Think of me huddled in front of the woodstove, stoking the fire and (without internet, etc.) trying not to wonder too much about what the heck is going on in the world.
Each of these days is an exercise in learning to slow down and savor each moment, without the constant distraction of information flying in from every direction.
Yeah … so think of me in front of the woodstove. Oh, and google something for me, will ya!? 😉 Ahhhhhhhhh!
First and foremost, it’s the 25th anniversary of the New Hampshire Community Loan Fund – an amazing organization that has had a huge impact on the lives of people in NH. (It is also one of the few investments that hasn’t tanked in recent months … so you might want to think about investing your nest egg with the Loan Fund … where you can make money and feel good about it at the same time!)
Congratulations JPE and everyone on Wall Street (Wall Street in Concord, NH that is). Sorry to miss the celebration!
I thought I’d post some links to wonderful op-ed stuff that was coming out just after Obama won. (Since I’m not on-line for a bit, it seemed a good time to sharesome things that I probably I wouldn’t get to otherwise.)
First, if you missed it, here’s Maureen Dowd’s NY Times column titled “Bring on the Puppy and the Rookie.” It’s not vintage Dowd – but Dowd from the heart. Nice (and with apologies to CB)!
There have been many awful mistakes made in this country. But now we have another chance.
As we start fresh with a constitutional law professor and senator from the Land of Lincoln, the Lincoln Memorial might be getting its gleam back.
I may have to celebrate by going over there and climbing up into Abe’s lap.
The inimitable Gail Collins shares some good down to earth insights and advice about how to manage winning and losing. She may even be succeeding in talking me down (just a bit) from my anti-Lieberman ire. After all, as she says so well …
“… the most Lieberman accomplished with months and months of nonstop campaigning was to push McCain support in his home state of Connecticut to 38 percent. Treachery is bad, but inept treachery is easier to get over. Since Harry Reid, the Senate majority leader, needs the vote, you could understand him telling Lieberman that he’s still welcome.”
And here’s Judith Warner in her piece, “Tears to Remember,” echoing the sentiment that struck everyone at our house, as we experienced Obama’s (and our) victory:
Sept. 11, the seismic event that we’d feared would forever form their political consciousness, shaping their world and constricting the boundaries of the possible, had actually been eclipsed, light blotting out darkness, the best of America at long last driving away the demons of fear. We wanted them to see that it was the end of an era.
Yes, indeed, the end of an era. Whatever happens next … the people have spoken and have repudiated that hate and fear-mongering and narrow self interest that have marked so much of our recent history. It’s a process, and this is just the beginning … but it’s a start!
And thanks so much for mentioning that MAGNIFICENT address by Keith Olberman on MSNBC re Prop 8. It’s a classic that would dignify every newspaper that ran it now, and every history book from this point onwards!
I tried to post this as a comment to your recent blog, Jordy, but maybe the link I provided disqualified it. This particular link leads to MSNBC, where the transcript to Olbermann’s talk is also posted. But for those who have the time, it’s really worth hearing Olbermann speak. It’s inspiring to me to hear someone speak so frankly, and with such heart.
Before I head out to the lake this morning, a fond review of some favorite spots to visit … just to see what’s up one more time. (You’d think I was going off for a month, wouldn’t ya? The way I go on and on and on …)
Oh, and before I forget, we watched a reprise of The Daily Show last night. One of my favorite lines definitely bears repeating. An update on Sarah Palin (this from just after the election): “Sarah Palin has been tagged and released back to the wild.” Nice.
Okay – so let’s check some sites …
First, on Boltgirl, here’s a wonderful and heartfelt commentary by Keith Olbermann re. Proposition 8. He cuts to the heart of the matter very movingly.
From Just Keep Swimming, we have an exhaustive (and I’m guessing exhausting-to-compile) list of keyboard shortcuts. Thanks for the info! I’d just add my recent, personal favorite, “Windows Key” D, which takes you back to your desktop. Here’s the list I got that one from, FWIW.
