A Very Long Engagement

Scott already quipped that they should have called it A Very Long Movie instead. I hate to admit it, but he's right. I like Jeunet, I like Audrey Tatou, but I hate this film. Too long, too slow, too muddled. If you want to show a fantasy, I don't need to see quite so many people get maimed and murdered so graphically. If you want to comment on the horrors of war, then maybe you should stay away from some of the snide, inappropriate humor. And if you want me to enjoy the film, perhaps you could make the heroine a little less self-absorbed and a little more sympathetic. I disliked her so much that by the end of the film I was hoping that her lover was dead so as to withhold from her the satisfaction of seeing him again.

Yuk.

7 years have passed

"We are here to remember..."

Discovering Dickens

I've never read any Dickens other than A Christmas Carol. Sure, I've started a few of them, but never made it very far. I've also heard that Hard Times isn't one of his best, but I'm going to give this a shot anyway. Maybe the serial format will do something for me that lugging around all his words at once does not.

T.G.I. December

Key West, Fla.- The "Pirates in Paradise Festival," which takes place annually in Key West, is getting a new highlight this year - an "Official End of Florida's Hurricane Season Party."

The celebration, which commemorates Key West's maritime heritage, takes place Thursday, Nov. 25, through Sunday, Dec. 5. The island city was settled in the early 1800s and later became home to seafarers including fishermen, rumrunners, shipwreck rescuers and scavengers.

The hurricane party will take place Tuesday, Nov. 30, the day the National Hurricane Center deems the close of the 2004 storm season. Four storms battered Florida in September and October, and although the Keys were evacuated in anticipation of trouble, the island chain was spared major damage.

Events will include a window-taping contest carried out by blindfolded participants, dart- throwing at storm maps and a relay race to gather hurricane supplies. Admission to the party at El Meson de Pepe, 410 Wall St., is free.

Attendees are asked to contribute canned goods and supplies to be donated to hurricane victims in the Caribbean.

Shows will feature historic re-enactments, storytelling and other games and exhibits. Go to www.piratesinparadise.com or call 305-296-9694.

© 2004 The Plain Dealer.