Just Write {8}

So I've technically been on self-assigned bed rest since I got back to town. Cancelled my plans, haven't done chores, stayed home from work.

I've watched a lot of TV and cocooned myself in my bed with Netflix and my Hangman app.

I've been consciously eating balanced meals and hydrating myself with both water and Gatorade.

And trying not to feel ridiculously guilty that I've missed so much work.

I was determined that yesterday would be my last sick day, got tons of laundry done and even ventured to have lunch with H.

That did not serve me, as I ended up dizzy and nauseous by the end of the day.

So, frustrated and begrudgingly, I took today off too and am about to watch my third movie of the day.

This concussion has been immersion therapy in patience and tending to myself, regardless of obligation, appointment, or expectation.

Luckily, my brain and body are finally feeling better, and I am planning on heading back to work tomorrow, where I will force myself to sit, eat, and drink as much as humanly possible.

Wish me luck.

Best of 2013

BOOKS
Flatfoot Vertigo by Jane Doe
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
Five Summers by Una LaMarche
Gulp by Mary Roach
Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
My Beloved World by Sonia Sotomayor
Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Divergent by Veronica Roth

MOVIES
Silver Linings Playbook
Pitch Perfect
Skyfall
Man of Steel
The Way, Way Back
Catching Fire

MUSIC
Body Talk by Robyn, especially "Dancing On My Own" and "Don't Fucking Tell Me What to Do"
The Heist by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
The 20/20 Experience by Justin Timberlake, especially "Mirrors"
Our Version of Events by Emili Sande
"I Knew You Were Trouble" by Taylor Swift
"Get Lucky" by Daft Punk
"Blurred Lines" by Robin Thicke
"Holy Grail" by Jay Z and Justin Timberlake
"Wrecking Ball" by Miley Cyrus
"Hold On, We're Going Home" by Drake
The Blessed Unrest by Sara Bareilles
Pure Heroine by Lorde
"Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Rey
"Counting Stars" by OneRepublic

THEATER
Sister Act National Tour

Thank you all so much for your continued support, and Happy New Year!

Seems Like When I Wasn't Bored, I Was Crying

I wasn’t able to blog the Oscars last year because I got hit with a 24-hour fever and could not leave my bed. But I am obsessive enough of a fan that I woke up the next morning and YouTubed every actor acceptance speech. (Meryl Streep wins Best Speech of All Time!)

I’m so excited to have the living room to myself, be full of mac n cheese, be drinking Pinot Grigio, and be watching and blogging the Oscars once again this year!

Best Dressed: Stacy Kiebler, followed closely by Naomi Watts, Reese Witherspoon and Jessica Chastain.

Worst Dressed: Anne Hathaway, who looks like she is tweaking her own nipples in this picture, followed closely by Kristen Stewart and Melissa McCarthy.

Best Joke in Seth MacFarlane’s opening: re. Roman Coppola's family legacy --“Mom! I got an A!” “Oh really? Literally every person you’re related to has an Oscar!” (The entire opening was a THRILL.)

Moment that Made Me Cry #1: Channing Tatum and Charlize Theron’s pas de deux (genuinely lovely, unexpected, and emotional).

Least Funny Presenters Who Are Paid to Be Funny: Paul Rudd and Melissa McCarthy with their lame voice bits, introducing Best Animated Short, followed closely by Seth MacFarlane as Ted (with Mark Wahlberg).

Moment that Made Me Cry #2: Reese Witherspoon. Don’t ask me to explain.

Moment that Made Me Cry #3: The first Best Picture montage, especially Quvanzhane Wallis. Oh. My. God.

Least Funny Presenters Who Aren’t Paid to Be Funny: The Avengers cast.

Funniest Presenters Who Aren’t Paid to Be Funny: Jennifer Aniston and Channing Tatum, discussing waxing. (I guess she’s paid to be funny, but he was funnier.)

Best Bond Tribute Moment: Shirley Bassey fucking KILLING IT.

Worst Joke Made by Seth MacFarlane: Reducing Jessica Chastain’s performance in Zero Dark Thirty to a joke about women “never being able to let things go.”