Princess Sparkle Pony … is back on Condi’s case … and loving the new do! (Yay!) On Mudflats you can follow the still unfolding story of the election(s) in Alaska. (Is it just me, or do you now hear Sarah Palin’s voice saying the word, whenever “Alaska” appears anywhere? Dang!) Truth continues the pursuit of … well, Truth … over on Main Street USA. And Margaret and Helen are unhappy about Prop 8, too. Then there’s always Huffington et al. God, all this is just making me miss my computer more.
I’m off to seek solitude (and get chilled to the bone in the process, no doubt). Be sure to stop back and visit while I’m gone – I’ve got my robot (JordanCornbot, actually) on the case, and she’ll be posting as usual. Not sure just what, but it’ll be something, for sure.
As a metaphor for the Republican right wing, that headline pretty much says it all. They sport a sensibility that’s moralistic as all get out – yeah. But it’s a very literal and childish morality. Black and white – no nuances or doubts allowed. Oh, and it’s based on “signs” from a god who is pretty much defined by the particular quirks and prejudices of the individual believer’s mind. Stripped of power, this is a world view that is just inches away from deserving a diagnosis! Twinned with power, it is one damn scary phenomenon.
Palin is scary. Clearly, she is not going away. She’s been in the media as much post-election as she was before (and I guess you can count me guilty, in my small way, on that front). Here’s her first post-debacle interview .. on Fox News, of course!
Faith is a very big part of my life. And putting my life in my creator’s hands – this is what I always do. I’m like, OK, God, if there is an open door for me somewhere, this is what I always pray, I’m like, don’t let me miss the open door. Show me where the open door is. Even if it’s cracked up a little bit, maybe I’ll plow right on through that and maybe prematurely plow through it, but don’t let me miss an open door. And if there is an open door in (20)12 or four years later, and if it is something that is going to be good for my family, for my state, for my nation, an opportunity for me, then I’ll plow through that door.
Guess that door to Nieman Marcus was open just a crack, huh? Don’t want to miss those open doors. Plow on, Sarah, plow on!
I am so sad to note that Miriam Makeba died – collapsing on stage after a concert, at 76. What a loss – both to the world of music and to the struggle for human rights everywhere. (And I am so glad that she lived to see Obama elected.)
I add to my links a great site that I’ve been meaning to get up for some time now: The Root. Check it out. It’s tag line says it all: “History is not a procession of illustrious people. It’s about what happens to a people. Millions of anonymous people is what history is about.” James Baldwin
The NESCAC Soccer Tournament is over for another year. (Oh yeah, that’s the New England Small College Athletic Conference.) Williams prevailed over Amherst in OT on the women’s side, while Amherst upended Middlebury on the men’s to win their first NESCAC soccer title. (Not to be outdone by Amherst … in the Centennial Conference, the Swarthmore men’s soccer team won their first title, too!)
And I apologize profusely for being so remiss! I discovered this morning that Beulah has been posting about the WPS domestic allocation and about Women’s College Soccer while I’ve been otherwise engaged. Yikes – and thanks for the info, as always, Beulah! The Women’s college soccer info, in particular, makes for great reading in the run-up to the tournaments.
On the sneakiness front, we have this, from the Washington Post (and lots of other outlets) this morning:
The financial world was fixated on Capitol Hill as Congress battled over the Bush administration’s request for a $700 billion bailout of the banking industry. In the midst of this late-September drama, the Treasury Department issued a five-sentence notice that attracted almost no public attention.
But corporate tax lawyers quickly realized the enormous implications of the document: Administration officials had just given American banks a windfall of as much as $140 billion.
Yeah, the Bushies continue to loot and pillage (not sure about rape, but it’s probably in there somewhere) as their days dwindle.
Meanwhile, Barack and Michelle are visiting the White House today. Wish they could move in right now … before more damage is done!
Make a place to sit down.
Sit down. Be quiet.
You must depend upon
affection, reading, knowledge,
skill-more of each
than you have-inspiration,
work, growing older, patience,
for patience joins time
to eternity. Any readers
who like your work,
doubt their judgment.
