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.
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
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.
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Movie Marathon: 1985-1988
Ladyhawke (1985) directed by Richard Donner, starring Matthew Broderick, Rutger Hauer, Michelle Pfeiffer, John Wood, Alfred Molina.
One of my favorite '80s movies, and a favorite of my parents. There is the comedic performance of a rather young Broderick, the eerily creepy Wood (who cp-starred in Broderick's only other movie at the time, WarGames), the incandescent Pfeiffer. The soundtrack by Alan Parson's Project is strangely fitting. The story is my favorite part. I read that the marketing claimed the story was based on medieval legend, and I was surprised to find out this wasn't true. It seems like a story that should have been a legend passed down through generations. A legend with modern developments.
Phillipe Gaston- I know I promised, Lord, never again. But I also know that you know what a weak-willed person I am.
Phillipe- Are you flesh? Or are you spirit?
Isabeau D'Angou- I am sorrow.
Phillipe- Sir, the truth is I talk to God all the time. And no offense, but He never mentioned you.
Phillipe- We have come full circle, Lord. I would like to think there is some higher meaning in this. It certainly would reflect well on You.
St. Elmo's Fire (1985) directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Andy MacDowell.
My favorite Brat Pack movie. There's just something about the good-natured drama that appeals to me. Who hasn't slept with a friend just because they could, or thrown away job after job because it's just not like college, or attempted suicide via cold room? Ok, I haven't done either of these things, but then, I wasn't twenty-five in the '80s. You just have to roll your eyes at the sap, and enjoy the sheer drama. "It's our time at the edge," as Billy so aptly puts it.
Another note: I read that Robert Downey Jr. was once considered for the role of Billy. Would have been a much cooler movie.
Kirby- There are several quintessential moments in a man's life: losing his virginity, getting married, becoming a father, and having the right girl smile at you.
Jules- You break my heart. Then again, you break everyone's heart.
Billy- It's cool. It ain't a party till something gets broken.
The Untouchables (1987) directed by Brian De Palma, starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Patricia Clarkson, Charles Martin Smith
I love historical fiction, so this movie is on the top of my list. True, there are serious factual discrepencies, such as the fact that Smith's character, Oscar Walllace was based on a IRS agent who had nothing to do with The Untouchables, who was not killed by Capone's agents. Still, it has a great narrative, some of the quotes and scenes are classic, and it has that Chicago in the '20s feel. And of course, the actors are great. I'm not a big Costner fan, but Connery and De Niro are my favorites, plus the supporting acotrs, Clarkson and Smith are excellent. My favorite, though is Garcia as loyal sharpshooter George Stone. His exchange with Connery is excellent:
Malone- I said you're a lying member of a no-good race.
Stone- Much better than you, you stinking Irish pig.
Malone- Oh, I like him.
Malone- You just fulfilled the first rule of law enforcement: make sure when your shift ends you go home alive. Here endeth the lesson.
The Princess Bride (1987) directed by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Andre the Giant, Fred Savage, Robin Wright, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal.
A modern fairy tale, and everybody's favorite movie. I don't know anybody who can't quote this movie front to back. All I can say, is that if this is not your favorite movie, ever, you have very poor taste.
Man in Black- Look, are you just fiddling around with me, or what?
Fezzik- I want you to feel you're doing well. I hate for people to die embarrassed.
Vizzini- He didn't fall? Inconceivable!
Inigo Montoya- You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Willow (1988) directed by Ron Howard, starring Val Kilmer, Warwick Davis, Jeanne Whalley
Another excellent fairy tale. I remember watching this movie for the first time as a child, probaby one of the first movies I ever saw. I only recently saw it again, and found it had lost none of its magic. I loved the interaction between Davis and the infant, he's a much better actor than he gets credit for. Kilmer and Whalley have a great antagonistic chemistry, that reminds me a little bit of Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren in Excalibur.
Madmartigan- I. . . I just wasn't myself last night.
Sorsha- I suppose my power enchanted you and you were helpless against it.
Madmartigan- Sort of.
Sorsha- Then what?
Madmartigan- It went away.
Sorsha- Went away? "I dwell in darkness without you" and it went away?
Willow- We found one of your babies in our village. Will you please take care of her?
Airk- We're going into battle, little ones. Find a woman to take care of her.
Madmartigan- He thought you were a woman, Airk!
One of my favorite '80s movies, and a favorite of my parents. There is the comedic performance of a rather young Broderick, the eerily creepy Wood (who cp-starred in Broderick's only other movie at the time, WarGames), the incandescent Pfeiffer. The soundtrack by Alan Parson's Project is strangely fitting. The story is my favorite part. I read that the marketing claimed the story was based on medieval legend, and I was surprised to find out this wasn't true. It seems like a story that should have been a legend passed down through generations. A legend with modern developments.
Phillipe Gaston- I know I promised, Lord, never again. But I also know that you know what a weak-willed person I am.
Phillipe- Are you flesh? Or are you spirit?
Isabeau D'Angou- I am sorrow.
Phillipe- Sir, the truth is I talk to God all the time. And no offense, but He never mentioned you.
Phillipe- We have come full circle, Lord. I would like to think there is some higher meaning in this. It certainly would reflect well on You.
St. Elmo's Fire (1985) directed by Joel Schumacher, starring Emilio Estevez, Rob Lowe, Andrew McCarthy, Demi Moore, Judd Nelson, Ally Sheedy, Andy MacDowell.
My favorite Brat Pack movie. There's just something about the good-natured drama that appeals to me. Who hasn't slept with a friend just because they could, or thrown away job after job because it's just not like college, or attempted suicide via cold room? Ok, I haven't done either of these things, but then, I wasn't twenty-five in the '80s. You just have to roll your eyes at the sap, and enjoy the sheer drama. "It's our time at the edge," as Billy so aptly puts it.
Another note: I read that Robert Downey Jr. was once considered for the role of Billy. Would have been a much cooler movie.
Kirby- There are several quintessential moments in a man's life: losing his virginity, getting married, becoming a father, and having the right girl smile at you.
Jules- You break my heart. Then again, you break everyone's heart.
Billy- It's cool. It ain't a party till something gets broken.
The Untouchables (1987) directed by Brian De Palma, starring Kevin Costner, Sean Connery, Andy Garcia, Robert De Niro, Patricia Clarkson, Charles Martin Smith
I love historical fiction, so this movie is on the top of my list. True, there are serious factual discrepencies, such as the fact that Smith's character, Oscar Walllace was based on a IRS agent who had nothing to do with The Untouchables, who was not killed by Capone's agents. Still, it has a great narrative, some of the quotes and scenes are classic, and it has that Chicago in the '20s feel. And of course, the actors are great. I'm not a big Costner fan, but Connery and De Niro are my favorites, plus the supporting acotrs, Clarkson and Smith are excellent. My favorite, though is Garcia as loyal sharpshooter George Stone. His exchange with Connery is excellent:
Malone- I said you're a lying member of a no-good race.
Stone- Much better than you, you stinking Irish pig.
Malone- Oh, I like him.
Malone- You just fulfilled the first rule of law enforcement: make sure when your shift ends you go home alive. Here endeth the lesson.
The Princess Bride (1987) directed by Rob Reiner, starring Cary Elwes, Mandy Patinkin, Chris Sarandon, Andre the Giant, Fred Savage, Robin Wright, Carol Kane, Billy Crystal.
A modern fairy tale, and everybody's favorite movie. I don't know anybody who can't quote this movie front to back. All I can say, is that if this is not your favorite movie, ever, you have very poor taste.
Man in Black- Look, are you just fiddling around with me, or what?
Fezzik- I want you to feel you're doing well. I hate for people to die embarrassed.
Vizzini- He didn't fall? Inconceivable!
Inigo Montoya- You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means.
Willow (1988) directed by Ron Howard, starring Val Kilmer, Warwick Davis, Jeanne Whalley
Another excellent fairy tale. I remember watching this movie for the first time as a child, probaby one of the first movies I ever saw. I only recently saw it again, and found it had lost none of its magic. I loved the interaction between Davis and the infant, he's a much better actor than he gets credit for. Kilmer and Whalley have a great antagonistic chemistry, that reminds me a little bit of Nicol Williamson and Helen Mirren in Excalibur.
Madmartigan- I. . . I just wasn't myself last night.
Sorsha- I suppose my power enchanted you and you were helpless against it.
Madmartigan- Sort of.
Sorsha- Then what?
Madmartigan- It went away.
Sorsha- Went away? "I dwell in darkness without you" and it went away?
Willow- We found one of your babies in our village. Will you please take care of her?
Airk- We're going into battle, little ones. Find a woman to take care of her.
Madmartigan- He thought you were a woman, Airk!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Movie Marathon: 1980-1984
The Shining (1980) directed by Stanley Kubrick, starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall.
Not my favorite movie. First, I've heard that the book is far better, and that Kubrick didn't actually read the book before making this movie. I understand when movies deviate from books, but to not actually be bothered to read the book. That miffs me. Shelley Duvall I find incredibly annoying. If I was Torrance, I'd kill her too. I wonder if Kubrick's purpose in having Duvall read her lines in that shrill, horrific voice was to generate sympathy for Torrance. That said, it is an interesting bit of film-making, but, to me at least, is not scary in the least.
