Feliz Navidad!

One of my holiday favorites....

I suppose it's not really a holiday classic, even though the last scenes are set at Christmas time, but I always like to watch it this time of year. Edward Scissorhands. I watched it last night for the gazillionth time, and I know I'll watch it again (probably this afternoon while thinking about packing for the holiday travel weekend). Perhaps it's a bit sappy and a bit sentimental for some (including some like me who tends to scoff at sentimentality) but I think it's one of Johnny Depp's greatest performances, and I get weepy every time I watch it. Sometimes a romantic fairy tale is all the world needs.


(Images from here)

My deadly sin? SLOTH!

Today, I have accomplished nothing. The essays are just sitting there, staring at me, yearning to be read. However. The only thing on the agenda? Getting a pedicure at 6:30 p.m. followed by cocktails. In preparation, I've been perusing the OPI website, thinking about colors. How about Lincoln Park After Dark?

Tis a merry life I do lead!

(An afterthought: I can't believe I just posted about NAIL POLISH!!!!)

It's the 12-hour countdown

to
eight
months
paid
vacation!

(Can you see me smile?)

(image from here)

The weekend (reality check)

√Do laundry
√Grade essays
√Go to Christmas party with A. Drink champagne. Drink red wine.
√Gym.
√Dinner and drinks with the girls.
√Go to 2nd Christmas party with A. Drink champagne. Drink white wine. Drink more champagne. Encounter Brazillian (and I’m not talking waxing). Dance until 2.
√Make out with hot Brazillian until 3 a.m.!!!
√Gym. Sleep all day long in flannel pjs, nursing hang-over.
√See Capote with D. Call D at 11 a.m., informing him of hot Brazillian and flake out on movie due to weather and make-out euphoria. (D, being a fan of flings with foreigners, understands.)
√Grade more essays. Blatantly ignore essays. Sleep more.
√Order carry in. Sleep more. Realize that flannel pjs and Brazillians are our friends.

The holidays would be complete...

If I had this gorgeous ensemble from Armani!

Photo from Style.com.

This weekend....

Do laundry (√ a big check! √).
Grade essays (sigh).
Go to Christmas party with A. Drink champagne.
Gym.
Dinner and drinks with the girls.
Gym.
See Capote with D.
Grade more essays (sigh).

Review -- Good Night, and Good Luck

Sadly, Brokeback Mountain was sold out. But what's a movie whore (really, an awards-show whore) gonna do? See Good Night, And Good Luck.



In all fairness, I should preface this review. I do not like George Clooney. I've never gotten the appeal. He's emotionally flat in every role and just not attractive. Sure, he was adorable in The Facts of Life way back in the 80s, and I remember giggling a bit when he guest-starred on Friends, but really, that's where my admiration of him ends. This, of course, has nothing to do with whether or not Good Night, And Good Luck is a worthy movie (though he did co-write, direct, and co-star in the film) but I need to be upfront about my biases.

For those not in the know, Good Night, And Good Luck is the story of the fear surrounding the alleged threat of Communism in the 1950s in the United States, headlined by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The film depicts the journalistic challenge, led by reporter Edward R. Murrow and producer Fred Friendly, of CBS, to McCarthy's fear tactics.

And I must confess. In spite of my dislike of one G.C., I found myself very drawn to the film. It was a bit slow paced at times and very dialogue-driven, but in a world filled with high-action and over-the-top drama, in some ways this was refreshing. While David Strathairn as Edward R. Murrow delivered a fine, subtle performance, truly, it was overall an ensemble piece; none of the other performers stole the show (though Patricia Clarkson, of course, was amazing as always). What stands out the most is the cinematography. Filmed in black & white to create a more authentic feeling of a 1950s documentary, Clooney gets right in the actors' faces, up close and personal; you can see every pore. This creates a raw and honest look for a raw and honest story. The seeming roughness of the film further sets a tone of reality, as if the viewer is seated in the CBS studio, not as a television observer, but as a participant in the process.

No doubt, the story emerges into the film scene at a pivotal moment in our own history; the relevance of McCarthyism to today's potential threats to our Constitutional Rights is obvious, but not over-dramatized to the point that it becomes trivial. The viewer is able to ponder on his/her own whether something like this could be our present and our future. I only wish it could have been longer, perhaps to explore the anxiety of certain characters who were dealing with presenting such contraversial material in a world where contrversy = Communism.

Don't tell George, but out of five stars, I give it 3 1/2 stars!

This Week...

...is all about the Golden Globe nominations!!! Every year, my friend D and I, faithfully count down the days first to the Golden Globes and then (more importantly) to the Oscars. The Golden Globes are our awards show foreplay. And every year, he and I try and go to see as many movies as we can that have been nominated. The three at the top of the list are:

Brokeback Mountain. I have heard nothing but raves about this movie. Heath Ledger (along with Michelle Williams) got the nomination, but I can't wait to see Jake Gyllenhal in such a role. D says that all the reviews he's read aren't calling it a "gay movie" but simply a love story. It's about time. I'm planning on seeing it tonight, so will report back my review.


Capote. I have long been a fan of Phillip Seymour Hoffman (about time he gets his recognition) and even longer been a fan of Truman Capote. In Cold Blood was one of the first books I read that truly moved me and made me aware of the sublime power that is storytelling. Apparently, there have been two movies made this year on T. Capote, but the other one has been backburnered for its release to avoid the competition with this one. I can't wait. Even without having seen it, I want him to with the Oscar.


Transamerica. Oddly, this doesn't seem to be showing anywhere in the San Francisco area at the moment. Felicity Huffman plays a pre-op male-to-female transsexual. It's a comedy, and very much seems to be my kind of movie. I loathe Desperate Housewives but love her.

(All images from IMDB)

One Of My Favorite Things

Does it get any hotter than Some Like It Hot on a sleepy Sunday evening? It's one of my favorite Marilyn movies (second only to How To Marry A Millionaire) and is what comedy should truly be: perfectly-timed, witty, intelligent, unexpected, subversive, sometimes over-the-top, but never vulgar. I remember reading somewhere that they chose to do the film in black & white (even though MM's contract explicitly called for color) because the make-up that Jack Lemmon and Tony Curtis wore make them look green. Apparently even Marilyn's contract had some flexibility. But even in black & white, Ms. Monroe has never looked so stunning, so alive. So Marilyn.

Quote of the day....

"Let me say, at the risk of seeming ridiculous, that the true revolutionary is guided by great feelings of love." -- Che Guevara

Mean Girls

(photo from movieweb)

I just finished watching Mean Girls, the very-funny and very-perceptive comedy, written by the very-talented Tina Fey. (We can forgive a Lindsey Lohan movie when it's written by Tina Fey! And I must admit that L.L. is fabulous in the role.)

I've never understood the capacity for women to be intentionally mean to each other, especially to be mean to their friends. It's always felt a bit pointless to me. I'm still in my battle with my friend (read two posts down), though it's not really a battle as she hasn't spoken with me since I made a careless drunken comment a week-and-a-half ago (I don't want to get into it as it would take hours to explain the backstory, but trust me, it's fairly minor in the grand scheme of life's problems). I tried to apologize, because I know I was in the wrong, but she's ignored me when I've knocked on her door and she returned my letter-of-apology (unopened and unread) with a scathing note of her own.

And I don't understand. I don't understand why she doesn't just say, "Theresa, you hurt my feelings; I feel betrayed and upset." I don't understand the urge to be passive aggressive with a friend who has, until a ten-second, drunken glitch, been loyal and empathetic and kind. Friends get in fights; they make mistakes. Friends are human beings; they're not perfect. It's just all so frustrating.