Weather: Our Maine visitors have brought Maine summer weather. The heat wave finally broke, and it is now in the low 80s and sunny.

Notting Hill

Our relatives arrived from Maine last night around 8:30. Daniel proudly showed off his space station to Mom and Jake, who were suitable impressed. The twins were already in bed but not yet asleep, so I got them up to visit with the folks.

Stephanie stayed with the twins this afternoon while we picked Daniel up at school and then went to the new AMC 24 theater in Hamilton. Tab and Daniel saw The Phantom Menace again along with Jake, while Mom and I saw Notting Hill.

All the reviews I've read have compared Notting Hill to Four Weddings and a Funeral, so I thought I would like it even more than I had that film. The only thing I didn't like about Four Weddings was Andie MacDowell, an actress who grates on me, so I thought the pairing of Julia Roberts with Hugh Grant could only be an improvement. And it was: I liked both of the leads very much. However, the supporting characters in Notting Hill were pale imitations of the colorful cast of friends in Four Weddings, and that is where the movie failed for me. I did think Notting Hill was a particularly interesting choice for Hugh Grant since a major theme concerns the objectification of celebrities and the price of fame.

I really love this new theater. The sound is amazing and the seats are quite comfortable. Mom and I visited the restroom after the movie, and we were impressed at how clean it was. There were even fresh flower arrangements, something I've never seen in a public restroom. I'm already looking forward to taking the boys to see Tarzan there next week.

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