Airplane! (1980) directed by Jim Abrams, David and Jerry Zucker, starring Robert Hays, Julie Haggerty, Leslie Nielson, among others.
A great piece of satirical film-making that never fails to make me laugh. The cameos and one-liners are priceless. There are too many actors in this movie to name, and way to many inside jokes. Here are a few of my favorite one-liners:
Captian Oveur- Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
Mrs. Geline- I haven't felt this awful since we saw that Ronald Reagan film.
Steve McCroskey- Ease off him, Rex. He hasn't flown for years, it's not his fault. Could happen to any pilot.
Johnny- It happened to Barbara Stanwyck.
Excalibur (1981) directed by John Boorman, starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Liam Neeson (his first film) and Patrick Stewart.
Wonderful movie that has an old feel to it. The relatively unknown actors, all of them English or Irish, help to focus attention on the story, although many of the actors became famous later. One thing to remember when watching Excalibur is that Mirren and Williamson actually had a great dislike of each other, having worked together before. The skill of the actors is such that they are able to translate that enmity into a charged performance. The chemistry between them is unique, not romantic, but definitely sexual and very interesting to watch.
Boorman had wanted to make a film version of The Lord of the Rings; unable to obtain the rights, he decided to make a movie about English legend instead. The special effects are clumsy, but effective. The actors are effective, though at times cheesy. It is a romance, a look at a more magical time, a more honorable time, and how that time came to unravel. If we remember that "fair time," maybe it will come again. "For it is the doom of men that they forget."
Merlin- That's it... and look upon this moment. Savor it! Rejoice with great gladness! Great gladness! Remember it always, for you are joined by it. You are One, under the stars. Remember it well, then... this night, this great victory. So that in the years ahead, you can say, "I was there that night, with Arthur, the King!" For it is the doom of men that they forget.
Arthur- I have often thought that in the hereafter of our lives, when I owe no more to the future and can be just a man, that we may meet, and you will come to me and claim me as yours, and know that I am your husband. It is a dream I have.
Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) directed by Alan Parker, starring Bob Geldhof.
A very interesting, albeit depressing film. I like to watch it for the songs, but it comes off feeling very "art-film" at times, obscure for the sake of being obscure. So, while I like it, I have no idea why. Maybe I like seeing someone crazier than me, makes me feel more sane.
Dune (1984) directed by David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Brad Dourif, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Max von Sydow, Alicia Witt, Jurgen Prochnow.
I love these books by Frank Herbert, but they are very difficult to translate to a movie. They either try to include everything and become way too long like the 2000 mini-series version, or they leave things out, like this version. I think this version did a good job with the Voice, and the voice-over helps address things the book explains very easily. It is a little stylized (see: Sting) but overall very effective. My only criticism: I am not fond of Kyle MacLachlan as Paul or Sean Young as Chani.
Not my favorite movie. First, I've heard that the book is far better, and that Kubrick didn't actually read the book before making this movie. I understand when movies deviate from books, but to not actually be bothered to read the book. That miffs me. Shelley Duvall I find incredibly annoying. If I was Torrance, I'd kill her too. I wonder if Kubrick's purpose in having Duvall read her lines in that shrill, horrific voice was to generate sympathy for Torrance. That said, it is an interesting bit of film-making, but, to me at least, is not scary in the least.
Airplane! (1980) directed by Jim Abrams, David and Jerry Zucker, starring Robert Hays, Julie Haggerty, Leslie Nielson, among others.
A great piece of satirical film-making that never fails to make me laugh. The cameos and one-liners are priceless. There are too many actors in this movie to name, and way to many inside jokes. Here are a few of my favorite one-liners:
Captian Oveur- Joey, do you like movies about gladiators?
Mrs. Geline- I haven't felt this awful since we saw that Ronald Reagan film.
Steve McCroskey- Ease off him, Rex. He hasn't flown for years, it's not his fault. Could happen to any pilot.
Johnny- It happened to Barbara Stanwyck.
Excalibur (1981) directed by John Boorman, starring Nigel Terry, Helen Mirren, Nicol Williamson, Liam Neeson (his first film) and Patrick Stewart.
Wonderful movie that has an old feel to it. The relatively unknown actors, all of them English or Irish, help to focus attention on the story, although many of the actors became famous later. One thing to remember when watching Excalibur is that Mirren and Williamson actually had a great dislike of each other, having worked together before. The skill of the actors is such that they are able to translate that enmity into a charged performance. The chemistry between them is unique, not romantic, but definitely sexual and very interesting to watch.
Boorman had wanted to make a film version of The Lord of the Rings; unable to obtain the rights, he decided to make a movie about English legend instead. The special effects are clumsy, but effective. The actors are effective, though at times cheesy. It is a romance, a look at a more magical time, a more honorable time, and how that time came to unravel. If we remember that "fair time," maybe it will come again. "For it is the doom of men that they forget."
Merlin- That's it... and look upon this moment. Savor it! Rejoice with great gladness! Great gladness! Remember it always, for you are joined by it. You are One, under the stars. Remember it well, then... this night, this great victory. So that in the years ahead, you can say, "I was there that night, with Arthur, the King!" For it is the doom of men that they forget.
Arthur- I have often thought that in the hereafter of our lives, when I owe no more to the future and can be just a man, that we may meet, and you will come to me and claim me as yours, and know that I am your husband. It is a dream I have.
Pink Floyd The Wall (1982) directed by Alan Parker, starring Bob Geldhof.
A very interesting, albeit depressing film. I like to watch it for the songs, but it comes off feeling very "art-film" at times, obscure for the sake of being obscure. So, while I like it, I have no idea why. Maybe I like seeing someone crazier than me, makes me feel more sane.
Dune (1984) directed by David Lynch, starring Kyle MacLachlan, Virginia Madsen, Brad Dourif, Patrick Stewart, Sting, Max von Sydow, Alicia Witt, Jurgen Prochnow.
I love these books by Frank Herbert, but they are very difficult to translate to a movie. They either try to include everything and become way too long like the 2000 mini-series version, or they leave things out, like this version. I think this version did a good job with the Voice, and the voice-over helps address things the book explains very easily. It is a little stylized (see: Sting) but overall very effective. My only criticism: I am not fond of Kyle MacLachlan as Paul or Sean Young as Chani.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '70s
The Way We Were (1973) directed by Sydney Pollack, starring Barbara Streisand, Robert Redford, James Woods.
Very moving story, about a driven girl named Katie and laid-back Hubbell, total opposites who fall in love and try to make a life together. The movie follows the story of their romance, from college to New York City during World War II, to Hollywood in the '50s. When Katie becomes embroiled in the McCarthy trials, she and Hubbell have to decide whether they can make their tumultuous marriage work.
I like Streisand's Katie, a fiery activist, and a political woman, something of a rarety in films of the time. Katie's trademark call on the streets, handing out fliers: "Do something about it!" is a message to the audience as well as more withdrawn Hubbell. If "people are their principles," as Katie asserts, then we wonder what to make of Hubbell, who seems to take the peaceful protest approach to politics. He is put off by Katie's constant need to philosophize, and seems to detect a desire to cause trouble. There is something mischevious in Katie's non-stop political uproar, but it is tempered by the earnestness of her beliefs.
Hubbell- Maybe something terrible will happen- maybe you'll have a good time.
Hubbell- You think you're easy? Compared to what, the Hundred Years' War?
Katie- Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.
All the President's Men (1976) directed by Alan Pakula, starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman.
My favorite political thriller. Redford and Hoffman are razor-sharp, pulling the Watergate thread, with no idea where it will take them. The Watergate story is considered the first piece of modern investigate journalism, and the model for the genre. Watergate was also immensely important in shaping the presidency and how the public views the President.
I love this movie also for it's look at journalism, sources and the amount of work that went into research in the 70s. With no internet or electronic databases, all research is done "on foot," so to speak, whether it's leafing through the checkout slips at the Library of Congress, or the library research aide who tracked down the picture of Kenneth H. Dalberg, journalism has sped up considerably. Even the scene where Woodward asks one of the editors who Charles Colson is, and Rosenfeld replies "You know I'm glad you asked me that question. The reason I'm glad you asked me, is because if you had asked Simons or Bradlee they woulda said, "you know we're gonna have to fire this schmuck at once because he's so dumb." Nowadays, Woodward would have Googled it, rather than look like a fool in front of his editor. It's good to remember, from time to time, how easy we have it nowadays.
Harry Rosenfeld- Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?
Bernstein- All these neat little houses and all these neat little streets. It's hard to believe that something's wrong with some of those little houses.
Woodward- No it isn't.
Bernstein- Boy, that woman was paranoid! At one point I - I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes, and her paranoia finally got to me, and I thought what we had was so hot that any minute CBS or NBC were going to come in through the windows and take the story away.
Woodward- You're both paranoid. She's afraid of John Mitchell and you're afraid of Walter Cronkite.
Ben Bradlee- All non-denial denials. They doubt our ancestory, but they don't say the story isn't accurate.
Very moving story, about a driven girl named Katie and laid-back Hubbell, total opposites who fall in love and try to make a life together. The movie follows the story of their romance, from college to New York City during World War II, to Hollywood in the '50s. When Katie becomes embroiled in the McCarthy trials, she and Hubbell have to decide whether they can make their tumultuous marriage work.