Breathe with unconditional breath
the unconditioned air.
Shun electric wire.
Communicate slowly. Live
a three-dimensioned life;
stay away from screens.
Stay away from anything
that obscures the place it is in.
There are no unsacred places;
there are only sacred places
and desecrated places.
In an odd juxtaposition, I see that today is Anne Sexton’s birthday. Hard to think of two poets whose lives and sensibilities could be more different. With Anne (not unlike my mother, who’s another Ann … and equally unlike Wendell Berry) her ending is what springs to mind – more than her beginning, I’m afraid. Anyway, here’s Flee on Your Donkey. A favorite of mine, it chronicles, in brutal and mundane detail, one of Sexton’s many hospitalizations. It ends with this haunting, heartbreaking stanza:
Anne, Anne,
flee on your donkey,
flee this sad hotel,
ride out on some hairy beast,
gallop backward pressing
your buttocks to his withers,
sit to his clumsy gait somehow.
Ride out
any old way you please!
In this place everyone talks to his own mouth.
That’s what it means to be crazy.
Those I loved best died of it-
the fool’s disease.
Anne Sexton, born November 9, 1928.
And finally, a wee podcast from yours truly … reprised from an entry last year right about this time. (Not sure I can rememeber how to do this, but try clicking here and we’ll see if it works!
It’s a warm, foggy Saturday morning here in post-election New Hampshire. Most of the political signs are put away, and gunshots now ring through the hillsides.
Rebellion against the new socialist state? Post-election right wing despair? Nah. Hunting season. It’s more personal this year than some, as the doe and two fawns that we’ve been watching all these months are out there in the danger zone. Hope they make it through. Hope the carnage in the woods misses them. Hope.
HollyCornblog and Charlie Hopbrew are off on a road trip this weekend and, if the weather permits, HollyCornblog may be doing a bit of fishing down Cape May way. (I’ve just been decrying hunting – but speak of fishing as though it didn’t involve the death of living things. Having never developed an attachment for a fish, guess it just seems that much less personal to me. And guess I have some more evolving to do. Even on the weekend? That’s harsh.)
I found a kinda cool on line To Do list (free) called Remember The Milk whose functionalities I’m exploring today/this weekend. Gotta do something to keep myself organized in this detail-riddled life! Finding myself more or less rudderless, now that the Phillies have won the World Series and Obama is the President Elect, I am quite sure that this To Do List will be the answer!
Okay- on to the news. On the soccer front, the USWNT has one more game against South Korea (today in Tampa). They round out their “Achieve Your Gold” Tour against China. We know about the 12/17 game in Detroit. The first of the two-game series is on December 13th in Carson, CA at the Home Depot Center. And speaking of soccer – nominations are being accepted for USSoccer.com’s annual “Best of” Awards (presented by Soccer America magazine). One of the categories is blogs. (Hint, hint …) 😉
On the political news front, Maddow sure shredded Sarah Palin last night. Meanwhile, Palin is calling her critics “jerks” and “cowardly.” I kinda get her point – but then again, if you’re gonna dish it out, you may want to consider that it might come right back atcha. You betcha!
Joe Lieberman apparently still thinks he has leverage and ground to stand on somewhere. I will be sorely disappointed if the Dems don’t give his smarmy ass the boot. (If it’s taking this long … I have my doubts. Is 60 votes in the Senate worth keeping on with this untrustworthy soul? Guess that’s the basic question … and I would clearly be far too hot-headed to manage well in the halls of Congress.)
Here are Kathlyn and Gay Hendricks with some interesting observations about body language, as the Presidential campaign wound down. (I got teary all over again, looking at the photos of Grant Park on election night.)
Wow – it’s still hard to take in the enormity of what has transpired in this country, this week.
