the day we went to the Springfield Ice Skating Rink so you could see her skate. And those skates you bought her at Bill Battey's? They're too small now, but she isn't letting them go. I tried to have her maybe give them to a less fortunate kid who might need some skates, she wasn't having any of it. The sentimental value she's placed on them far out weigh any altrustic ones I might try to suggest.

The pain of my loss is tempered by the fact that you're with your long lost family and so many friends. I imagine all the idols of your life--the sports figures and of course Frank and Johnny have you really feeling like you're in heaven. Sophia incredibly will be starting 3rd grade in one week. I see in my own experience the speed at which life and all its wondrous blessings seem to almost gain speed as they pass before me. This reminds me as I recall our many wonderful times how fast they really did pass.........That's it from here in Florida. I miss your voice too and am left remembering this time last year when I came up to check on you after you got out of Harlee Manor. I took you shopping at Strawbridges, got you some new duds. Remember? We had some laughs over your skinny ass that day! Then we had a big old prime rib at Outback that night. That was to be a bitter sweet birthday for sure. No more bittersweet than this one though. Happy Birthday Dad. I love you and I'm missing you.

Love your son, Tim

Windows of Our Youth

Slow week. These last two weeks before school starts are always the l o n g e s t of the summer. Still I'm able to recognize my blessings in that I've been blessed with a daughter who wants to get back to studying. What I ever did to deserve a child this agreeable I'm not sure, though I'm sure karma plays a fickle role in that fate. PinF is a strong proponent of kindness to kids and old people especially. Kindness to all of course---but to the weaker and more vulnerable go the most kindness, care, respect, and love.

PinF has a neighbor across the way from his house who is 80 years old and just a pleasure of a woman. Born in the coal region of Kentucky where if you visited even today you would find that time has stood still to many of this centuries progressions. She has a daughter who lives with her too. The daughter works intermitently and drinks too much. Nice gal, just not too focused-- neither on her own life nor her reason for being in her mother's for that matter. She tries to put a spin on her place in her mother's life as being there to help her mom.

PinF knows it's the other way around. Her mother who at 80 is as sharp as someone 30 years younger, is lean and fit and has sparkling blue eyes and an illuminating smile that belie her 80 years. She's a real pleasure to just sit and talk to, something PinF does often, and as much joy as I know our frequent chats bring her, it is I who is enriched by her company far more than she is by mine. Doris to me exemplifies just this, that the youth of our heart never grows old and is like a window that blows in on the curtain of our lives.

Doris is PinF's buddy. Everyday I see her outside either crimping a plant, sweeping the walk, or taking her short walk to exercise her artificial hip she had replaced two years ago. PinF has been a friend to her since he moved to the neighborhood a year and a half ago, always keeping an eye out especially during the storms. On Mother's day Sophia and I gave her a potted tulip plant with it's blossoms in full bloom, it might as well have been a Tiffany setting by her reaction, not to mention telling all her neighbors of her "good fortunes". Doris just adores Sophie, and Sophie adores Doris, often riding her scooter to her house just to say hello. Life is funny this way. The way I see it, you either go through life either not giving a fiddler's fart about aging and the elderly, or you genuninely empathize and respect the journey and experience that this person represents. PinF choose the latter.

Old people to me are like books I haven't read. Lately I've been "reading" Doris DuPont's story. The forces and events that shaped her life and brought her to S. Florida are in a sense better than a book, as true life often is. Her's was a life forged by hard work, Protestant value's, and childrearing. She was asking me about Sophia's Holy Communion a few months ago and relating the story of her upbringing and childhood and how her religious education was had in a Catholic school for a short time as a girl in Kentucky. She was explaining her mother gave birth to six children and I commented how I thought she might be Baptist in that region of the country as opposed to Catholic. She said "Catholic? My parents were Protestants", she said she liked to tell people that they were "passionate Protestants" due to the amount of children they had. Funny lady.

Sophia auditioned for her first play this week. There was an open call for children 7-13 for a Christmas production. She wanted it bad, she seemed suited to this as she loves the performing arts and is certainly not shy. PinF was a child actor. Along with a few of his brothers we were members of the Drexel Hill Players, an accomplished troupe that staged several productuions a year. My oldest brother was a Von Trappe in the Sound of Music, and he was the scarecrow in Wizard of Oz. My "15 minutes" came via Upper Darby High Schools' senior class play The Music Man. I was cast in one of the lead roles as Winthrop, a daunting tole to be sure for an eight year-old. I had three solos to sing, of course ignorance is bliss and we rarely fear what we either don't know or have never seen. I believe also there was a certain aire of invicibility about me that I couldn't have understood at the time having just come through a near death event as a sick child a year before.

Sophie's mother was herself an actress (and still is) , appearing in productions in her Venezuela and eventually moving to New York to pursue her dream further. So Sophia's desire seemed to be in accordance with her history. Not being chosen was a tough thing to tell Sophia. This however is a far greater lesson to learn than instant acceptance. The sculpting of life is commisioned by experience. No character was ever shaped by complete success, either without let down's, set backs, or disapointments. I steeled myself to tell her as she was waiting anxiously to hear for two days. She took it like I thought she would--she cried in my arms. I reassured her that "we'd be back", this was only her first audition she has to believe that she will be back. I likened the whole experience to her ice skating and how she has come so far in such a short time. She perked up, still sad but she was crying through the pain of her "rejection". Of course there was only two roles for a girl, and over 300 children auditioned, so she was in good company so to speak.

I explained to her in her fragile state that "God never closes a door on her life where he doesn't open a window". This got her. She said "papi, what's that mean?" So I told her how she has many, many blessings, not to mention is gifted with many abilities and maybe this is just a sign that she's meant to do other things now. Ten minutes later she's playing with her new kitten, laughing, smiling and moving on. The young and the elderly. Such simplicity in each of their lives, yet such fluid congruency at the same time. Did I mention I found a guitar teacher for Sophia? That's right, and from Philadelphia too, and now we were off to lesson two. We gathered her guitar walked out of the house and who's there to greet us? Doris of course, she's talking to a neighbor and just about drops her conversation in mid-sentence as she sees us. She just lights up to see her two friends, and in that moment of her admiration and praise for Sophia she starts in on her neighbor about what a special little girl Sophie is and how she's a figure skater, and "..oh look now she's playing the guitar?"....Well you could see the pride in Sophie's step as she walked to the car with her guitar, I could see something else too.

The pain of her closed door had ceased and was being blown away by the breeze blowing through the open window of new opportunity.