I like Streisand's Katie, a fiery activist, and a political woman, something of a rarety in films of the time. Katie's trademark call on the streets, handing out fliers: "Do something about it!" is a message to the audience as well as more withdrawn Hubbell. If "people are their principles," as Katie asserts, then we wonder what to make of Hubbell, who seems to take the peaceful protest approach to politics. He is put off by Katie's constant need to philosophize, and seems to detect a desire to cause trouble. There is something mischevious in Katie's non-stop political uproar, but it is tempered by the earnestness of her beliefs.
Hubbell- Maybe something terrible will happen- maybe you'll have a good time.
Hubbell- You think you're easy? Compared to what, the Hundred Years' War?
Katie- Your girl is lovely, Hubbell.
All the President's Men (1976) directed by Alan Pakula, starring Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman.
My favorite political thriller. Redford and Hoffman are razor-sharp, pulling the Watergate thread, with no idea where it will take them. The Watergate story is considered the first piece of modern investigate journalism, and the model for the genre. Watergate was also immensely important in shaping the presidency and how the public views the President.
I love this movie also for it's look at journalism, sources and the amount of work that went into research in the 70s. With no internet or electronic databases, all research is done "on foot," so to speak, whether it's leafing through the checkout slips at the Library of Congress, or the library research aide who tracked down the picture of Kenneth H. Dalberg, journalism has sped up considerably. Even the scene where Woodward asks one of the editors who Charles Colson is, and Rosenfeld replies "You know I'm glad you asked me that question. The reason I'm glad you asked me, is because if you had asked Simons or Bradlee they woulda said, "you know we're gonna have to fire this schmuck at once because he's so dumb." Nowadays, Woodward would have Googled it, rather than look like a fool in front of his editor. It's good to remember, from time to time, how easy we have it nowadays.
Harry Rosenfeld- Howard, they're hungry. You remember when you were hungry?
Bernstein- All these neat little houses and all these neat little streets. It's hard to believe that something's wrong with some of those little houses.
Woodward- No it isn't.
Bernstein- Boy, that woman was paranoid! At one point I - I suddenly wondered how high up this thing goes, and her paranoia finally got to me, and I thought what we had was so hot that any minute CBS or NBC were going to come in through the windows and take the story away.
Woodward- You're both paranoid. She's afraid of John Mitchell and you're afraid of Walter Cronkite.
Ben Bradlee- All non-denial denials. They doubt our ancestory, but they don't say the story isn't accurate.
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '60s
Breakfast at Tiffany's, directed by Blake Edwards, starring Audrey Hepburn, George Peppard, Patricia Neal, Mickey Rooney. Released in 1961.
Despite numerous changes made to the novella by Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's remains a classic film about a vulnerable call girl and her sensitive writer neighbor, who is a call boy in his own way. Patricia Neal plays his benefactress, Mickey Rooney is the often-irked neighbor.
Hepburn is incandescent as always, stunningly beautiful. Her performance of "Moon River" accounts for its vast popularity. Peppard is not to be overlooked as Paul, or "Fred baby". The "sensitive bookish type" also shows a lot of spirit and strength, most notably in his final speech to Holly, when he tells her, "You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, 'Ok, life's a fact. People do fall in love. People do belong to each other. Because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness.' "
Holly Golightly- I've just got to do something about the way I look. A girl just can't go to Sing-Sing with a green face.
Holly- You can always tell what kind of person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels.
Paul Varjak- And I've always heard people in New York never get to meet their neighbors.
Holly- It's useful being top banana in the shock department.
Holly- You know the terrible thing of it all, Fred? I am still Lula Mae. 13 years old, stealing turkey eggs and running through a briar patch. Only know I call it having the "mean reds".
Holly- It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two.
Paul- I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before.
Holly- I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other.
West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins released in 1961. Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno
Far and away my favorite musical. The songs are excellent, the story, of course, is wonderful, being based on a Shakespearean play, and all. The highest compliment I can probably pay West Side Story is to confess that I saw it many, many times throughout my childhood, but it wasn't until college that I actually realized the story is taken from "Romeo and Juliet". Even after I read the play in high school, it never really occured to me. I give this as a great compliment, because it means the story is bigger than its big-name benefactor. The characters and the situation, the slang and the songs transform it into something new and exciting, but with a story that feels so familiar and timeless.
Riff- Boy, am I a victim of disappointment in you.
Action- When you was my age? When my old man was my age, when my borther was my age. . . You was never my age, none of ya! And the sooner you creeps get hip to that, the sooner you'll dig us!
Casino Royale, directed by Val Guest, released in 1967. Starring Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, lots of cameos.
I wouldn't recommend this spoof on the Bond movies. Not that it isn't funny. I found it hilarious, also long, convoluted and drenched in Bert Bacharach songs. Which means you have to really be in the mood for it. But, if you ever are, you'll find a gem of one-liners, big-star cameos, beautiful girls, and that cheeky seductive quality that only flies in '60s flicks.
Piper- Are you Richard Burton?
Evelyn Tremble- No, I'm Peter O'Toole!
Piper- Than you're the greatest man that ever breathed!
Sir James- It's depressing that the words "secret agent" have become synonymous with "sex maniac."
Miss Moneypenny- I have to note your qualifications.
Cooper- Height, six feet and two inches, 184 lbs. Trophies for karate and judo, holder of the Kama Sutra black belt.
Vesper Lynd- Mr. Evelyn Tremble?
Evelyn- Yes, that's right.
Vesper- Isn't Evelyn a girl's name?
Evelyn- No, it's mine, actually.
The Lion in Winter, directed by Anthony Harvey, released in 1968. Starring Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, Timothy Dalton, Jane Merrow
There simply are not words to describe the excellence of this film. The writing is superb, on a level I like to call Shakespeare, simply because I cannot imagine a human being actually having the talent to write it. The performances are excellent, not just from O'Toole and Hepburn, but new-comer Hopkins (in his first movie role) and relative new-comers Dalton, Castle and Terry. The emotions are so hidden, the motivations so veiled, that you spend the movie wondering how each character really feels about the others, and why they behave as they do. A wonderful film that should be watched much more than it usually is.
Eleanor- In a world where carpenters get resurrected, everything is possible.
John- "Poor John." Who says "poor John"? Don't everybody sob at once! My God, if I went up in flames, there's not a living soul who'd piss on me to put the fire out.
Richard- Let's strike a flint and see.
Eleanor- I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How's that for blasphemy. I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn. . .but the troops were dazzled.
Eleanor- One son is all I've got and you can blot him out and call me cruel? For these ten years you've lived with everything I've lost and I am cruel? I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice.
John- A knife! He's got a knife!
Eleanor- Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives. It's 1183 and we're barbarians.
Eleanor- Shoulder it yourself. Don't put it on my back. Pick it up and carry it. I can. My losses are my work.
Henry- What losses? I'm the one with nothing.
Eleanor- Lost your life's work, have you? Provinces are nothing. Land is dirt. I could take defeats like yours and laught, I've done it. If you're broken it's because you're brittle.
Eleanor- There's everything in life but hope.
Henry- We're both alive. And for all I know that's what hope is.
Eleanor- We're jungle creatures, Henry, and the dark is all around us. See them, in the corners? you can see the eyes.
Henry- And they can see ours.
Henry- You know, I hope we never die.
Eleanor- So do I.
Henry- Do you think there's any chance of it?
Despite numerous changes made to the novella by Truman Capote, Breakfast at Tiffany's remains a classic film about a vulnerable call girl and her sensitive writer neighbor, who is a call boy in his own way. Patricia Neal plays his benefactress, Mickey Rooney is the often-irked neighbor.
Hepburn is incandescent as always, stunningly beautiful. Her performance of "Moon River" accounts for its vast popularity. Peppard is not to be overlooked as Paul, or "Fred baby". The "sensitive bookish type" also shows a lot of spirit and strength, most notably in his final speech to Holly, when he tells her, "You're afraid to stick out your chin and say, 'Ok, life's a fact. People do fall in love. People do belong to each other. Because that's the only chance anybody's got for real happiness.' "
Holly Golightly- I've just got to do something about the way I look. A girl just can't go to Sing-Sing with a green face.
Holly- You can always tell what kind of person a man really thinks you are by the earrings he gives you. I must say, the mind reels.
Paul Varjak- And I've always heard people in New York never get to meet their neighbors.
Holly- It's useful being top banana in the shock department.
Holly- You know the terrible thing of it all, Fred? I am still Lula Mae. 13 years old, stealing turkey eggs and running through a briar patch. Only know I call it having the "mean reds".
Holly- It should take you exactly four seconds to cross from here to that door. I'll give you two.
Paul- I don't think I've ever drunk champagne before breakfast before. With breakfast on several occasions, but never before, before.
Holly- I'm like cat here, a no-name slob. We belong to nobody, and nobody belongs to us. We don't even belong to each other.
West Side Story directed by Jerome Robbins released in 1961. Starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, Rita Moreno
Far and away my favorite musical. The songs are excellent, the story, of course, is wonderful, being based on a Shakespearean play, and all. The highest compliment I can probably pay West Side Story is to confess that I saw it many, many times throughout my childhood, but it wasn't until college that I actually realized the story is taken from "Romeo and Juliet". Even after I read the play in high school, it never really occured to me. I give this as a great compliment, because it means the story is bigger than its big-name benefactor. The characters and the situation, the slang and the songs transform it into something new and exciting, but with a story that feels so familiar and timeless.
