What Swanky Things are you Watching?

[Not Afraid]

We finally watched Closer tonight. Although I didn't love love love it, it certainly had its moments. I adore Clive Owen. He's really gotten a place in my pantheon of fine British men. Move over Hugh.......no, Hugh still makes my heart beat fastest. But, I enjoyed the film except I wanted to slap a few people at times. (Sheesh! Get over yourself!) Natalie Portman was wonderful! She CAN act! ( Padmé? Are you OK?) Jude, eh, I've seen enough. Same with Julia - although she was better in this than in anything else I've seen her in.

Clive had the BEST lines ever. His character was my favorite. Witty and snarkey at the same time.....brilliant!

[Ghoulish Delight]

We watched Jabberwocky, a Terry Gilliam film. In the words of Nelson Muntz, I can think of at least two things wrong with that title.

Ummm, it's Gilliam. If you like Gilliam, you'd enjoy the movie (we do, and we did). But it's nothing to write home about.

[Bornieo: Fully Loaded]

I watched "The Battle of Shaker Heights" which won Project Greenlight a couple years ago. It wasn't a bad movie, just very incomplete.

Also saw Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Very good film. Very well done, although if it were any longer, the cuts and oddness would have started annoying me.

[Eliza Hodgkins 1812]

The Office Special. Dawn and Tim, I heart you.

[Motorboat Cruiser]

Just watched "The Apostle" last night and really enjoyed it. Robert Duvall never ceases to amaze me and this film was certainly no exception. He really nailed the role of the evangelical preacher so well that it was easy to forget that he was acting. Thumbs up!

[MouseWife]

I have to agree with your 'Closer' review, Not Afraid. I was a bit put off by having to watch it so quiet {the boy} was in the next room and damn the language was almost like a movie we'd have to watch when he was asleep...not that we watch movies like that...anywho.......

'Spanglish'. I really did like it. I hated Tea Leonis' {sp} character. I guess that means she did a great job? Cloris Leachman, loved her part. I loved the movie. Couldn't stop watching it {we usually watch movies snips here and there}. Oh, and, if anyone has seen it and knows, the restaurant, is that the Ivy in L.A.? It was a very charming little place.

'I Am David'. Oh, this was great, too. We got lucky with those two flicks. The little boy {main character} reminds me of the lead singer from Radiohead. Couldn't shake that. I won't say more except that I do recommend it and if you have kids it isn't gory or sexual or anything you need to be concerned about.

If you are so inclined to be concerned about such things.....

[Claire]

Watched The Outsiders twice this week.....I really love that freaking movie. Always the eleven year old me.

Also saw The Man Who Knew Too Much with James Stewart and Doris Day....it's one of those I've seen a few times and never tire of. I was feverish at the time and kept falling asleep, waking and rewinding.

We watched Election the other night again--Kelly bought me the DVD for Valentine's Day, as it's one of my little favorites. Alexander Payne wrote the script and directed it, just as he did Sideways and they're very similar in style. Still love it.

Also watched Spiderman 2 last night. And although I love it, I have some questions. How did the mechanical arms get so damn long? And how on earth was it that the trillium/fusion thing wasn't dangerous to everyone in the room? Why wasn't it done in a safe lab with mechanical arms? And why didn't anyone else need goggles but Octavius? Other than that, I utterly love the movie. My husband hadn't seen it all the way through before and he was like, "This is just like The Incredibles!"

[MouseWife]

Originally Posted by Claire

My husband hadn't seen it all the way through before and he was like, "This is just like The Incredibles!"

Ya know, I had this feeling, too. So many similarities.

[€uroMeinke]

Last night we went to UCLA to see some films of Ladislaw Starewicz with LIve music from the Tin Hat Trio.

Starewicz is credited for being one of the inventors of stop-motion animation. He was an entomologist, who wanted to film a documentary about bugs but found the lights of his equipment would burn and kill them. So he devised ways to articulate dead insects to mimic their real life movements - of course, then he realized he could do a lot more with this art form and made short films featuring bugs and frogs as lead characters, complete with tiny sets and props.

It was an awsome experience, especially with live music and follie. They hope to put this on DVD and I hope they succeed. This stuff is a must for anyone who loves the animation art form.

[Not Afraid]

A collection of films of Ladislaw Starewicz are available from Amazon including The Cameraman's Revenge which was completely delightful! I will be buying this quirky, esoteric man's work.