The Lisa Life

Brokeback Mountain

I finally watched Brokeback Mountain.  It was very good.  Jake Gyllenhall is a very handsome man, as is Heath Ledger and both are quite remarkable in the film. 

The scenery is breathtaking, although it was mostly filmed in Canada, not Wyoming, where it is takes place

The movie is based on Annie Proulx's short story Brokeback Mountain from Close Range, Wyoming Stories.  Since I enjoyed the movie so much, I thought I would read the original story.  I thought The Shipping News was dreadfully slow so I was wary about reading Close Range.  It was a very pleasant surprise and I enjoyed it very much.  There is a certain art to short stories and Ms. Proulx is a fine creator.

I'm not even getting into the whole bisexual cowboy angle.  It's been done to death.  I will say it's a very good movie, an excellent book, Jake Gyllenhall has the bluest eyes you'll ever see and I miss riding my horse.

Easy Rider

This has got to be one of the top five stoner flicks of all time.  In fact, I think a certain blog author may have participated in certain games in which whenever the word "man" was used in the movie, certain actions occurred. 

That was back in the olden days, of course.  I digress.

East Rider is on Comcast On Demand right now, so we watched it again, man.  It's sort of the quintessential 60s movie.  It's got drugs, man.  It's got a great soundtrack (one song: Don't Bogart That Joint), It's got hippies, man, and sex. It's even got a commune and a Mardi Gras scene.  Note to self: Don't do LSD and go to a cemetery in New Orleans during Mardi Gras.  It stars Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda looking very hot and a very young Jack Nicholson.  Phil Spector even makes a cameo.  Wonder if he was batshit crazy then, too?

It's written by Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Terry Southern and pretty much started the trend for independent films. 

One of the best scenes in the movie occurs when Jack Nicholson's character George, an obvious good ole frat boy type, gets high for the first time and explains his theories regarding UFOs.

Not really a feel good movie, but an important movie for reasons beyond being one of the top five five stoner movies of all time.   It's especially topical now, given the current state of the world.

Watch it and find out why.

Movie Reviews

The Queen

Excellent movie.  I have no idea if the storyline has any basis whatsoever in fact, but it's compelling and topical and Helen Mirren, oh, she is wonderful as Queen Elizabeth II, so cold, so detached, yet oddly endearing. Her husband comes off as the ass I imagine he really is. The dude who played Tony Blair was incredible as well.  I later found out that it was co-written by the same guy who co-wrote:

The Last King Of Scotland

Forrest Whittaker is so deft and graceful in this difficult role of portraying an insane mass murdering despot, you almost forget that Idi Amin was a very very bad dude.  Sort of a manifestation of Satan on earth.  There are a few scenes that are terribly graphic that made me go to the kitchen and get a snack so I didn't have to watch them but nothing compared to the brutality this man visited upon his country in reality.  I've loved Mr. Whittaker since I saw The Crying Game.  Trivia: One of his first roles was in one of my favorite 420 movies: Dazed & Confused.

Karla

This controversial movie is based on the real life story of Karla Homolka and Paul Bernardno, the Canadian Ken and Barbie serial killers.  I was really interested in seeing how this would be portrayed since this is one of my pet cases that I've followed from the beginning.  (Note: I've written about The Karly Kurls Of Love several times, check the crime links on the side.)

The movie?  I fell asleep halfway through.  Laura Prepon, the chick Donna from That 70s Show, is awful. Abysmal.  Stiff.  It is somewhat objective about the case.  That's the most complimentary thing I can say.

Sweet

Napoleon Dynamite is on Comedy Central. 

I love this movie and can watch it over and over.  It's funny and charming and I can completely relate to the awkwardness of high school.  It's like Christopher Guest movies in that you either get it and think it's hilarious or you don't and think it's strange and stupid.

It also serves as a sort of litmus test: If someone thinks those movies are funny, I know I have something in common with them. 

Gosh.

Saturday Night At The Movies

Don't get all atwitter, dear and gentle readers.  Martin and I did not actually go to the movies.  We always have good intentions of going but we almost always talk ourselves out of it.

That's why we love Netflix and our local video store.

We watched quite a few movies this week-end. 

