Hail, Caesar!

Movie:
Rebecca (my older daughter) and I went to see “Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes” yesterday afternoon.  Bec thought it was “entertaining” and I really enjoyed it.  Bec has seen the 2001 re-boot version starring Mark Wahlberg, but she’s never seen the original starring Charlton Heston.
Prior to the movie, we reviewed my personal criteria for deciding if a movie is any good.  Sci-Fi = plus;  Action = plus;  Comic book hero = plus;  Saturday cartoon star = wash;  Actors I like = plus;  Good acting (somewhat to very believable in role) = big plus;  Special effects (either new or old but used well) = plus;  No slap you in the face stupid plot holes = plus;  The story hangs together internally = not too choppy from all of the previous points = plus; “X” factor (likability)= plus.
So here’s the movie:  baby ape gets brains, baby ape joins family;  ape gets taste of freedom;  ape defends family;  ape goes to jail for defending family;  ape wants to be back home;  ape gets bullied;  ape wups on bully and becomes head ape;  apes escape;  apes fight humans for freedom (and win, audience cheers);  humans all die from playing around with science – the old “some things are not meant to be controlled by man” theme.
Did I just spoil the movie for you?  Not really, ’cause I didn’t tell you anything you couldn’t have gotten from the title.  Well, anyway, it’s a darn good movie and I highly recommend it!  In case you’re wondering about my personal criteria: there is no comic book hero or Saturday cartoon star, but other than that, the movie met or exceeded all of my criteria.
Poem:
Today’s poem (“song lyrics”) is “Southern State Of Mind” as performed by Darius Rucker.  This isn’t a tune I’ve heard a million times (yet), but it is one which I loved the first time I heard it and which I’m starting to wear out.  It’s just a great song about being relaxed and polite and just okay.  I’ve started waving to people from my car and I know they think I’m crazy!  (But most smile and wave back!)
Other bits and bobs:
Today I was looking back through one of my comments and found a link to a guy who is running a year long maze / blogging marathon.  Each day he posts a different maze for you to look at.  The site is called “mazeaday“.  He started it in June.  Go check it out.  He includes a quote with each maze and some are good, so I’ll be “borrowing” them in the next few days.
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Why Were You Sent?

Jesus was not sent here to teach the people to build magnificent churches and temples amidst the cold wretched huts and dismal hovels.  …He came to make the human heart a temple, and the soul an altar, and the mind a priest.
—    Kahlil Gibran
From:  “Secrets of the Heart“
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