esprit de l'escalier

More Nick Hornby

Yesterday I went to the library to pick up some books I had on reserve. I found it fitting to find the newest John Irving tucked in with a couple of Nick Hornby's. When I was in my late teens, end of high school/early college, I went on a John Irving tear. I've done this many times, getting into an author or a film director and gobble up anything I can. I have a feeling I'm starting one with Hornby.

In fact, I saw An Education on Sunday, for which Hornby wrote the screenplay. It's getting buzz due to the marvelous performance by the star Carey Mulligan. I've been keeping my eye on her since she was in Bleak House a couple of years back. She was also Kitty in Joe Wright's Pride and Prejudice and the wonderfully named Sally Sparrow in one of my favorite Doctor Who episodes.

I enjoyed An Education. It's one of those movies I feel was made for me. It's full of actors I love and it's an English period piece. I'm such a sucker for those. Mulligan plays a 16 year old in 1962 London who gets swept up by an older man. I giggled uncomfortably through some of it, because I can see how and why she gets caught up, but I kept waiting for the shoe to drop. Mulligan is wonderful. And I want the soundtrack. All in all, I give it a thumbs up.

The Resurgence of the Undead

The undead are everywhere these days - vampires are all over television, movie screens, and book covers. Zombies are having a moment in the sun, as it were, too. Jane Austen got ravaged by a zombie hoard, as did America in Zombieland. As someone who read Anne Rice's Vampire Chronicles at a probably too young age and who was an early fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, I get the appeal of vampires. It's sex, right? I mean, yes, good vs. evil, etc. But when it boils down to it, vampires are about sex. But I never really got zombies.

Now, having recently finished reading Pride and Prejudice and Zombies and recently seen Zombieland, I think I get it. Zombies seem to be about gore. I might be missing something, as I am not well versed in zombie fiction. In fact, I think the first real zombie movie I've ever seen was Shaun of the Dead, but it remains my favorite. All three of these examples also deal with the silliness of the undead. Sure they are trying to eat your brains, but zombies are pretty silly with their shuffled walking and moaning. And maybe zombies are just a way of giving humans an opportunity to kick some ass.

I enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, although it was pretty silly in and of itself. In this alternate reality, the Bennett girls have been trained in the deadly arts by their father and even went to China to train. (Although this shows their social status, as the true elite go to Japan to study - something Elizabeth is derided for throughout the book.) I especially liked the slow demise of poor Charlotte, and the understandable way that throughout the story people would politely vomit into handkerchiefs and napkins. It was never explained, but I assumed that with the undead about, good society will ignore the occasional queasiness.

I also thought Zombieland was good fun. Gory, yes, but funny and entertaining. The characters are known by their hometowns, and everyone in the theater shouted with glee when Jesse Eisenberg's character said he was from Columbus, Ohio (where we were all watching it). Of course, the feeling was slightly different when we heard our hometown's fate. I really like Eisenberg as an actor, but I felt like some of the early scenes were written for Michael Cera. Last month, Gawker joked about who the next "hoodie heartthrob" would be after Cera, and from some of this movie I can see why. I think I am not alone in getting tired of seeing stereotypical Michael Cera characters. 

All in all, though, Zombieland is a fun ride, even if there isn't much of a plot. I liked Columbus's rules for surviving zombies and they were a nice line that connected everything. Woody Harrelson is great and the cameo by Bill Murray is hilarious. It seems he has yet to outstay his welcome.

Upcoming movies

That I can't wait to see (besides Harry Potter).

(500) Days of Summer

An Education

Whip It

Julie & Julia

I hope you all have a lovely weekend!

I do not feel a scream coming on

Today started foggy - I was exhausted.  I was pretty focused in the afternoon and somehow got a lot of research done for a paper I'm writing on shrinking cities.  My studious behavior made me late to a reception my department was having, and (much to my surprise) I found out I won an honorable mention in a poster competition!  I really thought the person who told me confused me with someone else or was kidding.  I'm fairly tickled about it.

This weekend I went to a reunion for a place that was really important to me, and I will post about it tomorrow.  I planned on posting on it tonight, but I got a little distracted.  The Self-Styled Siren inspired me to watch The Shop on the Corner.  My mother hates Jimmy Stewart, but there are things that I love him in.  Particularly this scene (from a different movie, but so good).

Did anyone else catch the lame-o finale to Gossip Girl?  I'm assuming the floppiness of the last couple of episodes can be blamed on the strike, right?  How else to explain what was building to be a juicy arch fall flat, right?  In my head I had written a much more salacious ending.

I also watched the Reaper finale and was pleasantly surprised.  That show has been a pleasant surprise its entire season.  It's not going to change your world,and it's weekly storyline can be a little repetitive, but it's consistently entertaining, and actually liked the twist at the end this season (unlike GG).  I also think Ken Marino and Michael Ian Black have been perfect as demons plotting against the Devil.