The Full Monty

I have, of course, seen The Full Monty at least three times before.  It still makes me laugh and the soundtrack is lots of fun, as well.  The best part: The garden gnomes.

Shop Girl

Based on a novella written by Steve Martin, who acts and I think directs, it also features Claire Danes and some other guy that I should know he is but don't.  It's  eh.  Maybe I missed some nuances but it wasn't real strong in characterization and it wasn't very funny, either.  Parts were amusing, so eh.

Freedomland

I hadn't heard of this until Martin brought it home.  It stars Julienne Moore, Samuel L., and another guy I should recognize but don't.  Martin thought it was based on the Susan Smith case but actually, I think it's based on a few recent cases of children killed under mysterious circumstances.  I can't say more or I'll give it away, but it was pretty good.  It even had me fooled as to who really did it, since normally I can figure it out within the first ten minutes. 

Apocalypse Now

One of my all time favorite movies.  I must admit, I dozed through a lot of this, but I've seen it dozens of times before.  If you are a fan of Apocalypse Now, it's well worth watching Heart Of Darkness, which is a documentary about the making of Apocalypse and the parallels and allegorical connotations to Joseph Conrad's book, Heart Of Darkness.  To make for a really really long night, watch them back to back.

Movies

I'm so glad Netflix and I got back together after our temporary breakup. 

We've watched some really great movies lately.

North Country

North Country is based on the true story of the first class action sexual harassment suit.  Charlize Theron plays a woman who works in a mining plant in Minnesota.  She's a single mother who just wants to be able to support her children.  The mine is the best paying job going but she and her fellow female co-workers have to put up with a lot of crap from the men.  Although some of the other women sort of just brush it off, Charlize's character Josie decides to do something about it.  Even if it has been Hollywooded, it's a good story and a very good movie.

Nobody's Fool

Okay, Paul Neuman remains one of the sexy senior citizens I'd sleep with.  I loved the book by Richard Russo, he is one of the few fiction authors I can tolerate because he makes me laugh out loud.  The movie is almost true to the book and has some hilarious parts and some very heartwarming parts.  This was one of Jessica Tandy's last performances and indeed, the movie is dedicated to her.  Melanie Griffiths ( pre plastic surgery nightmares)  even turns in a decent performance and I only want to hit her a little bit.

Party Girl

Party Girl is pure indulgence entertainment.  Parker Posey's outfits alone are worth watching the movie for.  Librarian on top, street walking whore on the bottom.  There's really not a big storyline or plot and nothing really happens, but it's sheer fun and sometimes, that's why you watch a movie.

Waiting For Guffman

You either "get" Christopher Guest or you don't.  Side splitting funny or just bewildering.  I can always watch Waiting For Guffman, Best In Show or A Mighty Wind and crack up.  He's really hit on the right ensemble cast.  He plays Corky in Waiting For Guffman to perfection. Again, the costumes alone are worth watching the movie. He's completely captured the small town feel and the essence of those who inhabit the town.  My favorite characters are the travel agent couple.  Their rendition of "Midnight At The Oasis" is priceless and makes me howl.

Imaginary Heroes

A great little sleeper movie detailing the human condition.  I always forget what a great actor Jeff Daniels (a hometown boy) can be, Dumb And Dumber notwithstanding.  And Sigorney Weaver, well, she's just a class act all the way.  Watch this movie.

Walk The Line

I admit it, I love Johnny Cash.  There's just something inherently cool about him.  I can totally understand why Rosanne Cash was all kinds of pissed off about this movie because it sure portrays her mother as a bitch on wheels.  Reese Witherspoon is so cute, it's hard to believe she can actually act as well.  And Joaquin Phoenix busts his chops and earns his stripes.  A really really good movie, but not Oscar-worthy.

I'm still waiting to watch Capote.  I put it on my Netflix queue but it's a long wait.  My local video store had a whopping four copies and all were rented.  (NOTE: They have about 300 copies of any given action movie but only four copies of Capote, go figure.)

What have you been watching lately?  What else do I need to see?

21 Grams

The first half hour or so, this movie will make no sense at all and will seem very disjointed.  Eventually, it segues into a richly woven tapestry of diverse characters and tells a powerful story.

