The Bucket List

Seen on Tuesday.

Fantastic movie! Really makes you think about life!

Billionaire Edward Cole (Jack Nicholson) and mechanic Carter Chamber (Morgan Freeman), both suffering from cancer in terminal stage, end up as room mates in a hospital led by Edward.
As time goes by they realise that there are things they hav in common. Carter tells Edward that a teacher once told his class to write a list of things they want to do before they 'kick the bucket' - the 'Bucket List'.
Edward likes the idea and has the money, so they write the list together and start to fullfill the points.
They have a lot of fun but also moments of deep thoughts.

The movie shows in a fantastic way that you should always enjoy life and never wait for tomorrow to do something - someday there will be no tomorrow!

Website: The Bucket List

skiing on Stuhleck

On Saturday my mother and I were skiing on Stuhleck.



We weren't lucky with the weather. It was raining the whole time.
When we arrived at the valley station we decided to give it a try. After a few runs we were already wet to the bones, so we had our lunch break early.
There are two positive things about bad weather - 1st: no long waiting at the ski lift - 2nd: enough free places in the ski lodges.
After lunch we just left one last time for the valley and quit.
As usual we visited my grandparents in Gloggnitz after a short stop in Maria Schutz. It's a nice small village with a nice church and a restaurant with the biggest and tastiest crullers I know. We always get some of those after skiing.

Website: Stuhleck

Fame - The Musical

Saw it on Friday at the Stadthalle in Vienna.

Good show! Fantastic music!

The musical is not an adaption of the movie 'Fame'. The musical plays some years after the movie as you can hear from one of the teachers when she says: 'Nobody is interested in basic knowledge. Since the damn movie we are just the Fame-High-School!'

I think there could have been a better storyline. One student has problems with reading and another quits school to become famous in L.A. but dies in the end because of drug abuse. I missed a real continuous thread and so it felt a bit like there was no solid line to follow.

It's worth to be seen anyway.

Website: Stadthalle

I Am Legend

Seen on Friday.

The movie gives a terrifying scenario of the world's future. Scientists have mutated a virus so it kills cancer. This 'salvation' doesn't last long. The virus breaks out and the caused epidemic turns humans to some kind of zombies.
Robert Neville (Will Smith) a brilliant scientist seems to be the only survivor and is somehow immune. He keeps up trying to find an antidote while fighting against the upcomming mental problems due to lonelyness. His only company is his dog Samantha and the liveless manakins in the stores.
The feelings of Robert Neville come out very good!

The only thing I didn't understand in the movie was the part when he recorded on his log that the infected people lost the rest of their social behavior. There are clear signs of social behavior in the way they act. They have some kind of leader and work together.

I liked the movie anyway!

Website: I Am Legend

Happy New Year

My best wishes to all my readers and everybody else on our beautiful planet a happy new year!
May 2008 be more peaceful and a good year for all of us!

Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Seen on Saturday.

Very good movie!
I don't know for sure if it's historically correct but I think it's not too far away from reality.

Plot:

Elizabeth: The Golden Age finds Queen Elisabeth I (Cate Blanchett) facing bloodlust for her throne and familial betrayal.
Growing keenly aware of the changing religious and political tides of the late 16th century Europe, Elizabeth finds her rule openly challenged by the Spanish King Philip II (Jordi Molla) with his powerful army and sea-dominating armada determined to restore England to Catholicism.

Website: Elizabeth - The Golden Age

Bee Movie

Saw it yesterday.

Great one! Very funny!

Bees really do have a hard life making honey all their life which is then robbed by humans or bears. ;-)

There is also an important message in the story. Everyone does even with the smallest tasks something for the big whole. If the smallest wheel didn't turn the complete system wouldn't work.

It also shows that you can become more than the others tell you. Keep reaching for the stars!

I loved it!

Website: Bee Movie

Christmas celebration

This year our family Christmas celebration was once again at our place.
Preperations were a bit stressful from time to time but the work really was worth it.

The Christmas tree was wonderfull. It's the straightest one I've ever found. The prices for the trees are rather high in my opinion. Our tree cost 25 Euros, an artificial one of the same size would cost about 50 and would pay of in the second year. But the beauty and warmth of mother natures real trees is just too sovereign and so we will stay with the real ones. Julia did a great job with the decoration.



The times before we had raclette but this year we decided to try it with cold cuts. It was excelent and more than enough. A great plus of cold cuts instead of raclette is the lack of intense smell.



And here are two photos of our beautiful window decoration. Julia just bought the one for the small window this year. Looks great!



I guess it was a wonderful celebration for everyone. To bad my granny couldn't come, but she had some serious pain in her back.

Merry Christmas!

I wish everybody all around the world a very merry Christmas and a peacefull time!

This should be time of freedom and without anger!

Peace to the world!!!

Picture by Thomas Kinkade

games convention in Eisenstadt

Yesterday we have been at a small games convention in Eisenstadt. Not too big but very nice and of course not too many people.
A week ago there would have been a big one in Vienna but we didn’t have the time for that one. But I am sure that the one in Vienna was filled with people and really loud inside. So it was better to go to this one I think.

First we played ‘Jenseits von Theben’. A great board game!

You are an archeologist and have to earn knowledge by travelling and collection points in form of books, assistants and the people at the excavation sites. Then you have to go to the sites and ‘dig’ for archeological finds. As soon as you have collected enough finds you may organize exhibitions and collect additional points.


Second game was ‘Cluedo – Geheimnisse’. Pure fun!

In this version of Cluedo you can choose one of 50 secrets to solve. You have to go to the suspects’ houses and collect the hints which you write to your file until you know who did it and where the delinquent is hiding.

It was a great and funny day!