Biggest Disappointment(s): Catherine Zeta-Jones’s lip sync in the movie musical montage. Catherine, we hardly knew ye. Also, the performance by the cast of Les Mis. (Except for Samantha Barks and Aaron Tveit. Sometimes you have to leave the singing to the theatre stars. Sorrynotsorry.) 

Moment that Made Me Cry #4: Paul N.J. Ottoson’s thanking his father during his acceptance speech for Sound Editing forZero Dark Thirty.

Moment that Made Me Cry #5: Adele beginning to sing “Skyfall.” And then I was disappointed that she didn’t BUST OUT.

Moment that Made Me Cry #6: All those ABC commercials, featuring Modern Family.

Best Cher Impression: Barbra Streisand.

Moment that Made Me Cry #7: The Chasing Ice song. What is WRONG with me?

Moment that Made Me Cry #8: Adele’s overwhelmed face at her Best Song win, followed by her pulling herself together. And then her weepy speech. (First real tears of the night. I love her.)

Moment that Made Me Cry #9: The genuine moment between Dustin Hoffman and Charlize Theron when he complimented her dancing and she got embarrassed. (I love it when actors show they’re human.)

Worst Example of Oscar-winning Writing Talent: Quentin Tarantino’s ending his winning Best Original Screenplay speech with “peace out!”

Biggest Surprise: Ang Lee’s win for Best Director!

Moment that Made Me Cry #10: Naomi Watts’s clip from The Impossible. I can NEVER see that movie. Ever.

Most Unforgettable Moment of the Night: Jennifer Lawrence fully FALLING on her way to accept her Best Actress Oscar.

Moment that Made Me Cry #11: Daniel Day-Lewis. (Second bout of real tears.)

Best Speech of the Night: Daniel Day-Lewis. Way to make us cry and then laugh and then cry again, sir. Joking about playing Margaret Thatcher, acknowledging that his wife has lived with many strange men, as he’s played all those parts, and generally being a motherfuckin’ poet, as per usual.

Most Delightfully Lecherous Phrase Used by a Presenter: Jack Nicholson: “Sequins, chiffon, blush, ringlets.”

Moment that Made Me Cry #12: Ben Affleck’s classy, emotional, soulful, tearful speech, after winning Best Picture for Argo.

And, I gotta say, an Oscar telecast that ends with a song with the c-word in it ain’t half bad in my book.

Goodnight!

The Season is Upon Us...

Awards season, that is, of course!

Are you guys as excited as I am that it's this time again?

I am cozied up with my computer and my space heater as it is currently 13 degrees outside here in Boston, and my living room does not heat up sufficiently. I’m full of Chinese food and mulled wine and excited about this evening’s Golden Globes!

Best Dressed:
Reese Witherspoon (it looked amazing on stage)
I was also intrigued by Helen Mirren, Viola Davis, Claire Danes, Ariel Winter, and Angelina Jolie.

Worst Dressed:
Lea Michele
There were way more times that I said “ugh” to the dresses than “ooh.” I’m looking at you Glenn Close, Missi Pyle, and Sarah Michelle Gellar.

Best Sport:
Jodie Foster’s reaction to the Gervais’s beaver joke.

Worst Transition:
Ricky Gervais’s bit into Johnny Depp’s introduction of Hugo

Biggest Upset(s):
Meryl Streep beating Viola Davis (though I should have predicted it), followed by Kelsey Grammer beating Bryan Cranston

Most Annoying Presenter:
Paula Patton

Most Charming Accent(s):
Ludevic Bource, the French award-winning composer of The Artist score and Sofia Vergara (I like her better in her native language than in English)

Best Blink-and-You-Missed It Moment(s):
Dominic West congratulating his previous and dashing The Wire co-star Idris Elba for his win for Luther, followed by WHY DIDN’T DAVID FINCHER GIVE MERYL STREEP HER GLASSES?

