Passover's Field of Dreams

The annual telling of the Passover story, an unbroken oral history spanning countless generations, is a marvel. I can safely say I have a 51 year streak. I generally spend Passover with people who have similar streaks, usually going way back on both sides of their family. I blogged a little about this last year. http://nylaw2law.blogspot.com/search/label/Passover

This year we hosted 17 friends for Seder night one, and 20 family members on night two. For the second straight year, on the second night we had my mother's cousin's and their children. All my Seders growing up were with these cousins, and their parents, all German-Jewish Holocaust escapees. (I will blog tomorrow about the term "escapees" as opposed to "survivors", though niether denotation should diminish the other). At Uncle Max and Aunt Rose's house, and at Gusti & Freddy's, Brian and I were always the little kids. Now, Mom's cousins are my fellow grown-ups, and there are new kids experiencing Passover (though some of the "kids" are in fact adults). They are part of something important, and I know they will come to know that.

My Dad (Manny, of the renowned Weekend With Manny series) was in from Florida and spent both nights with us. He enjoyed spending time with his ex-extended family. He shares a lot of history with them, and if he has an 82 year seder streak, he had at least 20 with them. I arranged the seating so Manny sat next to me, and he did not notice that I placed my Mom's photo behind him,

(Mom in 1986 with grand-daughters Robin and Emilie)











looking out over the festivities. At some point during dinner I looked at him, and Mom's photo over his shoulder, and said,
"I'm sure glad we're sitting here talking, and that if we ever had problems we fixed them. We never had a broken father-son relationship, like in Field of Dreams."
Manny said, "I never saw it."
This surprised me, because he's seen most movies, and we enjoy talking about them.
"Dad, a movie about baseball, fathers, and sons, and you never saw it?"
"I dunno, I've seen parts on TV and it looked stupid, a guy builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield."


Naturally, I had to give him a brief synopsis.....essentially....."An idealistic man and his wife grow up from hippie life and have a farm in Iowa. Things are good, but the man feels some things in his life are not right. One day, he hears a voice, saying 'if you build it, HE will come'. Long story short, he plows under his cornfield and builds a baseball diamond, so the ghost of Shoeless Joe Jackson, and other dead baseball legends, can come to play. Only he and his wife and daughter can see them. Meanwhile, he is not making any money, his brother-in-law thinks he's nuts, and the farm may be foreclosed. He hears more voices, telling him to find a particular writer (who no longer writes) and a baseball player who played one inning in the majors in 1918 (before becoming a doctor in Minnesota) and bring them to Iowa. So he does. As he is driving back to Iowa with the writer, we learn that the man has suffered a great loss, a broken relationship with his father, who died with the relationship unrepaired. During the whole movie the man does not question any of things the voices told him to do, and finally, Shoeless Joe Jackson tells him what it's REALLY about. Note..... if you have never seen Field of Dreams and are inspired to watch it by my synopsis, don't watch this clip. If you have seen it, you know the drill, the thing makes me cry every time http://youtube.com/watch?v=3XS2UtAlmX4 "


I made Manny promise to watch the movie with me next time he's in town.

Three of my favorite movie lines are in this clip....
"Is this heaven?" "It's Iowa."
"Heaven is the place dreams come true" He looks at wife and child swinging on porch and says "maybe this IS heaven."
and of course...."Hey Dad, wanna have a catch?"


Field of Dreams is all about connecting with the past and trying to make things right. All the main characters (Ray, Doc Graham and Terrance Mann) have unfinished business, things from their past they need to make right. I am thankful I don't need to plow my cornfield to make things right with my Dad, and grateful to live in freedom with my family (maybe this IS heaven)


On Passover we seek to connect our collective memory chain back to a defining moment of faith and deliverance. We need the next generations to know, and for the story to be told.


Tomorrow....Passover and Yom HaShoah.

