Monday, January 30, 2006
Survivor...Again and Again and Again
Survivor Panama: Exile Island starts on Thursday, and not a moment too soon! This one ought to be good...4 tribes divided up by age and gender (initially, at least). Should be some other shake-ups as well, in terms of the rules. Needless to say, I can't wait! There's just so much entertainment that American Idol can provide (usually not too much after the horrible, wonderful, fugalicious audition rounds).
Friday, January 20, 2006
The post in which I eagerly anticipate Donald Fagen's new CD!
Just heard Donald Fagen's new song, H Gang, on XM Cafe yesterday and went to search for news on the new CD. It's dropping in March! Cool! Off to search for more news about the CD....
Thursday, January 19, 2006
The post in which I apologize to my 2 readers for no posts in forever and try to remember all of the movies I saw over the holidays
First, apologies to A. and K., my only two readers, for not posting in a while.
Second, I spent the majority of my time over the holidays (when kids were gone to their dad's) watching movies. Really. Oh, and eating cookies and chocolate (which explains my fervent attendance at the gym this past week). Let me see if I can remember all of the movies I saw (theater movies first):
The Squid and The Whale: from Noah Baumbach, who co-wrote the screenplay to My Life Aquatic with Wes Anderson. Great performances from Jeff Daniels (who knew?) and Laura Linney (as usual--she always brings her A-game...when is she going to get an Oscar?). Kid to watch: Owen Kline (son of Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline)...much better than that "I see dead people" kid or the freakishly-ET-looking Dakota Fanning. Scene between him and Jeff Daniels when they are playing ping-pong is priceless, my brother.
Pride and Prejudice: Gorgeous movie with the gorgeous Keira Knightley. Oh, and Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench are in it, too. The last scene reminded me of the last scene in Sixteen Candles, though (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
Fun with Dick and Jane: Went to see this with D and his son (son's choice). I really like the new Tea Leoni wild-psychotic-mom character that she's got going (see Spanglish). And it had the best quality of a Jim Carrey movie--the fact that Jim Carrey playing Jim Carrey did not bug me to death (as he usually does).
Syriana: This movie had "Terribly Important" written all over it, but it was much like Traffic without the drugs. I like the plumper, older George Clooney. And who knew that Jeffrey Wright (see Broken Flowers) could play such a good straight man? He's my new favorite "actor who is so good, but never gets noticed" (former favorites: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, and that other guy from Boogie Nights. Basically, the whole Boogie Nights cast, but that's another post for another time).
Brokeback Mountain: Brilliant. My best movie of 2005. Here's a better review than I could ever write myself.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Beautiful to look at, delightful to hold, but if it's broken, I've been sold (a bill of goods). An entertaining book, but the movie dragged on, and on, and on. So much more could've been done with this movie.
Movies I saw on DVD or at D's house on cable:
Mystery Men: I kept saying to myself, "why did I never see this movie?" It was hilarious and had all of my favorite people in it (Ben Stiller, Jeanene Garofalo, PeeWee Herman). I liked it enough to consider it for my very-exclusive DVD collection (I think I own 10 DVDs, tops).
Liar, Liar: As you know, Jim Carrey playing Jim Carrey usually bugs me to death. But, D. insisted that we watch this movie, and it was pretty good. I do like Jim Carrey better when he is playing someone else (like in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
The Warriors: This was a DVD that belonged to D's teenaged son that we watched. The most remarkable thing about it was that Michael Beck (of Xanadu fame) was in it, along with James Remar (best known for his role as Richard the Rich Guy who broke Samantha's heart on Sex in the City--until she fell in love with Smith, that is. Best decision she ever made.). This movie had that gritty, late 70s, one-day-I'm-wearing-legwarmers-and-rollerskating-with-Olivia-Newton-John and-one-day-I'm- kicking-butts-and-taking-names kind of feel to it.
parts of Bad Boys 2: I never saw this whole movie, but I saw about 60% of it. Gabrielle Union is cute, Will Smith is funny (though it was bizarre imagining him as the Fresh Prince while he's shooting all of those people) didn't like all of the violence. Which is why I didn't see all of it.
Movies I saw for the second time (or umpteenth time):
Kinsey: Same reaction as before. Went on a bit too long, and Laura Linney was the best thing about the movie.
Bridget Jones' Diary: A movie I actually own on VHS. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. D and I watched this at my house the night I made him vegetable lasagna. We both laughed like we'd never seen it before.
Bottle Rocket: Owen and Luke Wilson's tour de force (directed by Wes Anderson). They will never make a movie this funny and this quirky and this heartwarming ever again. Plus, it was shot in Austin, TX and I recognize some of the location sets. Favorite line: "They'll never catch me, because I'm f***ing innocent!"
