Movies I Love, Part VII: Woodstock

The other night out to dinner with friends we got to talking about films that changed people’s lives. Obviously the discussion was fostered by the Idea Festival’s summer endeavor, a film festival showing a number of such films submitted by the public. The chosen movies to be culled from suggestions submitted.

One of our dinner gang mentioned “The Harder They Come” and “Gandhi.” He thought both flicks taught him the same lesson about perseverance in the face of oppression. Legit topics which can be discussed at another time. That’s not my purpose here.

Another mentioned “Woodstock.”

The suggestion resonated. Since hearing of the Idea Festival’s challenge I hadn’t really come up with any movie that I could say with any legitimacy changed my life. ( I do remember being fascinated with Red Skelton in “Excuse My Dust,” saw it any number of times. But, hey, I was only six. And I don’t think it changed my life.) But the mention of Michael Wadleigh’s 1970 documentary of the seminal music festival in upstate New York the summer before struck a chord. Read the rest of this entry »

Home At Last

My first night in my first house was nearly my last.

Overly exhausted from the stress and excitement of the move — a house and two condos into one — I couldn’t sleep. I got up in the middle of the night and hauled empty packing boxes to the basement.

On my second or third trip, I slipped and fell down the steep flight of steps.

The back of my neck grazed a concrete abutment during the fall.

As I lay on the floor at the bottom of the stairs, I immediately thought of a friend of Joanie’s who had a similar accident just weeks before. His head crashed against an abutment. He went into a coma, soon to pass away.

I was grateful to be alive. And unscathed. Read the rest of this entry »

Has The Apocalypse Arrived At Valhalla?

Is this what the apocalypse looks like? Is Valhalla, Louisville’s premier sports venue for the autumn, finally living up to its name?

I’m compelled to ask after observing the reaction of Louisville upon receiving the news that He Who Would Be The Tiger won’t be coming to the Ryder Cup. Read the rest of this entry »