Les Misérables Movie -- A Quick Review

I've liked the stage production of Les Misérables for a long time (although I haven't always appreciated the attempts to freshen it up in succeeding productions), so I was looking forward to the movie version. Here's a mini-review by someone who doesn't do this for a living, but has seen his fair share of Broadway musicals and movie adaptations.

Carolyn and I enjoyed it. I guess critics aren't jumping up and down, but it is, after all, a musical, and an iconic one at that, and critics seldom jump up and down, except in little fits of pique, about movie musicals. It was an enjoyable evening with mostly solid to outstanding performances.

Russell Crowe was better than I expected, pretty good and certainly better than some critical reviewers gave (or denied) him credit for. Hugh Jackman was fine, better as his character aged (his convict period didn't do much for me). I wanted to give Anne Hathaway (Fantine) a standing ovation, despite being in a crowded theater. Amanda Seyfried has a beautiful voice and Samantha Barks made a great Eponine. The boys, Marius (Eddie Redmayne) and Enjolrus (Aaron Tveit) were both strong. Helena Bonham Carter was very good as Madame Thénardier and paired well with a decent Sacha Baron Cohen. I never bought the kid who played Gavroche (Daniel Huttlestone), but maybe that's me.

I do wonder if they couldn't have improved the male roles, especially, with less well-known actors, but that's a quibble and wasn't as distracting as you might think, although I always knew I was watching Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. They never transformed into their characters like Anne Hathaway and the other female actors did.

Happy Holidays One & All

Holiday Newsletter, Volume XIV                       December, 2012   

Happy Holidays to one and all as we ring out 2012 and look forward to 2013. Time continues to pass quickly and we’re thankful for each day and our many blessings of health, friends & family.

I was flattered that the Saul Mirowitz Jewish Community School (SMJCS) worked hard to manipulate my schedule to make it possible for me to continue coaching softball at Webster (where the varsity finished with a 23-2 record and a top 10 ranking in the area; the JV had a good year, too). I’m teaching a combination 6-7 humanities (English and history) class, plus numerous multi-grade (6-8) social studies and language arts electives, almost a full-time job. SMJCS is optimistic that we’ll have an even larger middle school next year, but I’m hopeful that I can get a little less time-intensive schedule.

Our health is good and we continue to enjoy evenings at the Fox and the Rep. Carolyn is especially happy with the newly renovated WG Library so she can keep supplied with books. Our annual summer stay on the Gulf Beaches was sandwiched around an exhausting four days at Disney World, with a full agenda planned by Becca. We look forward to a briefer visit next summer as we check off items on her ever-expanding list of desired attractions and events.

Carolyn treasures her time with Becca, usually picking her up three days a week after school. I get home as soon as I can. We love being able to watch her grow. Becca started kindergarten at TCS (The College School) and it’s been a good fit for her. There was one minor incident that required a communication from her teacher; when Nicci tried to discuss it with her the next day, Becca said, “I know Mom, I already read the e-mail.”

Carolyn now uses her iPad and e-mail regularly. Both of us are on Facebook, or you can e-mail us at csb8870@yahoo.com or bobberndt@charter.net. I continue to blog and post sporadically at a new location (which you've obviously found if you're reading this): bobberndt.blogspot.com; peruse at your peril.

Ben’s job at Centene as a software security engineer is going well (and while he's handy, that's NOT him at left), with ever increasing responsibilities. Nicci continues to work part-time at a friend and former colleague’s UPS store, which works out well for all. Her RA is occasionally problematical, but she soldiers on. She is active at The College School and with Girl Scouts for Becca.

My dad died in April at 91 after a long period of grief over my mother. His health declined rapidly in the Fall and Winter as he bounced between the Health Center, the ER at St. Anthony’s and the apartment into which he moved from his cottage in January. He never quite accepted his contributions to his sons and our families, but we will all remember and appreciate him.

We are truly blessed. Please accept our best wishes for healthy and happy 2012. Peace, Shalom, Salaam.

On Guns & Safety

For obvious reasons, the issue of guns, regulation, availability, safety, etc. has reared its head (again) and demanded our attention (again).

Disclaimer: I belong to a minority so small we don’t even have a support group: American males who have never fired a gun (not even a BB gun). Neither do I feel particularly deprived, either culturally or emotionally, by my utter lack of experience in this area. Clearly I don’t have any skin in the game of gun rights, so it’s easy for me to come down on the side of increased regulation. And I recognize I’m wading into (for me) uncharted and dangerous waters, almost certainly outgunned.
 

That being said, I have some questions that (to me) are based on logic about guns in the home. I understand how people believe they are needed for the protection of family, hearth and home. But if you have children in the home, surely you keep your guns locked away, preferably with a trigger lock, and unloaded. (One experience I do have, sadly, very sadly, is attending the funeral of a child who was accidentally killed with his father’s handgun. It was over a decade ago and the family has yet to recover. He was a good kid, just a teenager showing his Dad’s gun to a friend.) Aren’t those the recommended safety procedures? Isn’t that why they sell gun safes at Cabella’s?

