From a friend came, last night, this post form the Daily Kos with a collection of editorial cartoons remembering and honoring Ted Kennedy. As she suggested .. have some kleenex handy.
Over in Finland, Kelly Smith is playing hurt for England, who sorely need a win (no pun intended) against Russia today to remain in contention. I don’t know – as I read about Kelly I kinda feel mad at Tony D – or maybe A-Rod. Whatever happened there left Kelly carrying more of the offensive load for the Breakers than she should have had to. I admire her pluck immensely – and hope she can play through the pain, not do herself any major damage, and help England to the win!
Here’s an interesting blog post about Hope Solo … it’s from lisperry.com – a nice blog newly discovered, thanks to Google Alerts.
… and I don’t know about you, but I refuse to vote in a poll about whether the President should wear a bike helmet or not. Good grief, America!
… and already it is feeling like September. No complints here (except about the rapid passage of time).
Time.
I came awake this morning with a bit of a start after some of the most vivid dreams of Judy I’ve had in quite awhile. Came awake to realize that I was dreaming and it’s been 10 years and no, I wasn’t just sharing a meal with a healthy and vibrant Judy. No, it’s been 10 years since Judy died. Her sister Annie is visiting – which no doubt had something to do with the dreams. Time.
It makes me wonder about absence and presence … what is real. What I carry in my heart and in my memory can have as much reality as this keyboard I am pecking at right now … in this moment which slides into memory as soon as it’s marked. What is real? What isn’t?
Hey, maybe Rush Limbaugh isn’t real! I like that thought. Cheney? Check. Grassley? Check. Palin? Of course, unreal.
Enough dreaming and rambling … other news?
The WPS All Star Game is this Sunday. They’ll play Swedish league champions Umeå IK at The Anheuser-Busch Soccer Park in Fenton, MO, with kick-off scheduled for 5:30pm ET/4:30pm CT. The game will be televised live nationally on Fox Soccer Channel starting at 5PM ET.
Pia has named her roster for the USWNT’s September camp – as she prepares for a match vs. Germany. Will it be televised? That would be cool!
No Lil (she must have taken herself out of he running) and no Rampone … congrats, Christie – you are all the more amazing in my mind! And speaking of amazing players – here are some thoughts from Goal.com staffers re. the WPS Championship MVP.
Meanwhile, in the Euros we’ve got Germany-France and Iceland-Norway today … and England plays tomorrow (vs. Russia) while Sweden and Italy face off.
Out of time … must go. But first – welcome home, JPE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
HollyCornblog reported to be that yesterday while IMing with her friend Doris, she (Doris) called her (HollyCornblog) “Doltgirl.”
I’m of the belief that that is one of the first steps in going viral … whaddya think? I should add that it is also a clear reflection of Doris’ undeniable cleverness which, if it carries over to the fantasy football venue, will have us all in trouble this coming season.
Italy have four wins and a draw from five competitive encounters with England, a sequence of results which certainly gives credence to Ghedin’s desire for his charges to play “with no fear”. He is, though, wary of the threat posed by the team rated ninth in the world. “England have improved a lot recently,” he said. “They’re high up in the European rankings. I have seen them many times and I can say they definitely deserve that position. We have to be careful.”
The appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate interrogation abuses authorized by the Bush Administration is a good thing and I applaud Eric Holder for moving ahead. I also hope that the scope of the investigation will widen as it moves forward … and kinda wish it were Patrick Fitzgerald at the helm. But, according to the Washington Post, it’s John Durham … who I suspect I may come to like equally well. Just be indefatigable, John, okay?
Sox and Phillies won … oh, and my Euro Fantasy team is doing slightly better than average (in case you were wondering). Today will be telling! ;>)
Sun pouring through humid air and drooping birches, beeches and maples, as we head into the final full week of August. Soon RPE will be heading back to school and we’ll contemplate fall chores while watching the leaves turn (some have already started) and wondering how much snow there will be this winter. Our sweet black lab Willie has made it through the summer (knock on wood) with good quality of life thanks to his every-other-day-dose of steroids. His baseball career may be over … but the turnaround is well worth it, and pretty darn amazing, given how he was looking in late May.
Soooo … what to write about? I’m thinking Hope Powell – who gets my vote for the most interesting/talented coach in women’s soccer, after Pia, of course.
Here’s a great interview (circa 2007) about the English side and the women’s game.
And I love those dreadlocks! And she was born on December 8 … ;>)
As England fields a strong and experienced team at this year’s Euros, she is keeping expectations modestly confident heading into tomorrow’s opener against Italy.
Might need to include Canada’s Carolina Morace in that list, too! (Here she is in her playing days.) I hadn’t realized that she was the 1997 World Player of the Year. (I’m one of those latecomers to women’s soccer, having been oblivious prior to the 1999 WWC.)
