Lola Rennt (1998)

I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I would have had more fun watching this in the theater in 1998 than watching it at home in 2009.  Watching Lola running is actually still pretty cool, but anything else about this film that was slick and new in '98 has been pillaged and used elsewhere to the point where this film is no longer all that much fun to watch. 

Everything Asian (Woo, Sung Joon) 2009

This is a deceptively simple novel, written with no "SAT words" on the well-worn "a year in the life/coming of age" theme using the familiar structure of following a different character per chapter with Dae Joon's POV providng the centering viewpoint**.  It settles down into a comfortable groove and Dae Joon's first year in the US unfolds with a sense of melancholy doom punctuated by fleeting moments of situational humor, the kindness of near-strangers, and the understanding of those who are experiencing the same (or similar) problems as you.  It's the little connections that matter in this novel, and the chapters that seamlessly blend the stories are wonderfully done.  I think my favorite connection may be one of the more trivial ones, but in the first chapter In Sook reminds Dae Joon of the first time she took him to lunch, so when that lunch actually happens 80 pages later, I'm thrilled. 

Mini-disclaimer: I knew the author 20 years ago in high school, when Sung burst upon my consciousness in Miss Flynn's 11th grade honors English course.  He had a discerning ear for beautiful language and a keen eye for ferreting out the few finer points of whatever we were reading that everyone else missed.  Out of a large class of really sharp kids (self, ahem, included) you knew this guy could have a bright future in literary analysis and perhaps writing fiction.  

** Sung mentions Faulkner in his acknowledgements, and it makes me wonder how much As I Lay Dying, which we read senior year in Mr. Ripley's AP English class along with Absalom! Absalom!, figured in his subconscious when writing this novel.

*** Hey!  I actually read a book the year it was published!

Anansi Boys (Gaiman, Neil) 2005

I was not a big fan of American Gods, nor the first 140 pages or so of Anansi Boys, but there was enough to keep me reading, and it picked up a bit and finishes well.  I just don't get that happy feeling when reading Gaiman's prose; maybe the written novel simply isn't his strong medium and the graphic novel is?  He's got some really interesting ideas, and some good dialogue, but every time something needs to be described, the words seem at a loss for the picture that would explain things so much more clearly and elegantly.

As You Like It (2006)

Branagh seems to have "learned his lesson" from the box-office failure of Love's Labour's Lost; there's no singing and dancing and it's a by-the-numbers edited adaptation of the play -- yes, the setting has been moved to medieval Japan, but changes of setting are commonplace; while in college, I saw Theater Intime put on the Tempest in an abandoned subway station -- unfortunately, this means it's very bland.  The exceptions are Bryce Dallas Howard, who is *great* as Rosalind, evoking memories of Paltrow in Shakespeare in Love, and Brian Blessed, who is excellent in the dual role of Duke Senior / Duke Frederick.  Everyone else is at least passable; the supporting cast is fine, but never really shine as in other Branagh productions.

In fact, the best part of the film is the Epilogue, delivered by Bryce Dallas Howard "in character" as Rosalind but "off camera" in the sense that it's filmed like one of those "behind the scenes" segments that's added to DVD releases where they follow the actors around the set.  This conceit was brilliant, and leaves one wondering if Branagh could have done more with it...

So, did I like it better than Love's Labour's Lost?  Well... As You Like It never reaches the lows of the really bad parts of Love's Labour's Lost, but there Branagh is reaching for something unique, and so the highs of that film are much higher than As You Like It.  For me, it's a toss-up (ooh, though I'd love to go back in time and remake L3 with Bryce Dallas Howard cast as the Princess of France, assuming she can sing a little).

The Best 0-3 Starting Pitchers Ever?

Add Dan Haren to the list.  This is ridiculous; get that guy some run support already!

SPLITS	G	GS	CG	SHO	IP	H	R	ER	HR	BB	SO	W	L	P/GS	WHIP	BAA	ERA
Season	3	3	0	0	19.0	12	4	4	1	3	17	0	3	93.0	0.79	.182	1.89

A Lesson Before Dying (Gaines, Ernest J.) 1993

I'm conflicted about this one.  It's well written, and I like the style, but I just don't understand Grant's motivations.  Why can't he ever be civil to his aunt, Tante Lou?  And if he can't, why does he live with her?  Why is it so difficult to perform Miss Emma's request to go talk to Jefferson?  I feel like it's assumed that I should intuitively understand Grant's feelings on these issues, but nothing in the text gives me a hold on it.  Certainly his relationship with his aunt is complex, and perhaps the brevity of the book prevents us from seeing any scenes in which they aren't at war with one another, but it all ends up feeling overly simplified in the telling because we are never shown anything else.  All in all, I'm not exactly overwhelmed.

