there can be no shame in admitting to be a fan of the wizard of weird characters, Christopher Walken, who can be as comedic as villainous. Around the Bend (2004) is a story of how four generations of Lair family men are brought together by the eccentric patriarch (Michael Caine) to face the issues that have kept them apart for years. Turner (Walken) reluctantly reunites with his son, Jason (Josh Lucas) and meets his grandson, Zach (Jonah Bobo), for the first time. when Henry’s plan to rekindle a sense of family by taking a trip becomes altered by his death, Turner and Jason are forced to work out how to honor his dying wish, as stated in his will written at a local KFC and witnessed by an employee and patron, to have his ashes scattered at various locations throughout the Southwest where he spent his career as an archaeologist.

one of my favorite lines was delivered by Walken, describes an underlying thread of the story, and goes something like this:

“my father spent his lifetime digging up old shit.”

while it won awards at indy film fests, this otherwise little known gem digs at family values, with performances by a wonderful cast punctuated by another good weird character delivered with simple panache as only Walken can. funny, sad, riveting, it is worth renting, even adding to your indy film library.

read the book, it’s more entertaining.

Da Vinci Code, the movie, is an over-hyped, disappointing melodrama that doesn’t quite capture the suspense or controversy of Dan Brown’s book. Tom Hanks looks absolutely idiotic in his jet black coif that makes you wonder ‘what were they thinking,’ and Audrey Tatou (who was perfectly charming in ‘Amelie‘) isn’t all that convincing in her character. there wasn’t enough characterization to make sense of some of the key players, and too many events and twists were relegated to simply scenes in a terribly predictable plot.

i’m a fanatic for cryptograms and symbolism, and, for reasons i will not divulge here, particularly interested in the controversial story. my daughter asked if i had ever seen the pyramid in front of the Louvre, but I.M. Pei designed and built it (1989) long after my student days in Paris; so, i’ve not experienced its reportedly magical draw or effect on people. you will have to judge for yourself if there should be anything read into its significance, other than the fact that Pei is a genius of design.

the next time you walk into a fast food restaurant, keep in mind that the kid behind the counter is doing a job, and a tough one at that, for ridiculously paltry pay and probably no benefits. what i hate hearing about is the mindless patron who takes some sort of twisted pleasure in behaving obnoxiously toward the kid who is patiently preparing her order, in spite of rudely barked changes and condescending remarks.

hey! what if it was your kid who had to contend with that poor excuse for a human being?

stop and think about it: that kid just might be the assistant manager, or manager, and could be the future owner who would exercise the right to refuse to serve you and ban you from her establishment.

what goes around, comes around…

to return just what you dished out.

ok, so the resolution is awful; methinks it’s the webcam…i need a new one.