Anyway, it’ll be interesting to see what she is able to do with the talented Canadian side – especially with the boost that the WPS gives the players in terms of minutes on the pitch. The terrain at the next WWC will be interesting, indeed. Wonder how the Germans will fare … especially after sitting out the WPS season in favor of preparing for the Euros? Will it help? (I’m hoping to see them upset …)
Speaking of the Germans, they play Norway today in day 2 of the Women’s Euro. Meanwhile France and Iceland also go head-to-head today … as we continue to search for Euro video … and swelter through these dog days of summer, watching the thunderheads sweep across the sky … and racing around the house opening and closing windows.
Too bad a red card played into the mix – and overall I wish the officiating, all year, in the WPS, had not been quite as ‘obtrusive’ as it’s tended to be – but that takes nothing away from the Sky Blue story.
Christie Rampone gets my vote for League MVP. (Oh, and in noodling around on the net last night, I saw that Ian Sawyers and Kelly Lindsey are both working at Julie Foudy’s Leadership/Soccer Camp. Hmmmm wonder how they explain getting fired and/or walking out on the job to the campers.
And now it’s on (in sports, at any rate) to the WNBA Play-offs and the MLB play-offs and the start of football … and the Women’s Euro starting today! A fellow twitterer posted this link to GoalFanzine.com where it looks like you can link to EurosportUK and watch at least England’s matches. (You have to go through GoalFanzine to get it to work – and follow the intructions.) Hmmm … seems to be just news. But maybe they’ll show England??? I’ll keep you posted. In the meantime, there’s a light version of the Matchtracker that seems to work just fine for keeping up on scores.
Last night Bookeaters had a wonderful dinner in honor of “Julie and Julia” at Cafe Mirabelle in Portsmouth. Next up – Alexander Nabakov’s Pnin. (Anyone know of any good Russian Restaurants?)
FFootball teams are all set … for now. And I’m signing off. HAND!
As I write I am listening to Jon Stewart’s interview with Betsy McCaughey – the promulgator of the death panel drivel (although I believe Sarah Palin may actually deserve credit for the term). A dangerous combination there. But watch the interview … watch the caginess, the pandering to the audience, the lack of substance. What a dangerous piece of fluff! What a hateful fool! And no, I am not speaking about Jon Stewart. Of all the issues that require honest, open, meaningful debate … ain’t healthcare a big one?
I put this all on us, though, ultimately … we get what we ask for … what we pay for … what we vote for.
Digging a little deeper into the roil of spin and propaganda around healthcare, I read a recent Rasmussen Report indicating that the public option does have the support of voters – and that in its absence, support dwindles significantly. What I really don’t get are the numbers of uninsured or self-insured – the Joe-the-Plumbers – who get all het up about this and are anti-everything. It’s like watching people get all frenzied, scared and hateful then watching some more as they, in paroxyms of rage and paranoia, cut their own throats … while rich guys at insurance and pharmaceutical companies smile their self-satisfied smiles and pat their soft bellies and their big wallets.
And can we stop it with the polls for a bit? We reduce everything to a popularity contest, and take the temperature of the President’s approval as though we were middle schoolers (actually, this is an offense to middle schoolers). Anyone who is trying to get something done is going to upset people in the course of getting there. As details unfold and are debated, as choices are made (or even just discussed) there will be reactions. There will be tweaking. Measuring “popularity” at each step along the way is distracting and distorting. (Of course, I did not mind so much, when we were watching Bush’s numbers plummet … but then again, he wasn’t actually trying to do anything.)
Oh, and while we’re at it, could we stop it with the name calling? Nazism should be only be evoked in the most dire of circumstances and when it actually reflects a meaningful comparison. And I would like to require that all angry, repressed, probably-abused-as-children, foaming-at-the-mouth right wingers be required to read up on projection and transference before speaking out about anything … again … ever.
Oh, and did I mention racist? After all, that is probably at the heart of it … the fears of the white man whose “place” is sorely threatened by reality these days. Playing on those fears is a dangerous and irresponsible game – and one that much hay is being made of by the O’Reilly’s and Beck’s and Hannity’s and Palin’s … and countless others … of this world.
Enough, already. I’m probably cranky because the Sox and Phillies both lost last night. (And is it just me, or do you think their wins and losses seem in lock-step these days?) Perhaps it’s a pattern that won’t end ’til the World Series. Wouldn’t that be nice?
Meanwhile, England’s women prepare for the Euro’s with high hopes and expectations. Follow the women’s euro matches here … still looking for info about webcasts. Anyone out there know anything? Guess I’m gonna need to put the question out on Twitter … ;>)
And last but not least by any stretch … a sad and beautiful meditation on the power of the spoken word by Boltgirl …
The WPS Championship match-up between the Sol and Sky Blue gets underway tomorrow at 3:30 PM ET on FSN. Sky Blue will be the improbable champ. Why? Because they are just like the Belmont High School girls’ basketball team, circa 2006. They’ve come through fire, as it were, and dug deep. They are now relying on their bond as teammates and on leadership (STRONG leadership) from within their own ranks. The chemistry and grit will carry them through – even against teams with more flash and individual talent. It’s a proven fact. Just look at thet banner in the gym the next time you visit Belmont High School! ;>)
From a Left Wing has put up a nice post about the Jersey Girls, too! And from The Examiner, a piece about the rivalry between the Breakers and Sky Blue … to be continued, my Sky Blue friends! I may be rooting for you now, but …
Meanwhile, there are other things going on in the world – things I need to write about quickly, before my mouse battery dies. (Hang in there buddy – you’ll be recharging momentarily!) There’s Paul Krugman on the public option and the difficulties that Obama is currently presenting to his progressive supporters. Barack … where are you?
