Yup, it's about that time of year. Every February or March I feel the call in my blood, and I find myself drawn back to Middle Earth. I don't know why I read The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien every year in late winter. Maybe I need the inspiration to pull me through the tail-end of yet another miserable Midwest winter. Maybe I just like the idea of a literary tradition.
Mostly its because the big events of The Lord of the Rings, the big Return of the King stuff happen in late February, early March. I'm a total nerd for the whole time-line of LOTR. I have my entire book annotated. In the back section, where Tolkien includes a lovely time-line, I have written in the margins next to each date the number of the page on which that day begins, with a few exceptions. And then, when I can, I have gone through the text of the three volumes and written down the dates in the margin, and the brief synopsis of what else is happening that day, besides the events filled in already. It really helps when the story has characters in up to four different locations. Now, while you're reading about Gandalf and Pippin in Minas Tirith, you can know what Frodo and Sam are doing in Mordor, what progress Merry and Theoden are making from Rohan and what city Aragorn, Legolas and Gimli are sacking as they travel from the Paths of the Dead. I know, nerdy!!!!
So, we begin, as always, with the long-expected party. This may be my favorite chapter in the book. It's definately the funniest. Besides the actual events of the party and getting acquainted with hobbits and all their heart-warming characteristics, we have the wonderful descriptions of fireworks and the farewell speech ("I don't know half of you half as well as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve." Best line.)
Another of my particular favorites is when Bilbo has left and Frodo is in charge of distributing his parting gifts. This part wasn't in the movie, for obvious reasons, but it's priceless.
"For ADELARD TOOK, for his VERY OWN, from Bilbo; on an umbrella. Adelard had carried off many unlabeled ones.
"For DORA BAGGINS in memory of a LONG correspondence, with love from Bilbo; on a large waste-paper basket. Dora was Drogo's sister and the eldest surviving female relative of Bilbo and Frodo's; she was ninety-nine, and had written reams of advice for more than half a century.
"For MILO BURROWS, hoping it will be useful, from B.B.; on a gold pen and ink-bottle. Milo never answered letters.
"For ANGELICA'S use, from Uncle Bilbo; on a round convex mirror. She was a young Baggins, and too obviously considered her face shapely.
"For the collection of HUGO BRACEGIRDLE, from a contributor; on an (empty) bookcase. Hugo was a great borrower of books, and worse than usual at returning them.
"For LOBELIA SACKVILLE-BAGGINS, as a PRESENT; on a case of silver spoons. Bilbo believed that she had acquired a good many of his spoons while he was away on his former journey. Lobelia knew that quite well. When she arrived later in the day, she took the point at once, but she also took the spoons."
It's such a timeless emotion, fighting with your family. Maybe fighting is too strong a word, because very few of those notes are vindictive. But I bet everybody has, at one time or other, wanted to poke a little fun at friends or family. That's my favorite part about his departure from the Shire. Guy throws the biggest party seen in years, with the best food and wine, the best gifts, the best fireworks. Then he gives a farewell speech in which he confuses everybody and then literally disappears before their eyes. He leaves everything to his heir, takes off, leaving behind a few parting gifts, many of which point out their faults and failings, but always with good humor. I love the anecdote about how he becomes a legend in the Shire: "Mad Baggins, who used to vanish with a bang and a flash and reappear with bags of jewels and gold, became a favorite character of legend and lived on long after the true events were forgotten." You have to admit, hobbit had style.
So, I'm hoping to post every time I come across something that makes me laugh or cry or take pause. Hopefully once a day, if I can manage it. Hopefully I'll inspire somebody to pick it up again or for the first time, or even just remind somebody of a great passage or event they really loved too. As always, comments appreciated.
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Coming Soon!!!! (New Year's Blog Resolutions [a month late])
So I'm totally done with the whole movie thing. It caught my interest for a while there, but it's boring.
Let's see, I'd like to start reviewing the books I read in 2010, maybe start a list of books I'd like to read in 2011.
I realize I haven't posted in forever, but my computer croaked, I moved downtown, where my access to internet is sketchy at best, and all kinds of other personal stuff has been going on. Loving my change of scenery, and most of the changes in my personal life have also been for the better. So, let's hope 2011 is my best year ever. Lord knows it could hardly be much worse than last year, unless I get evicted, broken up with three times instead of twice, lose my job three times instead of twice, and fall into a coma. Hey, I could always accidentally get knocked up!
(I dearly wish for a sarcasm font. It would save so much time and explanation online. I am really not whining about my life. I don't have a job, but I have great friends and family, plus a roof over my head. So, Universe, if you're reading this, don't strike me with ironic changes in fortune please. Please?)
Ok, that's it for now. I will try to make sure I don't forget about my blog for eight months again. Ciao! :)
Let's see, I'd like to start reviewing the books I read in 2010, maybe start a list of books I'd like to read in 2011.
I realize I haven't posted in forever, but my computer croaked, I moved downtown, where my access to internet is sketchy at best, and all kinds of other personal stuff has been going on. Loving my change of scenery, and most of the changes in my personal life have also been for the better. So, let's hope 2011 is my best year ever. Lord knows it could hardly be much worse than last year, unless I get evicted, broken up with three times instead of twice, lose my job three times instead of twice, and fall into a coma. Hey, I could always accidentally get knocked up!