Not ready for the Oscars

I am woefully unprepared for the Oscars this year, having seen next to none of the films/performances that are up for awards. Yesterday I headed over to the local mega mall to see Atonement. When I got back, my Dad asked me what I had seen, and when he heard my reply he asked (in a fairly disgusted voice) if I had liked it. Yes I did. But there was a reason he and my mother weren’t invited along. I think I’m the only member of my nuclear family who likes slow, unfolding British period pieces.

I did like it, but liked the book better and don’t know how people who didn’t read it really get the underpinnings to people’s actions. It’s not a happy story and has left me with a bit of a dull ache on the inside today. Director Joe Wright did an excellent job of translating an intimate, interior book for the screen. It’s beautiful – he does a good job of getting the look and feel of his stories right. The house where the first half of the film is located is gorgeous. Glimpses of its grotto alone are worth the price of the ticket, if you like to daydream about other people's property.

Like his previous film, it is more or less well cast. While I didn’t think she made the perfect Elizabeth Bennett, I think that Keira Knightley was perfect for Cecelia, one of the doomed lovers. Her beauty turns to hardness by the film’s end. She and James McAvoy have excellent chemistry (he’s also superb and complex). The three women playing Briony, the accuser, all look enough alike to seem like the same woman at different stages. Though, while I like Romola Garai, she’s very stiff as the 18 year old version, too stiff. Saoirse Ronan, 13-year-old Briony is wonderful. She has the hardest part, because we can't hear her thoughts, she has to show us through her eyes her misunderstanding of the events that unfold before her.

I’m getting ready to go watch the Oscars at my friend Mary’s. Earlier I made some chocolate chip cookies to bring, while listening to the soundtrack to from The Darjeeling Limited. (Another movie I didn’t see this year. Sigh.) I love the soundtrack – that Wes Anderson. He also knows his medium.

I’m rooting for Juno, Ratatouille and the song from Once. Besides that, I’m a bit lost. Let’s hope the dresses and jokes are good.

Wizards and baseballs

I'm wimped out on my Friday plans, the thought of staying home and vegging was just too tempting. Saturday held wizards and baseballs for me. I picked up the last Harry Potter at my local bookstore when it opened at 10am. I finished the last 30 pages this morning. I enjoyed it, but will say no more about it...

Later I went to my first game at Wrigley Field with my friend Cindy. The Cubs lost, and it was a long, drawn out game, but I had a great time. Cindy's a lifelong Cubs fan and gave me a full historical overview of the stadium. Plus I had a hot dog and ran into a friend from school.

That evening Natasha and I had dinner and went to see the latest Harry Potter movie with our friend Elaine, which we all loved. The Order of the Phoenix was my least favorite book and the longest. When I first read it I thought it was endless and overly angsty. I mean, I thought Rowling got the teen angst stuff right, just a little too right. The movie, while it did gloss over and skip some side stories, did a great job telling the story. Elaine felt that the director got the boarding school aspect the best so far. I agree with her and am pleased to see him directing The Half-Blood Prince. Though I know die hards are probably angry at the edits, there was no way to film the book in its entirety.

A couple other things I'm liking:
- Clark and Michael: it's an online mockumentary-style show, the episodes last about 7-10 minutes and star Clark Duke and Michael Cera (George Michael in Arrested Development). My friend Ginny turned me onto it, as she loves Michael Cera. It's full of awkward pauses and uncomfortable humor, and is pretty hilarious. At least check out the clip of Michael on Letterman.

- The novels of Kate Atkinson. I just finished Behind the Scenes at the Museum, which I absolutely adored. A girl tells her rollicking life story, starting at her conception, and weaves in and out of her family's history. It's got a magical realism feeling to it and a huge heart and humor. I read Case Histories a couple of weeks ago, which I also enjoyed. The two books both tell women's stories, over different points in time, but Case Histories is a detective novel (of sorts). They both have humor and sadness, and I was crying at the end of Scenes, but in a good way.

Summer hours

I'm around, but it's been too hot to blog, and I plan on keeping summer hours, so expect more sparse posts. My brain's pickling a little in the heat. Yesterday, to beat the mid-90 degree heat, my roommate and I did a double feature of Ratatouille and Knocked Up. Not exactly a family-friendly, obvious pairing, but the times worked out perfectly.

Ratatouille makes me believe in the power of Pixar again. In some ways it was reminiscent of the Muppets or Fraggle Rock. Remy, the main rat, could have easily stepped out of a Henson creation, with his pure heart and creative spirit. I really love Brad Bird, the writer/director, and this movie. Go see it.

Knocked Up was funny and honest, which is what I expect from Judd Apatow, but I couldn't believe people were there on dates. I told my mother what we saw, and to this she exclaimed, "I don't know why people your age would see that!" I laughed and told her that if I had been there on a date, I wouldn't allow the guy to touch me afterwards. This movie is very good birth control.

I *finally* have my review of the latest Wilco album up at newcritics. Check it out here.

I've been overbooked since 15

I haven’t been able to put much thought towards posts lately, as evidenced by the fact that my most recent posts involve polaroids and brief weekend recaps (this will probably be much of the same). (The polaroid above is from Memorial Day weekend; it's the B'hai Temple in Wilmette.)