Love's Labours Lost (2000)

Branagh has a clever idea to turn the play into a Hollywood musical, and through the first two musical numbers, I believed it was almost going to work -- casting "actors who can sing" rather "singers who can act" (as he mentions in the "behind-the-scenes featurette" on the DVD) is a slightly questionable call, but the four main couples are pleasant (Lillard is the weak link among the men and, sadly, Silverstone, much as I loved her in Clueless, is a little too Valley for this role) and the ensemble "I Won't Dance" number, building on the modest success of the boys doing "I'd Rather Charleston With You", goes well.  

Unfortunately, we then get into the Don Armado subplot and are treated to an absolutely hideous rendition of "I Get a Kick Out of You."  I know it's supposed to be bad, but instead of being bad-funny it was just bad-painful.  The synchronized swimming in the scene that followed was bad-funny-cute, like Miss Piggy doing synchronized swimming in the Great Muppet Caper.  The choreography during McEwan's go at "The Way You Look Tonight" that followed shortly after this was also bad-painful.  So now my attitude has been dragged from "hopeful" to "gritting my teeth and hoping we don't see Armado again."  Branagh may have felt the same way, because nearly all of the "play within the play" is cut, and when we watched the deleted scenes, we could see why.  Of course, the "problem" with cutting these scenes is that this leaves the Don Armado subplot completely unresolved, though frankly, he could have been entirely removed from the film without any great loss.  

A few good things to note:

• the colors and sets and (most of) the costumes evoke the period he's going for
• the newsreels are excellent
• Adrian Lester does nicely with his solo in "I've Got a Crush on You" 
• and last, and best, Richard Clifford is brilliant as Boyet, and steals every scene he's in.  He does have the best lines in the whole play, but he captures the role perfectly

The Last Witchfinder (Morrow, James) 2006

The Last Witchfinder is historical fiction that has been lovingly crafted to fit as neatly as possible within its timeline while simultaneously outraging its credibility with overly abundant historical name-dropping.  I wish that Jennet felt more like an exceptional woman of the 16- and 1700's and less like a 21st century woman dropped into the wrong century and desperately trying to remember her 'twills and 'steeths, and wish that she weren't so obviously Right and her enemies so obviously Wrong within the context of the century in which it's written.  *We* all know that the Salem Witch Trials were a travesty, but the fear of witches may have been very real to the average person of the time period in which the book is written, and yet we never get their perspective, only the perspective of the 21st-century Jennet and other like-minded individuals.  In the end, the real problem is with the eponymous "last witchfinder", Jennet's brother Dunstan.  His transformation from promising artist to Witchfinder Royal should be compelling, but instead it's given scant attention, and we are to believe that this admittedly dull, but not evil or insane, boy takes up his father's mantle partly as a tribute to his father's memory and partly out of attraction to Abigail Williams (leader of the hysterical girls who called out witches at the Salem trials).  Give us some insight into Dunstan's mind!

Who are all these teams? redux

Jason Giambi is back with the A's.  Nomar Garciaparra is also with the A's.  When did this happen?!  I feel like Rip Van Winkle and I slept the whole winter away.

What with the bullpen struggles we've seen already, do you think some teams will regret not having even a washed-up Hoffman as their closer?  Here's hoping he gets to cause some regrets (I won't hold my breath).

Barry Lyndon (1975)

I watched this over the course of a few evenings.  Is it a brilliant period piece or an overlong piece of junk?  I'm conflicted by this film, because Kubrick's choice of music, framing, and direction are all wonderful, and the supporting cast is first rate.  Unfortunately, Ryan O'Neal is not up to the task of portraying the full sweep of Barry Lyndon's life; he does not change at all the manner in which he acts from the young Barry to the older Barry.  Also, I think that presenting the story in the third person with an omniscient narrator, while perhaps necessary to make the transition to film, is not as strong as the unreliable first person narrator of the book.  The film could also use some of the humor from the novel; it's unremittingly smile-free tone is what makes the movie drag.  

Spring 2009 : Who are all these teams?

Last fall/winter is a haze, and I keep forgetting that the Phillies won the World Series, and that they played the Devil Rays to win it.   A bunch of players switched teams, but I keep forgetting who -- I vaguely remember the Yankees acquiring Sabathia, but he's still with the Brewers in my mind until he does something amazing for New York (good or bad).  I seem to recall Frankie K going to the Mets, but not Putz.  As for the Padres, Trevor Hoffman is out and with the Brewers(?!), Peavy is still there and probably seething but needing to pitch well for a new contract, Young might be good to go or injured or who knows what?  