(I dearly wish for a sarcasm font. It would save so much time and explanation online. I am really not whining about my life. I don't have a job, but I have great friends and family, plus a roof over my head. So, Universe, if you're reading this, don't strike me with ironic changes in fortune please. Please?)
Ok, that's it for now. I will try to make sure I don't forget about my blog for eight months again. Ciao! :)
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Movie Marathon: 1998-99
The Horse Whisperer (1998) directed by Robert Redford, starring Robert Redford, Kristin Scott Thomas, Sam Neill, Dianne West, Scarlett Johansson, Chris Cooper, Kate Bosworth
Watching this films, I noticed Thomas plays a lot of adultresses (this, The English Patient, Life as a House, Gosfield Park). Maybe all are not consumated adultery, but all involve being tempted to leave marriage. I love Johansson in this movie. She's so young and relateable. I love her scenes with Bosworth, they have such an unscprited feel, enhancing the tragic end.
Annie- I heard you help people with horse problems.
Tom- The truth is, I help horses with people problems.
Tom- There was a boy from the Blackfeet reservation, he used to do some work around here for a while. Sixteen, strong kid, good kid. He and I were really, really good friends. One day he went swimming and dove headfirst into the lake... and right into a rock. And it snapped his neck, paralyzed him. And after the accident I'd look in on him from time to time. But he wasn't there. It was like his mind, his spirit, whatever you want to call it, just disappeared. The only thing left was just anger. Just sort of as if the... the boy I once knew just went somewhere else.
Grace- I know where he goes.
Tom- I know you do. Don't you disappear.
Elizabeth (1998) directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Vincent Cassel, Emily Mortimer, Kelly MacDonald, Daniel Craig
A beautifully haunting movie with lots of great actors in it. Cate Blanchett, whom I worship, Cassel, who went on to do good work in Ocean's Twelve and Eastern Promises, Mortimer, and Craig, who was v. convincing as the dark and sinister assasin priest. When he walks darkly down the corridor towards Elizabeth, you can definitely see his James Bond strut, minus the goofy haircut.
Walsingham- There is so little beauty in this world, and so much suffering. Do you suppose that is what God had in mind? That is to say if there is a god at all. Perhaps there is nothing in this universe but ourselves. And our thoughts.
Elizabeth- I have rid England of her enemies. What do I do now? Am I to be made of stone? Must I be touched by nothing?
Elizabeth- Observe Lord Burghley, I am married. . . to England.
Shakespeare in Love (1999) directed by John Madden, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Rupert Everett
Very cute, witty rom-com. Paltrow and Fiennes have great chemistry. Rush, Wilkinson and Affleck make for great comedic relief. Everett as Christopher Marlowe is my favorite, especially since Shakespeare is so envious and fond of him at the same time. Judi Dench is wonderful as Elizabeth I, nearing the end of her life but still as sharp as ever.
Philip Henslowe- Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster
Hugh Fennyman- So what do we do?
Henslowe- Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Fennyman- How?
Henslowe- I don't know. It's a mystery.
Ned Alleyn- What is the play and what is my part!
Viola de Lesseps- I loved the writer and gave up the prize for a sonnet.
Elizabeth I- I know something of a woman in a man's profession. Yes, by God, I do know about that.
The Virgin Suicides (1999) directed by Sofia Coppola, starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, Scott Glenn, Danny DeVito, Hayden Christensen, Giovanni Ribisi
I love this movie. This is one of the first movies, I think, anyway, with a really great soundtrack. The music montage when the Lisbon girls are calling the boys across the street and playing 45s to each other, always fills me with such loneliness. You can feel their desperation, and it is a desperation every teenager has felt. Life is changing too fast, seen in the film's theme of dying elm trees. The elms symbolize familiar childhood, which is quickly dying, spreading through the neighborhood as the children age.
My favorite song choice is Heart's "Magic Man" as Hartnett (Trip Fontaine, one of the best character names ever) struts through high school halls and life, unaware love is about to shake his confidence. In present day we see him, apparantly in a rehab clinic. Teenage years are a shaky image of a person, it's hard to tell what kind of adult they will become.
Doctor- What are you doing here honey? You're not even old enough to know how bad life gets.
Cecilia Lisbon- Obviously, Doctor, you've never been a 13 year old girl.
Trip Fontaine- You're a stone fox.
Narrator- We knew the girls were really women in disguise, that they understood love, and even death, and that our job was merely to create the noise that seemed to fascinate them.
Narrator- What lingered after them was not life, but the most trivial list of mundane facts: a clock ticking on a wall, a room dim at noon, and the outrageousness of a human being thinking only of herself.
American Beauty (1999) directed by Sam Mendes, starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher, Allison Janney, Scott Bakula
A beautifully interesting movie about changing your life, realizing "you still have the ability to surprise yourself." I love Ricky and his disturbing gaze. Benning is excellent as the repressed real estate adultress. Best of all, though, is Spacey as Lester Burnham, who goes from sniveling loser to spontaneous and free.
Lester- I feel like I've been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I'm just now waking up.
Lester- Remember those posters that said, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"? Well, that's true of every day but one - the day you die.
Ricky Fitts- She's not your friend. She's just someone you use to feel better about yourself.
Fight Club (1999) directed by David Fincher, starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf Aday, Jared Leto
I think this is one of the most important movies of the last ten years, at least in terms of popular culture. It encapsulates so much of a generation that feels undefined, unmoored from the rest of the population. It is a Zen guide all in its own, and I definitely think it is the most quoted movie of the past decade. I knew guys who could have majored in this movie in college. The best part about this movie is how disturbing it is, and how happy that would have made Tyler Durden.