My Vote for Next Year’s Host:
Seth Rogen, who got the biggest laugh of the night mentioning his erection for Kate Beckinsale (even she laughed!)

Most Charming Presenter(s):
Antonio Banderas and Salma Hayek, Felicity Huffman and William H. Macy(!), and George Clooney

Most Satisfying Win (IMHO):
Jessica Lange for her ridiculous and amazing, scenery-chewing turn on American Horror Story, though I’m glad Claire Danes and Modern Family won too.

Most Poised:
Claire Danes, as always

Foxiest Silver Fox:
Matt LeBlanc (he was totally dyeing his hair during Friends, right?)

Foxiest Non-Silver Fox:
Jean Dujardin (HE IS SO DREAMY!)

Best Host Bit:
Introducing Colin Firth: “He’s very racist…I’ve seen him punch a little, blind kitten.”

Best Speech:
Meryl Streep, unparalleled. (Honoring great female performances of the year, asking for her glasses, thanking her agent and God, Harvey Weinstein. She is the best.)

Most Accurate Inappropriate Joke:
George Clooney on Michael Fassbender’s…golf club…(Come to think of it, this was a very penis-centric telecast.)

Moments that Made Me Cry:
Kate Winslet’s speech (also, she is SO BEAUTIFUL. Jesus.), Michelle Williams’ speech, Octavia Spencer’s win, and Morgan Freeman

It will be interesting to see how this is all reflected in the Oscars.

All in all, a fine way to pass an evening. And I didn’t even freeze!

Best of 2011

BOOKS
Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg
Room by Emma Donoghue
Bossypants by Tina Fey
A Game Plan for Life by John Wooden
Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
I am embarrassed that I haven't read a good book since that last one. Maybe the fact that my aunt gifted me her old Kindle(!) will change that! Eep.

MOVIES
Black Swan
Blue Valentine
The King’s Speech
Mother and Child
Only When I Dance
Kick-Ass
Mary and Max
Planet B-Boy
See What I’m Saying
Bridesmaids
Crazy, Stupid Love
Tangled
50/50
Martha Marcy May Marlene
Shame

MUSIC
“Grenade” by Bruno Mars
“Raise Your Glass” and “F*ckin Perfect” from P!nk’s Greatest Hits…So Far!
21 by ADELE, especially Someone Like You
“Edge of Glory” from Born This Way by Lady Gaga
The Archandroid by Janelle Monae, especially ”Cold War”
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire
Sigh No More by Mumford & Sons
4 by Beyonce
“Tighten Up” from Brother by The Black Keys
“Dark Side” from Stronger by Kelly Clarkson
Ceremonials by Florence + the Machine

THEATRE
Psy at Arts Emerson
Porgy and Bess at A.R.T.
I need more theater in my life, dammit!

Thank you, as always for reading! My blog turns 5 in 10 days, so look for a big celebratory post then, if not before.

I have no idea what 2012 will bring, but hopefully, it's not the end of the world.

Happy New Year!

Best of 2010

I know you've been eagerly anticipating this list ALL YEAR LONG.

I did something smart this year and actually kept track of all these things as I read or saw them.

(Keep in mind that not all of these were actually produced this year. This just happens to be the year I discovered them.)


BOOKS

The Hours by Michael Cunningham
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott
Couldn’t Keep it to Myself by Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institute
How Did You Get This Number by Sloane Crosley
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

MOVIES

Precious: Based on the Novel Push by Sapphire
Up in the Air
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Crazy Heart
Rachel Getting Married
Every Little Step
Inception
Peter and Vandy
The Cove
The Social Network
Beautiful Daughters

MUSIC

Lungs by Florence + the Machine, especially “Cosmic Love”
For Your Entertainment by Adam Lambert
Recovery by Eminem, especially "Love the Way You Lie"
The Suburbs by Arcade Fire, especially “Ready to Start”
“Breakeven” by The Script
“Uncharted” by Sara Bareilles
The Lady Killer by Cee Lo Green, especially “Wildflower”

THEATER

In the Heights National Tour
The Adding Machine at BCA
August: Osage County National Tour
Endgame at Steppenwolf
Circle Mirror Transformation at BCA
This is How and The Golden Lasso at Perishable Theatre

Happy holidays, everyone!!! Thanks for reading!

