One last list for 2009...

This morning the Berkshires were covered in four more inches of snow - and more is coming as I write - and the temperature was only 5 degrees Fahrenheit. I was certain that no one would be in worship - or only a handful - but there were over 55 folks of every age. What a blessing. One older gent came in COVERED in snow - inside his glasses and all over his pant legs - and when he saw me he shyly smiled and said in perfect New England deadpan: "Ok, I'll concede it is a might nippy out!"

The connections and building of community truly touched my heart and I feel blessed. And that took me into making yet one last list for 2009: the movies and shows I have watched and truly enjoyed over the past year. It will quickly become clear that I am a mystery addict - especially British mysteries - and I have a soft spot for creative sci-fi/fantasy, too.

Favorite movies of 2009: The Reader, Grand Torino and Julie and Julia. These are three very different films dealing with vastly different themes and I loved them all.

+ The Reader looks at post WWII Germany from the perspective of a young man who takes and older lover only to discover that she once worked in a concentration camp. Much like the novel it was based upon, this movie suggests that often times the most horrible realities are simply part of life and most of us do the best we can and then move on. Sometimes, however, there are ugly consequences to our poor choices and this film shows how complicated and insidious it can all become.

+ Grand Torino (perhaps my favorite Clint Eastwood movie - although Tightrope is damn fine, too, along with Bird, Unforgiven and the Gauntlet) is about an aging white anglo saxon protestant whose neighborhood has become increasingly Korean. He is aging, his wife has died and his children are too busy to pay much attention. At first it seems as if old Eastwood will just be a cranky bigot with a gun - but then he stands up for his Korean neighbors as they face increasing gang attention - and all bets are off. It is a story of love, redemption and making the best of a world we can't comprehend.

+ Julie and Julia is just plain fun: Meryl Streep is incredible but so is Stanley Touchi and the idea is lovely as well. Blogging and food, healthy relationships in a throw-away culture and New York vs. Paris: what is not to cherish? Not deep, but very satisfying to this old guy...

Other highlights this year included:

+ Where the Wild Things Are: more for adults than children but very moving with a GREAT soundtrack

+ Sherlock Holmes: lots of fun with two great actors as they rework a favorite character

+ Harry Potter 6: the plot thickens and moves towards the conclusion

+ Star Trek: totally different from the original but faithful, too, with lots of action

+ The Decalogue: the most nuanced reading of the 10 Commandments ever

+ Watchmen: visually stunning but mean-spirited and emotionally ugly

+ Wall E: a Disney eco-toon that was touching and insightful

On the smaller, home screen we found ourselves watching a variety of dramas and mysteries; clearly our favorites included:

+ House: Hugh Laurie wrestled with mortality and addiction

+ Inspector Lindley: a wounded Englishman's soul set in a fine British mystery context

+ Wallander: PBS brought this mystery series from Iceland to light with Kenneth Branaugh

+ The Last Enemy: another PBS mystery about computers, the police state and how love mucks up everything

+ Foyle's War: perhaps our favorite on-going show about a British detective in WWII England; this show points to the complexities of living through the war in the English countryside with some great characters

+ State of Play: the PBS show from England not the USA movie about the power of corporations and the importance of a free press

+ So You Think You Can Dance: art and competition in the USA with brilliant young dancers

+ Project Runway: the dance of ego, creativity and failure on the runway - with Heidi Klum to boot

+ Fringe: the wildest, most challenging sci-fi show on TV (it has taken over the spot that Battlestar Gallactia once held)

A whole lot of movie/tv time is spent with Dianne - sometimes the other women in my life, too. We are ALL cinema crazy and I love sharing time with them all this way. It has been a blessed year. It has also been hard - hard changes in our families and hard changes in the church and the economy - and still there has been deep blessing amidst all the hardness. And so... I am grateful.