Sunday, August 13, 2006

my summer of love

WINNER OF THE 2004 BRITISH ACADEMY AWARD FOR BEST FILM

This movie is mature, intelligent, and provocative. The characters are uncontrived. The plot seems simple at first glance -- I decided to watch it after reading a description of chick on chick action -- but it's about more. The women in this movie are breathtakingly beautiful (as evidenced by the picture I've chosen). You won't be able to take your eyes off of the screen once you start watching.

Sunday, August 06, 2006

Intermission

IRISH MOVIEMAKING by first-time director, John Crowley.

One of the advantages of having enough cable channels to be able to see films that may not have made it to your local movie theaters is that you get to watch movies like Intermission. Don't ask me what intermission means for the plot. You won't want to take one while watching it, that's for sure. A lot happens and the plot jumps. What a pleasant change to watch someone on the screen who is not a humongoid ego crazed nutjob.

Its very strength could also be construed as a shadow weakness in that it's almost too Americanized for comfort in the way its presented. Just watch it and see if you understand what I mean.

I will give it KUDOS for presenting the actors as speaking the native tongue with enough clarity to be understood by Americans but with enough of the native brogue to keep it interesting. None of this sanitizing of the slang to the point of nausea business.

When I read the description in the movie preview guide I was thinking it was another bumbling criminals bumble yet again and in the process you get a few yuks. Wrong. Intermission is more about the absurdity of human relationships that you can either laugh at or cry at.

The movie's hopscotching plot is quaint and endearing and downright bold. There is more than a fair amount of hilarity to it. You'll laugh your ass off if the type of humor is your type of humor.

The director is talented. Amazing that this is his first movie.

Intermission is an entertaining and heartwarming piece of work from across the Atlantic.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

Steve Colbert speaks at Bush Dinner

you abso friggn lootly will not believe what you will see when you click on the title of the post. I'm still trying to figure out who managed to get him on the speaker's list, but bless them. Watching the audience -- and the guest of honor -- is almost as fun as watching the speech. But perhaps fun isn't the word. Spiritual ecstasy is more like it. Please pass it along if it speaks to you. The media mysteriously (?) has tried to quash it, but I found it at google videos.

To Steve Colbert
and those who helped him:
YOU ARE MY HEROES.
LET FREEDOM (OF SPEECH) RING

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/106bg.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.usc.edu/schools/annenberg/asc/projects/comm544/library/images/106.html&h=441&w=560&sz=42&hl=en&start=9&tbnid=B5zwER_uRUauJM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=133&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dsteve%2Bcolbert%2Bbush%2Bdinner%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Den%26lr%3D%26client%3Dfirefox-a%26rls%3Dorg.mozilla:en-US:official%26sa%3DN