Chic(k)ago

Once, what feels like a lifetime ago, S and I decided that MTV should create a reality TV show about us. I think this was when my life consisted of more than this.

I'm pretty sure we decided the show should be called Chic(k)ago.

She can correct me if I'm wrong.

UPDATE: We actually called it Chi(ck)-Town. Pretty bad.

Anyway, we planned a happy graduation getaway in Chicago many months ago, since she couldn't be at commencement. Thus, I will be away from blogging until at least Monday night. Don't cry!

Here are some clues as to what we will be doing for the next four days:

+

Yes, that is a plus sign between the poster and the champagne. Be jealous. And intrigued. It's cooler than you think.

I am Totally Team Jacob

I'm a bit of a snob.

Theatre snob (I even spell it theatre now, thanks to Emerson), book snob (Jodi Picoult blows, people--she DOES!), grammar snob ("its" is the possessive of it; "it's" is a contraction of it is--yes, really), food snob (except for that occasional McDonald's meal), pop culture information snob (I only read classy things like People.com and EW.com, no Jezebel or TMZ or Perez Hilton for me!).

I am in no way, shape, or form, a wine snob. Give me your swilliest, sweetest, most grape-juicy tasting red wine. In fact, give me two glasses of it.

And sometimes three.

And I'll take any chocolate you might have on hand too.

I'm usually somewhat of a movie snob. Most of that, I think, is because of my training and outright judgement of acting and writing, etc.

However, I've also always called myself a pretty naive spectator. I can be swept away by even the silliest or schlockiest of movies.

Which brings me to my next point.

The Twilight Saga.

I was working with teenagers when the books came out and felt very old because I had no idea what they were about or why they were such a phenomenon. Then, I read some of one of the books over someone's shoulder on the subway once and was appalled. THE WRITING IS TERRIBLE!

"Bella said, 'You're beautiful.' Edward said, 'No. You're beautiful.'"

Monosyllabic sentences. No descriptive words.

I am not a fan.

Then...the movies came out.

And the world exploded with RPattz obsession and questions like "Will Kristen Stewart ever smile in public?"

It took me about a year, but I decided I had to see what all the fuss was about. This happened partly after talking to a good friend about how it's really about obsession and longing and unattainable love. She made it sound mildly interesting.

So, I watched the first film, which was terrible. Poorly acted. Poorly written. Poorly produced.

THEN, all that stuff about TAYLOR LAUTNER'S BODY started popping up. And I took notice, even though (vom!) he's only 18.

So...I watched the second movie.

And...I might be hooked.

Granted, I watched the 2 hour, 10 minute-long movie in about three hours because I could barely get through it. I needed frequent breaks because it was so boring in parts.

But also,
a) Taylor Lautner's body is pretty amazing, and I kind of loved how every time Bella saw it she couldn't help but do a double-take;
b) I also loved how every time Bella saw Edward, she couldn't keep the smile off her face--this seemed the most genuine of the acting between Kristen Stewart and Pasty Pattinson;
c) the chemistry between Kristen Stewart and Taylor Lautner is exponentially more powerful than her chemistry with Pasty Pattinson;
d) this film was far better produced than the first one.

I totally spoiled the next two movies for myself by reading the book synopses and I still don't plan on actually reading the books...but I might actually plan on seeing the movies.

Judge me, if you must.

I Can't Believe I Watched the Whole Thing

I was pretty excited as I sat down to watch this year’s show, having recently tried to catch up on my lack of info on this year’s nominees.

I got comfortable on my busted futon couch at 7 PM to catch Barbara Walters’ final Oscar special and, I am not ashamed to admit it, totally wept the whole time.

And now, with something a little different from all the live-blogs going on (which I both can’t figure out how and am too lazy to do), I’ve decided to give out my own awards, for the awards show.

How meta.

