Being a sports fan, and having been born and raised near Philadelphia, I am no stranger to heartache. Perennial underdogs, Philly teams know how to engender hope in their base, and then dash it against the hard rocks of reality.
One of my earliest baseball memories is of the 1964 Phillies who, in September, were virtual shoe-ins to win the National League Pennant. They had been in first place since the beginning of the season. Nothing could stop them. Oh, but wait — we’re talking PHILADELPHIA Phillies, circa 1964!
I was just starting 7th grade when the collapse happened. Barry Goldwater was running for President against Lyndon Johnson, and what happened to Goldwater was nothing compared to what happened to the Phillies. Johnny Callison, Richie Allen (later Dick Allen), Tony Taylor, Jim Bunning (later a crazed right-wing zealot), Chris Short (brother of one of the teachers at our Junior High School) and so many others — they’d been in first place since day one. (Did I say that already?) How could they lose?
I remember the Philadelphia Inquirer on the kitchen table, every morning through September. Slowly the headlines evolved, as concern turned to worry and then unbelieving fear. It goes down in history as one of the epic fails in baseball. But for Philly fans, just another day, really.
The Eagles have been much the same. Remember the 1981 Superbowl versus the Raiders? I do. My one regret is not watching it with my father. Instead, my sister and I went to a party with a bunch of work friends. A sad night. That often happens when Philly fans get together to party.
Of course, there are the occasional bright spots. There have been Stanley Cups, Superbowls, World Series wins and NBA Championships. That’s what keeps hope alive.
And (of course) there is also superstition — plenty of that. If you haven’t seen “Silver Linings Playbook,” you haven’t yet got a handle on what it is to be a Philly sports fan. Watch this clip – it pretty well sums it up:
Is it resilience or delusion — that feeling I have at the start of every season? Did it help, that I wore that T-shirt when the Eagles beat the Giants? (And should I wash it or not?)
I’m ashamed to say that these questions actually take up a bit of space in my head. Not a LOT, mind you — at least not until game day.
Fear, anger, joy, anxiety, sadness, contentment, gratitude — they’re our raw responses to the experiences of human life. They’re not good or bad, though we often judge them, unfortunately. Best, though, to let them be just what they are. And to know that there’s skill involved in dealing with them.
Early on, it went like this: Angry? Scream and cry. Happy? Laugh. Jealous? Take that toy you want. It wasn’t complicated. In the photo below, I’m having a feeling about having the bar of bath soap taken away from me. This is in the kitchen at Crystal Lake, circa 1954, I’d guess.
And here I am after the soap was returned…
Growing up happens (usually). And gradually we all learn to manage ourselves a bit better in our everyday lives. That’s not to say it gets easy. And some learn to manage better than others. (Not to get overly political, but if you think of Trump, the 2020 election, and his actions since, you see an excellent example of someone who’s not learned to manage very well.)
Feelings can be confounding and uncomfortable.
Why does that person get on my nerves? How is it that I suddenly felt like an angry two-year-old when that man stepped in front of me in line? When I try to talk to the person at the bank who is refusing to wear a mask, why do I seem to lose the ability to be calm and rational? And when someone gives me feedback about something I’ve done, why do I feel immediately defensive or guilty and like I want to disappear?
Walls
When I simply react to the feelings I am having, I treat them like they are bigger and more powerful than I am. I just bounce off of them, as if they’re impenetrable walls. Maybe they were, back when I was two years old. But now they are walls of my own making, because I’m choosing to ignore or deny my responsibility to manage myself better. When I hit those walls as a grown-up, I earn some bruises. And the thing is, the wall doesn’t change — and it certainly doesn’t go away. It’s guaranteed that I’m going to run into it again, because nothing about it ever changes.
Choices…
It’s taken me a long time to take in the fact that it’s entirely up to me to decide what comes next in these situations when an emotion is difficult or confusing. (And sometimes I still forget!)
But, I do always have a choice. Even when I hate to admit it. Even when I just want to let my reactions take over and bang my head into that wall.
If I pause and take a deep breath, other options open up. In that pause, I tell myself that I am bigger than the feeling — and I am in charge. It’s not a loud message, but it’s powerful.
That simple pause creates a shift. Questions begin to take shape. What does that strong feeling mean? What does it uncover? In that very small choice to soften and let myself open, I allow the beginning of a transformation. Rather than just being a wall, I open the possibility of my feeling becoming a window or a door.
Windows and Doors
Doors and windows are different, obviously. And they function differently, when it comes to feelings.
Most often, after I pause, the window offers itself first. Maybe I look through it. Maybe I open it. But I stay where I am, as I survey the landscape of my feeling and let in small learnings about it and about myself.