Riff- Boy, am I a victim of disappointment in you.
Action- When you was my age? When my old man was my age, when my borther was my age. . . You was never my age, none of ya! And the sooner you creeps get hip to that, the sooner you'll dig us!
Casino Royale, directed by Val Guest, released in 1967. Starring Peter Sellers, Ursula Andress, David Niven, Orson Welles, Woody Allen, Deborah Kerr, William Holden, lots of cameos.
I wouldn't recommend this spoof on the Bond movies. Not that it isn't funny. I found it hilarious, also long, convoluted and drenched in Bert Bacharach songs. Which means you have to really be in the mood for it. But, if you ever are, you'll find a gem of one-liners, big-star cameos, beautiful girls, and that cheeky seductive quality that only flies in '60s flicks.
Piper- Are you Richard Burton?
Evelyn Tremble- No, I'm Peter O'Toole!
Piper- Than you're the greatest man that ever breathed!
Sir James- It's depressing that the words "secret agent" have become synonymous with "sex maniac."
Miss Moneypenny- I have to note your qualifications.
Cooper- Height, six feet and two inches, 184 lbs. Trophies for karate and judo, holder of the Kama Sutra black belt.
Vesper Lynd- Mr. Evelyn Tremble?
Evelyn- Yes, that's right.
Vesper- Isn't Evelyn a girl's name?
Evelyn- No, it's mine, actually.
The Lion in Winter, directed by Anthony Harvey, released in 1968. Starring Peter O'Toole, Katharine Hepburn, Anthony Hopkins, John Castle, Nigel Terry, Timothy Dalton, Jane Merrow
There simply are not words to describe the excellence of this film. The writing is superb, on a level I like to call Shakespeare, simply because I cannot imagine a human being actually having the talent to write it. The performances are excellent, not just from O'Toole and Hepburn, but new-comer Hopkins (in his first movie role) and relative new-comers Dalton, Castle and Terry. The emotions are so hidden, the motivations so veiled, that you spend the movie wondering how each character really feels about the others, and why they behave as they do. A wonderful film that should be watched much more than it usually is.
Eleanor- In a world where carpenters get resurrected, everything is possible.
John- "Poor John." Who says "poor John"? Don't everybody sob at once! My God, if I went up in flames, there's not a living soul who'd piss on me to put the fire out.
Richard- Let's strike a flint and see.
Eleanor- I even made poor Louis take me on Crusade. How's that for blasphemy. I dressed my maids as Amazons and rode bare-breasted halfway to Damascus. Louis had a seizure and I damn near died of windburn. . .but the troops were dazzled.
Eleanor- One son is all I've got and you can blot him out and call me cruel? For these ten years you've lived with everything I've lost and I am cruel? I could peel you like a pear and God himself would call it justice.
John- A knife! He's got a knife!
Eleanor- Of course he has a knife, he always has a knife, we all have knives. It's 1183 and we're barbarians.
Eleanor- Shoulder it yourself. Don't put it on my back. Pick it up and carry it. I can. My losses are my work.
Henry- What losses? I'm the one with nothing.
Eleanor- Lost your life's work, have you? Provinces are nothing. Land is dirt. I could take defeats like yours and laught, I've done it. If you're broken it's because you're brittle.
Eleanor- There's everything in life but hope.
Henry- We're both alive. And for all I know that's what hope is.
Eleanor- We're jungle creatures, Henry, and the dark is all around us. See them, in the corners? you can see the eyes.
Henry- And they can see ours.
Henry- You know, I hope we never die.
Eleanor- So do I.
Henry- Do you think there's any chance of it?
Monday, May 10, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '50s
Sabrina (1954) and Funny Face (1957), both starring Audrey Hepburn.
Sabrina directed by Billy Wilder, released in 1954. Stars Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. I love this movie! It is romantic in the best sense of the word. I love when Audrey Hepburn sings "La Vie En Rose".
The songs featured could stand for the three characters: Sabrina is "La Vie En Rose," moody and low, delicate. David is "Isn't It Romantic?" boldly wooing, broad, with gusto. Linus is partly "Yes, We Have No Bananas," because on the surface he is old-fashioned and slightly ridiculous, a tune that gets under Sabrina's skin, when she sings it to herself at the end of the boat outing with Linus. The melody is also reincarnated in parts of the score towards the end of the film. My only complaint is that I never entirely find Humphrey Bogart a convincing lover for Audrey Hepburn, but he is so easy to watch and identify with that I never mind much.
Favorite quotes:
Sabrina- Once upon a time on the north shore of Long Island, some fifty miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate.
Sabrina- I have learnt how to live... How to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And i will never, never again run away from life. Or from love, either.
Thomas Fairchild- He's still David Larrabee, and you're still the chauffeur's daughter. And you're still reaching for the moon.
Sabrina- No Father. The moon is reaching for me.
Oliver Larrabee- All columnists should be beaten to a pulp and converted back into paper.
Funny Face directed by Stanley Donen, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. A classic musical. Songs: Think Pink; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Bonjour, Paris!; Let's Kiss and Make Up; He Loves and She Loves; On How to Be Lovely; Clap Yo' Hands; 'S Wonderful.
A fun little musical, light fare, perhaps. Audrey, of course, is wonderful, and has a nice little voice. There is a slight ick-factor in the romance between her and Fred Astaire, considering Astaire is quite a bit older than her, but if you can get past that, the rest of the movie is a delight. Audrey is a good, albeit quirky dancer, and also has a lovely voice. My favorite song is either "How Long Has This Been Going On," which features her solo, or "Bonjour, Paris" featuring all three main characters.
Dick Avery- You are mad, aren't you?
Jo Stockton- I'm not mad. I'm hurt and disappointed, and. . . and mad.
Jo- Isn't it time you realized that dancing's nothing more than a form of expression, of release? There's no need to be formal or cute about it. As a matter of fact, I rather feel like expressing myself now. And I could certainly use the release!
Sabrina directed by Billy Wilder, released in 1954. Stars Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and William Holden. I love this movie! It is romantic in the best sense of the word. I love when Audrey Hepburn sings "La Vie En Rose".
The songs featured could stand for the three characters: Sabrina is "La Vie En Rose," moody and low, delicate. David is "Isn't It Romantic?" boldly wooing, broad, with gusto. Linus is partly "Yes, We Have No Bananas," because on the surface he is old-fashioned and slightly ridiculous, a tune that gets under Sabrina's skin, when she sings it to herself at the end of the boat outing with Linus. The melody is also reincarnated in parts of the score towards the end of the film. My only complaint is that I never entirely find Humphrey Bogart a convincing lover for Audrey Hepburn, but he is so easy to watch and identify with that I never mind much.
Favorite quotes:
Sabrina- Once upon a time on the north shore of Long Island, some fifty miles from New York, there lived a small girl on a large estate.
Sabrina- I have learnt how to live... How to be in the world and of the world, and not just to stand aside and watch. And i will never, never again run away from life. Or from love, either.
Thomas Fairchild- He's still David Larrabee, and you're still the chauffeur's daughter. And you're still reaching for the moon.
Sabrina- No Father. The moon is reaching for me.
Oliver Larrabee- All columnists should be beaten to a pulp and converted back into paper.
Funny Face directed by Stanley Donen, starring Audrey Hepburn and Fred Astaire. A classic musical. Songs: Think Pink; How Long Has This Been Going On?; Bonjour, Paris!; Let's Kiss and Make Up; He Loves and She Loves; On How to Be Lovely; Clap Yo' Hands; 'S Wonderful.
A fun little musical, light fare, perhaps. Audrey, of course, is wonderful, and has a nice little voice. There is a slight ick-factor in the romance between her and Fred Astaire, considering Astaire is quite a bit older than her, but if you can get past that, the rest of the movie is a delight. Audrey is a good, albeit quirky dancer, and also has a lovely voice. My favorite song is either "How Long Has This Been Going On," which features her solo, or "Bonjour, Paris" featuring all three main characters.
Dick Avery- You are mad, aren't you?
Jo Stockton- I'm not mad. I'm hurt and disappointed, and. . . and mad.
Jo- Isn't it time you realized that dancing's nothing more than a form of expression, of release? There's no need to be formal or cute about it. As a matter of fact, I rather feel like expressing myself now. And I could certainly use the release!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '40's
Again, two movies from the 1940s, both made in 1940, both starring Jimmy Stewart: The Shop around the Corner and The Philadelphia Story.
The Shop around the Corner premiered January 12th, 1940 and was directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It starred Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan, and is one of my favorite movies. The one-liners are priceless, and Jimmy Stewart's performance is warm and memorable, one of his best. There's something about his voice when he does love scenes. It's soft, gentle strength stands in direct contrast to previous scenes when he bellows and blusters. I am not as fond of Margaret Sullavan. I think she tries to hard to compete with Stuart, to be a strong female character, but it comes off a little shrill, her voice especially. To me she lacks the real strength of Katharine Hepburn, or even actresses like Elizabeth Taylor or Ginger Rogers.
My favorite little scene, a perfect sample of the witty pace of the movie:
Customer- Excuse me. How much is that belt in the window, the one that says 2.95.
Kralick- 2.95.
Customer- Oh no!