Narrator- If I had a tumor, I'd name it Marla. Marla... the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't.
Narrator- Marla's philosophy of life is that she might die at any moment. The tragedy, she said, was that she didn't.
Tyler- Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?
Marla Singer- My God. I haven't been fucked like that since grade school.
Marla- The condom is the glass slipper of our generation. You slip one on when you meet a stranger. You dance all night. Then you throw it away. The condom, I mean, not the stranger.
Tyler- We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives.
Tyler- It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.
Watching this films, I noticed Thomas plays a lot of adultresses (this, The English Patient, Life as a House, Gosfield Park). Maybe all are not consumated adultery, but all involve being tempted to leave marriage. I love Johansson in this movie. She's so young and relateable. I love her scenes with Bosworth, they have such an unscprited feel, enhancing the tragic end.
Annie- I heard you help people with horse problems.
Tom- The truth is, I help horses with people problems.
Tom- There was a boy from the Blackfeet reservation, he used to do some work around here for a while. Sixteen, strong kid, good kid. He and I were really, really good friends. One day he went swimming and dove headfirst into the lake... and right into a rock. And it snapped his neck, paralyzed him. And after the accident I'd look in on him from time to time. But he wasn't there. It was like his mind, his spirit, whatever you want to call it, just disappeared. The only thing left was just anger. Just sort of as if the... the boy I once knew just went somewhere else.
Grace- I know where he goes.
Tom- I know you do. Don't you disappear.
Elizabeth (1998) directed by Shekhar Kapur, starring Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Richard Attenborough, Vincent Cassel, Emily Mortimer, Kelly MacDonald, Daniel Craig
A beautifully haunting movie with lots of great actors in it. Cate Blanchett, whom I worship, Cassel, who went on to do good work in Ocean's Twelve and Eastern Promises, Mortimer, and Craig, who was v. convincing as the dark and sinister assasin priest. When he walks darkly down the corridor towards Elizabeth, you can definitely see his James Bond strut, minus the goofy haircut.
Walsingham- There is so little beauty in this world, and so much suffering. Do you suppose that is what God had in mind? That is to say if there is a god at all. Perhaps there is nothing in this universe but ourselves. And our thoughts.
Elizabeth- I have rid England of her enemies. What do I do now? Am I to be made of stone? Must I be touched by nothing?
Elizabeth- Observe Lord Burghley, I am married. . . to England.
Shakespeare in Love (1999) directed by John Madden, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, Joseph Fiennes, Geoffrey Rush, Tom Wilkinson, Judi Dench, Colin Firth, Ben Affleck, Rupert Everett
Very cute, witty rom-com. Paltrow and Fiennes have great chemistry. Rush, Wilkinson and Affleck make for great comedic relief. Everett as Christopher Marlowe is my favorite, especially since Shakespeare is so envious and fond of him at the same time. Judi Dench is wonderful as Elizabeth I, nearing the end of her life but still as sharp as ever.
Philip Henslowe- Mr. Fennyman, allow me to explain about the theatre business. The natural condition is one of insurmountable obstacles on the road to imminent disaster
Hugh Fennyman- So what do we do?
Henslowe- Nothing. Strangely enough, it all turns out well.
Fennyman- How?
Henslowe- I don't know. It's a mystery.
Ned Alleyn- What is the play and what is my part!
Viola de Lesseps- I loved the writer and gave up the prize for a sonnet.
Elizabeth I- I know something of a woman in a man's profession. Yes, by God, I do know about that.
The Virgin Suicides (1999) directed by Sofia Coppola, starring James Woods, Kathleen Turner, Kirsten Dunst, Josh Hartnett, Scott Glenn, Danny DeVito, Hayden Christensen, Giovanni Ribisi
I love this movie. This is one of the first movies, I think, anyway, with a really great soundtrack. The music montage when the Lisbon girls are calling the boys across the street and playing 45s to each other, always fills me with such loneliness. You can feel their desperation, and it is a desperation every teenager has felt. Life is changing too fast, seen in the film's theme of dying elm trees. The elms symbolize familiar childhood, which is quickly dying, spreading through the neighborhood as the children age.
My favorite song choice is Heart's "Magic Man" as Hartnett (Trip Fontaine, one of the best character names ever) struts through high school halls and life, unaware love is about to shake his confidence. In present day we see him, apparantly in a rehab clinic. Teenage years are a shaky image of a person, it's hard to tell what kind of adult they will become.
Doctor- What are you doing here honey? You're not even old enough to know how bad life gets.
Cecilia Lisbon- Obviously, Doctor, you've never been a 13 year old girl.
Trip Fontaine- You're a stone fox.
Narrator- We knew the girls were really women in disguise, that they understood love, and even death, and that our job was merely to create the noise that seemed to fascinate them.
Narrator- What lingered after them was not life, but the most trivial list of mundane facts: a clock ticking on a wall, a room dim at noon, and the outrageousness of a human being thinking only of herself.
American Beauty (1999) directed by Sam Mendes, starring Kevin Spacey, Annette Benning, Thora Birch, Wes Bentley, Mena Suvari, Chris Cooper, Peter Gallagher, Allison Janney, Scott Bakula
A beautifully interesting movie about changing your life, realizing "you still have the ability to surprise yourself." I love Ricky and his disturbing gaze. Benning is excellent as the repressed real estate adultress. Best of all, though, is Spacey as Lester Burnham, who goes from sniveling loser to spontaneous and free.