I just tuned into the second half of a very old Adam Dalgliesh mystery. I haven’t seen the first half but just read the book it was based on and thought I’d watch. According to the brief recap the characters are the same, but the events are entirely different. It sounds a lot more convoluted and ridiculous. Why anyone would monkey around with P.D. James is beyond me.

My weekend was packed full and I’m still exhausted. The Genius was in town, and Friday night Natasha and I took him and his friend Marty to Carol’s, our favorite honky-tonk within walking distance to our apartment. Cheap beer, live country, good company, it was great.

Saturday involved a hung-over scramble to complete a graduation gift and then my brother and I headed to the suburbs for a family party. There we had our first sight and sound of the cicadas, which are as bizarre, gross and fascinating as I expected. (I didn’t have my camera, but my brother did. Don’t hold your breath on him sending the pics anytime soon, though.) There was more family than I originally expected and we had a great time. I also went, dead tired, to an engagement party of a friend’s in a crazy huge house in Bucktown. The food and company were good, but I was asleep by eleven.

Sunday comprised of about six hours of reading articles about how fair use of copyrighted material is being degraded and ignored under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It’s a subject that is currently making me angry and I hope my paper on it isn’t too boring. Damn the man, and all of that. (I’m really going to miss my class on new media and the public sphere.) Chuckles and I also went to see Once, which was very sweet. It stars Glen Hansard of The Frames, a band I love.

Tonight I skipped kickball, ostensibly to work on my paper. In reality my brain needed some rest. Wish me luck finishing it and my portfolio project. I’ll need some. I should be back to the regularly scheduled programming soon.

Three mini movie reviews

I have celebrated my return to the US with a glut of movies, though I still missed one I can't wait to see (The Lookout). I don't feel like pulling a Mannion and writing up long and thoughtful posts about each, but I have slightly longer than sound bites that I thought I'd share instead.

Thursday night my brother and I went to see The Host (Gwoemul). I knew when I first read press about this movie that I would have to see this with family. My mother taught her children at an early age to love monster movies, Godzilla most of all. My brother probably inherited most of this love for monsters more than my sister or me, so besides proximity, he was the perfect choice as movie partner.

The Host is a Korean monster movie surrounding a family of misfits: a grandfather, two sons, a daughter and a granddaughter. The granddaughter seems to be the only put together one of the lot. Her father is narcoleptic loser who works a food stand by the Hahn River with the grandfather. The other son is a college grad with no job and the daughter is a world class archer who only ever manages bronze. There is a monster that comes out of the river and kills a bunch of people and captures the granddaughter. The misfits fight against many odds to try and rescue her.

People, see this movie. I laughed, I cried, I got really scared. The monster itself was awesome. It's amphibian and had a prehensile tail, which means it could swing beneath bridges as well as run really fast. The acting is great. The family is hilarious and stop at nothing (truly) to get the daughter back. Running underneath this all is a commentary on American military arrogance that is spot on. What more could you ask for in a monster movie?

Sunday night was my true glut of movies. I went to see The Namesake with my friend Allison. The movie is directed by Mira Nair (who I think is hit or miss within her movies) and based on the book by Jhumpa Lahiri. I hadn't read the book, but have read The Interpreter of Maladies. Allison had read the book and was looking forward to the film.

The story is told in two voices, from the parents' perspectives and from their son's. I had read that the actors who played the parents (Irfan Khan and Tabu) were wonderful, but the other side lacked the same depth and emotion. I found that to be very true. The story of how the parents came to be married and learned to love each other was beautifully shown in small moments, in looks and slight touches of the hand. Kal Penn, who played the son, was a little heavy handed in his acting, especially when balanced by such soft touches by the actors playing his parents.

When I got home from The Namesake, Natasha and I ordered The Wind That Shakes the Barley onDemand on cable. We had planned on seeing it at the Music Box, but figured we'd be more comfortable in our pjs on our couch. Man. What a way to end Easter. It's a beautiful movie. The acting, directing and cinematography are all beautiful. Cillian Murphy kills me, as usual. But god, is it dark, with humanity at its worst in many ways. It tells a story of how the Irish revolution tore apart Ireland, especially one family. Good movie with a bleak story.

Partially cross-posted at New Critics.

Oscar Blogging This Weekend!

Updated below!

Has everyone been checking out the blogging happening over at New Critics? I've cross-posted there a couple of times, but there are a lot of great posts and discussions about music, film, books, tv, going on.

You see that blinking graphic to the right? This weekend we're doing a bunch of Oscar blogging. Our fearless leader, Tom Watson, will be kicking the coverage off Saturday morning at 10am, and we'll have posts every two hours during the day until showtime. Then Blue Girl will cap the whole shebang off with her live-blogging the creme de la creme of awards nights.

I went to see the live and animated international shorts last night, and I'll be reviewing them Saturday at noon. Lance Mannion will be reviewing all the films up for Best Picture, the Self-Styled Siren will be covering Best Director, Viscount LaCarte will be discussing Humphrey Bogart, M.A. Peel will be cover Peter O'Toole, and much more!

It's going to be a fun weekend! Make sure to check it out!

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Update: The Oscar blogging has commenced! See my post here, and everything else here.