August Rush (Movie Review)

A few months ago my 14 year old daughter Rebecca came home from seeing "August Rush" with her friends. She said "Dad, I think this is the kind of movie you like. It's one of those movies where it might not be realistic, but if you buy into the story, it really gets you. I was so blown away that after the movie I was all spaced out." Naturally, I had her tell me the basic idea, and the things she really liked about it. On the surface, it sounded like the quintessential teenaged girl movie. A young hero who was "really cute", an older male lead character who was "even cuter", and a story about a mystical magical quest. I promised her that when it came out on Netflix I'd get it, and we could watch it together.

Last night we watched it. This is destined to be the favorite movie of many teenaged girls. And, uh, ME TOO. It was so beautiful and moving that I have added it to my 100 Favorite Movies List http://nylaw2law.blogspot.com/search/label/Favorite%20Movies%20List


My list prominently features "suspension of disbelief" movies (It's a Wonderful Life, Groundhogs Day, Fight Club, Defending Your Life, Field of Dreams, Pleasantville). Looking at the little list, I see what they share.....strongly developed, well played lead characters. People you can believe, and believe in, even amidst some "unbelievable" plot elements.

August Rush is about an 11 year old boy (played by Freddie Highmore) in an upstate New York orphanage. He is singularly driven....he wants to find his parents, and believes they want to find him. He can hear music in all things, and he believes the music is his parents reaching out for him.

His mom (Keri Russell) had been a concert cellist, driven by her father to great "success". She doesn't always see it the same way. His dad (Jonathan Rhys-Meyers) was a lead guitarist and singer in a rock band, but despite being on the verge of great acclaim, he wanted out.

The two have a chance meeting, and a magical night together, but they part with only their memories. Here's a clip http://youtube.com/watch?v=YA7gpLkQ0WQ

He doesn't know about his son, and through some crazy circumstances, she thinks her baby died. Their lives go on, and both give up their music.

Meanwhile, young Evan Taylor (he later acquires the name "August Rush") runs away to look for his parents, and follows his musical instincts to New York City. He hears music in everything, and I guarantee you, when you see this movie you will remember "the scene when the boy conducts the sounds of NYC like a symphony".

The boy prodigy comes under the control of a bizarre man (Robin Williams), who "manages" many young musicians/street performers. He's selfish and greedy, BUT he loves and respects music, and he recognizes the boy's gifts. http://youtube.com/watch?v=4yY82owm7Ps He is a necessary obstacle to the inexorable path of the plot, August finding and re-uniting his parents.

About three quarters through the movie I was so wrapped up in his quest that I said to Rebecca "This better have a happy ending." I knew it had to, and it's not a give-away for me to tell you.....enjoy the ride. Here's a clip where August and his father meet in Washington Square Park, when they don't yet know who they are to each other http://youtube.com/watch?v=WnoeD9Xb6Xw

This is not a musical, BUT throughout the movie there are superb musical performances by an array of artists in many genres. I am not musically astute enough to know HOW it was done, but there are musical themes woven through many of the songs. When the Mom is playing a classical piece on the cello, she seems to be in sync with the Dad's rock singing and playing, and with the oddly intriguing playing by young August Rush.

Much of the movie takes place in Manhattan, particularly Washington Square and Central Park. Just an added plus.

I'm convinced this movie has universal appeal, and will ultimately attain "classic" status. When I told Manny (my Dad, for first time blog readers) that I had watched a great movie with Rebecca, he asked which one. I was surprised when he told me he had seen it (though I shouldn't have been....movies for $1 in Century Village so they see them all), and shocked when he told me he LOVED it, and cried at the end!! He also pointed out something I should have realized....the Robin Williams character is similar to Fagin in Oliver.

One last clip, with a warning......the clip is kinda long, and it's the last scene in the movie, so watch this AFTER seeing the movie http://youtube.com/watch?v=plrDXfhcoa4

ENJOY!!!

New Family Tradition.....USHPIZIN

It's nice to have family traditions. I value the traditional traditions.....Thanksgiving, Passover, July 4th, and Opening Day. I especially like a few family traditions we have adopted:



Day after Thanksgiving leftover feast with friends.


New Years Eve at home with family, in "costumes".


Stony Brook Homecoming.


