I am taking the day off from blogging. However, I have to give the prez a shout-out for stocking up on the Honest Tea–one of my own personal faves. I may have to pick some up after tai chi this afternoon. That’s some good drinking right there.
Monthly Archives: January 2009
Eight is MORE Than Enough, Damnit!
Udate: I just read the headline that the mother’s mother said her daughter was obsessed with having kids and this has to stop. Um, too little too late. I am not one for involuntary tube-tying, but I will make an exception in this case–and in the case of Michelle Duggars.
Gah. What the–huh? Is she fucking nuts??????? That was my initial reaction to reading the story of the California woman who gave birth to octuplets–one of them who was not expected. The mother had a team of 46 physicians, nurses, and other workers during her seven-week bed rest.
My second thought was that she had to have had fertility treatment because humans are not like cats that have litters at a time. For the first few days, there was very little info on how this woman had conceived, but it was finally revealed that, yes, she had the embryos implanted in her womb. Then, the shocker: She already has SIX KIDS AT HOME, including a set of twins.
Now, here is where I go bat-shit crazy, so turn away if you’re squeamish.
Just Go, Blago.
Breaking News:
Illinois Senate unanimously ousts Blago! Plus, they unanimously bar him from ever working in an Illinois public office again. What a surprise.
Yes, I am still pissed off at the Republicans, and I fully intended to rant about them today–but something else came up. I was listening to NPR, and the subject of the bat-shit crazy governor from Illinois came up. I haven’t loathed an individual pol this much since–well, W. By the way, someone call Jack Malone from Without A Trace because ex-prez Bush has vanished completely.
As I was saying, I loathe Gov. Blagojevich. I can’t stand the sound of his voice or the smug-but-vapid look on his face. I can’t bear to listen to his whiny denials about how he hasn’t done anything wrong and how he’s been tried by the kangaroo court. I am disgusted by how he went on his whirlwind tour of NYC studios to proclaim his innocence while studiously ignoring his impeachment trial. Then, he has the gall to request being allowed to speak to the senators, even though he refused to be cross-examined.
What? Speak up! I Can’t Hear You!
I was going to write about how wrong-headed, misguided, stubborn, racist, and, frankly, idiotic the House and Senate Republicans are being, but that will have to wait. I have something more pressing on my mind, and I am sure the Republicans in the United States Congress will be just as stupid tomorrow as they are today.
Instead, I want to talk about Minnesotan Governor, Ratface Pawlenty and his budget proposal. Granted, he will be just as stupid tomorrow as well, but this is a bit more personal since it’s local. Now, I will be upfront and say that I haven’t read the entire proposal. Most of what I know stems from what I have heard today on MPR. Gary Aichten, Midday show’s host, had on Rep. Marty Seifert, House Minority Leader, and Sen. Tarryl Clark, Assistant Majority Leader, to discuss the budget. I was late to the game, and I could tell within minutes who was the Republican and who was the Democrat.
Two Can Play That Game, Mon Amie
So, Rizzo (friend in France) thinks she can distract me with luscious pictures of Alan Rickman and Jason Isaacs, does she? Well, two can play at that game. Today, up for your perusal are reviews of the second and third Harry Potter movies, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. I have placed these reviews in the after category, but it doesn’t really make much difference. It’s not as if the Potter series really have much plot to spoil, anyway. They are pretty much straight-up action films with a lot of neato CGI-manipulation thrown in. I am sorry that the pic of Alan is the same as the one you posted, but I’m having a hell of a time trying to find another pic of him that is free for use.
In addition, I am linking to Alan’s IMDB page as well as Jason’s IMDB page because there are plenty of sumptious pictures on their pages. Enjoy it with a cuppa and a scone, Rizzo! Other readers, I will return to your regularly-scheduled programming tomorrow. I promise.
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets–After You See It
3:29 a.m. 12/7/8/04
I watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets tonight, and I realized one thing. It is better to watch the Potter movies long after you’ve read the books so you don’t remember what the hell is going on. Come on, Harry Potter fans! Admit it. You know it’s true. Once you read one of those books, it’s ancient history. At least, that’s the way it is for me. You have to know that I’ve read thousands of mysteries, and I can recite the plot to eighty percent of them. While I was watching HP & the COS, however, I remembered perhaps a fourth of what was happening. I just finished reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and she could have cut that sucker by half. I enjoy her writing, though I don’t think it’s brilliant, but she needs a stern editor. Also, she needs to stop her books about ten pages sooner than she ever does, but that’s an essay for another time.
