Tim and Amber

District 9

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 02:04:00 +0000

I saw an impressive film last night, easily the best movie I've seen in a while, that captured me with its creative film style, superb acting, and powerful message--the incredibly low budget film District 9. This movie, produced by "Lord of the Rings" director Peter Jackson, was made for half the budget of this summer's Adam Sandler comedy "Funny People" and for 5 million less than the low budget hit "The Hang Over" and yet had effects that were far more natural and impressive than the cheese-ball Transformers movies and featured actors who, while new and not yet famous, were compelling, engaging, and natural. When the movie came to a close and the credits began to roll, my friends and the audience I was sitting with while watching the film, sat for a moment in stunned silence only to break that quiet with accolates for how impressed they all were. On the surface, the film's premise seems absurd, but it is told in such a creative fashion and the characters, plot twists, and tensions are so interesting that the film ultimately succeeds in a big way.

The movie opens with documentary-style interviews, filling in viewers of the backstory: twenty years ago an alien ship loses an essential piece of equipment, becomes stranded over the South African city of Johannesburg and, after no aliens come out of the ship, military fly up to the ship, break in and find alien beings malnurished, leaderless, and scared. Initially these aliens are housed in a government camp inside Johannesburg called District 9, but soon, due to overcrowding and militarization, this area becomes a shanty town slum and the creatures, derogatorily name "prawns" by the rest of the world, are viewed as a nuisance and a danger. As a result, the private company Multinational United (MNU), which specializes in weapons research and security subcontracting, was assigned to govern the area. I know -- odd concept for a film, huh? This is all introduced in the first few minutes of the film.

The movie then takes a turn as it follows an awkward and geeky MNU field operative named Wikus van der Merwe who is assigned to lead a team to evict and move the 1.8 million aliens to a new "District 10" camp located 240 km from Johannesburg. As he and others interact with these creatures, you see their apathy, indifference, and prejudice, but, as the film ensues and complications erupt, Wikus goes through an identity crisis and is thrust into a unique position to change the world.

Beyond the sheer fun of the film, one thing that struck me was how this movie communicated a powerful message about the evils of discrimination in a far more effective way than films like those of Spike Lee could. While Spike Lee's films have been critically acclaimed for their power to speak about discrimination, often the people who see those films already agree with his point of view--he's preaching to the choir, so to speak. This movie, however, has a much larger and diverse audience and has the opportunity to communicate the evils of prejudice in a creative and unexpected way to those who really need to hear it.

Other critics have been ecstatic and have raved about this film. I found some reviews on Wikipedia: "Sara Vilkomerson of The New York Observer writes, 'District 9 is the most exciting science fiction movie to come along in ages; definitely the most thrilling film of the summer; and quite possibly the best film I've seen all year.' Christy Lemire from the Associated Press was impressed by the plot and thematic content, claiming that 'District 9 has the aesthetic trappings of science fiction but it's really more of a character drama, an examination of how a man responds when he's forced to confront his identity during extraordinary circumstances.' Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum described it as '...madly original, cheekily political, [and] altogether exciting...'"

If you get an opportunity, see this movie -- you won't be disappointed.

Time on the Beach

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 01:48:00 +0000

Imagine laying on a sandy beach, the sun shimmers on the water and glints light onto the sailboats and paddle boats in the distance. People around you stretch out on towels tanning, sit under umbrellas burying their noses in books, or simply look out at the children splashing in the water. The sound of waves undulates behind the cry of seagulls and the murmur of laughter and conversation of the other beach visitors.

Is this some distant Caribbean paradise? No -- it’s Crystal Lake, Illinois! After living in Crystal Lake for eight months, we decided this afternoon to explore the area that gives our town its name—the lake. I experienced incredible surprise that our home lies 5 minutes away from this rather expansive lake with a sandy beach, boat rentals, a swimming area, and concessions. Amber, Makayla and I took a paddle boat out and glided along the shore looking at the impressively colossal lake houses. Makayla pretended to fish off the back of the boat, catching and releasing loose blades of grass that she called her fish. Later, we returned to shore, watched Makayla splash and swim, and then all sat on our family beach towel as Makayla made sand castles and we looked out at the boats on the water. I only wish I had brought my phone or camera so I could take a picture of it, but I guess I’ll just have to capture the moment next time. What a great asset to our little home.

Ocean City 2009 Video

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 22:26:00 +0000

Here's some pics and video of our fun time in Ocean City, NJ. Enjoy!