Lester- I feel like I've been in a coma for the past twenty years. And I'm just now waking up.
Lester- Remember those posters that said, "Today is the first day of the rest of your life"? Well, that's true of every day but one - the day you die.
Ricky Fitts- She's not your friend. She's just someone you use to feel better about yourself.
Fight Club (1999) directed by David Fincher, starring Edward Norton, Brad Pitt, Helena Bonham Carter, Meat Loaf Aday, Jared Leto
I think this is one of the most important movies of the last ten years, at least in terms of popular culture. It encapsulates so much of a generation that feels undefined, unmoored from the rest of the population. It is a Zen guide all in its own, and I definitely think it is the most quoted movie of the past decade. I knew guys who could have majored in this movie in college. The best part about this movie is how disturbing it is, and how happy that would have made Tyler Durden.
Narrator- If I had a tumor, I'd name it Marla. Marla... the little scratch on the roof of your mouth that would heal if only you could stop tonguing it, but you can't.
Narrator- Marla's philosophy of life is that she might die at any moment. The tragedy, she said, was that she didn't.
Tyler- Now, a question of etiquette - as I pass, do I give you the ass or the crotch?
Marla Singer- My God. I haven't been fucked like that since grade school.
Marla- The condom is the glass slipper of our generation. You slip one on when you meet a stranger. You dance all night. Then you throw it away. The condom, I mean, not the stranger.
Tyler- We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... our Great Depression is our lives.
Tyler- It's only after we've lost everything that we're free to do anything.
Movie Marathon: 1996-97
Jane Eyre (1996) directed by Franco Zeffirelli, starring Anna Paquin, Fiona Shaw, John Wood, Charlotte Gainsbourg, William Hurt, Elle Macpherson
One of my favorite books, this adaptation is very accurate. Gainsbourg makes an excellent Jane, quiet, stern, and, somehow, plain, despite the fact that Gainsbourg is a model, and actually very pretty. Hurt is just as he should be: abrupt, gruff, and handsome in his odd way. I love Anna Paquin as young Jane, and Leanne Rowe, who plays my favorite character Helen Burns, is brave and sweet and very touching.
Adele- Will we be happy?
Jane- We will work hard and we shall be content.
Jane- Remember, the shadows are just as important as the light.
Mr. Rochester- Sometimes I have the strangest feeling about you. Especially when you are near me as you are now. It feels as though I had a string tied here under my left rib where my heart is, tightly knotted to you in a similar fashion. And when you go to Ireland, with all that distance between us, I am afraid that this cord will be snapped, and I shall bleed inwardly. Ah, but you're a sensible woman, you'll forget me.
Jane- I'll never forget you.
Mr. Rochester- There are other houses just as fine.
Jane- How can you be so stupid? How can you be so cruel? Just because I'm poor and plain, I'm not without feelings. It is not the house, but the life I lived. I was not trampled on. I was treated as an equal.
The English Patient (1996) directed by Anthony Minghella, starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Defoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Jurgen Prochnow
I don't have words to describe this movie. The novel is one of my favorites, and there are very few movies that live up to the novel, but this is one. I love the music, both the composed material and songs like "Dancing Cheek to Cheek". The visuals are stunning and the characters are rich and subtle. My favorite character is Hana, Binoche does a great job portraying her vulnerability behind the tough facade. Favorite scene is the bathtub scene. It's so well written.
Almasy- When were you most happy?
Katharine- Now.
Almasy- When were you least happy?
Katharine- Now.
Almasy- What do you love?
Katharine- What do I love?
Almasy- Say everything.
Katharine- Hm, let's see. Water. Fish in it. And hedgehogs. I love hedgehogs.
Almasy- What else.
Katharine- Marmite. I'm addicted. And baths. But not with other people. Islands. Your handwriting. I could go on all day.
Almasy- Go on all day.
Katharine- My husband.
Almasy- And what do you hate most?
Katharine- A lie. What do you hate most?
Almasy- Ownership. Being owned. When you leave here, you should forget me.
Almasy- New lovers are nervous and tender, but smash everything. For the heart is an organ of fire.
Evita (1997) directed by Alan Parker, starring Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce
A good musical, with infectious songs. Madonna is excellent and her on-screen antagonism with Banderas sizzles. I find this movie a little preachy for me. Empty feelings of "democracy" and "justice" always make me itchy. That's why my favorite part is the part Eva sings with Che, when she is struggling to survive in Buenos Aires, before she is the incandescent Evita:
Eva- So what happens now?
Che- Another suitcase in another hall.
Eva- So what happens now?
Che- Take your picture off another wall.
Eva- Where am I going to?
Che- You'll get by you always have before.
Eva- Where am I going to?
And the eventual answer "Don't ask, anymore." This is what I like, the heart-break and hardship, with a melancholy soundtrack.
Contact (1997) directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerrit, John Hurt
I remember whatching this movie at the age of eleven and wanting to be an astronomer. Ellie Arroway was my model of everything cool and adult. I still love this movie, although my fascination with astronomy has faded. Jena Malone's first movie.
Ted Arroway- You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.
Titanic (1997) directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton, Bernard Hill
What is there to say about this movie. It's so cheesy and heart-rending, at the same time. Began my life-long obsession with Winslet and DiCaprio. It's kind of the movie everybody loves to hate. You can't deny it's good, but it's just so annoying. It probably has more to do with the fact that Titanic was everywhere in the late '90s. Oh well, good movie.
