This weekend we had a movie weekend. Friday night I went out and bought a new DVD player (not a blu ray) but one that will connect to my big screen TV with a HDMI cable that along with the DVD player "up converts" a regular DVD to a High Definition TV set. I have decided to hold off on Blu Ray until the prices for the players and DVD's come down in a year or two. I also bought an inexpensive sound system for the TV. After I had connected them to the TV I had a great TV picture and great sound. To test it out I put on "Top Gun" and the night scene at the fort in "The Last of the Mohican's." The difference on the picture was subtle but improved and the sound was great.The picture from night scenes in movies was vastly improved
Saturday morning I put on a tie and volunteered as a judge for the high school "Mock Trial Competition" at the Jackson County Justice Building and judged two trial. I was impressed with the students. It's nice to see young people who aren't into tattoo's and wearing their hats on sideways. I must be becoming an old man but the kids gave me hope for the future.
After the Moot Court Competition my wife and I went to Tinseltown to see "The Other Boleyn Girl" The other girl was Mary Boleyn the sister of Ann Boleyn who married Henry the VIII, King of England. In 1969 there was a movie called "Ann of the Thousand Days" that I watched on DVD a few month's ago and it was very good. I liked "The Other Boleyn Girl" better and it is an interesting story of two sisters and their relationships with the King of England. I was pleasantly surprised and give it 4**** and will get it when it comes out on DVD to sit next to my copy of "Ann of the Thousand Days" Having visited the Tower of London last summer, made the story even more interesting. I love historical costume dramas.
When we got home my wife and I watched our NETFLIX DVD rental of "Becoming Jane" another historical Drama set in England about the author Jane Austin. I give this movie 4**** as well and will eventually buy it on DVD when I can get it for $10.00 or less. After my wife went to bed I fiddled with my new DVD player and eventually watched the movie a second time. The new DVD players have so many setting you can optimise the picture and sound to your TV and sound system.
Sunday after the newspapers I went outside and did some yard work. Sweeping our driveway is a never ending job. My wife trimmed our rose bushes and we did some winter clean up work. It was a nice clear day but cold. I also did some other repairs around the house and then we called our kids for our Sunday visit. We then watched another NETFLIX DVD costume Drama, "Marie Antoinette." What a disappointment. It was basically California valley girl goes to Versailles. It was the story of the historical figure but they attempted to "make it relevant" to teenagers of today and even had modern rock music in the sound track. Terrible! It was directed by Francis Ford Coppola's daughter Sofia and she made a mess of of it. I give it 2**. It will not have a place in my DVD collection. We then moved from the 1700's to the 1950's and watched "Payton Place" from my DVD collection. The movie takes place in 1941 in a New Hampshire town but the movie was made in 1957 and it is a movie of the 1950's. I liked it a lot. Thus, the weekend ended.