I was listening to “Talk of the World” on NHPR yesterday – and the enthusiasm, world-wide, for this president and what the American electorate has done was giving me goosebumps. WE did it. And this election has done more to “spread democracy” than anything BushCheneyHalliburtonExxonShellBP has done in the past 8 horrific years. As people spoke I felt, too, like a lid had come off and the world was finally free to tell us how utterly awful it has been.
It’s wonderful to experience the glow – from around the world, from here at home, from the blogosphere. Bed Time in Alaska (on Mudflats) offers a wonderful perspective out of “the-state-you-can-see-Russia-from,” and shares this link, that says it all.
The US is US, folks.
Not everything has been decided, as we read on fivethirtyeight.com. Let’s hope that, as things play out, Joe Lieberman will receive the treatment that he deserves.
Another one of the big pluses, in my mind, of the change that is underway, is the arrival of Michelle Obama on Pennsylvania Avenue. A breath of fresh air doesn’t begin to express it. And then there’s that puppy!
Oh yeah – and then there’s the fact that it’s Friday. Things couldn’t be brighter, IMHO. Here’s a nice blog entry from The Time Finder – tips on injecting a little bit of Friday into your life everyday. (I’m all over that!)
Licorice Pizza: I'm starting anew here and have now been, twice, to Vax and Snax at Red River. These are Thursday night movies for vaccinated and masked folks, and you can get POPCORN! But I digress...Licorice Pizza was a sweet, coming-of-age in The Valley in the Seventies sort of movie that managed to include waterbeds and Jon Peters and two new stars -- Alana Haim and Cooper Hoffman (son of Philip Seymour Hoffman).
If Beale Street Could Talk: Quiet, beautiful, heartfelt, devastating. America wears many masks. This movie strips a few of them away. It shines a light on quite a lot of ugliness. As well, it illuminates dignity and resilience in the face of a system built on the abuse of privilege and power. A perfect movie to see on the eve of what is hopefully Donald Trump's last SOTU.
Shoplifters: A beautifully honest, quiet movie that is at once uplifting and devastating. Universal questions are raised and left open for pondering. What is a family? How do people survive in our world today? And how do we judge their choices?
Green Book: Very enjoyable movie and yet deeply flawed. The white guy comes across as the hero in ways that are typical for the American movie industry, and comfortably misleading in terms of the realities of our culture. Especially in the current socio/political atmosphere, can't we do better than this?
On the Basis of Sex: We applauded, we cried, we felt so glad that RBG was as prescient as she was. And I felt personally glad that her love of opera clearly predates her connection with Scalia. What an inspiring woman -- and a good movie about her early years as a student, professor, and attorney.
The Favourite: Did I say that being a queen was no fun? This definitely seems to have carried forward to Queen Anne's reign. Strong performances again, and more belly laughs than you'd think. And right along with it, grief, emptiness, ambition, and gouty excess.
Mary Queen of Scots: Being a queen was no fun in the 16th century. Excellent, complex performances in this one. I found Elizabeth especially compelling. Very unclear who actually wins out in this one.
Another Year: Loved this one! It's about a couple, and their friends, and their lives – painful in spots, and wonderfully everyday and enriching, to my mind. Great performances – and who knew there was so much wine being drunk in England!?
Tiny Furniture: A young woman (aka Lena Dunham) comes home after graduating from college and tries to find herself – or not. A character study that I found humorous and touching – and sometimes a little disturbing and/or self-indulgent. It's definitely a privilege to have the leisure to "find oneself." After this..."Girls."
Rabbit Hole: Painful/powerful movie about loss and grieving. Hard to watch but well worth the effort, with a strong cast and an especially on the mark performance by Nicole Kidman. I continue to be glad to see that she is clearly outstripping Tom Cruise as an artist. You go girl!
The Kids Are Alright: Very enjoyable movie with great performances and an excellent cast. Two kids whose moms are lesbians decide they want to find out something about their "father" – and everything moves on from that point.
The King's Speech: Warm, funny, inspiring – and apparently a bit of a rewrite of history, to boot! Colin Firth puts out an amazing performance – and was well rewarded for it. Everyone else is great too, and if you're one of the few people left who hasn't seen it, it's definitely worth a look!
