So, after we moved to Park Road I didn’t do much moving (except within the house) ’til it was time for college. And there began a period of portability that continued pretty far into my adulthood.
Yup, bricks, boards, and wooden crates about summed up that period for me. And truth be told, it’s a decor that I still kind of fancy, though I no longer have crates in my room. Well, that’s not entirely true … but I think the fact that they are small … and painted … seriously diminishes their authentic crateness (or cratenicity).
We do have a few crates in the basement, still … and some bricks, too. And this past fall Ms. JBD and I had a seriously genius-like idea about how to create a cat box enclosure that our dogs couldn’t get into.
If you live with dogs and cats, you are probably aware of their rather disgusting symbiotic relationship. And while the dogs did save us the chore of bending over and scooping out the poops in the cat box, their hobby certainly made me disinclined to accept the dog kisses that they so enjoy doling out.
So yes, those old crates continue to come in very handy. As you can see, that cat box is now neatly locked away. (And I can only presume that the dogs have found other ways to assuage their appetites – ways that I don’t want to know anything about.)
PS It’s a good idea to apply varnish to the bricks and at least the portion of the wood that is closest to the ground. It was awhile before we realized that we needed a cat box with higher sides (the one pictured here is no longer in use).
So, if you’re using a regular box, be sure to seal up anything that’s porous … just sayin’!
I’ll get into more detail about moving in future posts. For now I apologize for the highly misleading title. I just didn’t realize I was going to get sidetracked so quickly.
So, I’ve been wrestling, for quite a few hours now, with trying to move a WordPress blog/website to a local host so I can do some testing. In the process, I am discovering some things about myself:
I absolutely love it when things work (be they digital or otherwise).
I get a tad cranky when they don’t.
But I am persistent (some might say stubborn).
It’s good for me to step away for a bit before I break something.
Caffeine doesn’t help, after a point.
Food does help (see cranky above).
I am not very good at following directions!
When I get whatever-it-is working I move quickly from cranky to euphoric.
Since helping move a friend to new digs this past Saturday, I’ve been musing a bit about moving. It’s been a long time since I moved (in more than a few senses of the word, unfortunately). But what I’m musing about here is the kind of moving that involves transporting beloved objects, usually right along with objects we don’t-know-what-the-hell-to-do-with, from one place to another.
My very first move was from one part of my hometown (Havertown, PA) to another. After 1st grade our family moved from Oakmont to Llanerch … and I made no decisions about objects or anything else having to do with that move, as I recall.
It was like magic; I went to our grandparents’ house in Ridley Park one day, and came home to a new house the next. Maybe it wasn’t actually the next day – but you get the picture. (I think ChristopherCornblog went to a friend’s house … and maybe HollyCornblog was with me … really can’t remember a thing about it … and sure hope I wasn’t supposed to be responsible for her!) It was June and it was Philly-hot, I DO know that much!
After that, there were no more moves, per se, ’til heading off to college. But I engaged in a great deal of moving within and around the house – creating-little-spaces, creating nooks and crannies, re-arranging rooms, moving furniture, arranging shelves, etc.
In retrospect, it was very much an effort to wrest small islands of order out of the chaos of home life. Making something orderly, or changing it around, allowed me to gain a sense of control … or agency, to borrow a sociological term that applies nicely here. Indeed, today, when I feel stressed and/or my life feels just-a-tad out of control, one of my immediate urges is to rearrange my room. (And if my room offers no possibilities, others’ rooms are at some risk!)
And yes, it was quite a lot like re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. But it served me well at the time. That and AM radio saw me through! (And, if I wanted to use it, it’s a pretty marketable skill that I developed all those years ago, compulsively organizing shit.)
I remember creating a study space in the basement of our house in Llanerch. Another spot a remember fondly was a ‘reading place’ out in our sun porch … basically a sleeping bag on the floor. It was cold out there and so there were very few interruptions. We had a fireplace out there and I remember reading The Count of Monte Cristo with coals glowing in the grate … a pretty fond memory among other late elementary and early junior high school reading adventures in the sun porch.
You see, it was hard doing much of anything uninterrupted at our house, so I liked finding places where I was more or less inaccessible – at least temporarily. I seem to recall reading Louisa May Alcott up in our magnolia tree. (Am guessing I wasn’t perched up there too long – can’t have been comfortable!)