Then, eventually, opening a window may lead to opening a door and stepping through. That’s a bigger deal, because then I’m truly on new terrain. The possibilities for change and growth increase exponentially.
There are significantly different levels of risk and resistance here. It’s less of a commitment to look through a window than it is to walk through a door. I take it slowly, learning incrementally as I go.
And here’s the most amazing thing to me…
It’s the same feeling, no matter how I choose to respond to it. Anger is anger and fear is fear. Whether I treat it as a wall, a window, or a door, the raw material is exactly the same.
But depending on my choices, the impact of that anger or fear on me and on the people around me can be so profoundly different.
The Blue Pitcher sat on the dining room table through innumerable meals at ‘The Ardmore House.’ This was a communal household I lived in, starting in 1978 and continuing for a number of years thereafter.
The Blue Pitcher was a staple on the dining room table. We often joked about what it would say if it could talk.
There were eight of us in that house — a core group of 3 (Joanne, Julian, and Bob) and others who came and went. Though not part of the core, I felt at home there. In some ways, I think of it as the first home where I had a real sense of belonging. I was happy and, honestly, a little amazed, to be there.
When I set out to write about the pitcher, I planned to share about the conversations and conviviality it witnessed. It was a free-form household that was much influenced by the core of philosophy graduate students there. Bob and Julian were perpetually working on their dissertations, although Julian spent more time cooking and reading the newspaper. And Bob was often out all night, cruising the gay bars in Philly.
The conversations were wordy, meandering, and endless, stretching late into most nights, in a smoky haze. And though not one myself, I definitely basked in the refracted brilliance of living with pipe-smoking philosophy graduate students. It was kind of a dream come true. AND it was the late 1970’s, when people could still afford to be philosophy graduate students!
So, this was what I intended to write about — still, I guess, basking in that version of the past. It’s not untrue, but as I’ve sat with the Blue Pitcher, I’ve learned that she has tales to tell that aren’t as light and convivial as I’d had in mind. The pitcher wants to talk about beer. And after some struggle, I’ve decided to go with the flow, and see what she has to say.
I lived in the Ardmore House through a chunk of my twenties. It was there that I had my first real job, and there that I started to find my footing after my mother’s sudden death. There I also drank more beer than is wise or helpful. And the Blue Pitcher was present and, as I’ve recently discovered, observed it all.
Beer-drinking was something I learned from my mother. She did it a lot. And I remember well the moment that I realized that if I drank beer at the same time that she was, it made her drinking much more tolerable. A dangerous insight, to be sure, and one that led to more wasted time than I like to think about.
A bit like Brett Kavanaugh in this moment, I’d prefer to go no further with this particular line of questioning, but the Blue Pitcher was there, and insists that I continue. So, the Ardmore House had a ‘beer fridge’ that was restocked by Bob on an ‘as needed’ basis. You put $.25 into a jar for a 12 oz. Bottle of Rolling Rock or $.35 for a 16 oz. Bottle of Genesee Cream Ale. That fridge was like magic to me, and I was up and down the stairs a lot, change in hand.
I’d grab a beer, light a cigarette, think deep thoughts, and write at my desk. There’d be more beer and more cigarettes, and then someone would stop by to chat. Brilliant insights would be shared, and the night would wend toward morning. Then my alarm would go off. I’d get up and drag myself to work — happily within a walkable distance — and drag myself through my morning. You’re resilient in your twenties, and by evening I’d be ready to start the cycle again.
I’d seen enough of beer-drinking in my life to know what it looks like from the outside. But I wasn’t looking from the outside. I was inside, and having fun. Had I been honest with myself, I’d have been worried. And worry did bubble up from time to time. But I hastily shoved it to the back of my mind. Or I resolved to live more healthily. And I’d do that for awhile, feel better, and then go back to having ‘fun.’ But the Blue Pitcher was observing it all. She tells me that the conversations weren’t as fascinating as I thought they were. And many precious moments were lost in a beery blur.
In fact, she says that she was worried. So, the observations of the Blue Pitcher, far from being fun, have filled me with shame. I hadn’t considered how others saw me, back in those days. I thought I was having brilliant insights and embarking on an interesting life. I didn’t think about family patterns, and I surely wasn’t thinking about the future when I put my change into the beer jar and carried my bottles back up the stairs to my room. Remember, it was the seventies — we had the luxury of not having to think about the future — or at least I did.
Interesting, how writing works. The Blue Pitcher, rather than cooperating with my intent, insisted on using her voice, and opened a door.
That’s the thing about Flow, trust it and you don’t know Where it will take you.
This is a reprise of a post I wrote some years ago and I share its 2022 version here. It’s exactly what I’ve been thinking about lately with regard to writing in general, and my writing in particular.
