I was reading this morning about July 4th and found that there are lots of literary convergences on this day – many of them related to some of my favorite writers. For example – did you know that today is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthday? Yup. 1804 was the year and Salem, Massachusetts was the place (an appropriate natal spot for this talented, reclusive, and darkly haunted individual). I also found that Hawthorne had a significant NH connection, not only in the White Mountains (which figure a lot in his tales) but also on the Isles of Shoals – which he visited in 1852 and chronicled in his journal.
July 4 ,1845 found Henry David Thoreau packing up and moving out to his newly-built cabin on Walden Pond, outside of Concord, Massachusetts. Most likely, Hawthorne would have crossed paths with Thoreau (if/when he left his house), as he was still living at The Old Manse in Concord in 1845. Indeed, describing Thoreau, Mr. Hawthorne wrote: “[Thoreau] is as ugly as sin, long-nosed, queer-mouthed, and with uncouth and rustic, though courteous manners, corresponding very well with such an exterior. But his ugliness is of an honest and agreeable fashion, and becomes him much better than beauty.” Then in 1854, July 4 saw Thoreau speaking out against slavery at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.
Ten years after Thoreau moved to Walden (and a year after the 1854 publication of his masterpiece about that experience) Walt Whitman published, on July 4th, 1855, the first edition of his seminal work, Leaves of Grass. This tome appeared in many editions over Whitman’s lifetime, with the first including 12 poems and the last (the “Deathbed Edition“) including more than 300 poems. The Good Gray Poet published this first edition himself with a friend and it caused quite a stir. Here’s a link to the 2005 NPR story, marking the 150th anniversary of this literary event!
The USWNT defeated Norway 4-0 yesterday in Fredrikstad, and Abby Wambach scored her 99th career goal! Next up is Sweden on July 5th. Interestingly, the US had not defeated Norway in Norway before – losing and tying their two previous matches there. The Norwegians must love it that the USWNT’s first win on their home soil comes with a Swede at the helm! (Or is that hejlm?)
Angela Hucles continues to be on a spectacular-goal-scoring tear:
The USA got one more goal to seal the game in spectacular fashion after a short clearance from Skarbo landed at the feet of Hucles, who was about 40 yards from the net. Spying Skarbo way off her goal line, Hucles took a short touch and hit a screamer that soared over the Norwegian goalkeeper and just under the crossbar before stretching the back of the net. It was Hucles third goal of the year, all of which have come in dramatic fashion. She has scored two stoppage game-winners this year to add to her Beckham-like strike today.
Apparently Solo had an excellent game, too – and the back line is gelling. I must say I love seeing the way the USWNT under Pia continues to Continue reading →
MSNBC is reporting a new Pew Poll that shows the balance shifting between those who favor more conservation and those who favor more refineries and more drilling.
Among the survey’s most astounding findings is the dramatic increase in a span of five months in the support for energy exploration and production among groups that have traditionally championed conservation as being the answer to the country’s energy problems.
For example, the percentage of liberals who said expanding energy exploration was their most important priority doubled from 22 percent in February to 45 percent; increased by 19 points to 50 percent among independents; and by 18 points to 46 percent among women.
This is a frightening slide toward giving the Bushies another victory before they leave office. This energy crisis has the same feel as WMD and the run up to the invasion of Iraq. While the fear and pain are real, as people across America are pinched by high energy prices, I am extremely suspicious of the spin and stagecraft … in the service of power and greed. Call me paranoid – but let’s wait ’til someone else is in office before we take any rash action, okay? Please?
Other news .. the Phillies won and are finally back to playing their own kind (i.e. in the National League). A-Rod may have a new distraction and the USWNT plays Norway today at noon (MatchTracker will have the PBP). Abby Wambach is just two goals away from the century mark as the team heads into the last four friendlies before the Olympics!
Here’s a photo that HollyCornblog took this past weekend up at the Lake. Looks like they had some good kayaking weather, and some spectacular sunsets.
Finally, for any of you out there who are Fantasy Football fanatics (or just fans) you can sign up for a JordanCornblog league here. We’re the Phantastic Phootball Phanatics … and we’re philling up phast!
Yes, it’s true. According to this US News and World Report article, the Prez apparently feels he is having a good final year. In fact, in a very positive development for the Bush camp, aides say that he is feeling ‘less antipathy’ from his constituents, as he travels around the country. (Note-to-Self: Set the bar nice and low, and you can feel really good no matter what!)