So my question is this: In the event of a home invasion of some kind, how much protection is this weapon? Under the stress of the moment, you’d have to retrieve your weapon, load it, unlock it and then accurately fire at the intruder(s) who probably make their living as armed criminals and also probably are in close proximity to your family. I prefer my odds with submission to almost any and all demands. Maybe you don’t, and my (serious) question is this, given the parameters laid out above (safe storage of firearms), how much help is this weapon, especially if, while you’ve been retrieving your weapon, your family is literally under the gun?

Admittedly I don’t live in a neighborhood where there have been lots of home invasions, or even burglaries. Quite frankly, neither do most of you, but never mind that. I do have an alarm system. But I don’t believe I can do much beyond that precaution that wouldn’t endanger my family more than protect it. Again, I admit that giving me a firearm of any stripe would make more of a danger to myself and loved ones than to any professional (or probably even amateur) criminal. It seems to me that the odds of an accident (I have a decorated police officer friend who shot his dishwasher, although not fatally) are better than the odds of thwarting an armed intruder. If their goal is my destruction, I don't like my chances, armed or not. If their goal is my property, they’re welcome to it.

Let me be clear. I am NOT trying to take away anyone’s right to own weapons for protection or recreation. I’m a realist, and while no guns in anyone’s house wouldn’t bother me, I recognize that there’s zero chance of that happening in America, although I’ve yet to hear a convincing argument for the right to own assault weapons or extended cartridges (if that’s the proper terminology). However, neither am I convinced that turning your home into an armed fortress is really a reasonable or, more importantly, safe, alternative.

It probably goes without saying I’m not a fan of arming teachers, although it might have the unintended consequence of improving classroom discipline. I’m pretty sure just drawing the weapon would quiet a class pretty quickly. As noted, I’m a realist, so I’m under no illusion that I’m going to change anyone’s mind on the issue, but I do think I’ve posed a reasonable question. I’d like to hear reasonable answers.

Berndt's Rules o' Life, 2.0

I've transferred my blogs from my old site to this new one. The old bobberndt.multiply.com is no longer accessible. In any case, I can't just not write and share my thoughts, whether they're welcome or not.

Although I may have borrowed ideas from others, the phrasing, for the most part, (except #21) is my own.

I think this list is nearing an upgrade....

1	You don't get a discount on the Happy Meal just because you're not….
2	Being "right" is over-rated….
3	Love increases in direct proportion to usage.
4	Better to ask forgiveness than permission.
5	Find satisfaction in achieving the best result possible instead of frustration over failing to achieve the best possible result.
6	There's no "undo key" for life.
7	Don't worry about what other people think about you, because, in fact, they're not really thinking about you.
8	Most people are capable of redemption, but only if you allow it.
9	If one sincere apology isn't enough, forgiveness isn't really on the agenda (Okay, maybe two).
10	Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
11	Just because you don't like the answer doesn't make it wrong.
12	Being correct and being wrong are NOT mutually exclusive.
13	If you're both the host and guest of honor at a Pity Party, don't expect a large turnout.
14	Although your body offers numerous hints, it's when your mind stops growing that marks the beginning of the end.
15	You never know the limits of your reach until you fall on your face.
16	Go where you're invited, stay away from where you're not.
17	If you can't like yourself, what's the point for anyone else?
18	Be a good audience.
19	Admitting that you are/were wrong is both cathartic and liberating.
20	If you can never be satisfied, don't be surprised when people stop trying.
21	Wherever you go, there you are.*
22	It's just so much easier to tell the truth in the first place.
23	Stereotyping victimizes both the typee and typer.
24	Just because you agree with me doesn't mean I'm right. **
25	If you insist on seeing the glass half-empty (or less), don't be surprised if someone just drinks the rest.
26	The loudest voice has no more claim to truth than the softest.
27	It's way easier to fix the flaws in others than deal with your own.
28	You can always find something to complain about, but I'm not sure how that's helpful to anyone.
29	People will generally live up to or down to your expectations.
30	If you want to make a fresh start, it will require more than a change in location.
31	If you've never offended anyone, it's likely you've never said or done anything worth thinking about.
32	If someone really wants your advice or opinion, they'll ask.
33	Hey, if you're going to nurse a grudge, at least make it over something life-altering.
34	Pay yourself first.
35	You're welcome to borrow or revise any of these, but you're better off with your own list; it is, after all, YOUR life.
36	Always leave room for one more….
	*Apparently stolen from Confucius. Who knew? I thought I was using something from "Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension."
	**The converse is also true.