Black Swan: This is a disturbing movie that I really loved – and in case you haven't noticed, I do have a tendency to like disturbing movies. What's real and what isn't? You be the judge. Also, be on the lookout for Winona Ryder – you'll never recognize her!
Blue Valentine: A couple in trouble – how they started and how they got to where they are. A good movie with excellent performances that left me wondering, especially in Michelle Williams' case, whether she was thinking about what's his name (her partner who died suddenly – the guy who starred in Broke Back Mountain – for some reason I can't remember his name – oh yeah, Heath Ledger).
Shutter Island: A dark period piece that has the creepy feel of the 1950s (creepy to me at any rate) and has stayed with me more than I would've thought. A movie with surprises – definitely worth a look.
Cyrus: I don't remember this one so well, but have a vague recollection of walking out of the theater feeling not so enthralled. I believe it's supposed to be funny – but as you can tell it didn't really make an impression.
I Am Love: Really beautiful, sumptuous movie that made me hungry, just watching it. A keeper!
The Girl Who Played with Fire: The second in the three part series involving the girl with the dragon tattoo, this movie was much harder to watch than the first, as Salander's triumph isn't quite so clear at the end. Painful, painful, painful.
Scott Pilgrim Versus the World: I loved this comic book take on young love. Went to the movie on a whim and came away very happy to have seen it! Quite a few laugh out loud moments – and touching, as well.
Going the Distance: A very lightweight romcom that kinda left me feeling like I had just spent an hour and a half reading People magazine. In other words, pretty much a waste of time.
Never Let Me Go: Wow! This was an amazing, stark, and moving movie about kids who are basically raised to become organ donors. Very much worth seeing.
The Town: Ben Affleck's movie about bank robbers. It's okay. Not great, but okay. It does make me curious about Charlestown – will have to go there one day.
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger: A Woody Allen movie that I honestly don't remember very well. It's pretty much about adults behaving badly – something that Woody knows a little something about.
The Social Network: The movie about Facebook. I found it very interesting and well done, and was especially fascinated/disturbed by the window on the incredible privilege and elitism still thriving at undergrad Harvard.
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest: Number three in the Dragon trilogy. I found this, in many ways, the weakest of the three movies – although that's not to say that it was weak. Perhaps my enjoyment was affected by the fact that I hadn't read the book. Anyway, it's a great trilogy and I was sorry to see it come to an end.
Fair Game: The movie about the Valerie Plame affair. One of the things that I found most interesting was how it uncovered my own biases, as she was clearly a very serious and talented agent, but because of her blonde haired beauty, I pretty much assumed that she was a lightweight in real life. I appreciated, also, the depiction of her husband as a bit of a media hound, which was how he seemed to me at the time. And of course, there are the despicable characters of the Bush administration. Glad they were on display in all their glory!
City Island: This was a fine, if predictable, movie about a family in which everyone has a secret and is telling lies. I mostly loved it because it gave me a glimpse of where my friend CB lives!
Winter's Bone: Wow! Unrelenting, stark, and ultimately uplifting – at least to my mind. This is a painful movie about life when you're the daughter of someone who runs a meth lab. Winter's Bone is a perfect title. J-Law is amazing!
Please Give: Quirky, sweet, slice-of-life movie. I loved the low-key character development and good humor of it all. Enjoyable, with a great cast and few false notes.
The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo: Tho' parts of the book were missing, this was an excellent rendition of an excellent book. Not for the faint of heart, tho'! Lisbeth Salander is an Emma Peel for the 21st Century (watch for more from Noomi Rapace - I will be)!
Me and Orson Welles: Or was it Orson Welles and me? (If Orson had anything to do with the title, I'm guessing the latter.) I thoroughly enjoyed this movie, even as it reminded me of why the world of the theatre holds absolutely no appeal for yours truly! Nice to see Claire Danes back ... still have to finish watching Temple Grandin, too!