Just so you, dear and gentle readers, have a head's up so you don't sit on your couch, completely befuddled like I did, Sean Penn plays a man who is waiting for a heart transplant.  He receives his heart through a random series of tragic accidents that unfold and engulf everyone involved.

Great movie, if not exactly lighthearted.

The Godfather Trilogy Marathon

My husband has recently been on a kick of watching movies that are Mafia related.  Being the nice Dago (heh) girl I am, I love these movies.  Because you know, if you are Italian, everyone thinks you are automatically mobbed up.  Just like they think "Dago" is derogatory.  NOTE: People, it's not like using the N word.  Really.  Get over your damn selves.

Anyway.

We recently decided we wanted to watch the Godfather Trilogy.  Only problem?  Our local Blockbuster only had Godfather III.  They didn't have Godfather I or Godfather II and really, what is the point of watching III if you don't watch I and II?  Answer?  No point. 

We asked the clerk at Blockbuster to check and see if they even stocked I and II and if maybe they were shelved incorrectly.  She checked and they didn't even stock I and II although they stocked III and agreed that it was strange and stupid and she would put in a word to order I and II.

We despaired of watching the Godfather Trilogy at any time within the next year.

In the meantime, since Martin and I are both readers, we went to the Brighton Library to get cards, since we could no longer access the Howell Carnegie for free, living in a different zip code.  NOTE: Actually, we can still access the Howell Carnegie since the director is a good friend of Martin's parents and has indeed secured books I have recommended, namely true crime books and in particular, one true crime book written by a friend of mine that is awesome.  However, what a pain in the ass to drive ten miles to go to the library.

While roaming the Brighton library, I noticed that they were heavy on the Danielle Steele and Tom Clancy crapola and light on the non-fiction.  They are, however, members of the Library Network and can order all the stuff I looked for that they didn't have.  (I think I quite pissed off the librarian I was working with when I told her, "You have two copies of every example of  Danielle Steele's trite dreck and don't have more than three books about local history.  What's up with that?  Are all the patrons here illiterate or what?")

I then wandered over to their Media Section.  Now, the Howell Carnegie has a Media Section, but it is filled with Books On Tape and lame A & E programs.  The Brighton Library, however, has a Media Section that absolutely rocks.  Videos, DVDs, CDs of all kinds of music.  And it's all free to check out and enjoy for a week.

And guess what?  We found the Godfather Trilogy.  Martin found the entire yawn-inducing Horatio Hornblower series, as well.  I found some music CDs I am looking forward to (shhhhh) copying and enjoying.

Now, after watching the Godfather Trilogy, I can only say, I made the Brighton Library an offer they can't refuse.

Crash

Crash is a film by Paul Haggis (of the Million Dollar Baby fame) that deals with a group of people in Los Angeles whose lives cross in a variety of ways over the course of 36 hours.

It has that seven degrees of separation feel like Robert Altman's brilliant 1993 film Shortcuts, but with a twist.

They are all racially diverse and are facing their fears, misconceptions and stereotypes about people who are "different".

Huge cast including Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Espositio, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraiser (as LA County DA? WTH?), Terrence Howard, "Ludicris" ( Chris Bridges), Ryan Phillipe, Thandy Newton, Larenz Tate and Michael Pena.

I won't give away all the plot twists because really, this movie is something of a public service announcement regarding our collective human condition in this nation and I encourage you to watch it.  Sandra Bullock has a scene toward the end that brought tears to my eyes.  Michael Pena is just the hapless alarm install guy who is just a blue collar guy trying to provide for his family, and Don Cheadle is, as always, incredibly deft.  Ludacris, although I couldn't name one song he's done, is a pretty good actor.

Powerful moving stuff that will make you realize, we are all have fears and misconceptions and stereotypes about class and race and sometimes, to face those and let them go, you have to realize we are all members of the human race.

Sideways

"Did You Drink And Dial?"

I'd heard so many good things about Sideways and being an oenophile, I couldn't wait to see it.  You want to talk about wine snob, Miles, the main character, is a wine snob extraordinaire.  His sidekick Jack, no matter what they taste, says, "Tastes all right to me!" 

A very funny quirky movie with some great lines in it and many laugh out loud hard parts.  Even if you're not into wine.