Five Things for Boxing Day 2012

[scarlettina]

1) Had a really great holiday weekend. Attended varina8's Post-Apocalyptic Solstice Gathering. Had delicious dim sum on the day before Christmas with a group of friends at Jade Garden in the International District and then saw Life of Pi with oldmangrumpus. And then had dinner on Christmas Day with grubbstreet, his lovely bride, and a cast of delightful irregular regulars. I feel as though we rang this holiday weekend for all it was worth.

2) Having observed the traditional practice of Chinese food and a movie on Christmas, I am delighted to learn that "a lost Talmudic tractate has been discovered that answers age-old rabbinic questions about the appropriate way for Jews to fully accomplish the obligations associated with eating Chinese food on December 24th/25th." In something of a rare occurrence, I have, for once, correctly practiced a mitzvah, according to the rabbis. I await the discovery of the Tractate Cinema to be sure that I've accomplished both mitzvot appropriately.

3) I am down to the last two calendar pages in my Moleskine calendar notebook for the year. They are remarkably blank. I don't know whether to make a point to fill them up or to keep them blank to ensure some quiet time for reading, cleaning, and contemplation, all of which I'd like to have. I look to next year's notebook with anticipation, all clean and pristine, yet unblemished by a year's worth of jostling about in my pocketbook and note-making in restaurants and coffee shops, among other things.

4) Life of Pi was an absolutely beautiful movie. Visually it was just stunning and the story, with its twist ending, is remarkable. While I don't think anyone is going to be nominated for an acting Oscar, I wouldn't be surprised to see a raft of technical award nominations for the film. Ang Lee has created something quite special and used 3D in the best possible way. I enjoyed the movie quite a bit.

5) There's still a whole list of movies I want to see. Let's see: Django Unchained, Les Miserables, Argo, Flight, Hitchcock, Anna Karenina, The Sessions, Chasing Ice. I've already seen Skyfall which I thought was one of the best Bond films we've had in a while, Lincoln which was remarkable and which I may have to see again, and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey which was overlong, self-indulgent and yet still entertaining and well worth seeing (though I don't expect to see it again in the theater even though Richard Armitage alone is worth spending the money to see). Previews and Streisand made me want to see The Guilt Trip for its sheer ridiculousness, but given its Rotten Tomatoes rating, I don't think I'll be able to make myself do it. I'm also trying to find a way to make myself find Silver Linings Playbook more appealing since it's getting all sorts of Oscar buzz, but I haven't been successful so far. It has been suggested that I see Holy Motors; I need to learn more about it first.

Plus one: Rest in peace, Mr. Jack Klugman. I grew up watching "The Odd Couple" on television, with Klugman's joyously schlubby presence the perfect foil for Tony Randall's fuss-budget persnicketiness. I grew to really respect him not for his comedy but for the humanity he brought to his dramatic roles. He was a terrific actor and I loved watching him whenever the chance presented itself. Thanks for hours of entertainment, Mr. Klugman, as well as for your activist work connected to the Orphan Drug Act. You made a difference in the world, an admirable legacy indeed.

Comments

[randy-byers.livejournal.com]

I'm also trying to find a way to make myself find Silver Linings Playbook more appealing since it's getting all sorts of Oscar buzz, but I haven't been successful so far.

So funny, because this is exactly how I feel too! Because of the Oscar buzz I thought I'd check it out on Sunday, and then Sunday came around and I thought, "Eh."

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

It really is an "eh" sort of feeling, isn't it? Maybe it's because of how the film has been marketed? Perhaps as a result, my impression of the movie isn't what it ought to be, but I just can't seem to find the interest. Perhaps the subject matter is just too mundane for my taste. Or perhaps, because of all the serious trauma that's happened over the last couple of years, a movie about dealing with same just doesn't appeal to me.

[ironymaiden]

i saw it at a SIFF members event, so i went in with no advertising and no expectations (other than admiration for Jennifer Lawrence). i can't think of a way to blurb it that would cause me to want to see it.

i thought it was good, especially so for the way it plays with movie cliches. (a bonus for me was how well they had captured the culture and sense of place in Pennsylvania.) if i was going to blurb it, i'd say that it reminded me of Some Kind of Wonderful while having no plot in common with it. there's tough stuff there, but also humor and romance. and it's the best work DeNiro's done in years.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

Well, that does make a difference. I'm still not sure that I'll see it, but I trust your judgment and I agree about Jennifer Lawrence. We'll see.

[allanh.livejournal.com]

I thoroughly enjoyed Skyfall more than I thought I would, both because of Daniel Craig's performance (he is SO damn pretty!) and because the movie rebooted the Bond franchise into a somewhat less gimmicky, retro mindset.

[scarlettina.livejournal.com]

I'm going to miss having a strong female presence as a regular in the series who is there because she's smart, canny, and experienced rather than because she's beautiful and deadly/beautiful and helpless/beautiful and sexually available. I thought Dench was brilliant as M and I loved having her as a foil for Bond.

I, too, think that Craig is beautiful. I have a friend who thinks he's downright ugly and for that reason alone can't identify with the character of Bond anymore. I don't understand her position in the slightest.

One point I'll have to wait and see about, which is whether or not the series is moving into a less gimicky mindset. The first major action sequence had moments of over-the-top action that strained my credulity pretty thoroughly. Retro, absolutely, but this new Q doesn't seem interested in gadgets for their own sake--something I quite appreciate. I am willing to be patient, because a good Bond film is worth the wait. We shall see.

[e-bourne.livejournal.com]

IMO, you could safely skip Anna Karenina. Even Tom Stoppard could not make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. And it's not Tolstoy's fault either. Time has moved on, and it is way too difficult to (at least for me) accept the characters motivations, besides which, I found Anna utterly unsympathetic. If you want a period drama, go see A Royal Affair instead which was quite good.

All those movies are on my list, some of which I feel more strongly about than others. I really, really want to see the hobbit so I shall take myself probably Friday.

Les Miz was excellent and Django, well. It was Tarrantino.