Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
I hope you all have a lovely holiday season. See you in 2009!
Monday, December 22, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Where's the Freakin Snow???
Do you know it is going to be 50 degrees here today, tomorrow, and Tuesday? WTF? It's the middle of December and where's the snow? I actually didn't wear a scarf and gloves to go outside this morning. And people say there's no such thing as global warming. HA! Anyway, yesterday I was a slug, seriously. I vegged most of the afternoon and all night. It was great. Don't you love those days? If you plan on a slug-fest any time soon, here are three items for you to enjoy.
Film: Amelie
Amelie was on Ovation last night. I sat through the hour of commercials just to once again enjoy this French flick. It never gets old, folks! This 2001 film still makes me smile. Part of that is because Audrey Tautou (of The DiVinci Code) is so darn cute. She's such a wonderful oddball and she really makes the film lovely. Also, the supporting cast of quirky characters adds to the overall fun of the film. I've only seen a handful of French films, but a couple of these character actors have popped up in those films. This is not a Christmas film per se, but the idea of helping your fellow man in small ways certainly puts one in the Christmas spirit. This is not a "pay it forward" kind of film. And sometimes Amelie's little plans to help do not always pan out as she intends. But the film will make you feel just a little bit better about this world.
Television: Heroes
Let me say up front that I am not saying you should be watching Heroes this season. Frankly, it's getting a bit annoying. I agree with Entertainment Weekly that it's about time to kill off some heroes to lighten the load. They can begin with Mohinder. Also, the whole good/bad/who can tell storyline with Gabriel has to go. He's clearly good in the future so let's get him there for goodness sake. And I was really surprised about the whole Ella twist. And what about Hiro?! How many times is he going to end up in the past??? But I digress. I mostly want to point out some brilliant guest casting. A couple of weeks ago Seth Green and Breckin Meyer were in a two-episode story arc as a couple of comic book geeks. Totally an in-joke! I loved it and snickered my way through their scenes. Maybe if Tim Kring had more moments of clarity like he had when he cast Green and Meyers, the show wouldn't suck so much.
Book: ??
Sorry folks, I haven't a book to recommend for Christmas reading right now. I just started one and am not along enough to decide if it's good enough to recommend. I have a shelf full of books staring me in the face and I intend to plow through as many as possible before the second week in January. Wish me luck!
Film: Amelie
Amelie was on Ovation last night. I sat through the hour of commercials just to once again enjoy this French flick. It never gets old, folks! This 2001 film still makes me smile. Part of that is because Audrey Tautou (of The DiVinci Code) is so darn cute. She's such a wonderful oddball and she really makes the film lovely. Also, the supporting cast of quirky characters adds to the overall fun of the film. I've only seen a handful of French films, but a couple of these character actors have popped up in those films. This is not a Christmas film per se, but the idea of helping your fellow man in small ways certainly puts one in the Christmas spirit. This is not a "pay it forward" kind of film. And sometimes Amelie's little plans to help do not always pan out as she intends. But the film will make you feel just a little bit better about this world.
Television: Heroes
Let me say up front that I am not saying you should be watching Heroes this season. Frankly, it's getting a bit annoying. I agree with Entertainment Weekly that it's about time to kill off some heroes to lighten the load. They can begin with Mohinder. Also, the whole good/bad/who can tell storyline with Gabriel has to go. He's clearly good in the future so let's get him there for goodness sake. And I was really surprised about the whole Ella twist. And what about Hiro?! How many times is he going to end up in the past??? But I digress. I mostly want to point out some brilliant guest casting. A couple of weeks ago Seth Green and Breckin Meyer were in a two-episode story arc as a couple of comic book geeks. Totally an in-joke! I loved it and snickered my way through their scenes. Maybe if Tim Kring had more moments of clarity like he had when he cast Green and Meyers, the show wouldn't suck so much.
Book: ??
Sorry folks, I haven't a book to recommend for Christmas reading right now. I just started one and am not along enough to decide if it's good enough to recommend. I have a shelf full of books staring me in the face and I intend to plow through as many as possible before the second week in January. Wish me luck!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Countdown to Christmas
Don't worry, I won't be rehashing last year's Christmas picks again this year. In fact, this week's suggestions have nothing to do with Christmas other than the fact that I am listening to Christmas music as I type this. I'm just giving folks fair warning that Christmas is less than three weeks away.
