A win or a draw will send the US to Germany. A one-point win by Italy would send both teams into a tiebreaker scenario, while a win by more than one point would send Italy to the women’s World Cup.
The game is on ESPN3.com at 1 PM Central time – and you can bet I’m going to be messing with the computer and the TV to see if we can get it set up to watch on the wider screen this afternoon.
Will Pia let Alex Morgan have some more playing time … or will it be the same old, same old. Folks over at BigSoccer are surely fed up with Pia.
Meanwhile, I see that satire, apparently, is beyond the ken of the readers and editors of FoxNation.com. FoxNation reprinted an article from The Onion indicating that a distraught and despondent Obama had sent a rambling e-mail to everyone in the country. Whether the editors actually thought it was real will probably never be known to us – but reading the readers comments was pretty amazing. How gullible and without any sense of irony these folks are – and how hateful!
It’s scary combination – the deep wells of acrimony coupled with the singular lack of reflection and personal depth. Then again, I guess that’s really the most fertile ground for brewing hatefulness if you think about it.
Enough of that already.
HollyCornblog and CharlieHopbrew are heading up to the lake today – I’m wishing them good weather, and a nice, quiet, cozy time up there.
And me? I’m gonna plan my day shortly, as I began a new year (for me) filled with appreciation for friends and family, for good health and work and the gifts of this earth … and, of course, for the Eagles and the Phillies!
… to Boltgirl, who lost her grandmother to a stroke on Sunday … and brings to my mind the fleeting preciousness of every single moment of our lives. The slap of a screen door and sound of barefeet running across a summertime porch to some manner of outdoor adventure. It’s all in there – the smells, the sounds, the textures of it. We hold it all … the poignant losses that memory can touch but not quite grasp.
I reflect, with gratitude, on the people who have graced my days. The meals cooked, the diapers changed, the appointments made and kept, snowsuits snapped on … all the daily tasks and the hands that tended to them. Nothing spectacular, nothing glittery or newsworthy or award-winning … but the stuff that holds life together … day-to-day-to-day.
I celebrate my father, steady as they come, who did what he needed to do and enjoyed the simple things, as he would attest. He also endured Mom … and rooting for Philadelphia teams for his entire life. I think that the two things are probably related.
And I celebrate my mother who was who she was. With all the craziness … and I do mean craziness … she still somehow kept track of three kids and all the stuff that is involved in that. What wrong-headed-but-prodigious energy it must have taken, to do all of that and still manage to have time left-over for endless hours of railing against the pope and other demonized entities! (And no wonder she died at 49 … so much had been expended so hard for so long).
So, I read happily that as a voting populace we came to our senses just in the nick of time and voted Jennifer Grey the winner on Dancing With the Stars. Not that I actually watch the show (and no, I’m not lying about that). But I have noticed the weekly headlines. We certainly have been mesmerized by the drama on the dance floor, haven’t we?
The daughter of “she who shall remain nameless” finished a surprising third in a contest that she should have been eliminated from months ago based on her dancing skills. The rabid supporters of her mother, however, kept this dancer in the mix right up to the grand finale – and Fox, of course, benefitted in the ratings race as a result.
But that whole deal of the voters backing someone who’s clearly unqualified. Hmmmmm, sounds so familiar. Where have I seen that before? Gosh, I know it’s right on the tip of my tongue.
And then, don’t you just love the classiness of the dancer? Aren’t you inspired by her reason for seeking this trophy? Is it to celebrate the beauty and athleticism of dance? Or maybe to bring a worthy charity to our attention? Or even just to further her own career in some corner of the entertainment world?
Nah … she wanted to win so that she could flip the bird to folks like you and me. What an inspiring goal!
So, let’s review. You enter a contest that you’re not qualified for, and your backers keep you going, while more deserving people are eliminated. And the whole purpose of this is just to give some group of nasty people the finger?
Thanks, tiny dancer, for the reminder of why I so thoroughly dislike you and your opportunistic clan.
Perhaps I shouldn’t blame you, as you’re young and were apparently raised by a vicious, hairy animal.
But then again, being a mom yourself now, you’re getting to be old enough to know better.
Anyway, ’til you learn … here’s a song for you and your great big middle finger!
So it’s November 23, 2010 and I’m home again after a really nice visit with HollyCornblog and CharlieHopbrew (and an extra special visit from my Kindle buddy … a.k.a. wannabes), as well as a brief span of quiet time up at the Lake. Since getting home I’ve been thinking a lot about that tennis ball at the bottom of the boat slide.
When I first saw the tennis ball bobbing around in the icy water, I immediately thought of Willie, and immediately missed his presence.
