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Her is an intriguing, sensitive and thought provoking – to the point of discomfort – romance film set in the future. Writer/Director Spike Jonze (Being John Malcovich, Adaptation, Were The Wild Thing Are) expertly tilts the viewers perspective to the point that you may seriously consider standing on your head – so as to get the correct angle. In many respects Her is mesmerizing. Jonze picks junctures in Her (often the most mesmerizing) to introduce an aspect of human life that at-a-minimum will make you think and at-a-maximum will force you to shift uncomfortable in your theater chair. These sequences do not last long from a movie run-time perspective, but they will linger in your mind (and possibly in the pit of your stomach) for a while.
Joaquin Phoenix is superb as the melancholy Timothy Twombly. Phoenix (Gladiator, Signs, Walk The Line) presents a Twombly that is sensitive, caring, introverted and protective of his feelings. Twombly is at this point in his life – emotionally lost and deciding if trying to regain his self-esteem is worth the effort. Enter Her (aka Samantha) played by the voice of Scarlett Johansson. Johansson (The Horse Whisperer, Lost In Translation, Girl With The Pearl Earring) is no less effective as Phoenix. Samantha and Twombly hit it off from their first interaction. Their relationship evolves quickly – sometimes in astonishing leaps and bounds. The story covers and reveals how relationships and people grow, grow together and grow apart in both touching and unnerving fashion.
Her has a variety of scenes (many very short) that are played by top-line talent (often uncredited). It was a treat to later learn the voices behind some relatively provocative scenes. Olivia Wilde, Rooney Mara and Amy Adams – additional top-line talent – play important supporting roles.
Seeking the answer to a question can prove problematic. In Stephen Frears‘ Philomena getting an answer after 50 years of asking and not receiving one requires untold patience, perseverance and forgiveness.
Frears (My Beautiful Laundrette, High Fidelity, The Queen) is a top-notch storyteller and Philomena provides a compelling storyline and material. Add two superb lead acting performances and you will conclude Philomena covers a variety of subjects with a level of acumen few films achieve and more often than not botch.
Steve Coogan (Tropic Thunder, Night at the Museum, In The Loop) and Judi Dench (Skyfall, My Week With Marliyn, AA Shakespeare in Love) connect as the leading actors. Coogan and Jeff Pope co-wrote the screenplay adapted from the non-fiction novel by Martin Sixsmith.
Philomena is a carefully paced film that takes the time to ensure that you understand the characters and their motivations – it is worth the investment of your time.
 - Standing Tall 2014 Rose Bowl Champions © Jeffrey H. Lubeck – all rights reserved
The Rose Bowl Crowd is filing out of the stadium. A banner noting the Spartans of Michigan State hangs on the Rose Bowl. And suddenly, almost magically the designation of Champion appears. Below are images I was able to capture from our trip to the 2014 Rose Bowl.
 - Waiting for the Pep Rally to start.
 - Sparty guards the property.
 - Magic Leads the way.
 - Spirit in the crowd.
 - Taking in the basketball game.
 - Kyle, Jeff & Linda
 - Maker of ’81 and ’81
 - The Rally begins.
 - Now we are talkin Spartan spirit
 - The old TUS leg kick.
 - Ted Jr., Linda and Ted Sr.
 - Singing Spartan Shadows.
 - Dantonio urges on the crowd.
 - Captain Kirk appears.
 - Jeff, Joe Rexrode and Ted after the rally.
 - MSU Cheerleaders give TUS their best wishes for 2014.
 - Linda and The Baseball Expert at the Rose Bowl Parade.
 - The Marine Corps Marching Band kicks things off.
 - The new theme for the University of Michigan.
 - Ohio State seems to miss.
 - The best Marching Band comes onto the scene.
 - The sound can be heard by 1 million parade watchers street side.
 - Let’s get this thing going.
 - In Lock step.
 - Trophy, Tony DeMarco and Jeff and the TUS Tailgate.
 - The Rose Bowl.
 - Visited with Lloyd and Ty before the game.
 - Our seats allowed us to be up close and personal.
 - The ruling on the field stands.
 - About to receive the trophy.
 - Rose Bowl MVP Connor Cook.
 - That is the score to remember.
 - The BTN crew ready to go live.
- One of the additional benefits was that many of us crossed the United States to experience the games personally – including Maker of ’81’s train trip from Michigan to Los Angeles.
  
On our Spartan trip to Pasadena, we were able take the drive (through) The Great Basin of the Western United States and capture images from the trip. It has some history and legend to it and although I have made the trip about 30 times in my life – I never tire of the experience. The drive means; starting out by crossing the Oregon Trail (US. 20 and Idaho 75), getting to stand on the actual trail of the Pony Express (in a couple of spots on U.S. 93), venture on America’s Loneliest Road (U.S. 50), meander on portions of America’s Lincoln Highway, cross the mighty Colorado River and stand at the end of Route 66 (Main Street of America).
The trip to the Rose Bowl also included a stay and a visit to the Merry-go-round at the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. The trip also allowed to us stay with our longtime friends Brad Bescos and Marsha Connor and their two sons James and Connor while at the time getting Anthony DeMarco into the mix.
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