Watching the movie Groundhog Day on February 2nd, as previously blogged http://nylaw2law.blogspot.com/search/label/Groundhog%20Day


I made a new rule: If we do something three years in a row, it is now a "Family Tradition". Adding a new family tradition is momentous. It will continue. It is unimaginable to not do it. And so, every year, around Sukkot (for the uninitiated, or the interested http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sukkot) we watch the Israeli movie Ushpizin, with family and friends.

If you have never seen this movie, here's the deal....

It's a 2004 Israeli movie, in Hebrew with English subtitles. It was written by a Hasidic actor (Shuli Rand), who also stars. The writer's actual wife was enlisted to play the movie wife (ostensibly because he could not have acted in this role with an "actress"). Michal Bat-Sheva Rand is the compelling force in this inspiring story.

Moshe and Malli live in a small apartment in a Hasidic section of Jerusalem. They are so poor they barely have food, let alone money for a Sukkah for the holiday. They are also childless. You see clearly that they have nothing, yet they have FAITH. Throughout this film, their faith is repeatedly tested, rewarded, pumished and retested. A series of circumstances allows them to obtain a Sukkah, and some money, and even some guests (Ushpizin). Ah, but such guests!! Some weekend furloughed prisoners who have skipped out, people from Moshe's past. What to do with a blessing of such guests? Rude, ungrateful, irreligious, disrespectful users. If you are sent such guests, is it a test?

Besides the characters and the story, I also enjoyed seeing people from a different culture (and trust me on this, Hasidic Jewish culture is a DIFFERENT culture than American, virtually non-practising, ethnic Jewish culture) having the same problems we all have. Financial issues, family crises, pressure on the holidays. This movie is a rare and fascinating look at a Hasidic couple as two people.

Does the movie eventually show the value in prayer and faith? Yes, and is there anything wrong with that? What does Moshe want more than anything else? To know the way. To know what is expected of him. To know that you can succeed, and fail, and be tested......and move forward.


You can probably rent this DVD at your local video store. It is surely a worthwhile Netflix pick. Or, if you want to wait till next Fall, you can watch it with us. It's a family tradition.

Ratatouille

I was a little concerned as we approached the movie-plex to buy tickets for Ratatouille, the new G-rated Pixar/Disney movie. The lobby was packed with folks who looked like they were out for a change of scenery from father/son WWE and Ultimate Fighting. Fortunately for us, the throngs were awaiting "Transformers", enabling us to scoot nimbly past, into air conditioned civility and elbow room.

THIS movie is what the powers behind Disney/Pixar had in mind. The highest level of animation and effects, combined with an engaging script, exploring themes that would engage audiences of all ages. I did not just "tolerate" the story, I got caught up in it, as did my wife and 13 year old daughter.

In Ratatouille, a young rat (Remy) approaching manhood (rat-hood?) has an extraordinary talent. He has a highly refined sense of smell, and an appreciation for the culinary arts. He is inspired by a famous TV chef and his best-selling book "Anyone Can Cook". He wants to leave the rat life of garbage eating and stealing food, which causes conflict with his controlling father, who wants him to stay and become part of rat life and his extended family. He confides in his dopey brother, who wants to support him but does not fully understand Remy.

A series of rat catastrophes cause Remy to be separated from his clan, and he discovers that "all this time we have been under Paris!". He happens upon the restaurant of the famous chef, now deceased, and the back workings of the kitchen of a famous Paris restaurant. The plot is actually quite intricate, and I will not spoil it. Remy becomes deeply involved in the conflicts of many players in the restaurant drama, and he DOES get to use his culinary skills. Many of the characters, human and rodent, are put to high level moral and life altering tests. Can I pay a higher compliment to an animated movie than to say that, throughout, "I felt for all the characters".

Remy was voiced by Patton Oswalt, a comedian I have seen a few times. I did not know this in advance, and for awhile tried to place the vaguely familiar voice. Eventually I stopped trying to figure out the voices, because I was absorbed in the story and the characters. This was a big improvement over celebrity voicing in other animated films. For example, while I enjoyed Finding Nemo, the entire movie I felt Albert Brooks talking to Ellen DeGeneris. In Ratatouille, the characters and story line stood strongly on their own.