First, some general notes:
They started saying “The winner is…” instead of “And the Oscar goes to…” to announce the winners again.
Did anyone else notice the horrendous sound feedback whenever the audience applauded?
I started getting fatigued and distracted by my full bladder at about 10:30. Don’t ask me why I didn’t just go to the bathroom. I can’t answer that.
Truth be told, I included two of the categories below because I expected James Cameron to be obnoxious, but (SPOILER!), then, he didn’t win.
But, overall, what a great, classy, old-fashioned show! Great work, Adam Shankman.

There were lots of wonderful moments; it was hard for me to narrow it down, as you can see.

Craziest Pre-Show Commercial:
Whoopi Goldberg for Poise liners, for incontinence

Most Entertaining Mid-Show Commercial:
The Modern Family celebrating the Oscars by doing movie-themed charades

Best Dressed:
Demi Moore, in a peach-colored Atelier Versace gown

Worst Dressed:
Molly Ringwald in something baggy, purple, and ill-gathered. Apparently, Fab Sugar liked it.

Best Host(s) Moment(s): a three-way tie between:
“Two of your favorite interests: rugby and tension between blacks and whites,” Alec Baldwin explaining why Steve Martin would like Invictus
“In our first movies, we were both born a poor, black child!” Steve Martin exclaiming what he and Gabby Sidibe, who played Precious, have in common, and
“OK, but I don’t think the plural of whores is horses!” Steve Martin introducing Sarah Jessica Parker and Tom Ford as “clotheswhores.”

Best Presenter(s) Moment(s): a tie between:
The ENTIRE interaction between Tina Fey and Robert Downey Jr., presenting Best Original Screenplay and
Tim Robbins’ dedication to Morgan Freeman: “Being a friend is getting the other a cup of coffee. Can you do that for me, Ted?”

Worst Presenter Moment:
Kristen Stewart hacking up a hairball into the mic while introducing the horror film tribute

Most Moving Speech(es):
Jeff Bridges, honoring his parents, during his Best Actor win for Crazy Heart and
Sandra Bullock’s incredibly warm and good-humored speech, accepting her Best Actress award for The Blind Side and honoring her mom

Worst Speech:
Sally Powell, winning Best Costume Design: “I already have two of these…”

Best Musical Moment(s):
The great surprise of Neil Patrick Harris’s BIG opening song, “Nobody Wants to Do It Alone,” eclipsed only by the incredible dancing to the Best Score nominees

Most Annoying Moment:
Kathy Ireland’s totally saccharine interviews on the pre-show red carpet

Most Shocking Moment(s): a tie between:
Chris Pine introducing District 9--I went to college with him and it freaks me out how famous he is now and
That abrasive woman intercepting her colleague’s speech during the short film awards

Most Satisfying Surprise(s):
Geoffrey Fletcher’s Best Adapted Screenplay win for Precious--totally deserved, I say. (I think Jason Reitman was the expected winner.)
But, really, Bigelow winning Best Director and Tom Hanks ripping that envelope before even announcing the nominees for Best Picture. Hell. Yes.

# of times my eyes welled up with tears, and yes, I am a weeper:
12 (the opening tableau with the acting nominees, the clips from The Blind Side, “The Weary Kind” winning Best Song, seeing how excited Prudence from Music by Prudence was, the reaction to Geoffrey Fletcher’s win by Sapphire, the author of Push, which Precious is based on, Maggie Gyllenhaal being overwhelmed by her own acting clip, the Precious clip, the In Memoriam segment, the mesmerizing and gravity-defying dance segment, the Best Actor dedications, the Best Actress dedications, and Sandra Bullock’s truly lovely dedication to her mother—this one actually got tears streaming)

I'm Blogging

In anticipation of my Oscars post, the format of which I have yet to figure out, here is a silly video.

Check in late tonight for my impressions of this year's Oscars.

Here's a sneak peek:
Steve Martin is starting to look like the Six Flags old man.

I am a Pop Culture Genius, vol. XII: the Broadway edition

This weekend, I watched four films.

