Beautiful Girls

Watched Beautiful Girls again last night. What a classic movie. Maybe only because it hits so close to home. This is a tale of coming home, and finding that everything you remember is exactly how you remember it. And finding that while you don't feel any older or different, going home shows exactly how different you have become. Sometimes it takes that going-home experience to shake us out of our funk. And in this case, having one of the old-timers come back home and wrestle with his identity is enough for the locals to realize that they too need to keep moving on. All this and a stirring rendition of Neil Diamonds Sweet Caroline. What could be better
4-stars

Just finished reading Eragon and Eldest. A great start to a trilogy that I can now finish with the recent release of Brisingr. Dwarves, Elves, Dragons and Magic are always a good combination in my book. But as I was reading this rendition, there is some really good, rational articulation of Just War theory as Eragon completes his training. It got me to thinking, what would a fantasy novel look like based on non-violence and pacifism. Is it possible to develop conflict and resolution in a story arc in a fantasy series without war. Is it possible to show the conflict between good and evil, and resolve that conflict without resorting to death? Or is that just one long, boring dialogue that no one would read.
In any event, what makes the first two books of this trilogy appealing? Brom (the mystery and intrigue about who this man is), Arya-Eragon (will they be able to love), the werecat's prophecy (it was not fulfilled at the first encounter of the Menoa tree), the constant images of a dragon walking, Eragon's potential (scrying from his dreams?), Eragon's future (leaving forever - how can this in any way lead to a satisfying ending), rational elves and mystic dwarves. So for now (until the third book is read)
4-stars