Yup – the clouds are rolling in this Thursday morning and it looks like we’re in for a string of rainy days (again). I’m grateful for the sun we had – and looking forward to more as we head toward the Summer Solstice!
On the socer front, the Breakers and FC Gold Pride played to a 1-1 draw in Cambridge … in a game that sounded like a tale of two halves. I’ll look forward to hearing details from those who were there. The Red Stars lost to FC Sky Blue (1-0) … and I am still hopeful that both the Breakers and the Red Stars will get back on track and realize their early promise. (Caveat – as someone born and bred in Philly, my hopeful phannishness should probably be seen for what it is … mostly reaction formation verging on delusion.)
Interesting piece here from Salon – about where we’d be now if McCain were POTUS. How ever I feel about what Obama has and has not done … this makes me count my blessings!
Anyway … onward! I’m back to work today … with a soccer game to root at this evening at NHTI-Concord … unless wet weather sends me straight home!
Yesterday afternoon I had an amazing walk in the woods with Willie — one I’ll remember for many years to come.
The day had cleared, after a whole string of rainy days. Willie, Ruby and I headed toward the western entrance to the woods, and Ruby turned back, as she usually does, before we had crossed the field and walked through the opening in the trees onto the woods road. She hangs out at the house and waits for us to return.
Willie seemed eager and energetic, sniffing the air and trotting with his tail up and his ears perked — just like usual. We came to the spot where the snowmobile trail from town intersects with our woods loop, and turned right heading up a slight incline. The path there is a little bit damp, and the vegetation changes over from hemlocks to birches and beeches as we head up the small hill to walk the ridge (“ridge” being a little bit of an over-statement).
Willie was ahead of me and I saw him stopped in the path, intently sniffing at something. As I got closer I could see that the “something” appeared to be some kind of a dead animal. Ugh – I’m thinking, “Don’t roll … don’t roll!” Getting closer still, I was very sad as it looked like that dead animal was actually a very young fawn, curled up in a tight ball in the middle of the rocky path.
I was thinking about how difficult it is to survive in the woods, and wondering what Willie would do next, as I noticed that the fawn’s eye seemed to be open. Then it seemed that its eye was moving.
I was trying to decide whether I was seeing things or not, when the fawn swung its head around suddenly and let out one of the loudest brays I have ever heard come out of a creature that size! Needless to say, Willie was shocked and pulled back as the fawn struggled to standing on its spindly, new legs and wobbled off into the woods.
Thankfully, Willie minded me and didn’t give chase. (Had Ruby been there I’m sure the story would have had some very different details in this part — and not such happy ones!) Willie desperately wanted to follow the fawn, and kept turning back, even as we continued our walk. He minded each time I called, and I thanked him and congratulated him each time he minded. (I talk to Willie a lot – and sometimes wonder whether he finds that annoying.)
Anyway – there we have it – sweet Willie, who is enjoying the twilight of his life, coming nose to nose with a newly arrived, equally sweet creature on a sun-dappled afternoon. What an amazing juxtaposition! I felt touched, honored, moved to have witnessed such a scene. The world holds so many things — how grateful I am to have been privy to this one!
Reading about the Uighurs in Bermuda, I am so struck by the incredibly fear-based lives that we live here in the US of A … juxtaposed with the calm and sanity of those we have abused …
But proposals to resettle them in the United States caused a political furor that the Obama administration did not want to aggravate. On Sunday, these four expressed a surprising lack of bitterness toward the United States, saying — as they had during interrogations years ago in Guantánamo — that they had never been anti-American and just wanted to get on with their lives.
“Before we were asking, ‘Why are the Americans doing this to us?’ ” said Mr. Abdulahat. Now, he said, with others nodding in agreement, “We have ended up in such a beautiful place. We don’t want to look back, and we don’t have any hard feelings toward the United States.”
Fueled by 8 years of fear-mongering – we are a culture of narcissistic victims looking over our shoulders, thinking everyone is out to get us.
And it wouldn’t be surprising if it were true – given the privilege that we seem to feel empowered to flaunt – and the way that we have treated people and cultures around the world. But the world is often a wiser and more mature place than we, in our terror of terrorists, can fathom.
Could it be our consciences that haunt us and have us jumping at shadows? Could it be, Dick, that you know what you have done and fear the retribution that would be swift and merciless … were vengeance yours?
Getting back on track after a great weekend … and I must admit that sleeping in was a big temptation this grey Monday. But the day beckons and time stands still for no one. Yup.
So I see the Phillies avoided a sweep – losing two but coming back on Sunday and chasing my absolute least favorite of the Red Sox … Josh Beckett … right out of the game. Jimmy Rollins (we hope) is back on track. Wouldn’t mind at all of he and Big Papi followed a similar trajectory and both had fabulous summers!