I also did a huge list of other things, including, but not limited to: two loads of laundry, writing and rewriting lesson plans, updating my resume, and applying to four jobs. Things I did not do this weekend include showering, eating a proper meal, and leaving my bed on Saturday.

Ahem...

However, in the films I watched, I recognized some vaguely familiar faces.

Abuela Claudia played the mother of a young student of Meryl Streep's Roberta Guaspari in Music of the Heart.

And this guy, whom I recognized from Half Nelson, where he played the dad but who also played Doolittle on Broadway in Pygmalion and Bottom in the Shakespeare in the Park version of Midsummer Night's Dream, played her love interest.

Exciting, no?

Well...I thought it was.

I am a Pop Culture Genius, vol. XI

Last night, I rediscovered Soapdish on hulu.

For some reason, this movie is a family favorite, and finding it last night reminded me how good and silly it is and also that I still can sort of recite it word for word, after all these years.

Sally Field, Kevin Kline, Elizabeth Shue, Robert Downey Jr., Cathy Moriarty, and Whoopi Goldberg? Yes, please.

Also, cameos by Carrie Fisher and Garry Marshall.

But, then, I recognized Stanford Blatch among the actors playing soap opera writers. Stanny! With hair! Which actually made him look older!

Good times.

Time on My Hands

There's something to that theory that staying busy makes life easier.

I'm on February break from student teaching this whole week and so I've been killing a lot of time. As you know from my post about watching pirated movies yesterday. Luxurious leisure time where I have nothing to do is so scarce these days, and usually I do it without a second thought, even with glee and giddiness in my heart.

But there is such a thing as too much time on your hands.

Granted, I spent a fair amount of time figuring out the rest of my week because I do have to be at Emerson this week, which means Tuesday through Thursday will not be spent staring at my computer screen.

But, today, I woke up (at almost 11) and could not, for the life of me, figure out when to get out of bed. Or what to do first: shower or eat. And, oh god, WHAT SHOULD I EAT? WHAT SHOULD I PACK FOR LUNCH?

Sometimes life is so hard.

Doing My Research

Admittedly, I'm very good at wasting time on the internet. (Evidence lies here. And here. And here. Just to name a few.)

Saturday evening, after getting a lot of work done, I decided to kill some more time, so I tucked into my bed and Googled "movies streaming online free."

This is the part of the story where I realize again what a magical place the internet is.

I found It's Complicated! I'd wanted to see it so badly! It was so silly and fun! Alec Baldwin at his most irresistible! Hurray!

Then, I watched Brothers, which, as you can see from this, I really wanted to see. It was harrowing and so well-acted. The silences were used beautifully and hauntingly.

I've hit the internet pirated movie jackpot.

So, now, I've decided to catch up on all the Oscar-nominated movies I haven't seen yet.

This morning, I watched The Blind Side.

I am not ashamed, the trailers made me weep, but it wasn't the kind of movie I was willing to pay $11 for to see in the theaters. Still, it feels like part of my pop culture duty to see what everyone is talking about in Sandra Bullock's performance.

And, honestly, I think I wept through the entire movie. Minus the football game parts.

Yes, yes, it's full of horrible, white lady saves the black kid cliches. Some of which even offended me, like the fact that the thug the lead kid escapes from actually said, "I will bust a cap in yo' ass" or that Sandra Bullock's character actually only wears white and tan. (SEE? It SYMBOLIZES the difference in their RACES!) Or the duet of "Bust a Move" between the lead kid and his tiny white brother.

But it's about a kid who needs to learn how to learn, about really great teachers and about family.

And I forgot it was Sandra Bullock on the screen. And her eyes filled up with proud and overwhelmed tears at just the right moments.

And then they showed actual photos of the real Tuohy family with Michael Oher, and I cried through the entire closing credits.

And now you know.

Still on my list: Crazy Heart, Up in the Air, Fantastic Mr. Fox, and Sherlock Holmes. Watching movies like Avatar and even Inglourious Basterds on my computer just seems silly...

