Ever since we watched this movie at movie night with the Agadonis, I've been conjuring up Oddball whenever Ric's being pessimistic and saying, "Why don't you knock it off with them negative vibes?" An unrealistic but lovable romp through WWII Germany, this movie stars all sorts of great actors, from Clint Eastwood (Kelly) to Donald Sutherland (who plays Oddball). Together, they are soldiers who get wind of Nazi treasure and create an unauthorized invasion across enemy lines to rob a bank. That they take out some significant German forces is definitely a bonus.

The funny thing that Ryan pointed out is that Oddball is certainly odd when you're thinking about WWII, because everything he says sounds like something out of the mouths of hippies. But it doesn't seem to matter because it's entertaining. And Germany doesn't look much like Germany for half the movie, but again, it doesn't matter because it's entertaining.

Another interesting thing is that Clint Eastwood is pretty much outshone by all of the actors in the movie, but his character's name is in the title. But when your supporting men are Telly Savalas and Don Rickles, and you're an even-keeled kind of guy, I suppose it's understandable.

We all had a lot of fun watching this one. I had never heard of it before, so kudos to Ryan (even though I actually don't like phrase "kudos to") for knowing it so well and wanting to share it with us. It's my pick this week, and I'll be choosing yet another one that I haven't seen in a very long time but remember liking a lot. Let's hope everyone does!

No End was the last of the many Kristoff Kieslowsky-directed movies that I got from Netflix. I have now watched all that Netflix has to offer of his. Sweet. Like Blind Chance, this movie had me from its start, because it begins with a man talking directly to the audience and telling them that he has died. In the events that follow, we learn that his wife has not taken his death well. She realizes, once he is dead, that she loved him more than she thought he did. She seems to alternate between sensing his presence and missing it as well. Antek, the dead husband, does watch her quite a bit, but at the times where she can't see him, she tries to find other ways to connect with him or fill in the void that he left. Eventually Ulla seeks to free herself from the hold that Antek has on her.

Another part of the movie is the story of a man whom Antek (a lawyer) was defending before he died. This is during a period of Martial Law in Poland, and the man is in jail for organizing a Solidarity strike. Ulla directs the man's wife towards Labrador, an older lawyer who was Antek's mentor, but is uncertain that she has made the right move when a question mark suddenly appears next to the lawyer's name in the directory. The lawyer uses manipulation to work the system in an effort to get the man out of prison, but the man finds more freedom in his own integrity than working the system.

It was a little bit hard for me to follow this movie because I didn't have a good understanding of the historical background, so some of the conversations going on in court or in prison were somewhat challenging, although I got the overall gist.

The movie is cast very well, all with actors who were also featured in Kieslowski's later movies. I recognized "the silent man" from The Decalogue instantly; I think his effectiveness in his later role sort of harmed my viewing of him in this movie because I didn't want to hear him talk. Also, from A Short Film About Love, Grazyna Szapolowska was unrecognizable to me. I didn't even connect her with the movie I had already seen. She is splendid here, particularly in a scene where she has a one night stand with a foreigner and tells him everything she has been feeling in Polish.

I think the elements of the story connected with death are the most effective ones, although the movie is successful overall. With the acting, writing, and music (yet again) combined, it was a movie that grabbed me at the beginning and had me very entranced until its end, and I would say that has everything to do with the Kieslowki-Szapolowska combination.

Mac has a story today about a teacher accused of wizardry for making a toothpick disappear. I couldn't make this up if I tried.

Teacher Jim Piculas does a magic trick where a toothpick disappears and then reappears.

Piculas recently did the 30-second trick in front of a classroom at Rushe Middle School in Land 'O Lakes.

Piculas said he then got a call from the supervisor of teachers, saying he'd been accused of wizardry.

"I get a call the middle of the day from head of supervisor of substitute teachers. He says, "Jim, we have a huge issue, you can't take any more assignments you need to come in right away," he said.

Wow. If I ever sub again I'll have to remember not to bust out the old disappearing thumb trick. I didn't know wizardry was grounds for dismissal. I guess Florida doesn't mess around. What do they do when Penn & Teller come to town?