Griffey is with the Mariners... again?  still?  Sometimes I want to turn back the clock a decade and beg him to stay with the M's.  Would his body still fall apart?  Would cheaters like Clemens, Bonds, and Rodriguez still have fabulous 00's at the expense of "good guys" like Griffey?  Well, all I know is that Griffey hit a HR on opening day for the Mariners, and all is temporarily right in the world.  

You go, VT legislature

http://www.burlingtonfreepress.com/article/20090407/NEWS03/90407016

Sarah's other contribution to National Poetry Month

You grew on me

            like lichen.

Now you've scraped yourself away.

Good riddance.

(I hope this isn't in reference to me.)

Pure (Girl) Genius

I still haven't written about Girl Genius, and that omission has to come to an end *now*.  This is a brilliant comic with wit, art, and plotting to die for.  I actually first came across "girl genius" years ago because of the Cheapass Game, but didn't really start following the comic until a friend mentioned "Studio Foglio" in passing last year and I thought, "Foglio, where have I heard that name?  Oh, right, that Cheapass card game!"  and remembered that I hadn't really looked up the comic at the time, and as it turns out, it's now a webcomic, so I could get caught up without plunking down a lot of money on the print versions (though acquiring all the print comics is now a solemn vow). At any rate:

Plotting.  Kaja and Phil Foglio did years of research and plotting before starting the series.  Things that happen in one Volume crop up later on as important in later Volumes, and upon rereading, you see things that you didn't notice the first time around... but *most importantly* the characters and main plots all make sense the first time through.  The "extras" add layers to your experience without obscuring the primary action.  This is truly a rare accomplishment.

Art.  The backgrounds give you an immediate sense of setting; they are very detailed and also often contain sight gags.

Wit.  During the 2008/9 winter "break" from the main story to re-tell Cinderella with the GG characters, Agatha shouts, "Any sufficiently analyzed magic is indistinguishable from science!" as a twist to Clarke's third law.  Hee-hee-hee!  Okay, it's funnier if you've read it.

All three converge in the best panels, and today's was pure genius, with great faces on Gil and Zola (not much background to see, but I love the purple on the ceiling and the changes in what little background you see to give the illusion of movement through the castle), with a reference to an earlier page to show us the difference between Zola and Agatha, and ending with a twist on what we thought to be true!  They aren't who we thought they were!

True, the series can move a little slowly at times (though Volume I is better on the second time through) and doesn't really get going IMO until Agatha's line: "It's a falling machine.  I'm so impressed."  (it's on the next page; reading this one helps set the scene)  But it's so worth it.

Winter heating blues

Our house is heated by #2 fuel oil.  Our pre-buy plan, which usually saves us money over the winter, was a complete disaster this year. 

Delivery    Gallons  Current  Pre-buy  Difference

10/29/2008 103.1 3.29 3.99 -72.17

12/15/2008 166.2 2.59 3.99     -232.68

01/20/2009 183.6 2.59 3.99 -257.04

02/19/2009 148.5 2.45 3.99     -228.69

04/01/2009 98.6 2.50 3.99     -146.91

For a total loss of $937.49.  Boo-hiss.

Sarah's contribution to National Poetry Month

You were warm

You went away

Now it's cold.

Recited in response to my surprise that she rolled back under the covers after admitting it was time to get up.

Capote (2005)

An interesting character study that starts strong and then sort of peters out for the last hour-plus; we begin with a sense of purpose as Capote travels to Kansas and gathers information despite the  (misplaced) mistrust of the townsfolk toward him as a small, effeminate New Yorker and the (well-placed) mistrust of him as an author interested only in the story he has to tell.  After his initial interviews with the murderers, the movie seems to lose its forward momentum, and while the plot progresses by showing us Capote's evolving relationship with the murderers, the character's ambivalence toward this relationship and his own loss of a sense of purpose infects the film itself.  This ends up doing a good job of helping us to feel what Capote is supposed to be feeling, but I was ready to be done 75 minutes in, so the rest dragged quite a bit.

Thankfully they also made it accessible to those of us who aren't familiar with the celebrity of Truman Capote -- Sarah did immediately nail "Nell Harper Lee" as the author of To Kill a Mockingbird, but we didn't know she (Harper Lee, not Sarah) was good friends with Capote until seeing the film, and didn't know anyone else pictured in the movie, but it didn't matter because their roles; that is, their relationships to Capote, were well defined... as opposed to, say, I'm Not There, which was obtuse to those of us unfamiliar with the celebrity of Bob Dylan.