But there’s a point at which realism shades over into weakness, and progressives increasingly feel that the administration is on the wrong side of that line. It seems as if there is nothing Republicans can do that will draw an administration rebuke: Senator Charles E. Grassley feeds the death panel smear, warning that reform will “pull the plug on grandma,” and two days later the White House declares that it’s still committed to working with him.
It’s hard to avoid the sense that Mr. Obama has wasted months trying to appease people who can’t be appeased, and who take every concession as a sign that he can be rolled.
Indeed, no sooner were there reports that the administration might accept co-ops as an alternative to the public option than G.O.P. leaders announced that co-ops, too, were unacceptable.
So progressives are now in revolt. Mr. Obama took their trust for granted, and in the process lost it. And now he needs to win it back.
HollyCornblog had a visitor last night … a kinda cute porcupine, wouldn’t you say? (ZoeyCornblog isn’t so sure …as she was the first to meet up with the little critter .. and ate some quills in the process.)
Hopefully, this won’t be a regular occurrence.
Don’t you think he’d make a nice avatar for HollyCornblog’s Fantasy Football team?
Here’s an article sent to me by Alison – about the proliferation of fake grassroots groups …with a focus on lobbying around the future of the internet.
“The fake grassroots groups are spending major resources to deceive the public and promote agendas of the corporations that sign their paychecks,” said Timothy Karr, campaign director of Free Press. “We need transparency, accountability and honest debate. The crucial policy decisions being made right now about the future of the Internet must be based on independent research, reliable data and facts. The phone and cable companies must stop distorting the issues and hiding behind their astroturf groups, sock puppets and hired shills.”
So here’s to unmasking the shills and sock puppets! Hope they’ll be adding health insurance and pharmaceutical companies to their watch list one day – or someone else picks up on this great idea for unmasking hypocrisy!
Phillies? Red Sox? Those bats are alive and kicking … keep it up, guys!
Finally – I loved this poem from TWA this morning. Helps me to understand a transition I’ve been experiencing as I age. It’s a strange feeling – and gives me perspective on my parents and grandparents that I never had before … ah life!
Sky Blue FC played with passion all through that first half last night (we’re talking WPS playoff soccer, in case you were wondering) and beat the Athletica to move into the Final on the strength of defender Keeley Dowling’s goal off an assist from Yael Averbuch. Without Hope Solo in goal for the Athletica, the score would have been 3 or 4 to nothing at the 45-minute mark. The video clips are amazing!
In the second half, the Athletica pushed hard and came up with some decent chances, but Sky Blue held fast, and a battered and scarred Jenni Branam came up with the saves when she needed to. (Is it just me, or does she seem exceptionally injury-prone? Can’t argue with her skill, but I feel like there is something a tad odd going on with the undisclosed health/hydration issues and the “drama” of it all. Not dissing her … but wondering. There’s something there that reminds me of one or two teammates through the years, who were always falling and limping and otherwise being “wounded” and “brave” while the rest of us just kinda schlumped along.) Maybe I’m just jealous!
And Christie Rampone? What can I say? She’s my vote for League MVP after all that she and the team have been through. To be at this place now after two coaches evaporate and you experience a burst ovarian cyst? That latter little event, alone, would have pretty much ruined my summer. Way to go, Christie!
Now it’s on to the Home Depot Center and the Sol … and the first ever WPS Final. That’s at 3:30 PM (ET) this Saturday on Fox Soccer Net! And the good news is that the WPS will be back next year … even with losses (inevitable, I’d say, given the economy along with some very sketchy weather at many venues this spring) this first year. Sounds like they have a sound business plan that can carry them through these tough times. As a Breakers season ticket holder, I can attest to the fact that it’s a great deal … highly recommended!
Ready for round 2 of the play-offs? Sky Blue and the Athletica are set to square off in St. Louis – 7PM ET tonight on FSC. After rough starts, both teams find themselves in contention to take on the LA Sol this weekend.
On the rough start front, Sky Blue definitely has the upper hand, as is recapped in this article from the NY Times … and this from the Weekly Pitch … and this from Jacqueline Purdy on ESPN.
My take? If Jen Branum is healthy (her knee looked iffy at the end of the Freedom match) and Kai’s shoulder holds up, I take Sky Blue over the Athletica (who will be suffering with the loss of their all-star Eniola Aluko to England and the Euro’s). It’s a story line that is just too good not to root for (unless you’re from St. Louis, of course).
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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