Crazy Heart: I left this movie thinking ... "Eh?" but it has stayed with me. Jeff Bridges does give a wonderful performance. The amount of smoking and drinking was nauseating - as I guess it was supposed to be - all in an understated, Jeff Bridges sort of a way.
A Single Man: One of the best movies of the year in my book. Haunting, beautifully acted and filmed ... marred only by an unnecessarily heavy-handed ending, IMHO. That was the only flaw in an otherwise brilliant bit of artistry. Colin Firth was perfect, and this was an amazing writing/directing debut for Tom Ford! See it!!!
Young Victoria: I am eternally grateful to have not been born the heir to a throne. Life was confusing enough! This was an enjoyable, tear-jerker of a movie that left me wanting to know more about the details. Perhaps a bio for Bookeaters?
Precious: Wow, wow, wow. Two weeks in a row - another amazing movie at Red River. This is a challenging and important movie ... about life in America ... every single day ... everywhere.
The Messenger: Wow, wow, wow. This is one of the best movies I have seen in quite some time. Its focus is on two men who notifiy NOK (next of kin) when a soldier dies. It is a raw, wrenching, unflinching and uplifting journey - not to be missed. Seriously
Damned United: This was a study in soccer, ambition, and friendship. For soccer buffs who actually know the players (I'm a late-comer to the game) the movie would be that much better. I loved it, though - and recommend it highly.
A Serious Man: The Book of Job envisioned by the Coen brothers evoked the early sixties and suburbia with humor, pathos ... and a slightly nauseating quality that tells me they pretty much hit the nail on the head. As one of the goyim, I am sure there were hundreds of nuances that were lost on me ... but I loved it (nausea aside) nonetheless!
Cold Souls: The premise of this movie is deeply strange, yet it is presented in an entirely believable way. It's by turns very moving and then hilarious (in ways that, in retrospect, are hard to capture/explain). The ending leaves a puzzled feeling - but that's not really bothersome. In many ways, puzzled is the appropriate way to walk out of the theater after "Cold Souls." Check it out!
Adam: Nicely done! Not a movie that will stay with you for a long time, but I liked it. The father (Peter Gallagher) seemed a tad overdone -and unnecessarily so. Unmemorable soundtrack - but since I mention it, does that make it memorable? Now I'm starting to feel like Steven Wright - not necessarily a bad thing!
Taking Woodstock: Even going in with low expectations, this offering from Ang Lee just wasn't good. Vilma was a high point in an otherwise shoddy effort. Harsh, eh? And watch out, world - it's only 6:30 AM!
Julie and Julia: I was not as bothered by Julie as some reviewers were - maybe because I liked seeing a blogger hit the big time. Meryl Streep was amazing as Julia .. and this is definitely not a movie to see on an empty stomach! Never have I enjoyed watching people eat as much as I did watching this flick!
500 Days of Summer: I think I wasn't supposed to, but I loved it. Engaging characters and script, great soundtrack. Not as quirky and lovable as "Away We Go" - but not far behind, either.
Whatever Works: People either like or hate this latest offering from Woody Allen. I must admit that it's a little weird to see this May-December relationship on-screen, feeling so creeped out by Woody's real-life choices. But I'd say he pulls it off. There are some really great lines throughout the movie, and while not entirely believable, I didn't mind being along for the ride. A pleasant diversion for sure.
Goodbye, Solo: Interesting movie that basically contrasts life energy and death energy, IMHO. Solo is the epitome of resilience - love him! Meanwhile William seems bent on being miserable, for reasons that the movie leaves mysterious. I didn't find him very a likable or compelling character - but Solo makes up for it.
Moon: I hesitate to write this one up, as I was tired when I saw it - and missed portions. But form my bleary vantage point, this seemed an intriguing movie set on the moon and exploring themes of identity, isolation, etc. It was not my usual fare - and I wasn't up to snuff - but at least had the wherewithall to be able tell that it was quality work!