Film: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Set in the 1980s in Communist Romania, this film will shock you but not in the ways you think. This film is about a college student's plight to get an illegal abortion. Yes, there is a rather gruesome moment towards the film's end but that shouldn't deter you from watching this excellent film. The story is not really about Gabita (the girl who is pregnant); it's really about her friend Otilia who helps out. Usually one sees these kind of stories from the mother-to-be. The shift to Otilia's experience is fascinating and unique. We watch as Otilia makes the arrangements while trying to keep her own relationship together in the face of deception and fear. The film is full of suspense and will make you happy we live in an era when Roe v. Wade is alive and well.
Television: Big Love
I talked about Big Love last year after watching Season 1. Let me mention it again. I am working my way through Season 2 (no spoilers please!) and loving it. Season 1 is about the utopian family Bill sets up for his three wives and many children. At the end of Season 1, reality sets in when the family is exposed. Season 2 is about Bill keeping his head above water and keeping his polygamous family safe and out of prison. There are many twists and turns, mostly thanks to the nastiness going on at Roman Grant's (Bill's father-in-law, played with brilliance by Harry Dean Stanton) polygamous compound. The big star so far is the pathologically-lying Rhonda (played by Daveigh Chase, voice of Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and Sen from Spirited Away). The ever-creepy Alby is also playing a more interesting role this season. The cast of this show is excellent. Although I mention Daveigh Chase and Matt Ross, let us not forget the brilliance of the Henrickson family: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, and Ginnifer Godwin.
Book: Ophelia
Written by Lisa Klein, this novel tells the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark from Ophelia's point of view. I am a sucker for a good alternative POV story. (I loved both The Red Tent and Wicked.) This one will not disappoint. While it is not necessary to know Shakespeare's Hamlet before reading Ophelia, it would be useful to have a basic understanding of the play to catch many of the in-jokes. What I especially like is the way Klein rethinks some of the famous scenes and lines between Hamlet and Ophelia. Is it possible, just possible, that Hamlet meant for Ophelia to run away to a nunnery in hopes that she would be saved from a murder attempt? One will never know what Shakespeare had in mind for Ophelia, but a reader will think long and hard about the possibilities found in Klein's superb retelling.
Film: 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days
Set in the 1980s in Communist Romania, this film will shock you but not in the ways you think. This film is about a college student's plight to get an illegal abortion. Yes, there is a rather gruesome moment towards the film's end but that shouldn't deter you from watching this excellent film. The story is not really about Gabita (the girl who is pregnant); it's really about her friend Otilia who helps out. Usually one sees these kind of stories from the mother-to-be. The shift to Otilia's experience is fascinating and unique. We watch as Otilia makes the arrangements while trying to keep her own relationship together in the face of deception and fear. The film is full of suspense and will make you happy we live in an era when Roe v. Wade is alive and well.
Television: Big Love
I talked about Big Love last year after watching Season 1. Let me mention it again. I am working my way through Season 2 (no spoilers please!) and loving it. Season 1 is about the utopian family Bill sets up for his three wives and many children. At the end of Season 1, reality sets in when the family is exposed. Season 2 is about Bill keeping his head above water and keeping his polygamous family safe and out of prison. There are many twists and turns, mostly thanks to the nastiness going on at Roman Grant's (Bill's father-in-law, played with brilliance by Harry Dean Stanton) polygamous compound. The big star so far is the pathologically-lying Rhonda (played by Daveigh Chase, voice of Lilo from Lilo and Stitch and Sen from Spirited Away). The ever-creepy Alby is also playing a more interesting role this season. The cast of this show is excellent. Although I mention Daveigh Chase and Matt Ross, let us not forget the brilliance of the Henrickson family: Bill Paxton, Jeanne Tripplehorn, Chloe Sevigny, and Ginnifer Godwin.
Book: Ophelia
Written by Lisa Klein, this novel tells the story of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark from Ophelia's point of view. I am a sucker for a good alternative POV story. (I loved both The Red Tent and Wicked.) This one will not disappoint. While it is not necessary to know Shakespeare's Hamlet before reading Ophelia, it would be useful to have a basic understanding of the play to catch many of the in-jokes. What I especially like is the way Klein rethinks some of the famous scenes and lines between Hamlet and Ophelia. Is it possible, just possible, that Hamlet meant for Ophelia to run away to a nunnery in hopes that she would be saved from a murder attempt? One will never know what Shakespeare had in mind for Ophelia, but a reader will think long and hard about the possibilities found in Klein's superb retelling.
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