The Philadelphia Story, released December 26th, 1940, directed by George Cukor, starred Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. The story of a wealthy young heiress, Tracy, embarking on her second marriage to a self-made "man of the people," her first marriage to well-to-do alcoholic Dexter played by Cary Grant having dissolved not too long before. Added to the mix is a tabloid journalist, Mike played by Stewart, an aspiring writer who stoops to trashy gossip column pieces to pay the rent, accompainied by his girlfriend, a painter who photographs stars to make a living. This is a movie about the rich and the working-class, about the happy and unhappy. Most of all it is about discovering yourself, about breaking through first impressions to find the heart of a person, and loving them for that person.
Hepburn is stunning in the beginning, haughty and cool, stern and unforgiving. She is sharp and crisp, the perfect snooty, rich princess Hollywood vilifies. Then a change comes over Tracy, partly precipitated by her father's reprimand, and partly by Mike. She knows Mike's true reason for crashing her wedding, to turn in a story to a tabloid, and judges him based on this knowledge. When she finds out he's a writer, she begins to question other things about her life: were Dexter's faults really enough to wreck their true love? Is her new fiance's spotless image enough to make her happy? The transformation Tracy takes, from a shining, sneering queen to a humble, fragile woman is the true heart of the film. To be perfectly honest, however, I prefer Hepburn as the queen.
Tracy- I'm going crazy. I'm standing here solidly on my own two hands and going crazy.
Tracy- The time to make up your mind about people is never.
The Shop around the Corner premiered January 12th, 1940 and was directed by Ernst Lubitsch. It starred Jimmy Stewart, Margaret Sullavan and Frank Morgan, and is one of my favorite movies. The one-liners are priceless, and Jimmy Stewart's performance is warm and memorable, one of his best. There's something about his voice when he does love scenes. It's soft, gentle strength stands in direct contrast to previous scenes when he bellows and blusters. I am not as fond of Margaret Sullavan. I think she tries to hard to compete with Stuart, to be a strong female character, but it comes off a little shrill, her voice especially. To me she lacks the real strength of Katharine Hepburn, or even actresses like Elizabeth Taylor or Ginger Rogers.
My favorite little scene, a perfect sample of the witty pace of the movie:
Customer- Excuse me. How much is that belt in the window, the one that says 2.95.
Kralick- 2.95.
Customer- Oh no!
The Philadelphia Story, released December 26th, 1940, directed by George Cukor, starred Katharine Hepburn, Cary Grant and Jimmy Stewart. The story of a wealthy young heiress, Tracy, embarking on her second marriage to a self-made "man of the people," her first marriage to well-to-do alcoholic Dexter played by Cary Grant having dissolved not too long before. Added to the mix is a tabloid journalist, Mike played by Stewart, an aspiring writer who stoops to trashy gossip column pieces to pay the rent, accompainied by his girlfriend, a painter who photographs stars to make a living. This is a movie about the rich and the working-class, about the happy and unhappy. Most of all it is about discovering yourself, about breaking through first impressions to find the heart of a person, and loving them for that person.
Hepburn is stunning in the beginning, haughty and cool, stern and unforgiving. She is sharp and crisp, the perfect snooty, rich princess Hollywood vilifies. Then a change comes over Tracy, partly precipitated by her father's reprimand, and partly by Mike. She knows Mike's true reason for crashing her wedding, to turn in a story to a tabloid, and judges him based on this knowledge. When she finds out he's a writer, she begins to question other things about her life: were Dexter's faults really enough to wreck their true love? Is her new fiance's spotless image enough to make her happy? The transformation Tracy takes, from a shining, sneering queen to a humble, fragile woman is the true heart of the film. To be perfectly honest, however, I prefer Hepburn as the queen.
Dexter- Sometimes, for your own sake, Red, I think you should have stuck to me longer.
Tracy- I thought it was for life, but the nice judge gave me a full pardon.
Dexter- Aaah, that's the old redhead. No bitterness, no recrimination, just a good swift left to the jaw.
Mike- Champagne's funny stuff. I'm used to whiskey. Whiskey is a slap on the back, and champagne's heavy mist before my eyes.
Tracy- The time to make up your mind about people is never.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Movie Marathon: The '30s
Yes, I do have two movies from the 1930s, both from 1938: Bringing up Baby and Holiday, both starring Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant.
Bringing up Baby is a classic screwball comedy. Hepburn and Grant are a great pair, I don't know why they only made four movies together. But, after Spencer Tracy, Hepburn costarred with Grant the most often. Bringing up Baby is a classic black and white comedy, and one of my favorite movies.
Holiday is a black and white film, based on a play. It's a thoughtful study on life, class and the obligations that can trap you. It's as relevant today as it was in 1938. The three Seaton siblings and their father are wonderfully portrayed, as is the outsider Johnny Case, played by Grant. I come back to this film time and time again, because it is a beautiful film about the struggle of the human spirit to beat back social pressure and find your own path in life, and to be true to yourself above all else.
Bringing up Baby is a classic screwball comedy. Hepburn and Grant are a great pair, I don't know why they only made four movies together. But, after Spencer Tracy, Hepburn costarred with Grant the most often. Bringing up Baby is a classic black and white comedy, and one of my favorite movies.
Holiday is a black and white film, based on a play. It's a thoughtful study on life, class and the obligations that can trap you. It's as relevant today as it was in 1938. The three Seaton siblings and their father are wonderfully portrayed, as is the outsider Johnny Case, played by Grant. I come back to this film time and time again, because it is a beautiful film about the struggle of the human spirit to beat back social pressure and find your own path in life, and to be true to yourself above all else.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Movie Marathon
So, for my next project, I have decided to watch all of my movies, every movie I own, in chronological order, and write a little review for each of them.
The oldest movie I own is The Passion of Joan of Arc made in 1928 by Theodor Dreyer, starring Maria Falconetti. It's a French, black and white silent film, with English subtitles.
It's a very passionate film, with intense close-ups that capture the beautiful performance of Maria Falconetti. The miracle of this film, is the fact that the original prints were all destroyed in a fire. Dreyer managed to patch together a version of the film with spare footage. The original version would have been lost, but a copy of the original version was found in a janitor's closet years later.
I highly recommend seeing this movie at least once. It's a powerful film, though not exactly a thrilling watch. It gets a little boring at times, I only watch it every once in a while. But it's well-directed with a stunning performance from Falconetti. It's great to see how far movies have come, and yet, how relevant a ninety-two year old movie can be.
The oldest movie I own is The Passion of Joan of Arc made in 1928 by Theodor Dreyer, starring Maria Falconetti. It's a French, black and white silent film, with English subtitles.
It's a very passionate film, with intense close-ups that capture the beautiful performance of Maria Falconetti. The miracle of this film, is the fact that the original prints were all destroyed in a fire. Dreyer managed to patch together a version of the film with spare footage. The original version would have been lost, but a copy of the original version was found in a janitor's closet years later.
I highly recommend seeing this movie at least once. It's a powerful film, though not exactly a thrilling watch. It gets a little boring at times, I only watch it every once in a while. But it's well-directed with a stunning performance from Falconetti. It's great to see how far movies have come, and yet, how relevant a ninety-two year old movie can be.
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Alliterative Bands / Singers
For some reason, this got into my head, bands or singers with good alliteration in their names:
Mute Math
Modest Mouse
Franz Ferdinand
Foo Fighters
Death Cab for Cutie
Get Set Go
Beastie Boys
Goo Goo Dolls
Yeah Yeah Yeahs (is this alliterative or just repetitive? Same for above, I suppose)
Jack Johnson
Janis Joplin
Beach Boys
Janet Jackson
Frou Frou
Counting Crows
Ben's Brother
Marilyn Monroe
Semisonic
Temper Trap
Mute Math
Modest Mouse
Franz Ferdinand
Foo Fighters
Death Cab for Cutie
Get Set Go
Beastie Boys
Goo Goo Dolls
Yeah Yeah Yeahs (is this alliterative or just repetitive? Same for above, I suppose)
Jack Johnson
Janis Joplin
Beach Boys
Janet Jackson
Frou Frou
Counting Crows
Ben's Brother
Marilyn Monroe
Semisonic
Temper Trap
Reading List: Part IV
Selected Poems Oscar Wilde, Sept. 14th. Decided to read a little poetry as a palate cleanser. A brief collection of Oscar Wilde poems did the trick.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, Sept. 24th. Discussed in Sept. 22nd post "New books, concert tickets".
Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger, Sept. 28th. Discussed in Sept. 25th post "Currently Reading".
After This by Alice McDermott, Oct 6th. Very interesting book, set during the '60s. Never really got the "hang" of it, however. Glad I read it, but wouldn't read again.
Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams, Oct. 25th. Another Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sequel.
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters, Oct. 27th. In the style of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, this is one literary fad I whole-heartedly approve of. If only someone would write Jane Eyre and Vampires. Maybe that should be my next project.
The Bridges of Madison County by James Waller, Nov. 1st. This book was a lot different than I expected it to be. Probably the movie was the culprit. Ironically, my favorite part was nowhere near the movie, the part near the end with Robert and the saxophone player. A v. touching story, well-written.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez, Nov. 6th. I had read her other book, In the Time of the Butterflies, which I was v. impressed with. Also just read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, an excellent book, which is also partly set in the Dominican Republic.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Nov. 10th. One of my favorite books, a must-read for modern feminists. It is exceedingly well-thought out and provocative. I especially love the appendix(?) where scholars from the future analyze The Handmaid's Tale as an historical document of a failed social experiment.
Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley, Dec. 4th. A v. interesting book, another example of why you should read the book first. All I could do was compare it to the movie, and how I thought the movie improved upon the concept.
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, Sept. 24th. Discussed in Sept. 22nd post "New books, concert tickets".
Everyone Worth Knowing, by Lauren Weisberger, Sept. 28th. Discussed in Sept. 25th post "Currently Reading".
After This by Alice McDermott, Oct 6th. Very interesting book, set during the '60s. Never really got the "hang" of it, however. Glad I read it, but wouldn't read again.
Mostly Harmless by Douglas Adams, Oct. 25th. Another Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy sequel.
Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters by Jane Austen and Ben H. Winters, Oct. 27th. In the style of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, this is one literary fad I whole-heartedly approve of. If only someone would write Jane Eyre and Vampires. Maybe that should be my next project.
The Bridges of Madison County by James Waller, Nov. 1st. This book was a lot different than I expected it to be. Probably the movie was the culprit. Ironically, my favorite part was nowhere near the movie, the part near the end with Robert and the saxophone player. A v. touching story, well-written.
How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents by Julia Alvarez, Nov. 6th. I had read her other book, In the Time of the Butterflies, which I was v. impressed with. Also just read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz, an excellent book, which is also partly set in the Dominican Republic.
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, Nov. 10th. One of my favorite books, a must-read for modern feminists. It is exceedingly well-thought out and provocative. I especially love the appendix(?) where scholars from the future analyze The Handmaid's Tale as an historical document of a failed social experiment.
Thank You for Smoking by Christopher Buckley, Dec. 4th. A v. interesting book, another example of why you should read the book first. All I could do was compare it to the movie, and how I thought the movie improved upon the concept.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Reading List: May: Part III
Sandworms of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, June 9th. Part of an extensive series of prequels and sequels penned by Frank Herbert's son as follow-ups to Frank's classic Dune series. Dune is one of my favorite book of all time. These books are not as good as Dune, although I think Brian Herbert and Anderson would be the first to tell you that. They are interesting additions, however, and worth reading if you are a die-hard Dune fan, as they are based on Frank Herbert's notes, following his own plans for the series.
The Golden Compass, June 22nd, The Subtle Knife, June 30th, and The Amber Spyglass, July 9th, all by Philip Pullman. One of my favorite fantasy series, right up there with The Lord of the Rings and Dune. There are not words to express. I first read the series in late 2008, and this was my second time reading it. I think it may become one of my annual rereads.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch, July 14th. Another book that I have continued to come back to. I think this was the third time I had read it. I was first drawn to the story of a young girl struggling in foster care, surviving very traumatic situations to become a relatively well-adjusted young woman. Later I was more attracted to the story of an artist trying to find her point of view and style, especially in the shadow of her mother's not inconsiderable talent. A very haunting and uplifting book.
Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, July 17th. See above.
Atonement by Ian McEwan, July 24th. Was v. delighted with this book. I loved the structure of the events, Briony in old age, looking back on a day when she was 13, when she changed the course of her life, her sister's and Robbie's with one act. Then we move to World War II, following Robbie as he tries to survive and return to Cecilia. And in the third part of the book, the events after the war, and the riddle as to their true meaning. The first part is the best, a sleepy day unravels, filled with common-place events. Cecilia chips a vase, struggles to understand her feelings, her mother fights a migraine headache, Robbie writes a letter. McEwan's descriptions are full of detail and life and meaning. A wonderful book.
My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Aug. 28th. Pamuk is an incredible writer, my one lament about his books being how long it takes me to read them. It is not that they are dull, but that they are dense. These are not "easy reads". Every word has intricate, intense meaning, and, for me at least, it takes twice as long to get through each page. When I did manage to reach the end, I was glad I had put forth the effort. It may be a while, however, before I have the stamina to try another.
One of the most confusing aspects of this book was the changes in narration. Pamuk has the singular and enviable audacity to throw the reader headlong into a book that changes narrators every chapter, without ever acquainting the reader with this fact, or trying to make the reader comfortable. This was one initial difficulty I had to overcome. This quote is from a chapter narrated by a drawing of a tree, an apparent proponent of the artistic style that does not show drawings of trees as individual trees, each different from the next, but rather as a type, a cookie-cutter likeness.
"I thank Allah that I, the humble tree before you, have not been drawn with such intent. And not because I fear that if I'd been thus depicted all the dogs in Istanbul would assume I was a real tree and piss on me: I don't want to be a tree, I want to be it's meaning." p. 51
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Aug. 31st. Lahiri is a v. talented writer, but I think I prefer her stories, having also read Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth. There were parts of this book I very much liked. I think Lahiri is especially adept at creating moments, vivid moments that reflect whole generations and relationships. This is what I love about her stories. This gift is evident in The Namesake but short stories are perhaps a better vehicle for her talent.
"'Try to remember it always,' he said once Gogol had reached him, leading him slowly back across the breakwater, to where his mother and Sonia stood waiting. 'Remember that you and I made this journey, that we went to a place where there was nowhere left to go."
Beloved by Toni Morrison, Sept. 9th. Morrison is one of my favorite authors. We read Song of Solomon in high school, which I have reread many times. I am kind of surprised that it took me so long to read this, as it is one of her most acclaimed works. Beloved was exquisite, haunting, at times confusing. I have always loved how Morrison incorporates the spiritual and the magical into her stories in a way that makes you question what is real.
Her Husband: Hughes and Plath- a marriage by Diane Middlebrook, Sept. 13th. A very interesting book, in that it puts as much emphasis on Hughes as it does Plath, someone who is very often overlooked. Middlebrook does an excellent job of presenting Hughes's side of the marriage, and gives a very in-depth analysis of their creative relationship, as well as the more mundane facts of biography.
The Golden Compass, June 22nd, The Subtle Knife, June 30th, and The Amber Spyglass, July 9th, all by Philip Pullman. One of my favorite fantasy series, right up there with The Lord of the Rings and Dune. There are not words to express. I first read the series in late 2008, and this was my second time reading it. I think it may become one of my annual rereads.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch, July 14th. Another book that I have continued to come back to. I think this was the third time I had read it. I was first drawn to the story of a young girl struggling in foster care, surviving very traumatic situations to become a relatively well-adjusted young woman. Later I was more attracted to the story of an artist trying to find her point of view and style, especially in the shadow of her mother's not inconsiderable talent. A very haunting and uplifting book.
Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, July 17th. See above.
Atonement by Ian McEwan, July 24th. Was v. delighted with this book. I loved the structure of the events, Briony in old age, looking back on a day when she was 13, when she changed the course of her life, her sister's and Robbie's with one act. Then we move to World War II, following Robbie as he tries to survive and return to Cecilia. And in the third part of the book, the events after the war, and the riddle as to their true meaning. The first part is the best, a sleepy day unravels, filled with common-place events. Cecilia chips a vase, struggles to understand her feelings, her mother fights a migraine headache, Robbie writes a letter. McEwan's descriptions are full of detail and life and meaning. A wonderful book.
My Name Is Red by Orhan Pamuk, Aug. 28th. Pamuk is an incredible writer, my one lament about his books being how long it takes me to read them. It is not that they are dull, but that they are dense. These are not "easy reads". Every word has intricate, intense meaning, and, for me at least, it takes twice as long to get through each page. When I did manage to reach the end, I was glad I had put forth the effort. It may be a while, however, before I have the stamina to try another.
One of the most confusing aspects of this book was the changes in narration. Pamuk has the singular and enviable audacity to throw the reader headlong into a book that changes narrators every chapter, without ever acquainting the reader with this fact, or trying to make the reader comfortable. This was one initial difficulty I had to overcome. This quote is from a chapter narrated by a drawing of a tree, an apparent proponent of the artistic style that does not show drawings of trees as individual trees, each different from the next, but rather as a type, a cookie-cutter likeness.
"I thank Allah that I, the humble tree before you, have not been drawn with such intent. And not because I fear that if I'd been thus depicted all the dogs in Istanbul would assume I was a real tree and piss on me: I don't want to be a tree, I want to be it's meaning." p. 51
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, Aug. 31st. Lahiri is a v. talented writer, but I think I prefer her stories, having also read Interpreter of Maladies and Unaccustomed Earth. There were parts of this book I very much liked. I think Lahiri is especially adept at creating moments, vivid moments that reflect whole generations and relationships. This is what I love about her stories. This gift is evident in The Namesake but short stories are perhaps a better vehicle for her talent.
"'Try to remember it always,' he said once Gogol had reached him, leading him slowly back across the breakwater, to where his mother and Sonia stood waiting. 'Remember that you and I made this journey, that we went to a place where there was nowhere left to go."
Beloved by Toni Morrison, Sept. 9th. Morrison is one of my favorite authors. We read Song of Solomon in high school, which I have reread many times. I am kind of surprised that it took me so long to read this, as it is one of her most acclaimed works. Beloved was exquisite, haunting, at times confusing. I have always loved how Morrison incorporates the spiritual and the magical into her stories in a way that makes you question what is real.