One of my favorite books, this adaptation is very accurate. Gainsbourg makes an excellent Jane, quiet, stern, and, somehow, plain, despite the fact that Gainsbourg is a model, and actually very pretty. Hurt is just as he should be: abrupt, gruff, and handsome in his odd way. I love Anna Paquin as young Jane, and Leanne Rowe, who plays my favorite character Helen Burns, is brave and sweet and very touching.
Adele- Will we be happy?
Jane- We will work hard and we shall be content.
Jane- Remember, the shadows are just as important as the light.
Mr. Rochester- Sometimes I have the strangest feeling about you. Especially when you are near me as you are now. It feels as though I had a string tied here under my left rib where my heart is, tightly knotted to you in a similar fashion. And when you go to Ireland, with all that distance between us, I am afraid that this cord will be snapped, and I shall bleed inwardly. Ah, but you're a sensible woman, you'll forget me.
Jane- I'll never forget you.
Mr. Rochester- There are other houses just as fine.
Jane- How can you be so stupid? How can you be so cruel? Just because I'm poor and plain, I'm not without feelings. It is not the house, but the life I lived. I was not trampled on. I was treated as an equal.
The English Patient (1996) directed by Anthony Minghella, starring Ralph Fiennes, Juliette Binoche, Willem Defoe, Kristin Scott Thomas, Naveen Andrews, Colin Firth, Jurgen Prochnow
I don't have words to describe this movie. The novel is one of my favorites, and there are very few movies that live up to the novel, but this is one. I love the music, both the composed material and songs like "Dancing Cheek to Cheek". The visuals are stunning and the characters are rich and subtle. My favorite character is Hana, Binoche does a great job portraying her vulnerability behind the tough facade. Favorite scene is the bathtub scene. It's so well written.
Almasy- When were you most happy?
Katharine- Now.
Almasy- When were you least happy?
Katharine- Now.
Almasy- What do you love?
Katharine- What do I love?
Almasy- Say everything.
Katharine- Hm, let's see. Water. Fish in it. And hedgehogs. I love hedgehogs.
Almasy- What else.
Katharine- Marmite. I'm addicted. And baths. But not with other people. Islands. Your handwriting. I could go on all day.
Almasy- Go on all day.
Katharine- My husband.
Almasy- And what do you hate most?
Katharine- A lie. What do you hate most?
Almasy- Ownership. Being owned. When you leave here, you should forget me.
Almasy- New lovers are nervous and tender, but smash everything. For the heart is an organ of fire.
Evita (1997) directed by Alan Parker, starring Madonna, Antonio Banderas, Jonathan Pryce
A good musical, with infectious songs. Madonna is excellent and her on-screen antagonism with Banderas sizzles. I find this movie a little preachy for me. Empty feelings of "democracy" and "justice" always make me itchy. That's why my favorite part is the part Eva sings with Che, when she is struggling to survive in Buenos Aires, before she is the incandescent Evita:
Eva- So what happens now?
Che- Another suitcase in another hall.
Eva- So what happens now?
Che- Take your picture off another wall.
Eva- Where am I going to?
Che- You'll get by you always have before.
Eva- Where am I going to?
And the eventual answer "Don't ask, anymore." This is what I like, the heart-break and hardship, with a melancholy soundtrack.
Contact (1997) directed by Robert Zemeckis, starring Jena Malone, Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughey, Tom Skerrit, John Hurt
I remember whatching this movie at the age of eleven and wanting to be an astronomer. Ellie Arroway was my model of everything cool and adult. I still love this movie, although my fascination with astronomy has faded. Jena Malone's first movie.
Ted Arroway- You're an interesting species. An interesting mix. You're capable of such beautiful dreams, and such horrible nightmares. You feel so lost, so cut off, so alone, only you're not. See, in all our searching, the only thing we've found that makes the emptiness bearable, is each other.
Titanic (1997) directed by James Cameron, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet, Billy Zane, Kathy Bates, Bill Paxton, Bernard Hill
What is there to say about this movie. It's so cheesy and heart-rending, at the same time. Began my life-long obsession with Winslet and DiCaprio. It's kind of the movie everybody loves to hate. You can't deny it's good, but it's just so annoying. It probably has more to do with the fact that Titanic was everywhere in the late '90s. Oh well, good movie.
Sunday, July 11, 2010
Movie Marathon: 1994-1995
Little Buddha (1994) directed by Bernardo Bertolucci, starring Keanu Reeves, Chris Issak, Bridget Fonda
Very beautiful portrayal of the life of Buddha. It's a movie that's hard to describe. I love the visuals, the blue wash of Seattle, red in India. The colors are pretty over-the-top, but I like how it sets the tone.
Natural Born Killers (1994) directed by Oliver Stone, starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones
Awesome movie, innovative in its story-telling. I love the "I Love Lucy" spin-off ("I Love Mallory") Stone uses to tell the story of how Mickey and Mallory met. The Wayne Gale character is a riot, and I love the American Maniacs show on Mickey and Mallory. Another innovative film technique is the images projected on the walls. It's a really easy way to give tone to scenes in a nonspecific way. Not necessarily subtle, but very creative.