I don't know whether the powers that be intend to score with a big marketing and product bonanza on this film. It probably does not lend itself to that. I do think this movie will "have legs" for exactly what a great movie is supposed to, a thoroughly enjoyable watching experience......for the whole family.

Groundhog Day

I just finished watching Groundhog Day, again, something I do every February 2nd.

I expect to do it every February 2nd for the rest of my life.

I suspect I am not the only one.

For the uninitiated, here's the basic plot........The protagonist Phil Connors (Bill Murray) is a self-centered, unhappy, sarcastic, egotistical TV weatherman. He goes to Puxatawney, PA, to cover the annual Groundhog Day festivities. He finds his TV crew, and the small town activities, beneath him. A possible exception is his producer Rita (Andie McDowell), who he is interested in only on the superficial level his flawed personality will allow. After an initial long, tedious day, a snow storm forces him to stay overnight in Puxatawny.

When he wakes up the next morning, its February 2nd again, he’s still in Puxatawny, and the same day is starting over. At first he doesn’t believe it, and thinks he is going insane. As the day progresses he encounters all the same people and situations he encountered before. He handles each slightly different from the day before, and manages to get through the day. This happens to him over and over, to the point where he knows who he is going to encounter, and realizes that his knowledge is cumulative, and each day he knows more about THIS day, and the people in it, than the day before.

When he first realizes that he is going to keep waking up in the same day, he does selfish and outrageous things, like seducing a woman using information he learned about her “the day before”. In bits and pieces, the film shows you how he pursues his interests. After awhile he begins to despair over his situation, and each day when he commits suicide (in many different ways) no matter what, he awakens each day and its still Feb 2 in Puxatawny.

Eventually he turns his attention to Rita. She is such a genuine, beautiful person, he wants desperately to develop a real relationship with her, but he has no idea how to do it. Each day he learns more and more about her, and each day we see him learning not just about her, but FROM her. We begin to sense that if he could get the day right, if he could know enough, if he could genuinely change, that his life could go on past Groundhog Day.

There is a point in the movie where he changes, and starts to live his day(s) differently. When we are shown this, it is never tedious, its downright ingenius. At one point he decides to learn to play the piano, because Rita tells him that her perfect man would play an instrument. He takes a beginning piano lesson, and a few scenes later, when he plays expertly, you realize he must have lived that day hundreds of times to learn to play that way (I'm dense, so I didn't realize this until I'd seen the movie 3 times). He also starts doing helpful deeds for people all over town, knowing everything that's going to happen, and you see that his desire to do these things is coming from within.

At this point, he continues to pursue his one day relationship with Rita, starting from scratch each day, and we see he is starting to do it "right". OK, it's a movie, what do you think happens? When he goes to sleep after what sure feels like a perfect day, he wakes up the next morning and its February 3rd, Rita is with him, and he is ready to move on, a changed person..........


At its core, Groundhog Day is about the opportunities in each and every day. We can live the same day over and over, or we can make each day count. We can learn something each day that enables us to progress, or we can make other choices. The next day WILL always come, and it may seem like the same day, or it may seem like a brand new day, but one thing will be constant.....we each have the ability to impact the kind of day, and the kind of tomorrow, we are going to have.


There are four possibilities regarding a person's relationship with this movie:

1. "Never saw it." "Heard about it, seemed kinda stupid." "I don't care for Bill Murray" "Saw parts of it but it was just the same day over and over"................. To you I say...........there are some things in life worth thinking about and worth doing, so....set aside the time, watch the whole movie, and if its not as profound as I say, at worst you watched a romantic comedy that had some laughs. On the other hand, you may find that it positively affects your attitudes about a host of personal issues. That possibility makes it worth the "risk".

2. Saw it some time ago, it was OK, never thought about seeing again. Considering that the nature of "time" is a central issue of the movie, seeing this movie again after a passage of time might have a particularly strong impact.

3. Have seen it, didn't like it. I know that you too live each day to the fullest.

4. Love the movie, watch it whenever it's on. Thought I was the only one.

YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY ONE!!!!

