Yay, yay. It's here. Be warned: it's not going to win any points with feminists* (or nerds). But it's still fun!
*I am a feminist.
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Monday, February 25, 2008
BREAKING NEWS: THE OSCARS
This weekend I watched Rain Man, the 1988 Oscar winner for best picture. It was very good. Tom Cruise, Good. Dustin Hoffman, Very Good. I can see why people were always making those references that I just had to smile and nod at for the last twenty years. I can also see why Tom Cruise was once considered cool. He should start a club with Michael Jackson and Britney Spears.
Check back in 2028 for my take on No Country for Old Men.
I'm a little bummed that this has basically become a diary about what I watch on TV. But today I learned that I'm working in Santa Cruz this summer. So I will have fun travel and cultural experiences again, and I will get to see some friends that I haven't seen in years. A++++++++++!
Check back in 2028 for my take on No Country for Old Men.
I'm a little bummed that this has basically become a diary about what I watch on TV. But today I learned that I'm working in Santa Cruz this summer. So I will have fun travel and cultural experiences again, and I will get to see some friends that I haven't seen in years. A++++++++++!
Monday, February 11, 2008
Best Day in the World Day
You may know that I love Mariah Carey. You may know that I love 30 Rock. Did you know that Mariah has a new song out and that the video will costar one of my favorite people from 30 Rock? It's true! That is Jack McBrayer, aka Kenneth the Page. I love him. Here is a place where you can hear the song.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Life is Easier When You Watch Books Instead of Read Them
Masterpiece Theater is in the middle of a three-month Jane Austen festival. The host is X-Files star Gillian "I just ate a lemon" Anderson. Here is my take on the series, so you can decide whether to Netflix or not:
Persuasion - Missed it.
Northanger Abbey - There are some people in the world who need to be reminded that Jane Austen was meta before meta was meta. This movie is can be the reminder. They did a great job of capturing the tone of the book and balancing it with the courtship/marriage drama that is no less important here than in her "standard" novels. It was funny, well-paced, well-cast, etc. It's nice to see this book get some care and attention.
Mansfield Park - This was good too, but the movie struggles for the same reason the book does: the end is a foregone conclusion. It's clear early on that Fanny and Edward are meant to be. You want the heroine to get her man. You just have to wait for the guy to get it (Sex and the City, much?). You know that there is no way in holy hell that Jane Austen would keep them apart in the end. So no matter how obnoxious/hideous the antagonists are, you can't get too worked up over it.
Miss Austen Regrets - I went into this one with very low expectations.They made that Anne Hathaway movie last year and it annoyed me (I never actually saw it). Biographies of people you know little about have got to be lame, right? The point of Jane Austen is that she is so mysterious--she was right to control her image the way she did. Her novels are so spot-on in their judgments that you have to trust the voice. Knowing that she was human would diminish that. But in this case they showed that she was the voice, and she was awesome (sort of a duh moment there, but I'm not ashamed). In this movie Jane was so smart, so sympathetic, and so extraordinary that I couldn't help but love it more and more as it progressed. It was true to the spirit of her work, with a bittersweet ending layered in. Very good.
Pride and Prejudice - They are using the 1995 Colin Firth version for this, and rightfully so. Because it is perfection.
Still to come:
Emma - I can't wait to see a good adaptation of this novel. I love Clueless, but it's anachronistic. The 90's version with Gwyneth Paltrow is the kind of movie that makes people joke about gouging their eyes out.
Sense and Sensibility - This is a premature judgment, but they should have just bought the right to show the Ang Lee/Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman version. I saw it in the theater when I was in high school and I felt sorry for Kate Winslet's character because yeah, Colonel Brandon is nice, but he's also OLD. Ten years later: I'm way jealous of her. Aside from that, it's just a really excellent adaptation. The writing, directing, acting, music and art direction are superb.
You are welcome for this important public service.
Persuasion - Missed it.
Northanger Abbey - There are some people in the world who need to be reminded that Jane Austen was meta before meta was meta. This movie is can be the reminder. They did a great job of capturing the tone of the book and balancing it with the courtship/marriage drama that is no less important here than in her "standard" novels. It was funny, well-paced, well-cast, etc. It's nice to see this book get some care and attention.
Mansfield Park - This was good too, but the movie struggles for the same reason the book does: the end is a foregone conclusion. It's clear early on that Fanny and Edward are meant to be. You want the heroine to get her man. You just have to wait for the guy to get it (Sex and the City, much?). You know that there is no way in holy hell that Jane Austen would keep them apart in the end. So no matter how obnoxious/hideous the antagonists are, you can't get too worked up over it.
Miss Austen Regrets - I went into this one with very low expectations.They made that Anne Hathaway movie last year and it annoyed me (I never actually saw it). Biographies of people you know little about have got to be lame, right? The point of Jane Austen is that she is so mysterious--she was right to control her image the way she did. Her novels are so spot-on in their judgments that you have to trust the voice. Knowing that she was human would diminish that. But in this case they showed that she was the voice, and she was awesome (sort of a duh moment there, but I'm not ashamed). In this movie Jane was so smart, so sympathetic, and so extraordinary that I couldn't help but love it more and more as it progressed. It was true to the spirit of her work, with a bittersweet ending layered in. Very good.
Pride and Prejudice - They are using the 1995 Colin Firth version for this, and rightfully so. Because it is perfection.
Still to come:
Emma - I can't wait to see a good adaptation of this novel. I love Clueless, but it's anachronistic. The 90's version with Gwyneth Paltrow is the kind of movie that makes people joke about gouging their eyes out.
Sense and Sensibility - This is a premature judgment, but they should have just bought the right to show the Ang Lee/Emma Thompson/Alan Rickman version. I saw it in the theater when I was in high school and I felt sorry for Kate Winslet's character because yeah, Colonel Brandon is nice, but he's also OLD. Ten years later: I'm way jealous of her. Aside from that, it's just a really excellent adaptation. The writing, directing, acting, music and art direction are superb.
You are welcome for this important public service.
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