Old Indian- Once upon a time, a woman was picking up firewood. She came upon a poisonous snake frozen in the snow. She took the snake home and nursed it back to health. One day the snake bit her on the cheek. As she lay dying, she asked the snake, "Why have you done this to me?" And the snake answered, "Look, bitch, you knew I was a snake."
Mickey- You'll never understand, Wayne. You and me, we're not even the same species. I used to be you, then I evolved. From where you're standing, you're a man. From where I'm standing, you're an ape. You're not even an ape. You're a media person. Media's like the weather, only it's man-made weather. Murder? It's pure. You're the one made it impure. You're buying and selling fear. You say "why?" I say "why bother?"
Legends of the Fall (1995) directed by Edward Zwick, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Henry Thomas, Karina Lombard
A long movie that is well worth the effort. Full of pain, anguish and a lot of longing for a simpler time, this movie can come off a little corny at times, but good performances pull it off. Hopkins is excellent, as always, and Pitt does a good job giving his character depth. Ormond is lovely, but I find it hard to empathize with her sometimes. I guess I don't really understand why her love with Pitt's character was so doomed. It kind of seemed more like timing, and that's not tragic, that's just bad luck. It seems a pity to commit suicide over bad luck.
One Stab- Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends.
While You Were Sleeping (1995) directed by Jon Turtletaub, starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden
Very sweet, very 90s movie. I love 90s Sandra Bullock, she's such a loveable goofball. I feel like she was trying to reprise this role when she did Miss Congeniality, but it didn't quite work for me. Lucy is so likeable and relateable. Sometimes actresses play the girl-next-door, and it's completely unbelievable, but Bullock is such a down-to-earth person, and you can really see that in this movie.
Lucy- Do you believe in love at first sight? Nah, I betcha don't, you're probably too sensible for that. Or have you ever, like, seen somebody? And you knew that, if only that person *really* knew you, they would, well, they would of course dump the perfect model that they were with, and realize that YOU were the one that they wanted to, just, grow old with. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you haven't even talked to? Have you ever been so alone you spend the night confusing a man in a coma?
Jerry- You're born into a family. You do not join them like you do the Marines.
Lucy- So what should I do?
Jerry- Pull the plug.
Lucy- You're sick.
Jerry- I'm sick? You're cheating on a vegetable.
Empire Records (1995) directed by Allan Moyle, starring Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar, Rory Cochrane, Renee Zellweger, Ethan Embry, Liv Tyler
Yes, you can tell this movie was from 1995 because Zellweger is billed 7th and Tyler is 11th. Love this movie, which does have the distinction of being both actresses first big movie, (it was only Tyler's third). Embry also went on to interesting projects (mostly Can't Hardly Wait and That Thing You Do!)
My favorite thing about this movie, besides the middriff baring sweaters and plaid miniskirts, is the soundtrack. Gin Blossoms, Better than Ezra, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Cranberries. My favorites are "Free" by The Martinis, played when Debra holes herself up in the bathroom to shave her head; "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, when the entire Empire Records crew is preparing for "Rex Manning Day"; and "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits, when AJ tries to tell Corey he loves her, Mark falls for a random ballerina and the entire shop has a swing in its step.
Lucas- In the immortal words of the Doors: "The time to hesitate is through."
Debra- Hey Lucas, is it true you commited the perfect crime?
Lucas- Not entirely perfect.
AJ- What's with you? Yesterday you were all normal and today you're like the Chinese guy from Karate Kid. What's with you today?
Lucas- What's with today, today?
Warren- Who glued these quarters down?
AJ- I did.
Warren- What the hell for?
AJ- I don't feel that I need to explain my art to you, Warren.
Debra- "No visible tatoos."
Gina- "No revealing clothing."
Debra- We're screwed. At least you're used to it.
Gina- Oh now, Debra, don't be bitter. Surely with your ever-growing collection of flesh mutilating silver appendages and your brand new Neo-Nazi boot camp makeover the boys will come a-runnin'.
Debra- Let's not fight. Let's just rip.
Mark- We musn't dwell. . .no, not today. We can't. Not on Rex Manning Day!
Very beautiful portrayal of the life of Buddha. It's a movie that's hard to describe. I love the visuals, the blue wash of Seattle, red in India. The colors are pretty over-the-top, but I like how it sets the tone.
Natural Born Killers (1994) directed by Oliver Stone, starring Woody Harrelson, Juliette Lewis, Tom Sizemore, Rodney Dangerfield, Robert Downey Jr., Tommy Lee Jones
Awesome movie, innovative in its story-telling. I love the "I Love Lucy" spin-off ("I Love Mallory") Stone uses to tell the story of how Mickey and Mallory met. The Wayne Gale character is a riot, and I love the American Maniacs show on Mickey and Mallory. Another innovative film technique is the images projected on the walls. It's a really easy way to give tone to scenes in a nonspecific way. Not necessarily subtle, but very creative.
Old Indian- Once upon a time, a woman was picking up firewood. She came upon a poisonous snake frozen in the snow. She took the snake home and nursed it back to health. One day the snake bit her on the cheek. As she lay dying, she asked the snake, "Why have you done this to me?" And the snake answered, "Look, bitch, you knew I was a snake."
Mickey- You'll never understand, Wayne. You and me, we're not even the same species. I used to be you, then I evolved. From where you're standing, you're a man. From where I'm standing, you're an ape. You're not even an ape. You're a media person. Media's like the weather, only it's man-made weather. Murder? It's pure. You're the one made it impure. You're buying and selling fear. You say "why?" I say "why bother?"
