See Wicked

Wow.  Highly recommend this musical.  If you don’t remember “The Wizard of Oz” very well, rent it (or read the book) first.

Arnold says “Don’t do drugs”

Highly recommend the film “Bigger, Stronger, Faster.”  Fascinating, informative (for me at least), thought-provoking, and at times disgusting, enraging and depressing.

And it’s not just about anabolic steroids.   Though it consciously lacks a singular point of view or judgment (those of you who hate Michael Moore will appreciate this), it shines a bright light on some questionable aspects of (American) culture, including its preoccupation with body image (and its evolution over the last several decades) and its glorification of winners (and corresponding disdain for losers).

The Watchmen are coming

Very excited for this film, coming March 6th.  I first read the graphic novel back in 1990 and loved it (you can call it a comic book If you’d like, but that really doesn’t do it justice.)  I highly recommend reading the book before seeing the film.  Chapter IV alone (Watchmaker) is worth the price, and even if the book slows down a bit in the middle, the end is great.

You know you’re getting older when…

Hollywood greenlights remakes of  great movies you remember like they were yesterday – most recently “Arthur” and “Romancing the Stone.”

Best Movies of 2008

Of the ones I saw, nothing compared to:

1. Slumdog Millionaire
2. WALL-E

And nothing was more overrated than:

1. The Dark Knight
2. The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Holly Golightly Playbook

Finally saw Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961).  George Axelrod (the writer of this adaptation of Truman Capote’s book) and Audrey Hepburn managed to create, in Holly Golightly, a perfect representation of the tease that you can’t help falling in love with even though she takes you for granted.  It’s that subtle combination of attention and care (she buys him the typewriter ribbon), love and laughter (they kiss and have fun together), and disregard, insensitivity and dismissal (several occasions, like when she ignores him in the library after their romantic kiss in the foyer.)  Holly seems to treat Paul a bit like a shampoo:  Lather, Rinse, Repeat.

I now suspect that some of the teenage girls I knew back in high school somehow got hold of a Holly Golightly playbook.  Might have been nice to have a copy of that back then.

Reminds me of a line from the film Dangerous Liaisons (1988):

“Why do you suppose we only feel compelled to chase the ones that run away?”

Or maybe I’m offbase entirely, since our NetFlix DVD did conk out with 1:55 left in the film.

Watch Madmen

Highly recommended show on AMC.  Great writing.

“It’s not called the Wheel.  It’s called the Carousel.”  — Don Draper

Geeky library voyeurism

I recently picked up Master and Commander from the library.  Somewhere around page 100, when Captain Aubrey was just taking the Sophie out for its first sail, I discovered among the pages the last patron’s receipt for the items he/she checked out at the time.  I have to admit I was vaguely fascinated, as I was reading or had read 3 out of 4 of them (or maybe it was the late hour), and wondered if all 4 books were for the same person or if some were for other family members.  Here’s what they went for (and my 2 cents):

Ender’s Game (excellent)
Master and Commander (in process)
Cannery Row (a modern classic)
The Sunday Philosophy Club (no idea)

Watch House

This is really a great show. Easily my favorite on television right now. It uses a somewhat predictable yet always entertaining format within each episode (a la Law and Order, or The Closer), while slowly evolving and revealing the characters over the longer term.

Sicko

Sicko is a very good documentary with a compelling message. America can do better. Yes, Moore sometimes employs melodrama and shows only one side of the “debate”, but if there’s an equally powerful, rational message on the other side, why isn’t someone making a movie about it (or making the case in any other compelling manner?) The free market often works well with a goods or services that people want and which business is rewarded for providing. But it doesn’t seem to be the best solution to health care, a service that (i) normal consumers don’t “want” unless circumstances force them to need it and (ii) insurance companies are rewarded for denying rather than providing.