My spaces were always makeshift and created out of whatever was at hand. ChristopherCornblog would sometimes come along afterward and take it to a whole new level. He made the sun porch into something that would qualify as a real, additional room – whereas my creations were more like a bedouin’s temporary digs – slipshod and portable.
So anyway – I haven’t gotten too far into my history of moving. In fact, I haven’t left the house yet. So, to be continued … sooner rather than later, I hope!
It’s just not right.
Too cold tonight.
So being brief
I’ll say, “Good Grief …
“It’s just not right;
“Too cold tonight!”
How’s that for breaking the blogging ice, as it were?
Last time I posted I was feeling a tad grandiose … thinking … and probably proclaiming … that I was going to post at least every Sunday. (It’s on my weekly schedule and everything – has been since whenever I made that oh-so-public promise to the 7 of you who saw that post.)
But then you know what I think happened? The Eagles started doing well … and my sister, HollyCornblog sent me this silly hat that I proceeded to wear during Eagles’ games … and they continued to do well, so of course I couldn’t change anything I was doing. And it was a pretty complex ritual.
What was amazing was that it all kept working, right up until the first game of the play-offs. And for reasons that I’ll never ever understand, I confess that I changed things just a wee bit for that game. Horror of horrors … I watched it downstairs (NOT on the upstairs TV where I had witnessed all those wonderfully unexpected victories).
Yes, I screwed up everything and watched the most important game of the season on the wrong TV! And of course we all saw what happened. Shady never got going. DJack hardly caught a pass … Foles looked human … and this is a burden I will carry to my grave. (I was too young to have caused the Phillies ’64 meltdown … pretty sure about that.)
I sincerely apologize to the City of Brotherly Love and to HollyCornblog … and to all readers of JordanCornblog who probably felt abandoned after I made that heartfelt (at the time) promise about posting every week. See, I am letting everyone down.
So about this blog post … you definitely shouldn’t trust me yet. This could just be another tease – another flash in the pan – to be followed by another 3-month silence.
Don’t get your hopes up … it only makes me feel that much more despicable when I let you down.
I am writing this post to say that I won’t be posting today.
Thought I’d come up with something, but there are simply no original thoughts to be had in JordanCornblog-land on this October Sunday. So I am not going to pretend or dress up something old as if it were new.
I hope to become a deeper person, but in lieu of that, I hope you’ll accept the confession of an honest person … 😉
Not a lot to say … except that Daddy Cornblog, wherever he is, is enjoying his anticipation of the Eagles’ victory over the Gnats today!
This photo, was taken in 1980 – the first time (at least in my lifetime) that the Eagles made the Superbowl.
I have some regret about not watching the game with him, in retrospect – though it totally made sense for me to be watching with my friends. (And in reality, we were all bummed and cranky by the end … so it wouldn’t exactly have been a good memory.)
He sure did love his Eagles, though … and his football in general. It’s mostly Saturday football that I remember with him. Saturday afternoons of raking leaves with him and then watching college football (as I madly made potholders to give to relatives for Christmas).
Peaceful islands of time in what was otherwise a pretty loud and chaotic place.
So yes, I associate football, oddly enough, with peacefulness. Guess I always will. And as an Eagles fan, I also associate football with wrenching roller-coaster rides of hope and disappointment … so I am prepared for the worst today, even as I hope for the best.
The past string of days have been so beautiful that I hardly know what to do with myself.
So that got me thinking, because there is a certain discomfort that comes, for me, with wondrous beauty. I think I feel unworthy of it – like it’s not possible to appreciate it enough.
Add to that the fact that it is fleeting, and a beautiful day can almost put me into a panic. A small panic, mind you, but I am definitely challenged by all of this.
Can I simply relax and appreciate beauty? Now there’s a good question for JordanCornblog!
I think my problem is that I approach beauty as a consumer – as if it is a thing that I somehow need to take in. But there is far too much of it on days like we’ve recently had … and I don’t know where to put it.
I race around, taking photos as the light moves and changes. I look and look and look.
It’s disappearing, even as I try to capture it.
And I absolutely know that this isn’t really capturing anything … and in fact, I am missing the beauty, peeking at it through a camera lens.
