Jonathan's blog

After we finished watching Holes tonight, Finn announced that it is his favorite movie...even better than Star Wars.  He then pronounced the following hierarchy of quality motion pictures:

1. Holes
2. Star Wars
3. Milo and Otis
4. Up
5. Toy Story 2

Lisa and the boys have been reading Holes, and tonight they finished it.  We popped some popcorn and watched Holes (2003,PG) (ScreenIt! Review).  From ScreenIt!:

After being wrongly sentenced to a hard-labor camp where he and other boys are forced to dig a five-foot hole each day, a teenager tries to figure out what they're digging for as well as whether he and his family are still living under a generations-old curse.

It was the second time around for the adults, and we all enjoyed it.  Lisa commented about how closely the movie followed the book...as close as any book/film pair she's ever read/watched.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Tonight we watched Into the Wild (2007, R) (ScreenIt! Review).  From ScreenIt!:

Upon graduating from college, a young man drops out of society, and meets various interesting people as he hits the road, preparing himself for an extended stay in the Alaskan wilderness.

Lisa had read the book.  I had heard much of the soundtrack (which I like, esp. "Rise").  It's an interesting story, and I thought the film did a decent job of telling it.

I give it 4 out of 5.

Tonight Elliot has a tryout for a city-wide chorus.  The boy loves to sing.  His mom received a Wii American Idol game for Mother's Day, but Elliot is the one who has enjoyed it the most.  Unfortunately for him, he seems to have inherited his dad's vocal skills rather than his mom's.  He's always one of the smartest kids in the class and one of the better players on the team, but I think it's cool that he has the interest and the guts to try to pursue something that isn't one of his strengths.  Whether he makes the chorus or not, I'm especially proud of him for giving it a shot.