Snippets:
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Music: Kaki King. Plays guitar with provocative style. Heard on the radio playing Mountainstage (Week after 7/29 - Rebroadcast from Oct 2004)
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Music: Swingadelic. From Hoboken, NJ. Plays a mixture of swing, jazz, jump blues, and some Latin sounds. Leader: Dave Post. Albums (Swing-a-Delic!, 1999 and Organ-ized! 2002) lack the spirit of life perfmances. Saw in Hoboken on 7/14/05.
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DVD: Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002). w/ Mike Myers, Beyonce Knowles, Michael Caine. Directed by Jay Roach. Third in the series of Austin Powers films. Lots of cameo appearances. Silly, sometimes gross. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
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Transportation: Goethals Bridge connects Staten Island and New Jersey (I-287). Memorial to Major General George W. Goethals, builder of the Panama Canal. History of the bridge.
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Beaches: Point Pleasant Beach, NJ. Other New Jersey Beaches.
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Parks: Holmdel Park, NJ with Longstreet Farm, a historic farm (~1890) that includes the Holmes-Hendrickson House with lavish interior.
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Video: The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993). Writing credits: Tim Burton (story) Michael McDowell (adaptation). First full-length stop-motion animated film ever created. Musical. The people of Halloweentown, and their king, Jack Skellington, discover that people outside their world celebrate Christmas. An attempt to stage a Christmas show of their owntheir own almosts leads to desaster. Kitschy. Overall rating 4 out of 10.
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DVD: In the Bedroom (2001). Tom Wilkinson, Sissy Spacek, Nick Stahl, Marisa Tomei. Maine college boy involved with older woman is killed by jealous husband. His parents grieve, and then take things in their own hands when the murder trials does not go to their liking. Dramatic. Somber. Sloooow! Nicely assembled, great cinematography, but too boring over long stretches. Could have made more out of that story. Overall rating 5 out of 10.
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DVD: Ray (2004) w/ Jamie Foxx, Kerry Washington. 155 min. Movie about life and career of Ray Charles (1930-2004), his music, heroin addiction, and personal relationships. Movie was shot with continuous advice of Charles himself. Foxx is a perfect copy and received an Oscar in 2005 for 'Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role'. Story is structured clearly and well told, but film is a bit lengthy. One needs to like the music to favor the movie. Overall rating: 6 out of 10.
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Shopping: Jokers. German Internet bookstore with good prices, but limited selection. Restseller (In German).
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Recreation: Country Fair Entertainment Park, Long Island (LIE, Exit 64). Miniture Golf, Go-Kart Racing, Batting Cages, Driving Range, Wildernis Area.
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DVD: Gandhi (1982). 188 min. w/ Ben Kingsley as Mohandas K. Gandhi. Directed by Richard Attenborough. Music by Ravi Shankar. Biography of the man that brought India to independence. Inspiring in picture and word. Superb performance by Kinksley. Great cinematography. Won 8 Oscars in 1983, including best picture. Overall rating: 9 out of 10.
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DVD: Spiderman 2 (2004). w/ Tobey Maguire (Spider-Man/Peter Parker), Kirsten Dunst (Mary Jane Watson). Directed by Sam Raimi. Spiderman continues to fight evil, then quits to live a normal life, but realizes that heroes like him are needed in this world. Nothing more than an action comic book. Some good special effects, but don't look for any logic in the plot. Dunst, though quite good looking, remains the second worst actress after Nicole Kidman. Overall rating: 4 out of 10.
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