On the soccer pitch, though A-Rod looked better than in previous games, the Breakers lost their first home match … at the hands of The Athletica. Next up – FC Sky Blue on Wednesday night at Harvard Stadium!
In Iran, demonstrations continue and, in a reversal, the supreme leader has ordered an inquiry into the voting. (This link is to a fascinating, live feed of news streaming in from Iran …) If you go to Twitter and search under #iranelection you can see the Twitterfeed …
So, the news of the world, in no particular order, includes the fact that the Phillies lost to the Red Sox in 13 innings, on the strength of a single by Jacoby Ellsbury. (BJ and Paula R are happy!) Two more games to go folks.
We’ve got another round of WPS previews, as well as a nice profile of the Breakers’ break out defensive star, Sue Weber. This weekend’s games will help break up a 3-way tie for third place in the WPS – an slot the Breakers would like to move out of tomorrow!
Michael Rowe has put up some good commentary on the Huffington Post about right wing hate speech and whose hands are bloody after horrific events like this past week’s shooting in DC (or the murder in Wichita). Ann Coulter, are you listening? Do you have a soul? A brain that computes anything beyond craven self-interest?
Then we’ve got another piece by Greg Mitchell, who’s done little exploring about what the white supremacists have to say about the shooting at the Holocaust Museum. It is so weird to think, as I look out my window and watch the sunrise, that the landscape harbors whole populations of ideologically skewed creatures who move among us, thinking such weird and paranoid and destructive thoughts. It feels like what you see when you pick up a stone and all sorts of things scurry toward the shadows.
I guess if you’re a white supremacist, you would find my words the typical condescending liberal crap. It’s amazing to me that there can exist such a huge divide in so-called rational thought. Is it rational? Or is one of us crazy?
I certainly react to the far right as if it were crazy. Is it possible that it isn’t? And if it is, how can there be so many people who subscribe to its notions? Do they really believe all that stuff? Does Ann Coulter drink the Kool-Aid that she makes a living off of? The cynic in me says no — but that’s mostly because I can’t fathom subscribing to that worldview.
From Michael Rowe’s piece …
There was a time when decency, even honor, was an essential part of the American dialogue in its most ideal form, and part of its very identity. There was a time when our culture would have recoiled in horror at the vituperation flowing unchecked from radios, televisions, and the Internet, instead of applauding it as “common sense,” “free speech,” or “mavericky,” or “a spin-free zone.”
There was a time when intellectual honesty was not considered unpatriotic; when compassion for, and understanding of, your fellow man was a sign of strength, not weakness. There was a time when the phrase Have you no shame? meant something, and the First Amendment was not used as toilet paper to wipe up the excremental verbal degradation of vulnerable segments of the American population. A time when it was expected that citizens would understand the difference between free speech and irresponsible speech. Somewhere along the line, a cancerous segment of American popular culture and media cunningly metastasized themselves to the long-standing, honorable American “cowboy” motif and mentality, and recast it in their own image. They grafted cruelty, divisiveness, and ignorance to it, making the two appear indistinguishable, and natural allies. And they are neither, or at least ought not to be.
Well, it’s about time to start the day. I’ll be signing off till Monday morning, most likely. Hope you have a great weekend.
In the interim, anyone who could (please) stop by and explain the far right would be most welcome!
First off, here’s a post from The Time Finder that I read this morning and really liked. Reframing self-care as a responsibility, rather than a luxury, sure sounds helpful to me.
I see in the news that the election in Iran is underway and too close to call. Whatever happens, it does feel to me like things on the world stage are shifting, having been frozen in various postures of stiff extremism for the past eight years.
And here’s an interesting op ed from the Times re. the Supremes (thanks, Alison)!
To hear both critics and defenders talk about the fitness of Judge Sonia Sotomayor for the Supreme Court, you’d think the most successful Supreme Court justices had been warm, collegial consensus-builders. But history tells a different story. Measured by their lasting impact on Constitution and country, many of the greatest justices have been irascible, socially distant, personally isolated, arrogant or even downright mean.
Stephen J. Field, appointed by Lincoln, once insulted a woman’s romantic past so outrageously from the bench that her husband later attacked him on a train – and was shot dead by Field’s bodyguard. Louis D. Brandeis was famously distant: one of his law clerks recounted working until the small hours of the morning on a challenging opinion; as he slid his draft under the justice’s door, silent fingers pulled it through, with no human acknowledgment of the joint effort.