Her Husband: Hughes and Plath- a marriage by Diane Middlebrook, Sept. 13th. A very interesting book, in that it puts as much emphasis on Hughes as it does Plath, someone who is very often overlooked. Middlebrook does an excellent job of presenting Hughes's side of the marriage, and gives a very in-depth analysis of their creative relationship, as well as the more mundane facts of biography.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Reading List: Part II
Life of Pi by Yann Martel, February 7th. Besides being very informative (I now know what to do if trapped on a lifeboat with a tiger) this book was very warm and absorbing, besides being terrifyingly real to me. This book is what I mean when I say that writing should transport you. I feel like, whatever I was doing when I wasn't reading this book, I was thinking about Pi and Richard the tiger, and wondering what was going to happen next to them. Combine with that the beautiful style and prose of Yann Martel, and you have a masterpiece.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, February 14th. An immensely depressing book that is impressive in its depression. Madame Bovary is the tale of an unfaithful, imprudent woman who gradually ruins herself and her poor husband, pitiful because he truly loves his wife. I like Flaubert's eye for details, always useful in books from another time, place or culture.
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, March 15th. This one took me about a month to read, but was well worth the effort. This classic tale of an American girl brought to Europe, who basically has the world at her feet, but purposefully, one might even say perversely, chooses to be unhappy, turning down several worthy proposals to marry a no-account louse she doesn't even like that much, who is having an affair with her friend. Henry James is an iconic writer, although not a personal favorite. I don't think he likes women very much, and I can never figure out why. He reminds me a little of T.E. Lawrence in that way.
Isabel's admirer, and by far the best match, trying to convince her to come away with him, or do whatever it takes to be happy:
"I swear as I stand here, that a woman deliberately made to suffer is justified in anything in life- in going down into the streets if that will help her! I know how you suffer, and that's why I'm here. We can absolutely do as we please; to whom under the sun do we owe anything? What is it that holds us, what is it that has the smallest right to interfere in such a question as this? Such a question is between ourselves- and to say that is to settle it! Were we born to rot in our misery- were we born to be afraid!"
Washington Square by Henry James, March 25th. Nobody writes quite like Henry James! There's a breathless quality to his prose, that brings me back to him, despite his poor opinion of women. In this novel, yet again a woman marries a man, despite all the wiser men in her life (in this case her father, in Portrait it was her gallant, dying cousin Ralph) warning her that the man's a crook. Perhaps even more depressing than Portrait, in Washington Square poor Catherine, who has never been pretty or clever enough for her father, is pursued by a young man for her fortune. Her father promises her that he will disown her if she should marry the young man, who promptly decamps for more lucrative pastures, breaking Catherine's heart. The father remains suspicious that she will merely wait until he is dead to marry the lout, and when Catherine refuses to promise she will not, his suspicions are confirmed, and he disinherits her, dies and leaves his fortune to charities. The young man returns years later, and an awkward scene ensues, in which Catherine reveals she was not waiting for him, and sends him packing. She basically ends up with nothing, except perhaps her self-respect.
Wuthering Heights, March 30th. Ah, the classic romance! I was surprised, however, at the very odd format of the novel, which asks you to believe that the classic tale of Catherine and Heathcliff was related to our narrator several decades after it actually happened, and then was written down in a diary, which we are presumably reading a century later, or whatever. All I have to say is, what memories! Didn't quite meet the hype, although parts of this story are very enchanting, particularly this passage, which kind of sums up the very love-hate (one might say stalker-ish) feelings between Heath and Cathy:
"Her senses never returned; she recognized nobody from the time you left her," I said. "She lies with a sweet smile on her face; and her latest ideas wandered back to pleasant early days. Her life closed in a gentle dream- may she wake as kindly in the other world!"
"May she wake in torment!" he cried, with frightful vehemence, stamping his foot, and groaning in a sudden paroxysm of ungovernable passion. "Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there- not in heaven- not perished- where? Oh! you said you cared nothing for my suffering! And I pray one prayer- I repeat it till my tongue stiffens- Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you- haunt me then! The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe- I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always- take any form- drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh God! it is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" p. 163-64
Pot Pourri: Whistlings of an Idler by Eugenio Cambacares, April 28th. This was a v. strange book, that took me a long time to read, with the result that I have no recollection what it was about.
A Little Princess by Francis Hodgeson Burnett, May 5th. My favorite children's book, mostly because it is so moral, not that I ever learned anything from these morals. I was so directly opposite little heroine Sarah in almost every way. Where she was patient and good and kind with the horrors life fed her, I always thought I should have railed and fought. But I loved her for her goodness, as I suppose her schoolmates did. I also loved the lavish descriptions of the fairytale she awoke to everyday with Becky, courtesy of the Indian servant, one of my favorite characters. Reading it from the perspective of adulthood changed little for me, to my delight. I felt like a little girl again, bookish and wishing I lived in London.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, May 9th. I love this book for the wonderful images and descriptions of the paintings. The characters are very beautifully rendered. Griet is very outwardly quiet, with a rich inner life, possessing extraordinary perception. Ver Meer is quietly foreboding, relentless in the selfish pursuit of his art that brings about the ultimate destruction of the precarious balance between Griet and his wife.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, May 13th. An incredibly delightful book. Told through the perspective of about fifty characters from all different nationalities and walks of life, it tells the epic tale of a fictitious, incredibly realistic world zombie take-over, and how the world fights back and eventually recovers. Very vivid in its imagery and a well-thought out and executed view of a global holocaust. V. good read.
Wicked Witch, May 25th, and Wicked Curse, May 31st, both by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie. Terrible, never read. Not worth any kind of analysis at all. Can't believe I actually read two of this swill series.
Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert, February 14th. An immensely depressing book that is impressive in its depression. Madame Bovary is the tale of an unfaithful, imprudent woman who gradually ruins herself and her poor husband, pitiful because he truly loves his wife. I like Flaubert's eye for details, always useful in books from another time, place or culture.
The Portrait of a Lady by Henry James, March 15th. This one took me about a month to read, but was well worth the effort. This classic tale of an American girl brought to Europe, who basically has the world at her feet, but purposefully, one might even say perversely, chooses to be unhappy, turning down several worthy proposals to marry a no-account louse she doesn't even like that much, who is having an affair with her friend. Henry James is an iconic writer, although not a personal favorite. I don't think he likes women very much, and I can never figure out why. He reminds me a little of T.E. Lawrence in that way.
Isabel's admirer, and by far the best match, trying to convince her to come away with him, or do whatever it takes to be happy:
"I swear as I stand here, that a woman deliberately made to suffer is justified in anything in life- in going down into the streets if that will help her! I know how you suffer, and that's why I'm here. We can absolutely do as we please; to whom under the sun do we owe anything? What is it that holds us, what is it that has the smallest right to interfere in such a question as this? Such a question is between ourselves- and to say that is to settle it! Were we born to rot in our misery- were we born to be afraid!"
Washington Square by Henry James, March 25th. Nobody writes quite like Henry James! There's a breathless quality to his prose, that brings me back to him, despite his poor opinion of women. In this novel, yet again a woman marries a man, despite all the wiser men in her life (in this case her father, in Portrait it was her gallant, dying cousin Ralph) warning her that the man's a crook. Perhaps even more depressing than Portrait, in Washington Square poor Catherine, who has never been pretty or clever enough for her father, is pursued by a young man for her fortune. Her father promises her that he will disown her if she should marry the young man, who promptly decamps for more lucrative pastures, breaking Catherine's heart. The father remains suspicious that she will merely wait until he is dead to marry the lout, and when Catherine refuses to promise she will not, his suspicions are confirmed, and he disinherits her, dies and leaves his fortune to charities. The young man returns years later, and an awkward scene ensues, in which Catherine reveals she was not waiting for him, and sends him packing. She basically ends up with nothing, except perhaps her self-respect.
Wuthering Heights, March 30th. Ah, the classic romance! I was surprised, however, at the very odd format of the novel, which asks you to believe that the classic tale of Catherine and Heathcliff was related to our narrator several decades after it actually happened, and then was written down in a diary, which we are presumably reading a century later, or whatever. All I have to say is, what memories! Didn't quite meet the hype, although parts of this story are very enchanting, particularly this passage, which kind of sums up the very love-hate (one might say stalker-ish) feelings between Heath and Cathy:
"Her senses never returned; she recognized nobody from the time you left her," I said. "She lies with a sweet smile on her face; and her latest ideas wandered back to pleasant early days. Her life closed in a gentle dream- may she wake as kindly in the other world!"
"May she wake in torment!" he cried, with frightful vehemence, stamping his foot, and groaning in a sudden paroxysm of ungovernable passion. "Why, she's a liar to the end! Where is she? Not there- not in heaven- not perished- where? Oh! you said you cared nothing for my suffering! And I pray one prayer- I repeat it till my tongue stiffens- Catherine Earnshaw, may you not rest as long as I am living! You said I killed you- haunt me then! The murdered do haunt their murderers. I believe- I know that ghosts have wandered on earth. Be with me always- take any form- drive me mad! only do not leave me in this abyss, where I cannot find you! Oh God! it is unutterable! I cannot live without my life! I cannot live without my soul!" p. 163-64
Pot Pourri: Whistlings of an Idler by Eugenio Cambacares, April 28th. This was a v. strange book, that took me a long time to read, with the result that I have no recollection what it was about.