It brings to mind Martin Buber – and I think I should probably read I and Thou again (but I can pretty much guarantee that I won’t … unless it’s available for Kindle … ;-))
Consuming beauty makes it into an “It” in Buber’s terms … I am the subject and beauty is the object. It is not satisfying. And it is the way of the world.
The other way – the more satisfactory and meaningful way (IMHO) that Buber proposes is to relate to the world as a “Thou.” I am the subject (I) and beauty is also the subject (Thou) – and that changes the interaction entirely.
Beauty isn’t something that I use or consume … it stands on its own and I stand in relation to it.
Beauty isn’t an object of my personal experience – it is separate and complete. It doesn’t need me to see and appreciate it. It just is.
I can’t quite wrap my head around this, but it feels important to me. I interact with beauty. I accept it gratefully and am not responsible for it and can’t hold it or let it go. I open to it and it gives itself to me, somehow. The more permeable I let myself be the more I can feel it.
Excruciating beauty, terrifying beauty. To fully experience the I and Thou-ness of life it seems we have to let ourselves be open and permeable while also letting in the bottom-line separateness of everything and the kind-of-ultimately-challenging fact that we are not the center of the universe.
Doing all of that … I think … somehow opens the door to a level of relatedness and connection that is the stuff of mystical ecstasy.
So that’s what I think today … that and the fact that the Eagles are going to shock the Broncos this afternoon!
The September nights shorten as the twilight slips down the western sky, coating trunk, branch, leaf and frond with liquid gold. Darkness falls to the crazed yips and yowls of coyotes just one hill over. Sylus, my new best friend, stirs on the bed … I’m glad she is indoors.
These days I am reading a biography of Karen Carpenter. She was one of those guilty, secret pleasures that I indulged but never told friends about in the ’70’s. White bread. I wasn’t about to admit to liking anything so mainstream … not with Tricia Nixon still living with her father in the White House.
But from the first, something about her compelled me. (Karen, I mean … not Tricia!) Of course, there was that amazing, clear and melancholy voice. Then there was how awkward she looked in the dresses that someone was dressing her in (Richard, I suspected). I could so totally relate. It was painful to see – endearingly so.
But the icing on the cake came when I learned she was a drummer, and a damn good one at that. It was soooo out of character with what was being presented. I was fascinated and felt absolutely confirmed in my suspicion that there was much more to Karen than the white bread persona we saw.
So, accompanying my bio reading has been a bit of YouTube exploring. There are some amazing videos out there. Here, for example, is a melange of some of her drum performances. The sound and video quality is quite variable, but what comes through is her skill (starting at @ age 16) along with her palpable joy and comfort behind the drum kit. (And if you’re reading this via the e-mail feed, you’ll have to click the link at the end of the e-mail to be able to see the videos. Sorry – and lesson learned!)
She started playing the drums in high school – so that would have been @1964. Very unusual stuff for a girl. Her singing was really an afterthought. The drumming was her passion.
This next video shows her in the studio performing “Close to You” – at about age 20. Watching this, I wonder about being thrust into fame at such a young age. What were you doing at 20?
This next is a performance from The Tonight Show in 1973 – so now she’s @ 23. (Hmmmm what was I doing at 23?). The tempo changes in this piece seem complex and difficult to navigate (to my uneducated ear) … and she looks like she is having a great time with it all!
I just wish she’d lived long enough to ditch the weird dresses! Or get back to where she wanted to be … like in this video from a 1970 performance on The David Frost Show …
I’m at the point in the bio where fame has arrived and, along with it, lots of pressure. Apparently the audience doesn’t know where to focus during a Carpenter’s performance, so Karen is being asked to step out from behind her drum kit, stand out front and just sing. She hates the idea … feels awkward and afraid … but does it.
And if it hadn’t already started, this must have been the beginning of the end. Too much exposure. Too many eyes with no buffer. No longer doing the really heartfelt, joyful thing. Standing front and center singing … sacrificed to success.
Ultimately unbearable. That’s how I see it. No more drum kit or drumbeat – except as a funny novelty on TV specials.