Here are a few Groundhog day related links.....
http://paradelle.wordpress.com/2010/02/07/zen-groundhog-day/
http://www.schindler.org/psacot/20010813_ghd.shtml
http://web.archive.org/web/19991003033315/members.aol.com/zenunbound/9805/page16.html

Am I right...or am I right?

100 Favorite Movies List

My friend Rich Applebaum keeps a 100 favorite movie list. He told me the rules for keeping the list, and I agree with the rules:

"You don't have to defend your list"
"You should not criticize another persons list"
"You should not be ashamed of your list"
"You can (and should) update and amend your list"
"Your list, and other people's lists, are a great way to find new movies to see (I would never have seen Fight Club, #7 on my list, if I had not seen it on Rich's list and asked him about it)"

So, here's my list:

1. It's a Wonderful Life
2. Groundhog Day
3. Casablanca
4. Manhattan
5. The Godfather
6. Defending Your Life
7. Fight Club
8. The Grapes of Wrath
9. Carnal Knowledge
10. Double Indemnity
11. Goodfellas
12. The Caine Mutiny
13. Chinatown
14. Little Big Man
15. The Wizard of Oz
16. Wall Street
17. Rocky
18. Midnight Cowboy
19. Saving Private Ryan
20. Schindler's List
21. The Maltese Falcon
22. The Graduate
23. Silence of the Lambs
24. Annie Hall
25. Animal House
26. Men in Black II
27. Hannah and Her Sisters
28. August Rush
29. What's Eating Gilbert Grape
30. Bull Durham
31. Full Metal Jacket
32. Glengarry Glenross
33. Treasure of the Sierra Madre
34. Rounders
35. Field of Dreams
36. Crimes & Misdemeanors
37. Planet of the Apes
38. Do the Right Thing
39. Natural Born Killers
40. American Beauty
41. Trading Places
42. The Verdict
43. Pleasantville
44. North by Northwest
45. The Last Picture Show
46. Forrest Gump
47. All That Jazz
48. The Big Chill
49. Casino
50. Days of Wine and Roses
51. Moonstruck
52. The Truman Show
53. Saturday Night Fever
54. Psycho
55. To Kill a Mockingbird
56. Bright Lights, Big City
57. High Fidelity
58. Lost in Translation
59. House of Games
60. Swept Away
61. A Christmas Story
62. Ferris Buellers Day Off
63. Tommy Boy
64. Mother
65. Sex, Lies & Videotape
66. Breakfast Club
67. Amadeus
68. Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
69. Back to the Future
70. Battleground
71. Ed Wood
72. The Accidental Tourist
73. All the President's Men
74. Network
75. Holes
76. Shawshank Redemption
77. Young Frankenstein
78. The Sound of Music
79. Breakfast at Tiffany's
80. The Ten Commandments
81. E.T.
82. Doctor Zhivago
83. Ushpizin
84. 12 Angry Men
85. Diner
86. Fast Times at Ridgemont High
87. Mars Attacks
88. Napolean Dynamite
89. The Muse
90. Body & Soul
91. Pope of Greenwich Village
92. Breaking Away
93. Coming Home
94. The Thin Man
95. Woodstock
96. Broadway Danny Rose
97. Van Wilder
98. Closer
99. Beavis & Butthead Do America
100. Coneheads

Putting together a list like this is a lot of fun. I admit, I got about 60 "off the top of my head", and then did a google search for movie lists to refresh my recollection and get some ideas. It's not cheating to do that, and I played around with the order.

A few other notes....I think you have to have actually seen a movie to include it, so while "Gone With the Wind" is on most lists, I have to leave it off. I broke the must see rule on one entry, #90 "Body & Soul", an old movie which is my Dad's favorite movie of all time. He has a very strong opinion about this, so I had to include it. When I see it, I will either adjust its ranking and remove it if called for, though I suspect it will move up.

One factor I considered was "will I stop channel surfing and start watching if I catch a particular movie on cable".

I will make additions, subtractions and adjustment to the list as needed. I welcome input about the list, within the spirit of "I don't have to defend my list". I do love talking about it though.