Clearly my iPod is twisted. On my way to work this morning it played, in the following order:
“The Rolling People” The Verve
“Where Will I Be” Daniel Lanois
“The Dark of the Matinee” Franz Ferdinand
“I’d Really Love to See You Tonight” England Dan & John
“Let the Good Times Roll” Geechie Smith
“You’re So Vain” Carly Simon
I wonder what sort of day is in store for me …
There Will Be Blood [2007]
My second viewing.
1. “Give me the blood so I can get out of here.”
2. He coats the tip of the stick with oil and then sets it on fire with a match.
3. Eli fills three small glasses with whiskey. Plainview declines. Eli ends up drinking all of one glass and then half of another. Unless there was a continuity mistake. In which case he only drinks half of one glass, meaning that one of the glasses was empty to begin with.
Breakfast on Pluto [2005]
1. Kitten is out in the rain, looking at a group of televisions in the window of a shop. An elderly gentleman with an umbrella watches. Then says to Kitten, “William Holden and Jennifer Jones.”
2. Kitten throws the guns off the edge of the cliff into the lake, muttering, “Spring cleaning.”
3. The foil seal on the milk bottle has two holes in it. Kitten pours milk into the two teacups.
My reaction to this movie: eh.
Cillian Murphy is fantastic and there some striking scenes, but it’s about half an hour too long and tricked out with all sorts of flashy frippery that can’t disguise the fact that we’ve seen this story a million times. Jordan’s decision to use a strongly subjective POV (like the original novel, I’m assuming) is his undoing. A more straightforward presentation of these characters would be a lot more interesting to watch I think. As it is everything is a bit too “fairy tale.”
42: Forty Two Up [1998]
1. Karaoke: Sue does “Superstar” by the Carpenters. Her parents sit and watch, smiling.
2. Nicholas talks about how he wisheshe’d be more famous for his scientific work than for appearing in the films. “But I don’t think that’ll ever happen.”
3. Neil: “He was a model host. The only thing was that he insisted on measuring the bathwater every night and I’ve never gotten an explanation for that really.” Bruce smiles.
Recount [2008]
1. Laura Dern (as Katherine Harris) is about to step in front of the podium for a major press conference. She breathes in deeply and exhales. We hear her whispery, stuttering breath. Then the sounds of the crowd fade back up and she walks to the podium.
2. Kevin Spacey (as Ron Klain) sits at a bar, talking on the phone to his wife. They watch part of Weekend Update on SNL together and laugh.
3. Bob Balaban (Ben Ginsburg): “His daddy stole the election for JFK and now he’s gonna steal it for Gore!”
If you’ve got HBO, you should watch this when it airs on the 24th. Riveting stuff. It’s the kind of movie that the word “irony” was invented for.
As you can see from my recent entries, yesterday I went to part of the Sci-Fi Spectacular at the Music Box. It was a lot of fun. Actually, gorging on movies is almost always a lot of fun; when they’re actually in a theater and on a big screen it’s even better. I went with a few friends of mine, and then afterwards I took them to El Jardin Cafe. They’d never been. The steak potasinas were delish as always and the margaritas quite persuasive. After dinner we hung out at their place for a bit, smoked up a little and watch the last half hour of a random Groucho Marx documentary that happened to be showing on PBS. Good times.
Shia LeB. on SNL last night was okay. I’ve always thought that he looks a but “off” somehow. Can’t put my finger on it. The opening Hillary monologue was actually so close to the truth that it was chilling rather than funny. Very well done.
Today it’s gray and rainy and looks like Emily Bronte outside, and I’m not feeling particularly passionate about anything at the moment. I suppose I ought to take a stab at writing something.
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan [1982]
1. Spock appears to be wearing eye shadow for the whole movie. This is a detail that’s hard to notice when you’re watching it on TV.
2. Capt. Terrell takes off his com bracelet using his teeth.
3. The wriggling beneath the soil is almost as scary as the first time we see it.
Invasion of the Body Snatchers [1956]
1. For the first time I noticed what a bad driver Kevin McCarthy is in this movie. He’s always lurching through gear shifts, making turns going too fast, failing to break enough in advance, even hitting curbs.
2. Miles and Becky lying side by side under the boards in the mine. Watching their pursuers pass overhead. The camera tilts down and we see the tops of their heads.
3. Miles and Becky collapse on top of each other in the mud near the entrance of the mind. Deep in the muck. Where a plant could grow. Becky opens her eyes, and we know that Becky is not Becky. Dirty faces but piercingly white eyes.
Earth vs. the Flying Saucers [1956]
1. Alien voice: “You might say this is all happening between the ticks on your watch.”
2. The translating device lowering itself from the ceiling. Looks like a giant quartz rose, pulsating.
3. Dr. Marvin: “The air is becoming toxic.”
