Watch This, Not That

I've been on one of my mad shopping sprees lately. I finally achieved a BJs run, which had me buying manic things like a mop, blueberries, and dishwashing detergent. Crazy, I know, but it has been about five or six years since I've done this.

That was on Friday. Yesterday, I went to the library and was reminded anew of why I love the library so much - there's so much cool stuff there and you don't buy any of it. In fact, you aren't allowed to buy any of it.

I rented two videos, "Moonrise Kingdom" and "Hope Springs."

If your viewing time is curtailed, I advise "Moonrise Kingdom." I suspect both were books and that they were better as books. I like the direction on "Moonrise" and the quirky sets and costumes. It also tells a tale that's unusual, about two unusual young teens. The boy is a Khaki Scout. The girl comes from a family with three younger brothers and parents who are quirky as well. They are both attorneys and insist on addressing each other as "counselor". The boy and girl find each others as pen pals although they both live on the island on New Penzance.

Boy and Girl decide to run away. The boy has it all together, as does the girl, and the grown-ups are floundering caricatures, flummoxed when it comes to dealing with these two unfathomable children.

It's very simple, though. The kids just want to love and be loved by someone.

"Hope Springs" is familiar territory - a marriage of 31 years, floundering, dying due to lack of attention, being strangled by fear. The outcome is the unusual part of it.