Ocean City 2009

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Tue, 21 Jul 2009 20:37:00 +0000

Here are some pictures from our vacation to Ocean City, NJ -- we're all having a great time with the family.

Dancing Queen

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Sat, 04 Apr 2009 11:39:00 +0000

Here's some video of Makayla doing one of her favorite activities -- dancing! Watch her as she practices at home and then jams with Amber's cousin's kids, Megan and Brooke. She is one bundle of joy :)

Playtime with Makayla

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Thu, 02 Apr 2009 16:04:00 +0000

Here are some recent video clips of Makayla playing at home -- enjoy!

Makayla Summer and Early Fall '08

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 02:03:00 +0000

Here are some recent pics of Makayla -- she is so spirited, fun, and cute, we can barely stand it :)

Makayla in Action 2008

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Mon, 23 Jun 2008 05:13:00 +0000

Here are some flicks from 3 relatively recent trips - a trip to a nearby gym in February, a trip to the Lincoln Park Zoo with Dad a few weeks ago in June, and a trip to Brooke's birthday party in a gym just a couple weekends ago. I'm amazed at how daring Makayla is sometimes. She is one fun-filled, caring, and lovable 2.5-year-old! We love you, Makayla!

Makayla Photos from Summer through Winter

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Sat, 09 Feb 2008 05:16:00 +0000

Wow. It's been a long time since I've included anything on this blog, so I figured I'd at least update some of the photos on here. Here is a slideshow of several cute pictures of Makayla that were taken during the past several months. Enjoy!

Harvest Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 05:33:00 +0000

We have already done a bunch of harvest activities over the past couple weeks. We've gone to Crystal Lake's Johnny Appleseed Festival, Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm, and Spring Valley Nature Center's Harvest Festival. Here are a few clips from our fun-filled days.

Makayla Plays and Reads

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Fri, 21 Sep 2007 02:46:00 +0000

Makayla has really been growing so quickly over the past month and we've tried to capture a few little moments on video. Here she is pretending to ride an ATV, jumping on the bed, digging in the woodchips at the park, running and jumping outside, and reading. Enjoy!

Grandma's Birthday Rap

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 20:28:00 +0000

Amber, Andrea, Joe and I put a little rap video together to the music of "Fresh Prince of Bel Air" for Amber's Grandmom's 83rd birthday. Check it out! One of my favorite parts is the very last bloopers scene at the end of the movie -- it's a little slapstick humor that everyone can enjoy :)

Shedd Aquarium

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 05:54:00 +0000

While Mom, Amber, Makayla and I went to the Shedd Aquarium, I shot some video with our new camera. I just got a chance to put some of the video together using the new iMovie, which has a direct means of publishing to YouTube -- convenient! Check it out when you get a chance.

Shedd Aquarium 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Thu, 16 Aug 2007 15:13:00 +0000

Mom, Amber, Makayla and I went to the Shedd Aquarium for free and afterwards had dinner at Penny's, our favorite Thai restaurant. We had a great time -- enjoy the photos!

Makayla's 2007 Summer Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:34:00 +0000

Makayla has had a lot of fun this summer and we've captured some of those moments on video. Here's a little video with clips of her playing in our backyard sprinkler, at the Morton Arboretum, and at the Chicago Children's Museum set to the music "Summertime" by the Sundays. Make sure you see her attempt to hopscotch at the end :) Enjoy!

Summer 2007 Fun

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Mon, 23 Jul 2007 04:33:00 +0000

Amber, Makayla and I have continued to have fun this summer going on a variety of summer trips--California to visit Dave, Catherine, Carolyn, and David; Ocean City with Joe and Andrea to enjoy the beach and see my parents; Morton Arboretum's children's playground; the Chicago Children's Museum at Navy Pier; and other small outings. Enjoy the photos!

Brookfield Zoo 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Sat, 02 Jun 2007 04:28:00 +0000

I finished up with my last bit of grading on Thursday and today we took the opportunity to take Makayla to the Brookfield Zoo with our friends Steve and Roxanne. Makayla had a great time seeing all of her favorite animals. We took some pictures and Roxanne, who is a photographer, took a ton of excellent pictures. Enjoy!

Makayla in Action

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:18:00 +0000

Lately, the days have been sunny here, so we have gotten out more and more. I compiled a small video of snippets from our recent trips from a children’s museum, Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo, and a nearby park. You may notice a couple of things you might notice from the clips. First, Makayla LOVES riding in the car when the windows are down. :) Second, in the final clips from a nearby park, Makayla started to play with dirt like it was sand and she got EXTREMELY dirty — it was both really funny and gross! Needless to say, I gave her a serious bath afterwards :) Enjoy the video!

