After watching the Oscars, Up was the one movie I said, “We really need to see this!” I’m sure the Hurt Locker and Precious are impressive, but I don’t think I need to see that much misery at this point in life.Up is fabulous. I love Pixar. And how cool is it that Russell (the little boy) is Asian-American? We love the part where Carl tells him, “Let’s play Who Can Stay Quiet the Longest.” and he replies, “My mom loves that game!”
I read two books last week.
Presenting to Win, for the Business Book Club I run at work. Great strategy concepts as well as a whole list of very practical tips for PowerPoint slide building. Example – use Wipe Right for slide transitions. Never use Wipe Left unless you’re trying to show something dissonant that should displease the audience. Western audiences in particular are accustomed to see motion going from left to right as positive. (edited)
The second book was Sean Astin’s autobiography. Sean played Samwise Gamgee in The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the lead role in Rudy, among many films, and it was an interesting behind the scenes story of an actor who has grown up in Hollywood. He’s momentually insecure, which is a little irritating, but he’s an engaging writer and terrific actor.Another thing I really enjoyed was the descriptions of the life and work partnership of director/writers Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh. I love seeing a glimpse of their creative teamwork.
And that wraps this week (month, year?)’s issue of Watching, Reading, Looking.