So, there you have it, folks (all 2 of you). My Life in Movies, or something like it. Kids are now back, school's in session, and I'll be lucky if I get to the theaters to see anything but Hoodwinked in the next month or so. But there's always Netflix!
Update: forgot about seeing (for the 2nd time) Love Actually (liked it just as much the 2nd time).
Second, I spent the majority of my time over the holidays (when kids were gone to their dad's) watching movies. Really. Oh, and eating cookies and chocolate (which explains my fervent attendance at the gym this past week). Let me see if I can remember all of the movies I saw (theater movies first):
The Squid and The Whale: from Noah Baumbach, who co-wrote the screenplay to My Life Aquatic with Wes Anderson. Great performances from Jeff Daniels (who knew?) and Laura Linney (as usual--she always brings her A-game...when is she going to get an Oscar?). Kid to watch: Owen Kline (son of Phoebe Cates and Kevin Kline)...much better than that "I see dead people" kid or the freakishly-ET-looking Dakota Fanning. Scene between him and Jeff Daniels when they are playing ping-pong is priceless, my brother.
Pride and Prejudice: Gorgeous movie with the gorgeous Keira Knightley. Oh, and Donald Sutherland and Judi Dench are in it, too. The last scene reminded me of the last scene in Sixteen Candles, though (not that there's anything wrong with that!).
Fun with Dick and Jane: Went to see this with D and his son (son's choice). I really like the new Tea Leoni wild-psychotic-mom character that she's got going (see Spanglish). And it had the best quality of a Jim Carrey movie--the fact that Jim Carrey playing Jim Carrey did not bug me to death (as he usually does).
Syriana: This movie had "Terribly Important" written all over it, but it was much like Traffic without the drugs. I like the plumper, older George Clooney. And who knew that Jeffrey Wright (see Broken Flowers) could play such a good straight man? He's my new favorite "actor who is so good, but never gets noticed" (former favorites: Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Don Cheadle, and that other guy from Boogie Nights. Basically, the whole Boogie Nights cast, but that's another post for another time).
Brokeback Mountain: Brilliant. My best movie of 2005. Here's a better review than I could ever write myself.
Memoirs of a Geisha: Beautiful to look at, delightful to hold, but if it's broken, I've been sold (a bill of goods). An entertaining book, but the movie dragged on, and on, and on. So much more could've been done with this movie.
Movies I saw on DVD or at D's house on cable:
Mystery Men: I kept saying to myself, "why did I never see this movie?" It was hilarious and had all of my favorite people in it (Ben Stiller, Jeanene Garofalo, PeeWee Herman). I liked it enough to consider it for my very-exclusive DVD collection (I think I own 10 DVDs, tops).
Liar, Liar: As you know, Jim Carrey playing Jim Carrey usually bugs me to death. But, D. insisted that we watch this movie, and it was pretty good. I do like Jim Carrey better when he is playing someone else (like in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind)
The Warriors: This was a DVD that belonged to D's teenaged son that we watched. The most remarkable thing about it was that Michael Beck (of Xanadu fame) was in it, along with James Remar (best known for his role as Richard the Rich Guy who broke Samantha's heart on Sex in the City--until she fell in love with Smith, that is. Best decision she ever made.). This movie had that gritty, late 70s, one-day-I'm-wearing-legwarmers-and-rollerskating-with-Olivia-Newton-John and-one-day-I'm- kicking-butts-and-taking-names kind of feel to it.
parts of Bad Boys 2: I never saw this whole movie, but I saw about 60% of it. Gabrielle Union is cute, Will Smith is funny (though it was bizarre imagining him as the Fresh Prince while he's shooting all of those people) didn't like all of the violence. Which is why I didn't see all of it.
Movies I saw for the second time (or umpteenth time):
Kinsey: Same reaction as before. Went on a bit too long, and Laura Linney was the best thing about the movie.
Bridget Jones' Diary: A movie I actually own on VHS. Brilliant, brilliant, brilliant. D and I watched this at my house the night I made him vegetable lasagna. We both laughed like we'd never seen it before.
Bottle Rocket: Owen and Luke Wilson's tour de force (directed by Wes Anderson). They will never make a movie this funny and this quirky and this heartwarming ever again. Plus, it was shot in Austin, TX and I recognize some of the location sets. Favorite line: "They'll never catch me, because I'm f***ing innocent!"
So, there you have it, folks (all 2 of you). My Life in Movies, or something like it. Kids are now back, school's in session, and I'll be lucky if I get to the theaters to see anything but Hoodwinked in the next month or so. But there's always Netflix!
Update: forgot about seeing (for the 2nd time) Love Actually (liked it just as much the 2nd time).
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
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