Makayla in March 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:12:00 +0000

The weather has been getting nicer now that it is March, so we’ve been getting outside more and have gone on some trips. We have been going to the park, where Makayla loves going on the swings, and we recently went on a trip with Makayla to a children’s museum. At the museum, Makayla had a blast pounding on drums, playing with toy cars, and seeing baby chicks. Here are some pics from our recent trips. Enjoy! :)

Makayla in Winter 2007

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Mon, 26 Mar 2007 04:07:00 +0000

We took some cute pictures during this winter here in Illinois. Here are a few. Enjoy!

Makayla's First Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 05:00:00 +0000

On Sunday, some of Amber’s family and my mom (my dad was in Mexico visiting Dave) came over to the house to celebrate Makayla’s first birthday. As you can tell from the photos, Makayla had a blast.

Shower Thoughts

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Wed, 03 Jan 2007 04:56:00 +0000

Happy 2007!

The thoughts that pop into my mind while I’m slowly waking up in the shower are often random and incoherent. This morning was an exception. With closed eyes and water hitting my back, I was thinking about my classes and remembered one moment when I overheard some students talking about religion and a couple of those students were touting atheism. This moment happened months ago, but as I stood in the shower this morning, I wondered how I could respond to an atheist. This is what came to my mind.

First, it takes a lot of faith to be an atheist — in fact, I think an atheist must make a larger leap of faith than a person who believes in God. Here’s why. An atheist must make several radical assumptions….

Assumption #1: The order and intelligent life in our world and universe arose from a series of utterly random events. I’ve heard mathematicians work out the probability of this happening and it is exceedingly improbable.

However, if an atheist is able to take that leap of faith, they still have to deal with assumption #2: The matter that makes up the world and universe (the molecules, atoms, etc.) came out of nowhere and from no one. Now, some atheists might look to science for their answer and point to the Big Bang. However, the Big Bang does not explain where the matter came from, it only invokes the question. Thinking about the theory (that all matter once started at the same place and then continued to expand), it makes one wonder — where did the universe’s matter come from? Creationists can say the matter for this organized universe was spoken into place by a supreme being while the atheist must simply shrug his shoulders and accept ignorance.

This leaves me with this thought: If the material of our universe had to come from somewhere and it appears to be ordered, then there is most likely a supreme creator who designed this wonderous well-ordered (both macro and micro) world. If there is a supreme being as there seems to be, I should pursue him because: 1. to not pursue him simply seems lazy and will certainly leave me in ignorance 2. unlike the cliche “ignorance is bliss”, ignorance can in fact be dangerous, especially if that supreme creator wants something of me.

From this point in thinking, I then have two options of pursuing truth about this supreme being: 1. Make up my own ideas about him from the knowledge that appears right from my own observations of his creation and/or 2. Investigate the answers that current religions offer, test them out and see if one of them offers the answer.

From what I’ve learned about various religions, it appears that Christianity gives the most accurate explanation of the condition of man — we have an innate concept of what is good (everyone claims certain things are “fair” and “good”), but we fail to do these things and need help. History has backed up biblical evidence of Jesus’ reality and his radical claims to deity, so he has to either be God as he claimed to be or a madman who should not be trusted. I believe he was God and have decided to follow his commands and establish a relationship with him — both of which help to counteract my tendency to go against that which I know is right. While seeking God, God has spoken into my life and revealed himself through numerous experiences, including one of the most significant experiences in my life — my battle and victory over cancer. This is what I know.

This is what came to my mind in the shower this morning as I thought of how I might respond to the atheist’s challenge.

After thinking about that, I looked back at the structure of my thoughts and realized how much my 7 years of programming affected the way I look at things :)

November and December 2006

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 04:46:00 +0000

Here are some pics of Makayla from November and December. Her personality shines more and more each day.

Makayla in Motion

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Tue, 31 Oct 2006 04:29:00 +0000

Yesterday, I finally got some video of Makayla walking and crawling up the stairs. Enjoy! :)

Makayla Crawls!

noreply@blogger.com (Tim Kennett) — Thu, 10 Aug 2006 03:11:00 +0000

While Makayla has been rocking on her hands and knees for a few weeks now, this week she finally began to really crawl. I captured some rough video with my still camera and put it to music. I showed some of her faultering steps in the beginning and her more recent and successful crawls at the end. Check out Makayla’s new skill!