Legends of the Fall (1995) directed by Edward Zwick, starring Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins, Aidan Quinn, Julia Ormond, Henry Thomas, Karina Lombard
A long movie that is well worth the effort. Full of pain, anguish and a lot of longing for a simpler time, this movie can come off a little corny at times, but good performances pull it off. Hopkins is excellent, as always, and Pitt does a good job giving his character depth. Ormond is lovely, but I find it hard to empathize with her sometimes. I guess I don't really understand why her love with Pitt's character was so doomed. It kind of seemed more like timing, and that's not tragic, that's just bad luck. It seems a pity to commit suicide over bad luck.
One Stab- Some people hear their own inner voices with great clearness and they live by what they hear. Such people become crazy, or they become legends.
While You Were Sleeping (1995) directed by Jon Turtletaub, starring Sandra Bullock, Bill Pullman, Peter Gallagher, Peter Boyle, Jack Warden
Very sweet, very 90s movie. I love 90s Sandra Bullock, she's such a loveable goofball. I feel like she was trying to reprise this role when she did Miss Congeniality, but it didn't quite work for me. Lucy is so likeable and relateable. Sometimes actresses play the girl-next-door, and it's completely unbelievable, but Bullock is such a down-to-earth person, and you can really see that in this movie.
Lucy- Do you believe in love at first sight? Nah, I betcha don't, you're probably too sensible for that. Or have you ever, like, seen somebody? And you knew that, if only that person *really* knew you, they would, well, they would of course dump the perfect model that they were with, and realize that YOU were the one that they wanted to, just, grow old with. Have you ever fallen in love with someone you haven't even talked to? Have you ever been so alone you spend the night confusing a man in a coma?
Jerry- You're born into a family. You do not join them like you do the Marines.
Lucy- So what should I do?
Jerry- Pull the plug.
Lucy- You're sick.
Jerry- I'm sick? You're cheating on a vegetable.
Empire Records (1995) directed by Allan Moyle, starring Anthony LaPaglia, Maxwell Caulfield, Debi Mazar, Rory Cochrane, Renee Zellweger, Ethan Embry, Liv Tyler
Yes, you can tell this movie was from 1995 because Zellweger is billed 7th and Tyler is 11th. Love this movie, which does have the distinction of being both actresses first big movie, (it was only Tyler's third). Embry also went on to interesting projects (mostly Can't Hardly Wait and That Thing You Do!)
My favorite thing about this movie, besides the middriff baring sweaters and plaid miniskirts, is the soundtrack. Gin Blossoms, Better than Ezra, Toad the Wet Sprocket, The Cranberries. My favorites are "Free" by The Martinis, played when Debra holes herself up in the bathroom to shave her head; "Video Killed the Radio Star" by The Buggles, when the entire Empire Records crew is preparing for "Rex Manning Day"; and "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits, when AJ tries to tell Corey he loves her, Mark falls for a random ballerina and the entire shop has a swing in its step.
Lucas- In the immortal words of the Doors: "The time to hesitate is through."
Debra- Hey Lucas, is it true you commited the perfect crime?
Lucas- Not entirely perfect.
AJ- What's with you? Yesterday you were all normal and today you're like the Chinese guy from Karate Kid. What's with you today?
Lucas- What's with today, today?
Warren- Who glued these quarters down?
AJ- I did.
Warren- What the hell for?
AJ- I don't feel that I need to explain my art to you, Warren.
Debra- "No visible tatoos."
Gina- "No revealing clothing."
Debra- We're screwed. At least you're used to it.
Gina- Oh now, Debra, don't be bitter. Surely with your ever-growing collection of flesh mutilating silver appendages and your brand new Neo-Nazi boot camp makeover the boys will come a-runnin'.
Debra- Let's not fight. Let's just rip.
Mark- We musn't dwell. . .no, not today. We can't. Not on Rex Manning Day!
Sunday, June 13, 2010
Movie Marathon: 1990-1993
Awakenings (1990) directed by Penny Marshall, starring Robert De Niro, Robin Williams, Julie Kavner
A very touching story about a doctor thrown into a Brooklyn chronic treatment center, who discovers an immense empathy for his patients, who have fallen into comas after rare childhood illnesses. As he investigates their cases further, he discovers brief glimpses at consciousness, and realizes his patients are still aware, waiting to be awakened. Williams's bumbling doctor is an interesting character. He begins his career at the hospital with a clinical background- no work directly with patients. To say he is not a people-person is an understatement. He has, however, a great bounty of compassion, and his bond with Leonard, De Niro's character, is heart-warming.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Jodi Foster, Scott Glenn, Anthony Hopkins, Brooke Smith
My favorite suspense movie. Demme has a real flair in this movie, augmented by excellent performances. I love the camera shots, the point of view shots, especially during Starling's last scene with Lecter, are spooky. Foster and Hopkins have great interactions. Foster is vulnerable, yet very strong and determined. Hopkins is intelligent, inhuman, enthralling and superbely creepy. Based on one of my favorite books, and definitely the best of the three movies based on Hannibal Lector (I don't count Hannibal Rising).
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) directed by Jon Avnet, starring Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jessica Tandy, Cicely Tyson, Chris O'Donnell
Very sweet movie. Not a gem of film-making per say. I liked the book the movie is based on, and like a lot of the actors, particularly Parker. Lots of cute little stories and turns of phrase that I quote sometimes.