But this is the terribly sad, weirdly predictable, haunting part – the part that I keep coming back to. In the report from the Los Angeles coroner, while anorexia nervosa was the clear underlying cause of her demise, the proximate cause of Karen Carpenter’s death was listed as “heartbeat irregularities.”
The other evening our cat Sylus decided that she needed some pats just as I was finishing up some intricate budgeting work on my computer. (Okay, maybe I was fiddling with one of my Fantasy Football Teams … the main point is, she interrupted me.)
I was immediately annoyed and shooed her away. She came back, I felt more annoyed, and shooed her away a bit more emphatically. Then I sighed, expelling the frustration and making space for guilt to flow in and pool in the empty spot. So then I reached down, scooped Sylus up, and gave her the pats she was craving.
There was a very familiar rhythm to that interchange. And so, that small episode got me thinking and remembering. Those knee-jerk reactions don’t come from nowhere. And for me they usually come from the same place … my growing up years. The deeper I go into those years, the more amazed I am at the terrible and tender complexity of human growth!
So … remembering now I go back further than I used to. It takes practice, faith, and courage. I know I won’t see or experience anything I’m not ready for, yet still, the journey inward always feels a tad perilous. And these days, to get to where I want, I need to shed words along the way. It’s the wordless that I’m after … the memories that are hardly memories, yet that are as foundational as cement and re-bar when it comes to how I live my life.
It reminds me of a poem by Wendell Berry that I think I’ve shared here before …
To go in the dark with a light is to know the light. To know the dark, go dark. Go without sight, and find that the dark, too, blooms and sings, and is traveled by dark feet and dark wings.
So here’s to the dark, the wordless, the foundational moments that, no matter how old I get, remain to the mined for information and insight.
Oh, and here’s to win #2 for the Iggles! (Daddy Cornog, are you watching?)
Today is the 35th anniversary of my friend Beth Allen’s death by suicide. June 20, 1978. I was 25 years old and living in Ardmore, PA when I learned of her death.
She was 25 years old, too. We were both November babies, born @ 3 weeks apart in 1952. She was way too young to die by her own hand on June 20, 1978. Indeed, she should be alive today, but she didn’t make it through this day in 1978 … and so, I think of her on June 20, 2013.
Beth (on the left) in 1970 – senior year at Haverford High School
We were classmates, starting in second grade, all the way through high school. Beth was an amazing athlete and an especially wonderful lacrosse player, swift and graceful, with seemingly endless stamina. Her lacrosse skills eventually took her to the US National Lacrosse Team…not as sexy in those days (or now) as the US Soccer Team…but an amazing accomplishment. We’d occasionally cross paths at lacrosse tournaments in college and after…but for the most part I had lost touch with her.
I majored in Religion in college…and was decidedly less religious when I graduated than I had been when I started. Beth, as I remember, was more so…moving deeper into a strain of Christianity that I was moving far, far away from. That certainly contributed to our losing touch.
I had embraced feminism and was grappling with my sexuality. And back then Beth was involved with a fairly conservative, fundamentalist strain of Christianity, and was teaching at a Christian School – Delaware County Christian School to be precise.
I don’t really know why she felt that she needed to take her own life, but I have my suspicions. And I often wonder why she could find no help or support at her place of work or within her community. Did the brand of Christianity that she called home back then offer solace or push her toward despair? I’ll never know but, as I said, I have my suspicions.
So here I am in 2013. It was an excruciatingly beautiful day here in New Hampshire yesterday. The sky was blue, the sun warm, the air clear…with the smell of just-mown grass, Sweet William and new budding Roses on the June breeze.
I took my 60-year old legs for a long walk through the Canterbury afternoon and thought about Beth, whose walk ended so long ago.
Beth’s Obituary.
What loss. What waste. What a sad, sad, sad thing. June 20, 1978.
I remember sitting at the dining room table in the house I was living in on Church Road in Ardmore. Beth was dead. I was alive.
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!
We do have a few crates in the basement, still … and some bricks, too. And this past fall Ms. JBD and I had a seriously genius-like idea about how to create a cat box enclosure that our dogs couldn’t get into.
So yes, those old crates continue to come in very handy. As you can see, that cat box is now neatly locked away. (And I can only presume that the dogs have found other ways to assuage their appetites – ways that I don’t want to know anything about.)
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