Meanwhile, this photo from the Gay Pride March in hot-as-hell DC, explains a little bit of why the Prez might be feeling so good these days.
Who knew? And no wonder McCain is having trouble connecting with that rabid Republican base that he needs so badly for for November. C’mon John – a little decorum in public at least! 😉
I’ve been meaning to write for awhile about this very neat on-line tool that I’ve been using lately … Google Alerts! This is a free service whereby you can enter any number of keywords or search terms that you want, and receive alerts from Google by e-mail, whenever those terms pop up as the search engine crawls the web.
You can set the frequency of your alerts, and can also refine your “searches” by adding to the word-strings, or by enclosing terms in quotation marks (thereby telling Google that you want an exact match). When I originally logged onto Google Alerts, I set the frequency for all of my searches to “as-it-happens” which, it turned out, was a little too much for me. You can also set it for once a day or once a week. It’s a great tool for keeping up with your areas of special interest!
Abby Wambach flew to Portland, Maine this past week to be present for the opening ceremonies of the US Youth Soccer Region I Championships. Here’s a link to Blog entries by the players and coaches at the tournament. And guess who was there with his team? Our own Morgan, of Final Four Fame! Good luck to you, Mo, in your tournament play! (Mo’s Team, Lightning SC, is representing NH in Group C. Go Lightning!)
In other women’s soccer news, here’s some video footage of various USWNT players, starting with Carli Lloyd, as they talk about the WPS, the Olympics … and other things soccer! And here’s an interesting, but odd, article about Abby and the USWNT from the Palm Beach Post.
I say interesting because it offers tidbits and insights that I’d never read before. For example: “Hamm is a renowned introvert. Wambach? Let’s just say five years ago, her pals on the national team gave her a shirt: HELP, I’M TALKING AND I CAN’T SHUT UP.” I’m guessing that may have been a hand-me-down from Foudy … 😉
I say “odd” because at the end of the piece the writer seems very off-the-mark … rather shaking my confidence in his knowledge base. It’s worth a read, though, for the tidbits alone.
Meanwhile, John and Cindy (as in McCain) are apparently continuing to struggle to make ends meet … as reflected in this piece about their tax delinquency from TPM. There’s something very odd going on with that.
Finally, I heard a great story on NPR the other day, and then read more in The Boston Globe about how blackflies are on the comeback road in New England (yes, I’ve noticed!) and how that is a reflection of improvements on the environmental front. The Maine Blackfly Breeders Association is a Machias-based group that venerates the little critter, raises money for local charities, and just seems to have a good time! This gathering of the Association (back in 2001) was hosted by my former boss and his wife. Small world! (But beer for breakfast? Are you okay, Jim?)
Sports Illustrated has come out with a more in-depth article than I’ve seen to date on Hope Solo, Briana Scurry, and the USWNT’s World Cup Loss to Brazil. Basically, though, my response to this piece is, “Yada, yada, yada.”
Not articulate enough for you? Okay – well I still find the explication unsatisfying and demonizing of the shadowy-but-malicious “team leaders” who are not being quoted in the article. It will take more than what we have here to convince me that Lil and Christie Rampone and just about everyone else on that team behaved as badly as is being implied.
Overall, my sense is that there’s still a lot more to this episode than is being said. There’s unexplored back story, IMHO. Like Ryan (although not nearly as egregiously) Hope is still justifying herself in the press – and it’s still to the detriment of others’ involved. When I read her comments in the article about the “sorority-type atmosphere” on the team, my immediate thought (suspicious soul that I am!) was that she had probably perused the press and on-line commentary about the controversy. Finding that ubiquitous term, my guess is that she appropriated it as a way to explain things – maybe as much to herself as to anyone else.
On the other hand, I can definitely imagine that Hope was going through a very, very difficult time. She was dealing with her father’s death as well as the tragic passing of her friend, Elizabeth Duncan – something that I had never seen mentioned before. Here’s her profile from a Christian Athletes’ site – a group in which she was apparently heavily involved. Not to be petty – but when I think of “sorority atmospheres” – it’s generally groups such as these that spring to mind … not the USWNT!