The Phillies and Red Sox both beat their respective New York rivals last night, and will now face off in a weekend series. I’ll be otherwise occupied for a portion of the weekend, and so will miss out on some, but not all, of the fun!
There are several WPS tidbits out on the airwaves this morning, including:
U.S. players also are getting more of an opportunity to learn and practice the possession game favored by U.S. national coach Pia Sundhage.
“It’s very clear that (Sundhage) wants the ball on the ground,” WPS chief operating officer Mary Harvey says. “You see WPS teams playing that. You’ve got seven (coaches) with slightly different attacking styles, (but) you don’t really have long-ball teams.”
The weekly power rankings — where we expect the Breakers to begin to rise, starting Sunday evening!
An article about Mia in retirement. “The WPS’s logo is a silhouette of Hamm striking the ball, her iconic image as much a part of the future as it was the past.”
Oh yeah – and the Eagles and Donovan are happy together .. and heading to the Superbowl. You read it first on JordanCornblog!
I felt sick at heart reading, yesterday, about the murder at the Holocaust Museum. A bitter old man, stuffed to the gills with 88 years worth of narrowness, delusion, and hatred unleashed that hatred and snuffed out a life. It sucks. It absolutely sucks.
Apparently the Office of Homeland Security (a name that I dislike immensely — and especially in this context) had published a report warning that homegrown, right wing violence is on the rise. (As unappetizing as I find the Office of Homeland Security, having competent people there is, I suppose, a small plus.)
This was a report that was apparently reviled and ridiculed by the leading lights of the GOP.
Memo to the GOP – You need to apologize. In fact, take a step beyond apologizing and own some responsibility — because it’s your heated rhetoric that encourages the likes of this dude, as well as the shooter in Wichita, and others waiting in the wings. You guys need to reel in and stop fomenting extremism in order to placate your right wing base.
On a happier note, the Phillies and Red Sox both won. The Breakers play the Athletica in Cambridge on Sunday, Comcast is going to be televising three more WPS games, Willie seems to be holding steady and enjoying his moments, and wet weather continues to help our gardens grow! 🙂
So, if you haven’t been watching Jon Stewart lately, you’ve got to check out his recent sendup of the news that we are being fed by the various networks that purport to feed us. It’s great stuff!
On the WPS front, we’ve got some news on the league’s global ratings, as well as their performance on the TV ratings front. Not bad, I’d say.
It’s another gray day here in Canterbury — looks to be a damp week, all told. Dewd just headed off for Deer Island couple of hours ago. Ruby’s gonna be cranky — and I’m shutting my door so she doesn’t take her ire out on any of my belongings! (Bored, alone, and cranky – a bad combination when it comes to the Rubster!)
Well, I kind of blew it on the time front this morning. It’s a gray one here in Canterbury — such a contrast to the brilliant sun and clear blue sky that we had yesterday.
I took advantage of the weather yesterday and went on several slow walks with Willie — two up and down the driveway, and one looping through our woods. His energy, though limited, still allows him to be mobile and enjoy life!
I loved watching him walk ahead as he always does, sniffing the ground, listening, looking around — aware of layers and layers of reality that I can’t even perceive. And it felt poignant, too, seeing him forge ahead, knowing that at some point he’s going to turn a corner and we won’t see him anymore.
And so we begin the second full week of June. Here in New Hampshire as the sun rises, the sky is cloudless and there’s a light breeze rustling the leaves on the trees at the eastern edge of the field. Willie slept in RPE’s room and made it down the steps without mishap this morning — good signs for the coming day!
Speaking of RPE, she heads off for her first day of summer work,where she’ll pick up where she left off with Climate Counts. Looking forward to hearing how it all goes!
Yesterday afternoon/evening we had a neighborly gathering here as RPE shared Tanzania pictures and stories. Each time I feel like I learn something new!
After everyone left we watched about 20 minutes of the LA Sol – Washington Freedom matchup. Twenty minutes was about all we could manage before dozing off. So I’ll skip the WPS scores for now, rather than ruin the surprise. The Phillies pulled out a nice win over the Dodgers … yippee!!
In a quick scan of the news, I found this article about the president’s economic team and, in particular, Larry Summers. He doesn’t sound like the nicest guy around, but I’m pleased to hear that he is taking a more populist stand than many expected.
In addition, I can’t say that I’m unhappy to hear that there’s lots of disagreement to be worked through as economic policies are developed. That disagreement is not something this administration is averse to strikes me as a very positive sign. I want people bringing their best ideas to the table and defending them energetically as policies are hammered out. Hopefully that means the solutions that emerge will be the best of the best — and not “answers” fabricated out of whole cloth to meet someone’s ideological predisposition.
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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