Small-Screen Delight
I think the busier I get the less I have to say. And that's what I mean: it's not that I don't have time to say it, I just have less to say. Perhaps it's because Adam's done with finals so I have someone to talk to full-time instead of this blog (and isn't human interaction supposed to be better than computers? Hey, hey, not trying to rile anyone up! Just posing an idea) or maybe it's because I'm processing, processing. We've been catching up on our movies big time, which is heaven for me. Normally, we just watch TV shows we've Replayed because Adam has to go off and study, but now we can sit down for a couple of hours to enjoy both smart and mindless entertainment. Of course, Adam still will fall asleep during the first five minutes of a movie, but at least he's there to keep me company.
Under the mindless category, I went with Kara to see Two Weeks Notice (I'd like the point out the lack of possessive on "Weeks" is the movie's style, not mine) and Adam and I watched the 2002 version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Remember those Florence Henderson ads with the fried chicken and the grease? How dated is that? Like 1) anyone has time to make fried chicken any more and 2) people still eat those fat-laden foods in public (I truly believe that while folks are bragging about their fiber content and low-fatness they are secretly scarfing down French fries, cheese, and chocolate chip cookies). (And if that seemed to come out of nowhere for you then either a) you obviously don't understand the way my mind words or b) don't remember the commercial.) Notice was predictable, cheesy, and somewhat bland--in other words the perfect flick for an afternoon of chicken and ribs (oops, I mean garden burgers) at Redbones and serious girl talk with Kara. (Driving down to meet Kara I thought, "Wow, is traffic unbelievably bad today or what?" before I remembered that this is the final weekend before Christmas. Hurry people! Finish your shopping! You've only had the previous eleven and a half months to get this all done!) Monte Cristo I truly enjoyed--I haven't read the book, so while I could still guess what was going on, it captivated me. I thought the cinematography was quite nice and who doesn't love any movie with Guy Pearce.
In the more thoughtful category, we also watched The Princess and the Warrior and Charade, both of which I highly recommend. I think Franka Potente and Audrey Hepburn are about as far removed from each other as you can get (can you imagine Franka playing they helpless Reggie anymore than you could imagine Audrey playing such a strong character as Sissi [or Lola]?), and yet, I think they are among my favorite actresses. I don't have favorite actors and actresses, as I do favorite movies and directors, but if I did, I rank them both up there with Cate Blanchett, Humphrey Bogart, and Toni Collette (the Marx Brothers and Woody Allen don't count because they are so much more than just actors). The problem with actors and actresses is that there's no consistency between the types of films they do. I adore Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity (hey, look who wrote the Amazon review of that!), which is one of my top ten films (although I've often said that if you count all the films I say are in my top ten, you'll find you have about twenty-five films), but that doesn't mean I was devoted to The Absent-Minded Professor or Son of Flubber. Not like I can say, "Oh, Eric Rohmer is one of my favorite directors" because his movies have simliar themes and I can know what to expect without feeling like I've seen it before. (Digression: Am I the only one here who didn't like the book The Hours and is so not looking forward to the movie?) We've got until January 13 to see how many films we can cram in. And good news for us, Hollywood Video is open until 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
Under the mindless category, I went with Kara to see Two Weeks Notice (I'd like the point out the lack of possessive on "Weeks" is the movie's style, not mine) and Adam and I watched the 2002 version of The Count of Monte Cristo. Remember those Florence Henderson ads with the fried chicken and the grease? How dated is that? Like 1) anyone has time to make fried chicken any more and 2) people still eat those fat-laden foods in public (I truly believe that while folks are bragging about their fiber content and low-fatness they are secretly scarfing down French fries, cheese, and chocolate chip cookies). (And if that seemed to come out of nowhere for you then either a) you obviously don't understand the way my mind words or b) don't remember the commercial.) Notice was predictable, cheesy, and somewhat bland--in other words the perfect flick for an afternoon of chicken and ribs (oops, I mean garden burgers) at Redbones and serious girl talk with Kara. (Driving down to meet Kara I thought, "Wow, is traffic unbelievably bad today or what?" before I remembered that this is the final weekend before Christmas. Hurry people! Finish your shopping! You've only had the previous eleven and a half months to get this all done!) Monte Cristo I truly enjoyed--I haven't read the book, so while I could still guess what was going on, it captivated me. I thought the cinematography was quite nice and who doesn't love any movie with Guy Pearce.
In the more thoughtful category, we also watched The Princess and the Warrior and Charade, both of which I highly recommend. I think Franka Potente and Audrey Hepburn are about as far removed from each other as you can get (can you imagine Franka playing they helpless Reggie anymore than you could imagine Audrey playing such a strong character as Sissi [or Lola]?), and yet, I think they are among my favorite actresses. I don't have favorite actors and actresses, as I do favorite movies and directors, but if I did, I rank them both up there with Cate Blanchett, Humphrey Bogart, and Toni Collette (the Marx Brothers and Woody Allen don't count because they are so much more than just actors). The problem with actors and actresses is that there's no consistency between the types of films they do. I adore Fred MacMurray in Double Indemnity (hey, look who wrote the Amazon review of that!), which is one of my top ten films (although I've often said that if you count all the films I say are in my top ten, you'll find you have about twenty-five films), but that doesn't mean I was devoted to The Absent-Minded Professor or Son of Flubber. Not like I can say, "Oh, Eric Rohmer is one of my favorite directors" because his movies have simliar themes and I can know what to expect without feeling like I've seen it before. (Digression: Am I the only one here who didn't like the book The Hours and is so not looking forward to the movie?) We've got until January 13 to see how many films we can cram in. And good news for us, Hollywood Video is open until 10 p.m. on Christmas Eve.
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