Saturday movie review: Captain Fantastic

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For the record, I'm a big fan of Viggo Mortensen. I think he's one of the more subtly amazing yet underrated and too often overlooked actors out there. So when I read that he received a Best Actor nomination for his role in CAPTAIN FANTASTIC, I thought, Well good for him! It's about time.

I then immediately thought, But that's certainly not a film I'll be watching. Because I don't care much for super hero movies and having seen no trailers or such, that's what I figured it was.

Captain Fantastic movie

I'm here to confess I'm an idiot. Not because I don't like super hero movies, but because CAPTAIN FANTASTIC is so very not a super hero story despite the super hero sound of the title. CAPTAIN FANTASTIC is a super dad story. A story about a good dad with good intentions. A brilliant dad with grandiose ideas when it comes to life in general and raising his kids in particular. Lofty ideas. So lofty, in fact, they border on lunacy.

And Viggo Mortensen does an insanely fantastic job portraying that extraordinary...

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On waterfalls and wildlife

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backyard waterfall

One of my favorite features of my backyard is broken. Our waterfall, which Jim — primary caretaker of the falls — likes to keep running through each and every season (despite it freezing for the most part during winter seasons), hasn't been running for several seasons now.

Because it's broken. Has a leak. Somewhere. Somehow.

Jim and I plan to spend much of Saturday figuring out the where and the how — and the what we need to do to fix it.

Taking apart the waterfall and putting it all back together again will surely be a pain in the butt. We don't look forward to it.

We do, though, look forward to once again having water streaming and splashing. We miss the sound, the peace, the tranquility of the special spot just off our patio.

Despite our reluctance to remove and replace liners and rocks and such, the special spot needs to be fixed. Not only to fulfill our...

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Twitter titters

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Twitter has been shrouded by a black cloud of sorts the past couple years thanks to it being the primary place our president spreads his hate policies and ponderings. And a top spot for reactions to Trump in general and his terrifying tweets in particular. As well as plenty of news — fake or factual — related to that never-ending nastiness bouncing about hither and yon.

Despite political pap dominating Twitter of late and me being the very least publicly political person I know, I still peruse and post on that particular social network nearly every day. Because there's other stuff there. Inspirational, informational, educational stuff I might miss if I didn't stop by.

And stuff like the following. Which started my yesterday with a smile because it's just so darn cleverly adorable. So much so that I was compelled to share there by retweeting and here by capturing screen shots of the sweet silliness. (Okay, and I shared on my personal Facebook page yesterday, too.)

The tweet* that made me titter:

tweet from People's Daily, China

Accompanied by these...

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Saturday movie review: Brothers... Plus, a one-month free Sundance Now freebie

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Documenting the daily doings of beloved children is nothing unusual. Thousands (hundreds of thousands?) mommy — and grandma — bloggers across the globe do exactly that, day in and day out, sharing stories and such on their little sweeties.

Documenting the very same on film day in and day out — for decades — is unusual. Is unique. Is exactly what Norwegian director and cinematographer Aslaug Holm did in her documentary BROTHERS. In doing so, she confirmed that a (moving) picture is indeed worth 1,000 words. And then some.

brothers documentary 

Holm set out making the ultimate home movie of her two young sons, Markus and Lukas, more than a decade ago. She kept the camera rolling for eight years. Day in, day out Holm...

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Bonus grandma

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making paper dinosaur

My three desert-dwelling grandsons — Bubby, Mac, and Jak — call me Gramma. I am their grandma, and they call me Gramma.

My local step-grandson — Bud, whom I see only every once in a while as he lives with Patrick (his dad) and Brianna every other week — calls me Lisa. Which is what I told him he's welcome to call me. He calls Jim by his first name, too. He used our first names when we first met, when his dad was dating...

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Saturday movie brief: Catching up on contenders

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oscar nominated films

Next Sunday, February 26, the 89th Academy Awards will be televised.

And, oh, I'm so woefully unprepared.

The Academy Awards are my Super Bowl. I look forward to them every year. I don't host a party for the annual awarding of the Oscars, but my movie-loving husband and I do spend the evening in front of the television cheering on our favorites of the films and their makers — actors, directors, and otherwise — of the nominated pictures we've seen.

Which is where the "woefully unprepared" part comes in. We...

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7 benefits of being a long-distance grandparent

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I am a long-distance grandma. Have been from the beginning of my grandma gig.

The first few years I moaned and groaned ceaselessly about the miles separating me and my sweeties.

I'm now nearly nine years into grandmahood. In that time I've thankfully learned there is indeed — unbelievable as I first thought it might be — a bright side to my grandbabies living so far from me.

Following are a few such perks on which fellow long-distance grandparents just might agree.

long-distance grandparent 

 

ONE
Bathroom breaks at my house are a breeze. I never need straddle a step stool when using the toilet. Nor do I have to question who left the seat up as only two...

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