Cheri: I liked this a lot better than Easy Virtue - maybe because I went into it having already seen EV and had my expectations lowered. Michelle Pfeiffer and Kathy Bates are fun to watch as always - and I liked Rupert Friend in the title role. It all got a little too serious at the end - a tone-shift that didn't quite fit with the bulk of the movie. Still - a pleasant diversion on a rainy July evening!
Away We Go: This was an excellent movie in every regard. Great dialogue and plot line, endearing cast/characters, heartwarming/funny story that avoids tipping over into overly-sweet territory ... and great soundtrack, to boot! See it, if you haven't already.
Easy Virtue: Not my cup of tea - but I suspect it would have helped, going in, to know that this was a movie based on a Noel Coward play. The characters felt stilted and unbelievable to me, as it was - and I couldn't muster much concern for what became of them. All things considered, I'd rather have been in Philadelphia!
Sugar: Sugar is a baseball flick that is sweetly and realistically done - and definitely like no Hollywood film on the subject. The characters are real and the life is hard - and the film depicts it all in a matter-of-fact way that brings the realities home more surely than something more "dramatic" ever could. Two thumbs up on this one!
Sunshine Cleaning: Director Christine Jeffs has a winner in this tale about the hard times and resiliency of the Lorkowski family. Amy Adams, Emily Blunt and Alan Arkin shine in this movie about a bio-hazard clean-up company. Yes, that's correct. And the movie had the potential to cross the line into sappiness several times but demurred. For that I am eternally thankful. (Okay, eternally may be a little over the top.) Darn good flick, though - check it out.
Milk: Sean Penn deserves an Oscar for his amazing portrayal of Harvey Milk. It actually didn't even feel like a portrayal - more a channeling. Such a loss - that yet another creative and energetic and good leader, was senselessly murdered all those years ago. Fear, hatred and guns - why don't we remove at least the last ingredient in the tragic mix?
Doubt: Meryl Streep and Philip Seymour Hoffman are amazing, and Viola Davis is a heartbreaking revelation in this battle royale. I was left with less doubt at the end than some of my compatriots ... but that took nothing away from the experience. Meryl Streep deserves an Oscar, IMHO ... and I definitely want her on my side, always!
Slumdog Millionaire: Just a great movie, start to finish. Magical,epic, and a nail-biter (even though you know what's going to happen ... pretty much. The dancing at the end did my heart good - and having M.I.A. in the soundtrack didn't hurt, either!
The Secret Life of Bees: Or was it The Secret Lives of Bees? Anyway, whatever - I want Queen Latifah to be my mother!!! (What was Bill Clinton thinking, throwing her under the bus all those years ago?) The movie was entertaining but not a home run by any means. Too predictable ... but Alicia Keys was wonderfully cranky-verging-on-scary and the Queen was queenly and the honey looked delicious and it was nice hearing India Arie in the soundtrack!
Happy Go Lucky: I think I was supposed to like this more than I did. Perhaps it suffered by being seen pretty much on the heels of Rachel. I found Poppy to be a sometimes intriguing and sometimes annoying character. The relentless joking and "upbeatness" felt distancing and unnecessary. I didn't hate this movie by any means - but something was missing for me.
Rachel Getting Married: Jonathan Demme and an amazing script and cast just blew me away with this effort. The characters are fascinating and complicated and most every interaction in the film left me engaged and wanting to know more! Debra Winger was stupendous - although it's been so long since I've seen her that I kept trying to find the bull-riding Urban Cowboy persona within the steely, distant mother of this wedding movie. (She's not there.) Margot at the Wedding was very good - but Rachel puts her in her place. I highly recommend this to everyone!
Religulous: Bill Maher skewers the rampant "illogic" of religion in this free-wheeling film. His wit is right on target and as barbed as you'd expect. I found myself squirming every once in awhile. I don't mind you picking on the Pope, Bill ... but same as with Michael Moore ... sometimes when you set up "common folks" to look like fools, I cringe. Still, Religulous is worth a look for sure. The best point Bill makes? That conservatives of a religulous bent are about finding answers - while liberals are about asking questions. I can go with that!