However, what I missed entirely was what I feel now (having been helped to this realization by the comments of others).
That tennis ball wasn’t just a reminder of Willie’s presence – it was a visit from Willie.
How ever energy works in this universe, I don’t think it disappears with death – but it is transformed – maybe even freed. So what I really can feel now is that Willie’s energy somehow managed to help that tennis ball find its way to the bottom of the boat slide – and to bring me to a place where I intersected with it.
And what I feel sad about is that I wasn’t in a space, right then, to recognize and greet that presence. Instead, I was simply missing Willie. The two things feel so different to me.
So I send my greetings now – and I have a feeling that that Willie energy, wherever it is, will be able to know that and accept it. Thanks for your visit Willie! Thanks for offering your greeting … I hear it/see it now!
As a sort of counterpoint to that warmth and positivity, I am also reminded, today, of the darkness and chaos of my beginnings. Certain anniversaries bring that to mind unbidden, and I can almost feel ambushed by it. Resentful. That’s how I felt today as I sat quietly, expecting … I dunno … peaceful and edifying thoughts … something along those lines.
It’s difficult to welcome that energy when it comes to me. That said, though, I know that dipping into the difficult things always brings me to a deeper and richer place in my life. Those things are there, whether I dip into them or not. And the more I look at the dark and unpredictable and even dangerous characters like Malcolm and Grindad and Mom who imposed their toxicity on my days and nights – the more I can free myself from that sludge and venom … and stop repeating the things in my own life that I found most troublesome in theirs.
So this day, I celebrate sweet Willie and I celebrate the fact that I survived and that I can continue to learn and grow. I celebrate with gratitude and with open eyes.
Lovely poem from Grace Paley this morning on The Writer’s Almanac daily e-mail. Titled “In the Bus” … a visit from a long ago child bringing an invitation … out of the blue, on a bus in Western Mass …
a sigh she whispered Hey you
begin again
Again?
again again you’ll see
it’s easy begin again long ago
… lovely and true. Begin again – in any moment. It’s a message embedded in every world religion worth its salt … in our DNA, too, if we can sift through all the “stuff” of our daily lives and get to it. Seriously. Out of the quiet … when we give it to ourselves … always will come these visits and invitations.
As for the “stuff” that gets in the way … I can’t resist adding to it by noting that the USWNT defeated Italy in the first of their two games. A goal by Alex Morgan in the waning moments of stoppage time put them over the top. Somehow Lori Lindsay managed a yellow card while on the bench. That seems unnecessary, Lori … ;>) … but not entirely surprising.
Finally .. get ready for the Eagles – Giants tonight. I am hoping that HollyCornblog didn’t jinx the Eagles by picking up Kevin Kolb (just in case). Seems a fate-tempting sort of thing to do … just sayin’.
Yep, that’s definitely a skill I need to practice a bit more, judging from the 80+ degrees I managed to have the place at by bedtime. (And yes, JBD … if we manage a trek up here in the cold weather sometime, YOU can be in charge of the stove … not to worry.) I had to keep opening the kitchen door to cool things down.
The heat was so debilitating that I watched @ 45 minutes of a documentary about the life of Bill Parcells … before I came to my senses! It’s one thing to feel a flash of compassion for Jay Cutler … but a big tuna who coached both the Giants AND the ‘boys??!!! JordanCornblog clearly wasn’t well.
I next caught @ half an hour of Maddow’s replay of her interview with Jon Stewart. Interesting discussion, but I came away thinking … “But what if Dubya and Dick really were/are evil?!” Shouldn’t we stop attempting to have civil dialogue and sound the alarm? Either I am too enmeshed in the liberal POV to have any perspective … or I wasn’t entirely getting his point.
Don’t forget that the USWNT plays Italy today in the first of two must-win games. Apparently you can watch live on ESPN3.com (won’t work for me on dial-up) … or you can follow along on MatchTracker or Twitter.
Finally, kudos to the Canadian women for returning to the top 10 in world soccer rankings. The US Women dropped 42 points … but remain atop the heap. Hopefully after their games with Italy they will remain there …
So, I’m up at the lake this morning, having driven over yesterday. It’s very strange being here without Willie, and I find myself thinking of him often. Oddly enough, when I went out to the lake yesterday, first thing, I noticed that a tennis ball had washed in from the other side and was bobbing in the icy water at the bottom of the boat slide. Had he been here he’d have seen it, pounced, and come up dripping and grinning, with that ball securely (but oh so softly held) in his sweet Lab mouth.
The work that HollyCornblog and CharlieHopbrew have done up here is truly amazing. When I arrived it was probably about 38° both inside and outside the house. I got the fire going, and it took quite a while to get things warmed up, but by dark it was probably about 68° inside, while the temp was dropping outside.