I’m drawn to write about the idea of flow because I’ve recently realized how thoroughly it continues to elude me in my writing. It didn’t, in long ago days. I used to effectively ‘get lost’ when I was caught up in a piece of writing. Now that almost never happens.
See, just a second ago, invisibly, I stepped out of the flow of this post to open an e-mail. (You couldn’t possibly know that I just did that, but the goal is to be honest here.) That’s remarkably jarring…the stepping away.
Flow is key to the kinds of meandering explorations that creativity thrives on. Whichever side of the brain is the seat of my creative self, it needs to be allowed to flow. (And parenthetically, here is one of those spots where I need to NOT stop writing. There’s no need to Google “right brain” and “left brain” to figure out which is which.)
I added this later, honest!
Flow is about sticking with something, moving with it, moving with the momentum, seeing where it leads, and letting the unexpected emerge. It truly is about allowing things to develop, to unfold. DH Lawrence took the concept to its farthest reaches with his theory that you basically stepped into a flow for the duration of an entire novel. And you didn’t revise or edit. If the novel wasn’t working for you, you started over.
And what emerges from this flow is organic and unpredictable. Again, from Lawrence:
In my life there are two major interrupters of flow.
The first is getting ‘distracted’ by a question or interesting tidbit, pursuing it, and losing the thread of my writing. With information almost always at our fingertips, it is incredibly tempting to just take a second and look something up. But the impact of these interruptions is hugely disruptive.
The second is the part of me that I call my editor. It’s my own handy, personal, portable critic. She’s more present and intrusive when I’m writing on a computer than in longhand. It’s just so darn easy to stop, reread what I just wrote, and tweak it a little. Just a little. All the time…I mean, like every 15-seconds or so. It’s maddening — like trying to merge onto an interstate while I also have my parking brake on. NOT flow.
So I find myself wanting to recapture something of flow by challenging myself with one, small step. The step is to commit to at least 15-minutes a day of writing with flow. No editing, no straying from the page…just flow.
Some of that, then, can be grist for posts here, perhaps. Some of it can be tossed. The goal is to let go of the distractions and constraints that have accumulated in recent years and see where it takes me.
And that’s not to say there isn’t a place for editing. In fact, I love editing, but it needs to take place later, after I’ve truly allowed myself to ‘speak.’ To be continued…
Yesterday I found myself thinking about places in my life. It started innocently with a passing thought about the elementary school I attended. Actually, I attended 3 elementary schools, all in Havertown, PA. But the one I think of as MY elementary school is the one that was called Llanerch. I was there from second through fifth grade, and I cannot for the life of me remember ever going to the bathroom there.
Llanerch School, Llandillo Road, Havertown, PA
In fact, I can’t recall the bathrooms in ANY of my elementary schools, although I do remember that Fredrica B. wet her pants in reading group in first grade. (I am pretty sure that Fredrica would never be reading this blog, but I’ll apologize to her right now, just in case.)
From elementary school bathrooms I moved on to classrooms in general. What did they look like? Where did I sit? I spent many formative hours in these spaces, and yet I can hardly picture any of them. And I certainly can’t conjure my desk, or who sat near me.
Snippets come back, but they are spotty. Disturbingly so. For example, in 5th grade my friend Beth made a model of Fort Sumter out of little marshmallows. It was very cool and our teacher, Miss Asteris, put it out in the hallway so that other students could see it. I can picture the table it was on, right next to the west stairway.
And in my mind’s eye I see it being slowly dismantled as students ate its marshmallow walls. (Here’s a photo of a Pez version of the Fort. It must be very tiny! I am guessing it, too, would have disappeared rather quickly out in that hallway.)
Pez Fort Sumter
Speaking of stairways, here’s the east stairway. This is just as it looked, back in the day. I remember the treads and the metal bannister.
Many (or some) of us girls in elementary school wore shorts under their skirts. I know for sure that I did, but I can’t actually remember if others did — which is just another weird thing about memory. Anyway I can feel myself racing down these stairs at the end of the day, and pulling off my skirt so that I had just my shorts on and was ready to play or walk home, or whatever was on the agenda.
I don’t remember where I put my skirt after I pulled it off. We didn’t have backpacks in those days. I did have a leather briefcase/book-bag that was pretty cool, so maybe I put my skirt in that.
These are the kinds of details that adults think about. But back then, I probably didn’t consider or care where I put my skirt. All I knew, running down those steps, was that I was free for the rest of the day.
So, I invite you to pause for a moment today. Maybe even right now. See if you can conjure the bathroom(s) in your elementary school. Or, if not a bathroom, your desk in one of your classrooms. Put yourself back there, even if just for a moment. Capture, for one mundane instant, the great and mysterious span of your lifetime.
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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