Missy- What we really need is an assertiveness training course for Southern women. But that's a contradiction in terms. Especially you sweetie. You're living in the Dark Ages.
Evelyn- Face it, girls. I'm older and I have more insurance.
Ed Couch- What the hell's this?
Evelyn Couch- That's a low-cholestorol meal. Happy Valentine's.
Ed- Are you trying to kill me?
Evelyn- If I was gonna kill you I'd use my hands.
A League of Their Own (1992) directed by Penny Marshall, starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, Bill Pullman, Rosie O'Donnell
Were there more chick-flicks in the early '90s or something? Anyway, I do like this movie, although I only watch it every once in a while, mostly because I'm not a big baseball fan. I used to not like this movie, because people would always ask me if I was named after Petty's character Kit Keller. I am named after Kit Carson, but that's neither here nor there.
Jimmy Dugan is probably one of my favortie characters, and the best thing about this movie. From "By the way, I loved you in the Wizard of Oz", to "There's no crying in baseball," his lines are classic. It doesn't even have to be a great line. After he has his second talk with Evelyn, during the last game of the World Series, I love the way he starts shaking with repressed rage.
Dottie Hensen- It just got too hard.
Jimmy- It's supossed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great.
Stadium Announcer- Take me home momma and put me to bed. I have seen enough to know I have seen too much.
Umpire- Listen, yesterday that was a ball, tomorrow it might be a ball, but today it's a strike.
Jurassic Park (1993) directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson, B.D. Wong, Wayne Night
Classic thriller movie. Although the dinosaurs look a little fake to me now. at the time they scared the shit out of me. Watching this movie again made me realize I actually had every line memorized, although some of it only truly makes sense to me now. Based on my favorite Michael Crichton novel. I also read that Tim Burton was orignally considered to direct. I like to try to imagine what that film would have been like.
A very touching story about a doctor thrown into a Brooklyn chronic treatment center, who discovers an immense empathy for his patients, who have fallen into comas after rare childhood illnesses. As he investigates their cases further, he discovers brief glimpses at consciousness, and realizes his patients are still aware, waiting to be awakened. Williams's bumbling doctor is an interesting character. He begins his career at the hospital with a clinical background- no work directly with patients. To say he is not a people-person is an understatement. He has, however, a great bounty of compassion, and his bond with Leonard, De Niro's character, is heart-warming.
The Silence of the Lambs (1991) directed by Jonathan Demme, starring Jodi Foster, Scott Glenn, Anthony Hopkins, Brooke Smith
My favorite suspense movie. Demme has a real flair in this movie, augmented by excellent performances. I love the camera shots, the point of view shots, especially during Starling's last scene with Lecter, are spooky. Foster and Hopkins have great interactions. Foster is vulnerable, yet very strong and determined. Hopkins is intelligent, inhuman, enthralling and superbely creepy. Based on one of my favorite books, and definitely the best of the three movies based on Hannibal Lector (I don't count Hannibal Rising).
Fried Green Tomatoes (1991) directed by Jon Avnet, starring Kathy Bates, Mary Stuart Masterson, Mary-Louise Parker, Jessica Tandy, Cicely Tyson, Chris O'Donnell
Very sweet movie. Not a gem of film-making per say. I liked the book the movie is based on, and like a lot of the actors, particularly Parker. Lots of cute little stories and turns of phrase that I quote sometimes.
Missy- What we really need is an assertiveness training course for Southern women. But that's a contradiction in terms. Especially you sweetie. You're living in the Dark Ages.
Evelyn- Face it, girls. I'm older and I have more insurance.
Ed Couch- What the hell's this?
Evelyn Couch- That's a low-cholestorol meal. Happy Valentine's.
Ed- Are you trying to kill me?
Evelyn- If I was gonna kill you I'd use my hands.
A League of Their Own (1992) directed by Penny Marshall, starring Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Madonna, Lori Petty, Jon Lovitz, Bill Pullman, Rosie O'Donnell
Were there more chick-flicks in the early '90s or something? Anyway, I do like this movie, although I only watch it every once in a while, mostly because I'm not a big baseball fan. I used to not like this movie, because people would always ask me if I was named after Petty's character Kit Keller. I am named after Kit Carson, but that's neither here nor there.
Jimmy Dugan is probably one of my favortie characters, and the best thing about this movie. From "By the way, I loved you in the Wizard of Oz", to "There's no crying in baseball," his lines are classic. It doesn't even have to be a great line. After he has his second talk with Evelyn, during the last game of the World Series, I love the way he starts shaking with repressed rage.
Dottie Hensen- It just got too hard.
Jimmy- It's supossed to be hard. If it wasn't hard everybody would do it. The hard is what makes it great.
Stadium Announcer- Take me home momma and put me to bed. I have seen enough to know I have seen too much.
Umpire- Listen, yesterday that was a ball, tomorrow it might be a ball, but today it's a strike.
Jurassic Park (1993) directed by Steven Spielberg, starring Sam Neill, Laura Dern, Jeff Goldblum, Richard Attenborough, Samuel L. Jackson, B.D. Wong, Wayne Night
Classic thriller movie. Although the dinosaurs look a little fake to me now. at the time they scared the shit out of me. Watching this movie again made me realize I actually had every line memorized, although some of it only truly makes sense to me now. Based on my favorite Michael Crichton novel. I also read that Tim Burton was orignally considered to direct. I like to try to imagine what that film would have been like.
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