By the time I went to bed it was probably about 74° inside and I had to really bank the stove down. It got as low as 28° outside last night, but when I woke up it was 65° here inside – a tad warmer than it is downstairs at home in the morning! (Hear that, Beeg!!!???)
The surprise, when I woke up, was a dusting of snow on the ground. In the past, that would’ve really scared me, as the house used to be so difficult to warm up, and keep warm. But seeing the snow this morning was merely interesting. I gaze outside and see that the wind is blowing pretty steadily and the sky is a steely November gray, but I don’t feel the least bit nervous about being comfortable in here as I read and write and think and ponder and reminisce.
So thanks, HollyCornblog and CharlieHopbrew! It’s amazing what you’ve accomplished. You’re right, I can’t really even hear the wind, though in daylight I can definitely SEE it. Oh, and I still hear the ghosts walking around upstairs – but not hearing the night sounds in the woods quite the way I used to … that’s a very good thing!
Another change up here this year is ongoing phone service/internet through the winter. And the TV is still here and hooked up. It’s not really too much of a temptation (that TV – I’m not one to randomly watch – much more likely to randomly lose time on the internet). But I must say it was nice to settle in last night and watch the Chicago Miami game from the comfort of this cozy place.
Yeah, and my heart softened just a wee bit toward Jay Cutler, after learning that he’s managing diabetes while playing professional football. I still don’t like his attitude, but maybe I can have a little more compassion for it. Poor Tyler Thigpen … rough outing for him!
Well, I believe it’s time to think about bringing in some wood and getting outside for a bit before settling in for some reading/writing. Happy Friday!
The news out of the WPS is a mixed bag these days – a very mixed bag. It sounds like the Washington Freedom have secured funding for 2011, and the season will go on. However, FC Gold Pride are now defunct, and the Chicago Red Stars sound like they are in some trouble. Meanwhile, there’s a new team in Buffalo. Go figure.
The UConn women extended their winning streak last night and what sounded like an exciting, and razor thin, victory over Baylor.
Kudos to Roy Halladay for winning this year’s National League Cy Young Award … and to the Goffstown Grannies for finally taking down the inimitable Tim Tebow Barbershop Brigade in fantasy football! Ironic, and cosmically perfect, that Tim’s namesake team should lose on the week that he threw his first NFL TD pass.
It’s raining to beat the band here this morning, and all of my umbrellas are in the backseat of my car. Nicely done JordanCornblog!
I went to see Waiting for Superman the other night, and the more I think about it, the more annoyed I feel by this movie. Basically, it’s an indictment of the public education system (no news there) that places the blame squarely on “poor teachers” … and on the teachers’ unions that make it difficult to fire these poor teachers and to reward the good ones.
I don’t disagree with some of the points that they make in the movie. I am sure that the unions make it difficult to fire people, as does the tenure system (which predates the unions). However, IMHO this movie offered a gross oversimplification of the elements involved in the problem.
What about administrators? How about school boards?
Consider that phys ed teacher who’s been at your local middle school for 23 years and is well-liked by the school board. He becomes the principal and is put in a position of providing educational leadership to a staff of, say, 80 teachers. So basically, this friendly, popular, possibly a-little-bit-burnt-out guy becomes the CEO of a small business with a budget of several million dollars.
And maybe it turns out that he’s not such a nice guy after all. Maybe he’s a bit of a bully. What does that do to the morale of your excellent teachers? How is that a situation that is going to inspire excellence – either from the staff or the students? Believe me, years ago when I worked in a school district in Pennsylvania, I saw this happen a lot. Yes, there were poor, underperforming teachers – but that was not the only issue … and it still isn’t the only issue in this system.
IMHO (again) the schools reflect what’s going on in our culture. What does it say about us that the value of education has been boiled down to a matter of competing with the rest of the world? Does education have no intrinsic value here in this great experiment that we call America?
What does it say about the value we place on education that some of the leading lights of our major political movements are so proud of the fact that they don’t know shit? If we’re celebrating that kind of incompetence, and even considering putting people of that ilk in charge of our country, what are we telling our kids about school and learning and education? If our biggest heroes are celebrities and athletes, how can we really expect teachers to imbue our sons and daughters with a love of learning?
What we value, what we truly value, is truly reflected in the performance of our schools. I think pointing our fingers at “poor teachers” is really crap.
We need to look at ourselves as a culture – THAT’S what needs to change.
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!
When I first saw the tennis ball bobbing around in the icy water, I immediately thought of Willie, and immediately missed his presence.
JordanCornblog 