So, there are three movies I should mention which have wormed their way in front of me: Jane Austen Book Club, La Vie en Rose, and Blast from the Past.
Jane Austen Book Club was goodhearted and fun, and there were definitely some good lines in it. It could also have been entitled “Managing Multiple Fandoms in a Testosterone Reduced World” but that I guess is being too cynical. I liked it because there was a character in it called Allegra, so every time her mother called for her or a character mentioned her name I’d sorta jerk reflexively. And she’s a babydyke, just to add to the wonder…. Anyway, nautilus3 recommended it and I finally watched it with Jeff. He likes Emily Blunt (so do I) and there’s a scene where her character Prudie is being a ****ing pain in the ass, and I said, “I’ve been that woman, and Christ she’s annoying” and occasionally Jeff would pause it, waggle his eyebrows and go “That was a classic chickflick moment.” Definitely a better script than you usually get with these kinds of outings, and the morals are delivered like the bill in a good restaurant, in a leisurely and tactful way.
La Vie en Rose I’m not going to talk about much. If you like Edith Piaf, see the movie. It’s great, and the lead performance is nothing short of mesmerizing – I can understand the Oscar nod. One of the best biopics ever, that I’ve seen anyway, possibly nosing out Ray as being the best I’ve ever seen. And tasteful. AND THE DUBBED SINGING IS AMAZING. The lip synch was incredible.
Blast from the Past…. If you like Alicia Silverstone and Brendan Fraser, you’ve probably already seen it. If you’re looking for a nice little comedy, undemanding, charming and steadily amusing, this will be a good companion. I must mention the guest spot by Christopher Walken, who was just starting his streak of being in all movies in a supporting role. I must own to liking Brendan Fraser – he was AWESOME in the first Mummy flick (I haven’t bothered with the others) and I really liked him in George of the Jungle. He’s a goofy looking guy… At one point in the movie I burst into tears and sobbed a couple of times. After the movie I explained what was going on (Brendan did something for Alicia that somebody did for me once, and I lost it) and Jeff just said, “Oh, I just thought you’d gone crazy.” Thanks, bud.
On another note, have you ever spent a fair amount of time with somebody, on a casual basis – like somebody you eat lunch with – and then one day he comes out and says something that everybody else at the table, including you, finds rather disturbing, and when somebody calls him on it he doesn’t notice? I had one of those moments yesterday. Rather than get into details, I’ve decided to turn the spotlight back on myself. Mocking the afflicted IS NOT A NICE THING TO DO. I should stop doing it. I should recognize when I’m doing it.