At any rate, Pia’s got a lot to manage, going into the Olympics. If anyone can do it, she can. I loved her comment to the team, early on – bringing it all down to the basics:
“I had a choice,” says Sundhage . “I could just ignore it and say I wasn’t part of it. But I wanted to respect all the feelings that were flying around. The other thing I said [to the team] was, ‘Do you want to win?’ Yes. ‘Then we need goalkeepers.'”
Lindsey Dolich (of ESPNsoccernet) has posted her analysis of the USWNT 18-woman Olympic Roster. I love the “battle cry” that she cites, as Pia continues her transformation of this team.
Embrace change. Be brave.
A profile of Pia went up on the NBC Olympic Site yesterday and I was interested to note that she debuted for the Swedish national team in 1975 … at age 15. She’s not too far from HollyCornblog’s age. (Tricky how I worked that in, eh?)
Also on ESPNsoccernet is Jen Chang’s nice write-up of a recent Steve-Nash-Sponsored charity soccer match pitting NBA and soccer players against one another in NYC. Sounds like a fun event that spotlighted, along with soccer pro’s, some surprisingly good soccer athletes from the NBA!
JordanCornblog’s soccer feed is now listed in Soccer Blogs – a compendium of all things soccer (at least in the blogosphere). check it out!
While I’m talking about the blogosphere, I want to let you know about a new blog. It’s called The Time Finder and it just went live this week. Paula Eder is The Time Finder – a coach, writer, and teacher whose insights about time are both inspiring and helpful. For thoughtful posts and very practical tips about time, this is the place to go!
Have a great day … and Happy Birthday, Don!
Remember …
Embrace change. Be brave!
😉
As the inner-workings of the Bush-Gonzales Department of Justice are brought more and more into the light, we are treated to a frightening scene of conservative litmus tests gone nuclear.
Here’s a piece from TPM about Esther Slater McDonald … a protege of non-other than Monica Goodling. Who knew that “social justice” was a buzz-word? Those are some angry, bible-thumping, uptight white people, IMVHO!
The Phillies and Chase Utley pulled out of their slump last night with a 4-0 win over the Oakland A’s. Kyle Kendrick pitched 8 strong innings and Utley went 4 for 5 after a long drought. Let’s hope the Phillies continue their winning ways now.
U.S. Women’s National Team head coach Pia Sundhage discusses the 18-player roster for the 2008 Olympics Games in Beijing. The USA will open play at the 2008 Beijing Olympics on Aug. 6 against Norway in Qinhuangdao, China. The USA will then face Japan on Aug. 9, also in Qinhuangdao, before finishing Group G play against New Zealand on Aug. 12 in Shenyang.
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!
I was reading this morning about July 4th and found that there are lots of literary convergences on this day – many of them related to some of my favorite writers. For example – did you know that today is Nathaniel Hawthorne’s birthday? Yup. 1804 was the year and Salem, Massachusetts was the place (an appropriate natal spot for this talented, reclusive, and darkly haunted individual). I also found that Hawthorne had a significant NH connection, not only in the White Mountains (which figure a lot in his tales) but also on the Isles of Shoals – which he visited in 1852 and chronicled in his journal.
July 4 ,1845 found Henry David Thoreau packing up and moving out to his newly-built cabin on Walden Pond, outside of Concord, Massachusetts. Most likely, Hawthorne would have crossed paths with Thoreau (if/when he left his house), as he was still living at The Old Manse in Concord in 1845. Indeed, describing Thoreau, Mr. Hawthorne wrote: “[Thoreau] is as ugly as sin, long-nosed, queer-mouthed, and with uncouth and rustic, though courteous manners, corresponding very well with such an exterior. But his ugliness is of an honest and agreeable fashion, and becomes him much better than beauty.” Then in 1854, July 4 saw Thoreau speaking out against slavery at the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society.
Ten years after Thoreau moved to Walden (and a year after the 1854 publication of his masterpiece about that experience) Walt Whitman published, on July 4th, 1855, the first edition of his seminal work, Leaves of Grass. This tome appeared in many editions over Whitman’s lifetime, with the first including 12 poems and the last (the “Deathbed Edition“) including more than 300 poems. The Good Gray Poet published this first edition himself with a friend and it caused quite a stir. Here’s a link to the 2005 NPR story, marking the 150th anniversary of this literary event!
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