Other Interests

Just a note on my identity line "What I see, defines me": What I choose to see, is unique to me, and so, in a sense, it defines me. But also, I interact with what I see, integrate it into who I am, and in that way too, it defines me. The photo at right, is an expression of who I am--the places I put myself in, the things I see; the tip of a continent, and grasses, kissed by the day's last rays. The movies I see, define me in these ways too. So, I offer the following as a (partial) expression of who I am, and what has influenced my becoming.

Foreign (English subtitles)

I saw these outstanding (IMHO) movies in the past year or two
(they aren't necessarily new, just new to me):

Opal Dream (Australia)
House of Sand (Brazil) *
Monsieur Ibrahim (France) *
Mostly Martha (Germany) *
Water (India) *
Children of Heaven (Iran)
The Color of Paradise (Iran)
A Long Walk (Japan) *
The Story of the Weeping Camel (Mongolia)

* not suitable for children. Disclaimer: My children (ages 8 and 9) watched and enjoyed Opal Dream, The Color of Paradise, and The Story of the Weeping Camel. But they are reading books tagged for the 9-12 age range, and are bright children, attentive to the human spirit. They also like the Air Bud movies, so they're not perfect.

The movies by Majid Majida (Iran) are more than a window into an important culture; they are artistically exquisite and bring literary devices like metaphor and imagery to the visual medium, reminding me of Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's contribution in Merchant-Ivory productions such as Howard's End.

Foreign English and Foreign with Subtitles

If I dig further back, I also liked Monsoon Wedding (India), Muriel's Wedding (Australian), and Four Weddings and a Funeral (UK). And I liked some movies that didn't have Wedding in the title. Like My Left Foot (UK), Duma (South Africa) and Rabbit Proof Fence (Australia). More... some other time...

Green Movies

Arctic Tale, 2007.

Movies I like and relate to architects/architecting/architecture

Building architects:

My Architect: A Son's Journey (about Louis Kahn), 2003.
Sketches of Frank Gehry by Sydney Pollack, 2005.

Nash Equilibrium: Bar scene, A Beautiful Mind, 2001.

Rallying Call: "With all due respect, gentlemen, I believe this will be NASA's finest hour." Apollo 13, 1995.

Leaders tell Stories: Saving Private Ryan, 1999.

The End Depends on the Beginning: Emperor's Club, 2002.

Overcoming Resistance: Amazing Grace, 2007.

More... some other time...