A Place at the Table

I grew up in a household full of music but it did not include popular hits on the radio.  Maybe this was because I had no brothers or sisters at home with me, which meant I was never driven in a car by and never walked past or into the room of an older sibling who listened to the radio.  My dad and I used to sing from one of his old camp song books.  Our family attended many musicals at the Black Hills Playhouse in Custer State Park and the Ordway in St. Paul and then we listened to their soundtracks.  My brother Steve sent tape recordings from Minnesota and later Virginia of him playing his guitar and singing–mostly blue grass and old folk songs.  And in the pews at Custer Lutheran Fellowship I learned to sing liturgy and hymns. Continue reading →

I finally saw the film Changeling.  I know.  I know.  This really good movie came out back in 2008.  Sometimes this happens, a movie sits on my Netflix queue, bumped down again and again by Oscar nominees and feel-good films.  I’m glad it finally made its way to my mailbox.

In case you haven’t seen it, Changeling is set in Los Angeles, 1928.  Angelina Jolie stars as Christine Collins, a single mother whose nine-year-old son goes missing while she is at work. She goes to the LAPD for help and five months later a boy is found in Illinois who fits the description of Collins’ son.  After seeing him she insists that he is not her boy but the cops dismiss her.  Collins joins Rev. Gustav Briegleb, a local pastor who has been using his radio program to call out the corruption of the LAPD.  The police in turn use their power to silence and intimidate her. The story itself is gripping, all of the performances are solid and holding it together are staging, costumes, and music which transport the viewers back to Los Angeles in the late 1920s. Continue reading →

A few weeks ago I went with a friend to see The Second Best Exotic Marigold Hotel.  It’s a fun film and there are fans of the first film who will adore this sequel.  I still love the all-star cast and as my friend said of the newcomer, “Richard Gere has aged well.”  Yes, indeed.  It was also great to see Lillete Dubey’s character developed more.  The film is worth seeing on a big screen because of the setting–India, mostly shot outdoors. Many scenes are set in the daytime so the screen is saturated with sunlight and all colors of the spectrum.  The other bonus to seeing the film in the theater is the rich and vibrant musical score.  The biggest rub?  A third way through the film my friend and I did start whispering vehemently at Sonny, the young proprietor, “Shut up and get over yourself.”

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