Make no mistake. These movies had the very clear DO NOT COPY, TRANSFER, OR GIVE AWAY fine print flashing sporadically through them. Someone else broke the rules. Do not judge me. I am a poor graduate student. And the internet is a magical, magical place.

Overheard in the Classroom (or Kids These Days), vol. III

"Shitting bricks!"
"You know when you're playing hide and seek and you have to use the bathroom real fast?"--two seniors' answers to the question, "What did it feel like right before you went onstage during the showcase?"

"Isn't that the girl from Princess Diaries?"--a freshman, referring to Julie Andrews.

"I'm suing!"--an 8th grader who had ruined her $60 sweatshirt with paint, while working on a design project. I suggested she take the sweatshirt off, but she's pretty adamant about suing.

"A white person falls in love with a Puerto Rican person, to put it bluntly."--an Intro student's response to the quiz question, "What is the significant plot point that occurs in West Side Story at the dance in the gym?" His answer was copied verbatim by one of his classmates, which was an act made even stupider by the fact that the cheater had been absent the day before and didn't even have to take the quiz.

"ALRIGHT!"--an Intro student's impatient commentary during this song. I couldn't really blame him.

Best of 2009

It's time for the THIRD annual [clever title] Best of List!!

BOOKS
A Director Prepares by Anne Bogart
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss
August: Osage County by Tracy Letts
The Passion by Jeannette Winterson

MOVIES
Revolutionary Road
Up
The Hangover
17 Again
Away We Go
(Desperately want to see: Precious, Brothers, Up in the Air, Fantastic Mr. Fox.)

MUSIC
“Halo” by Beyonce
“My Life Would Suck Without You” by Kelly Clarkson
“Grounds for Divorce” by Elbow
Relapse by Eminem
“Use Somebody” by Kings of Leon
The Fame and The Fame Monster by Lady Gaga, especially “Bad Romance”
"Happy Ending” by Mika
Riot! by Paramore, especially “crushcrushcrush”

THEATER
August: Osage County
In the Heights
Endgame at ART

Stay tuned for adventures in 2010, including:
my last semester of graduate school,
graduation from graduate school,
my return to my summer gig,
my first year of employment with a Master's degree and teaching license!

Happy New Year! Thank you for reading!

I am a Pop Culture Genius, vol. IX: The Dark (Dumpling) Knight edition

Last night was DUMPLING NIGHT at the cousins' house. It is their tradition to make ridiculously amazing dumplings FROM SCRATCH! So I drank red wine and photographed the activities, then ate my weight in pork-shrimp dumplings.

By the time we sat down to eat, I was drunk, and The Dark Knight was on TV. I know, I know. It's been AGES since my last Pop Culture post!

I recognized this guy who is neither Russian, though he was playing a Russian thug in The Dark Knight, nor Scottish, though he played Trey's Scottish cousin Caleb in the episode of Sex and the City where Charlotte and Trey get married.

I also recognized her playing Commissioner Gordon's wife. She also played Bobbie Barrett, the wife of the obnoxious Utz spokesman, on Mad Men. She was part of Mad Men's Top Ten Shocking Moments, apparently.

Some day soon I will give you an update on the craziness of this semester. Alas, that is not today.

I am a Pop Culture Genius, Vol. V

Tonight, I finally saw No Country for Old Men, which is one of the most brilliant, suspenseful, intense, and efficient movies I've ever seen. No word is uttered unnecessarily; no shot is unclear. The performances, writing, and directing are INSANE.

I recognized the woman who plays Llewelyn's wife, Carla Jean, right away as the actress who plays Peter Pan in one of the most magical and tear-jerking movies ever, Finding Neverland. She was fantastic as Carla Jean, so surprisingly strong.

See the movie if you haven't yet.

Once

The movie Once has been dubbed a modern-day musical, but I stand by the fact that it’s just a movie about musicians…so of course there’s music in it. I fear that spoilers may lie within the review because the music is basically the plot of the movie, which makes it even more beautiful.

