Respect The Comma: Revelations: Finding God At The Movies

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The theme of this year's Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville is Revelations: Finding God At The Movies. Morgan Freeman and Robert Duvall are among the actors scheduled to make appearances. There will be over 50 movies and several symposiums wrapped mostly around the above theme that will take place between Oct. 26-29. Tickets, except for the gala, are priced reasonably. I'd be going even if our church wasn't planning on an outing. At first we were talking about it as something for the youth group to do, but it's something that is of obvious interest to most everyone, and if some of us can't go on whatever day/night we choose to go, there will be other opportunities. Just a thought: perhaps it's something where we can partner with Sojourners, the UCC church in Charlottesville.

Maybe Fredericksburg can put together an event like this sometime, but in the meantime, it's just over an hour to get to Charlottesville, and with a great slate of films and speakers, it should be a valuable experience.

Page Turners 2006 (7)

Lindsay Moran: Blowing My Cover: My Life As A CIA Spy
A really enjoyable read, filled with insight on a deceitful, and mostly unilluminated job. (****)
Rich Smith: You Can Get Arrested For That
Amusing in parts, but thin in substance overall. (*)
Fish, A Remarkable Way To Boost Morale And Improve Results
Nice small compact inspirational way to live a productive and happier work life. (****)
Christopher J. Walsh: No Timeouts: What It's Really Like To Be A Sportswriter Today
I thought I was getting more practical insight into the world of a sportswriter than I actually got. Though examples of stories and the author's progression was nice, I thought it padded the book to make it longer than it needed to be. (**)
Dan Brown: The Da Vinci Code
Much better than the movie; the plot moves well. (****)
Dan Wetzel: Glory Road: My Story of the 1966 NCAA Basketball Championship and How One Team Triumphed Against the Odds
Much better than the movie, as it provides more insight behind the story of Don Haskins and Texas Western; would have liked more about the players and their perspective on playing for him. Probably falls somewhere between 3 & 4 on the star rating. I guess I'd just like a more comprehensive telling of the story. Actually, though people may come out of the book/movie with the idea that this was the first time 5 black players took the basketball court at the same time and won a championship, that actually happened in 1957 (9 years earlier) when Tennessee State won the NAIA championship. (***)
Leif Enger: Peace Like a River
Enjoyed this book, my first of 2006. The characters stay with you, left me wanting more. Had some trouble with the old west references, but nonetheless the prose painted plush pictures. (****)