I didn’t get around to watching The Cider House Rules until 2001, long after I had added it to my must-see list after Michael Caine (one of my favorite actors) won an Oscar. The Cider House Rules also won Best Adapted Screenplay, well deserved when you consider that writer John Irving removed two characters, various subplots, and shortened the time span of the novel by 15 years. Anyway, at the time I was in the process of getting three dental fillings replaced. I also had some $1 movie rental coupons that were soon to expire. A movie marathon was just the ticket for getting my mind off everything that was happening in my mouth. Now this is the part where I tie in everything I mentioned about the movie. The $1 movie rental coupons reflect the thrift-focused time period of the movie. My dental work reflects the fear of dated and risky medical procedures. The Oscar win for Michael Caine reflects that my love for his work is justified. And I mentioned when I saw the film because I feel bad that I didn’t see it sooner. The Cider House Rules is a great film that touches on morality, law, idealism, pragmatism, and how the human condition (its emotion and frailty, combined with those odd little turns life gives us) can make us question it all.
On Sunday, October 28th I had a tables at Spokane's first Little Con of Horrors. I had the pleasure of carpooling over with Matt Youngmark. His company made the long hours of the trip there and back go by quickly. Link to photos of sketches drawn at the event here.