A Little Princess by Francis Hodgeson Burnett, May 5th. My favorite children's book, mostly because it is so moral, not that I ever learned anything from these morals. I was so directly opposite little heroine Sarah in almost every way. Where she was patient and good and kind with the horrors life fed her, I always thought I should have railed and fought. But I loved her for her goodness, as I suppose her schoolmates did. I also loved the lavish descriptions of the fairytale she awoke to everyday with Becky, courtesy of the Indian servant, one of my favorite characters. Reading it from the perspective of adulthood changed little for me, to my delight. I felt like a little girl again, bookish and wishing I lived in London.
Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, May 9th. I love this book for the wonderful images and descriptions of the paintings. The characters are very beautifully rendered. Griet is very outwardly quiet, with a rich inner life, possessing extraordinary perception. Ver Meer is quietly foreboding, relentless in the selfish pursuit of his art that brings about the ultimate destruction of the precarious balance between Griet and his wife.
World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks, May 13th. An incredibly delightful book. Told through the perspective of about fifty characters from all different nationalities and walks of life, it tells the epic tale of a fictitious, incredibly realistic world zombie take-over, and how the world fights back and eventually recovers. Very vivid in its imagery and a well-thought out and executed view of a global holocaust. V. good read.
Wicked Witch, May 25th, and Wicked Curse, May 31st, both by Nancy Holder and Debbie Viguie. Terrible, never read. Not worth any kind of analysis at all. Can't believe I actually read two of this swill series.
Reading List: Part I
I know it's a little late for a retrospective, but what can I say, I've been busy! Here are the 43 books I read in 2009.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams [January 2nd, 3rd and 4th.] That's right, I spent New Year's reading! Didn't have anything to do yet, since I was just out of college and jobless. I didn't even have furniture in my apartment yet. I picked the warmest corner of the bedroom and camped out on the floor. Which is what made these follow-ups to the wildly popular Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe (which I had read New Year's Eve) so appropriate. There's nothing like the fantastic to take your mind off humdrum reality, and a bare apartment and no job is about as humdrum and real as it gets.
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, January 10th. Like I said, nothing to do. This book was recommended to me by a friend. I was trying to get into new literature, and this wasn't a bad try. Interesting in the kind of light chicklit fad of our times. It certainly was literary in its references, but still stands out in my mind as why I shouldn't write, in case this is the best I can do. Too harsh?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy, January 11th. Cannot say enough about this book. McCarthy is one of my favorite new writers. I loved No Country for Old Men, and look forward to reading more of his work. His writing is everything I wish mine could be: taut, evocative, seamless. The story is very gripping, although the friend I bored the book from said she "couldn't get into it". She's a very optimistic person, though. I could see this book weighing her down. It scared the shit out of me!
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Merisha Pessl, January 15th. I remember liking this book when I read it, although I can't remember anything extraordinary about it now. I think I liked the style of the book, how it starts every chapter with a piece of literature from her "reading list" that is obtusely related to the contents of the chapters. But the plot was far-fetched and contrived, the characters wildly unappealing, including the apparent criminal father, victim teacher and most of all, the clique-ish frenemies: The Hills meets Eton. I do remember looking at the author's picture on the back cover and finding her wildly attractive.
The Reader Bernhard Schlink, January 19. A bizarre book, although I don't think I disliked it for the reason most people did. I think most people were appalled by the cougar seducing the teenage boy. What bothered me was the premise (spoiler alert) that a woman would go to jail and spend most of her life there rather than admit that she couldn't read. I'm sorry, I don't get that, and I don't think Schlink does a very good job justifying this decision. Other than that, I had no problem with the book. Lovely prose.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, January 19th. The stories, which are often over overlooked, were hauntingly effective. I still think of that one with the woman and the little doll that hunts and kills her and eventually takes over her body. The title novella struck me as intense and lonely, much more about the psychology of the last man on earth than the thrills and spills of a zombie/vampire story. Which leads me to the most stirring emotion, which was anger at the movie for robbing this wonderful story of its true meaning. I think they captured the loneliness and despair very well, but the ending of the story was so chilling and was so very betrayed by the movie's departure.
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster, January 25th. This was the second attempt at reading this novel. The first time I got as far as the day-trip to the caves before calling it quits, and upon my second try, was amazed and so grateful that I did read it again, since that is only the beginning of the real novel. The entire novel consists of English tourists trying to catch a glimpse of the "real" India in the colonial nineteenth century. I believe the message of this to novel is that no one knows the "real" India, and that you are far more likely to never find it, or be repulsed by it once you do. The book ends with the main characters more divided than when they started, mostly because the result of the imperial class system. I think Forster was trying to say that India and England can never understand one another as long as one is subservient to the other. I liked glimpsing another side of India. In college I had known Hindu Indians and Sheiks, but never Muslim Indians, which is kind of a rare perspective, and very well portrayed.
"This pose of 'seeing India' which had seduced him to Miss Quested at Chandrapore was only a form of ruling India; no sympathy lay behind it; he knew exactly what was going on in the boat as the party gazed at the steps down which the image would presently descend, and debated how near they might row without getting in trouble officially." p. 306
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde, January 26th. The sequel to The Eyre Affair and as equally forgettable.
Empress Orchid by Anchee Min, February 4th. I have read another account of Empress Tzu Hsi, namely Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck, which is one of my favorite of her books, and so I wanted to see how this one compared. Frankly I was a little disappointed. The writing is nothing special, I didn't ever feel transported to another world, and the narrative skips about a little randomly.
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe; Life, the Universe, and Everything; So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish by Douglas Adams [January 2nd, 3rd and 4th.] That's right, I spent New Year's reading! Didn't have anything to do yet, since I was just out of college and jobless. I didn't even have furniture in my apartment yet. I picked the warmest corner of the bedroom and camped out on the floor. Which is what made these follow-ups to the wildly popular Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe (which I had read New Year's Eve) so appropriate. There's nothing like the fantastic to take your mind off humdrum reality, and a bare apartment and no job is about as humdrum and real as it gets.
The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde, January 10th. Like I said, nothing to do. This book was recommended to me by a friend. I was trying to get into new literature, and this wasn't a bad try. Interesting in the kind of light chicklit fad of our times. It certainly was literary in its references, but still stands out in my mind as why I shouldn't write, in case this is the best I can do. Too harsh?
The Road by Cormac McCarthy, January 11th. Cannot say enough about this book. McCarthy is one of my favorite new writers. I loved No Country for Old Men, and look forward to reading more of his work. His writing is everything I wish mine could be: taut, evocative, seamless. The story is very gripping, although the friend I bored the book from said she "couldn't get into it". She's a very optimistic person, though. I could see this book weighing her down. It scared the shit out of me!
Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Merisha Pessl, January 15th. I remember liking this book when I read it, although I can't remember anything extraordinary about it now. I think I liked the style of the book, how it starts every chapter with a piece of literature from her "reading list" that is obtusely related to the contents of the chapters. But the plot was far-fetched and contrived, the characters wildly unappealing, including the apparent criminal father, victim teacher and most of all, the clique-ish frenemies: The Hills meets Eton. I do remember looking at the author's picture on the back cover and finding her wildly attractive.
The Reader Bernhard Schlink, January 19. A bizarre book, although I don't think I disliked it for the reason most people did. I think most people were appalled by the cougar seducing the teenage boy. What bothered me was the premise (spoiler alert) that a woman would go to jail and spend most of her life there rather than admit that she couldn't read. I'm sorry, I don't get that, and I don't think Schlink does a very good job justifying this decision. Other than that, I had no problem with the book. Lovely prose.
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson, January 19th. The stories, which are often over overlooked, were hauntingly effective. I still think of that one with the woman and the little doll that hunts and kills her and eventually takes over her body. The title novella struck me as intense and lonely, much more about the psychology of the last man on earth than the thrills and spills of a zombie/vampire story. Which leads me to the most stirring emotion, which was anger at the movie for robbing this wonderful story of its true meaning. I think they captured the loneliness and despair very well, but the ending of the story was so chilling and was so very betrayed by the movie's departure.
A Passage to India by E.M. Forster, January 25th. This was the second attempt at reading this novel. The first time I got as far as the day-trip to the caves before calling it quits, and upon my second try, was amazed and so grateful that I did read it again, since that is only the beginning of the real novel. The entire novel consists of English tourists trying to catch a glimpse of the "real" India in the colonial nineteenth century. I believe the message of this to novel is that no one knows the "real" India, and that you are far more likely to never find it, or be repulsed by it once you do. The book ends with the main characters more divided than when they started, mostly because the result of the imperial class system. I think Forster was trying to say that India and England can never understand one another as long as one is subservient to the other. I liked glimpsing another side of India. In college I had known Hindu Indians and Sheiks, but never Muslim Indians, which is kind of a rare perspective, and very well portrayed.
"This pose of 'seeing India' which had seduced him to Miss Quested at Chandrapore was only a form of ruling India; no sympathy lay behind it; he knew exactly what was going on in the boat as the party gazed at the steps down which the image would presently descend, and debated how near they might row without getting in trouble officially." p. 306
Lost in a Good Book by Jasper Fforde, January 26th. The sequel to The Eyre Affair and as equally forgettable.
Empress Orchid by Anchee Min, February 4th. I have read another account of Empress Tzu Hsi, namely Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck, which is one of my favorite of her books, and so I wanted to see how this one compared. Frankly I was a little disappointed. The writing is nothing special, I didn't ever feel transported to another world, and the narrative skips about a little randomly.
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