Attempt To Keep a Schedule

Okay, so I did not make Saturday. And this will be short... but I am trying.

In the category of weird film double-features: Taxi Driver and The Parent Trap (remake with Lindsay Lohan, not the original). Okay, the link, and there is one, comes at the end.

Anyway, Taxi Driver. Not one for the kids, but a fantastic study in the dangers of isolation in the middle of a big city. Martin Scorsese directs Robert DeNiro - do I need to say more? Anyway, Travis (DeNiro) battles what has come to be called PTSD with the accompanying insomnia. Travis becomes a Taxi Driver, and starts to observe, stalk, and eventually judge the humanity that surrounds and frequents his cab. Cybill Shepherd - dizzyingly beautiful. Jodie Foster -  disturbingly vulnerable. At one point, Travis purchases an armory of handguns, practices at the shooting range, and threatens himself in the mirror with the now famous phrase "You talkin' to me? YOU talkin' to ME?" Travis could be a villian or a hero, though his actions are essentially the same, carried out in a vastly different setting. Great film.

Okay, The Parent Trap. Not on the same level as Taxi Driver, but a light dessert after a heavy main course. Lindsay Lohan gives, unfortunately, her first and probably best performance. Would that she got better rather than sliding down the skill hill. Anyway, about half-way through the film, Hallie is suddenly faced with the evil Merideth, whom Hallie has not yet met. Merideth, having met Annie (the other twin), begins to talk to Hallie in a familiar (and evil) fashion. Hallie says "You talkin' to me?" Merideth responds, "Who do you think you are, Robert DeNiro?... yes, I'm talking to you." This accidental coincidence led to much laughter.

We just joined NetFlix (hey, worth a try), so there will be more film reviews. In addition, we will be seeing a play on Wednesday night, so perhaps a theatre review before Saturday.

Happy Holidays to all!! Merry Christmas! Happy Hanukkah! Kicka$$ Kwanzaa! Whichever.

Collected Thoughts - December 2008

So, it seems I am need more discipline to post more regularly. I will post something every Saturday, going forward. [Let's see how long I can keep this schedule.]

Listening to Paramore's Riot album, which plays into the combined desires I have for punk-like rock music as well as keeping a little connected to some strands of 'popular' music. Kind of like Avril Lavigne with a louder and pushier band. I like it.

Also in heavy rotation is Juliana Hatfield's latest, How To Walk Away. I will refrain from my macro-analysis of Juliana's musical bi-polar disorder, but this is the happiest sounding record in a while (big step up from Made in China, in my opinion). Juliana has been a staple of my musical diet for decades now, like an old friend who you don't see every day, but then you hang out one weekend, like no time had intervened. Give it a listen. Catchy with dark and sarcastic lyrics.

Watched Angelina Jolie and James McEvoy in Wanted. I have described it as a writer aiming to combine Fight Club, Matrix, and Office Space. What I have failed effectively to communcate to my friends and family is that the writer missed. The voice-overs would have been funnier and more effective from Edward Norton, the action would have been more effective if wrapped in a more-developed story, and the office is a parody of a parody. Angelina has cool tattoos and is pretty (though the excessively raccoon-like eye makeup here borders on visual comedy). Yeah, I get that. She is also a better actress than this movie allows (see a more amusing and convincing Angelina in Mr. and Mrs. Smith (or Tomb Raider for that matter, d'oh).).

Dark Knight is still good, and it is awesome that it is on DVD now, because you can pause for the multiple bathroom breaks that you will need during this long, long film. Still love the Joker magic trick with the pencil. Sums up the character: playful, performative, dark, and unmoored from any societal norms.

Milwaukee Rep's production of The Blonde, The Brunette, and The Vengeful Redhead by Robert Hewett was a fantastic performance of a spotty script. Deborah Staples played 7 different characters in this one-woman show: a scorned redhead, a trashy brunette and an ambivalent Russian blonde as well as an elderly neighbor lady, a British physician, a 4-year-old boy, and a foul-mouthed husband. The weaving of the stories is pretty good, but the couplings and re-couplings of the characters as threads break and new connections are made... just weren't all believable. Ms. Staples transitions and portrayals, however, were consistently excellent and startling in their diversity. She was impressive as Lydia Gwilt in Armadale, but this is a step up on the scale of difficulty. Impressive again.