In the film, the magic of the first playing of “Falling Slowly” can’t be separated from the song itself. It is a seriously stunning scene, illustrating spontaneous harmony, in more ways than one. It starts with just guitar and piano, the instruments of Guy (Glen Hansard) and Girl (Marketa Irglova) in the movie (pointedly, they remain unnamed) and explodes into one of the most beautiful choruses I’ve ever heard. The song gains momentum and strings, but the electricity of it is that in the film, it’s the first time these musicians are playing together, and it foretells an intense, prolific relationship.

What is particularly striking about the music in this movie is that not only are entire songs played (not just snippets) but the way they are unveiled within the plot seems completely organic. They materialize out of the natural occurrence of the film—like I said, the music is the plot. “If You Want Me” is one of Irglova’s solos. Within the plot, Guy has given her the gift of writing lyrics to one of his songs. The characters call it romantic, but it’s strikingly sad. The wonderful mystery of these songs is that you can’t quite ever tell who they’re singing about. We find out that both characters, though obviously drawn intensely to each other, are also pulled to their own previous spouses—for her, it’s a husband, for him, it’s his ex-girlfriend whom he plans to win back. But on first listen, “if you want me, satisfy me” seems to be a yearning plea to Guy. This song also features a drum machine and Hansard on backing vocals, which makes it an anomaly on the soundtrack.

One of the turning points of the movie revolves around Guy arranging to record some of his music. He recruits Girl and some fellow buskers to play with him, and “When Your Mind’s Made Up” is the first track they record. It features bass and drums and Irglova playing piano that could only have been inspired by the Amelie composer, whimsical and melancholy, as well as Hansard’s intense, emotional screams that crescendo and then just keep going. There’s no resolution, which is perfect at this point in the movie.

As Guy sings “Lies,” he watches an old video of his ex (we find out early on that she “screwed some guy she knew”) and it seems that she and this have inspired most of his music. It’s about the unraveling of his relationship—“the little cracks that escalated.” Hansard’s wispy falsetto brings Jeff Buckley to mind, and the Irish fiddles shudder along with him.

At one point in the movie, Guy and Girl go to dinner at a pub where it seems like the only requirement for dining there is that you sing. “Gold” is a song that Guy sings with his cronies, all guitar players. The sound of this song is so full, many guitars, many voices, and sweet, melancholy lyrics like “And if your laugh was gold/how long do you think you’d stay livin?” I think that may be my new philosophy in life.

During the recording session, the emotional climax of the film occurs when Girl sings “The Hill” to Guy. It is just her voice and her piano playing, sounding a bit like a melodramatic movie and singing slightly trite lyrics: “Walkin up the hill tonight/And you have closed your eyes/I wish I didn’t have to make all those mistakes and be wise.” (In the movie, she admits the lyrics need work.) Still, as she sings about her husband, obviously just a young girl trying to figure out how to be a wife and mother, she breaks down to Guy and they really touch for the first time, finally concretely admitting their connection. It’s a potent moment, despite the immaturity of the song.

The crux of the movie lies within the above songs. The others don’t sit with as much weight in terms of the entire movie, although “Trying to Pull Myself Away” is the obvious radio single of the album, with Hansard sounding an awful lot like Ben Harper, featuring a broad chorus and intricate descending strings. Further, “All the Way Down” is a sleeper favorite of mine.

The song “Once,” which runs under the end credits is a duet between Hansard and Irglova (who are a couple in real life, after this movie) about the fleeting moment of recognition they’ve shared: “Once, once/I knew how to look for you/Once, once/But that was before/Once, once/I would have laid down to die for you/Once, once/But not anymore.” It should be mentioned here that Hansard’s falsetto is stunning.

I find it fascinating and poignant that the last song on the album is “Say it to Me Now.” The guitar here is reminiscent of a Beatles song I can’t identify. It begins with a benign enough verse and erupts into Hansard’s wrenching scream. The poignancy lies in the fact that, in the film, this is the song Guy sings right before he meets Girl. It actually starts the whole romantic, hopeful and sad story.

West Side Story, zombies

I never realized this is what that movie is really about. Huh.