Roman de gare: This was an intriguing, surprising, suspenseful, funny, quirky movie that I thoroughly enjoyed. The characters and plot lines are deftly developed. You should definitely check it out if you get the chance!
Young at Heart: YOU HAVE TO SEE THIS MOVIE! It's a documentary about a choral group of octogenarians in Northampton, MA. Very inspiring ... definitely something to check out!
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day: Enjoyable, light fare with a stellar performance by my favorite police chief, Frances McDormand!
The Visitor: Now this was an excellent movie ... from start to finish. It was similar to Smart People in that it had an academic as the main character. However, all similarities ended pretty much right there. In this warm, funny, and wrenching movie, the characters are well and subtly developed, the plot is (unfortunately) believable ... and there are no false notes. I would urge you to see it - you won't be sorry!
Smart People: Looks like we're getting back on track with our Tuesday night movie schedule ... for the time being. Smart People was enjoyable but left me unenthralled. (It probably didn't help that we ran into a totally enthralled movie-goer on the way in who was seeing it for the second time. High expectations may have killed this one for me.) Overall, I found the characters exaggerated and mildly unlikeable ... the dialogue stilted and self-conscious, perhaps just the way smart people talk. But then the lessons about loosening up and being less self-absorbed weren't exactly ground-breaking. Overall, it wasn't a wasted evening ... but not a movie I'll be putting at the top of my list, either.
4 luni, 3 saptamani si 2 zile (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days): Winner of the Palm D'Or at Cannes, this film by Romania's Cristian Mungiu certainly deserves the accolades it receives. It's a realistic and emotionally unflinching story of a woman who helps her friend obtain an illegal abortion in 1987 Romania. The story is harrowing, the acting wonderful, and the cinematography amazing. This film makes Juno look like Disney pablum!
Taxi to the Dark Side: This was a harrowing and eye-opening look at what our country has become under the leadership of Bush/Cheney after 9/11. The "road taken" has definitely been a trip to the dark side. Disgusting and important to see ... as we make our way back toward the light!
Michael Clayton: What an excellent movie! Engaging, engrossing, well-acted. Tilda Swinton certainly deserved an award for her protrayal of what I have to think must be the secret, inner life of Condi Rice.
Persepolis: This animated memoir is an engaging, heartbreaking, uplifting, realistic look at life in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. Go see it! It humanizes what our current regime so consistently tries to dehumanize. An important movie, Persepolis is based on the book by Marjane Satrapi.
Margot at the Wedding: Dark, funny, tough to watch and very well acted.
I'm Not There: Bob Dylan's not my favorite, but this was a fascinating movie to watch (albeit long) and since he wasn't there, I couldn't very well feel annoyed by him. Cate Blanchette was just amazing - and I loved the surreal, Fellini-esque feel of the Richard Gere parts.
Atonement: Lush, compelling, painful - I especially loved Vanessa Redgrave's starkly powerful 5 minutes - and the Fellini-esque (can you tell I love Fellini?) flavor of the scenes of the evacuating troops on the beach - complete with ferris wheels - somehow depicting the disorienting horror of war in ways that blood and gore never could. Great movie!
Juno: Well, I went to see it. I totally agree with my friends who found the clinic scene extremely misleading, off-base, and gratuitously negative in its depiction of the women's health movement and its workers. In an otherwise nice movie, this was a thoughtless lapse ... and I was sad to see so many women in Juno's age group in the theater (one of them actually pregnant) ... who'll be coming away with a false impression that could so seriously affect their lives!
The Savages: Wow, what a good movie! Philip Seymour Hoffman has had an amazing run this year between this, "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead," and that other movie with Tom Hanks ... the name of which is escaping me at the moment ... Charlie Somebody's War. Anyway - he and Laura Linney are just wonderful as siblings dealing with their aging/ailing father. Painful and real ... and set in gritty, wintry Buffalo ... in perfect contrast to Sun City. (The latter looks like a setting that would do David Lynch proud.) Check it out if you haven't seen it!
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