Pan's Labyrinth

Its been out on DVD for a while but I just saw Pan's Labyrinth. In the past year I've watched all three Lord of the Rings movies and the latest Harry Potter. All very entertaining fantasy movies that can be enjoyed by the entire family with the requisite moral lessons and fascinating (at least for kids in most cases) special effects. Pan's Labyrinth is a much different type of fantasy and decidedly for adults only. Set in 1940s Fascist Spain, a young girl tries to follow her mystical destiny while the adults around her are engaged in a deadly game of cat and mouse. She has a desperate mother, a cruel stepfather who is a Fascist officer, and a maid who is working for the rebels. Its a tough movie to watch with a lot of overt cruelty but I don't feel it is a sad movie. The type of movie that is interesting to talk about afterwards if you see it with someone else.

Edward Hopper at the National Gallery

The National Gallery here in DC has two pretty big shows on this fall: J.M.W. Turner and Edward Hopper. I'm sure that in the Pantheon of High Art, Turner is afforded greater status than Hopper but as an American, I prefer Hopper. Apparently a few folks agree with me because the show was packed on a Thursday afternoon. Though he's best known for Nighthawks (at left), his paintings of seaside dwellings in Maine and on Cape Cod (below center) and his depiction of light in these settings is also wonderful. His urban work like Nighthawks and Automat (below right) effectively contrast isolation with the physical environment of the city. In his pictures, there seems to be less isolation in a seemingly empty house in Maine than at a lunch counter in the city. There is also a small selection of his sketches on display. The one below left is an excellent example. A very good show.

My Mid-Life Crisis

I know she's all wrong for me. I don't like women with tattoos and the hair is all over the place and ..well.. I love her anyway. I haven't mentioned music in this blog very much. I like a lot of different kinds of music but not being a musician or musically inclined, I'm really just a listener. Amy Winehouse's record, Back to Black, however, hit me between the eyes and I'm still listening to it quite frequently. She is apparently very unstable with tabloid stories full of domestic violence directed at her husband and plenty of drinking. Its weird I know but I think my life would be better if she was chasing me around the apartment with a butcher knife, screaming and crying, accusing me of running around on her. Hmmm...maybe I need counseling...nah...kids, meet my new wife!!!

Michael Clayton

I just got back from seeing the latest George Clooney picture, Michael Clayton. Its a very predictable legal thriller but an excellent film nonetheless. Clooney plays a "fixer" at a prestigious New York law firm. He knows who to call to get things swept under the rug. He's a divorced father with a history of gambling problems and seems to have tense relationships with his siblings as well. He's at a crossroads in his life when he becomes entangled in some sleazy corporate intrigue. Everything is resolved in standard Hollywood fashion but before that happens you get to see truly great acting from Clooney, Tom Wilkinson, Sydney Pollack, and Tilda Swinton. A movie for grown-ups about hard choices and living with yourself. I loved it.

As Winter Approaches...

daily Katrina
stranded on cold hard benches
rescuers float by

More Forgiveness

Last night I watched an interesting film, Red Road , a prize winner at the Cannes film festival. Its set in the most depressing place I've ever seen depicted in a film: modern day Glasgow. It really seems even bleaker than the urban setting of Children of Men which was suppose to be set in a type of futuristic hell related to but distant from our own time. The story is about a woman who seeks an elaborate revenge against a man who accidentally (while high on crack) kills her husband and child. Katie Dickie, who I've never seen before, plays the woman in an excellent performance. She reclaims her humanity in the end thus my title but there are some excruciating scenes that capture the depth of her loss. The director and writer are also able to capture the pain and frustration of the aimless youths that populate this urban landscape. A very good film but not an easy movie to watch.

In Praise of Television?

I recently lived for 18 months without a TV and didn't think that I missed it very much. I watched DVDs on the computer, read a lot of books, and got a lot of exercise; all good things. When I moved into my current apartment, I treated myself to a nice 37" inch flat panel HDTV. I still don't watch too much TV but there are a couple of things that are great in HD: sports and nature shows. The only show I'm really hooked on is Sunrise Earth on the Discovery Channel's HD channel. Its simply sunrises in beautiful settings without narration just ambient noise. The image above (Yellowstone) is from the show. Every morning between 7-8 I eat my breakfast and watch most of the show. My neighborhood is a long way from Yellowstone or the Everglades and watching something on TV is no substitute for seeing and exploring on your own but these images certainly help me get in a better frame of mind before leaving for work.