Back to HP & the COS. I liked it better than the first movie. I’m trying to decide why, and the best I can come up with is that I know the characters and vaguely remember the plot, which means I have a modicum of investment in the movie. When I saw the first movie, I had never read the books so I didn’t really get what was happening on screen. This movie confused me with its scene changes as well, but at least I knew enough of the background not to flounder too much. It’s best to watch this movie without really thinking of anything much or else you come up with questions such as the one my friend asked when the message from the heir of Slytherin showed up in blood. Whose blood is it? Even when we find out who wrote the message, we never find out from where the blood comes. As my friend asked, ‘Her menstrual blood?’ As the girl (Bonnie Wright as Ginny Weasley) is about nine, that’s pretty unlikely and grotesque besides.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban–After You See It
4:55 a.m. 7/11/12/04
I just finished reading the third Harry Potter book about a week ago. To my surprise, I enjoyed it immensely. Why do I say to my surprise? Because I didn’t care for the first two books. In fact, it took me awhile to summon my courage to read book three. The only way I did manage to pick it up was because I told myself that I could quit reading it at any time. Once I did, I could hardly put it down.
This is the backdrop to the fact that I saw the movie, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban today. Or as I like to call it, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azerbaijan. Not because I mistake the two, but because I like the word Azerbaijan, and really, how many times do you get to say or write it? Back to the movie. Yes, I actually saw it in a theater. A medium popcorn costs five bucks! Outrageous. You can bet I took the more than half full bag home with me. It’s ok. I like stale popcorn. I should have gotten the small, but it was only seventy-five cents less for appreciably less popcorn. I digress, but I’m outraged at the prices at the concession stand. It’s been a long time since I’ve been to an actual theater—thank you, Netflix—and I almost had a heart attack. Michael Moore, if you want to do an expose on theater concession prices, I’m right there with you.
Brief Note
Today, I have posted three movie reviews I wrote a long time ago. I put them all in the ‘read after you watch’ the movie category, but you can also read them before-hand if you want to know what the main plot of the movies are. I can guarantee that you probably haven’t watched two of the three movies. Indeed, you may never have heard of them. If you want to see my recommendations on whether you should put them on your Netflix Queue without reading about the whole plot, skip to the end of each review. I usually pan or praise the movie in the last paragraph.
Why am I posting reviews on these three movies? Two words: Alan Rickman. Recently, my friend from France and I were talking about our mutual love for Alan Rickman. Mon amie, these posts are for you.
January Man–After You See It
3:56 a.m. 12/31/04—1/1/05
Happy New Year, y’all. How apropos that I saw the movie, January Man, last night. I bought it sight unseen because it has, yes, you guessed it, Alan Rickman. It also has Susan Sarandon, which is an added bonus. Kevin Kline doesn’t do a thing for me, but Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio isn’t too hard on the eyes. There’s even a totally-gratuitous breast shot of her which is a nice bonus. I’m getting ahead of myself, of course, but when is that news to anyone?
First of all, the scene with Alan—Ed—and his nude model….She has the roundest tits I’ve seen in a non-porn movie. They’re nice, but a bit distracting. Her face isn’t that much to look at, however. Oh, why is she there nude? Ed is a painter—and I can totally see Alan as a painter, especially with that beard he has going. I also like the fact that he’s allowed to be British because there’s no reason to be American. Alan does his usual stand-up job, but there is not nearly enough of him in this oh-so-tedious do-it-by-the-numbers thriller—and I use the word ‘thriller’ advisedly. The only good thing about this is that it has Susan and Alan—even though neither is that prominent. Other than that, well, it’s pretty putrid.
An Awfully Big Adventure–After You See It
3:13 a.m. 6/23/24/05
I just saw a movie which has no redeeming characters, where it would be kind to call the plot transparent, and that doesn’t seem to think there’s a single shred of human decency anywhere. Like a reviewer on IMDB.com, I labored under the misperception that this movie was a comedy—most likely because Hugh Grant was in it—when it’s dark drama all the way through. I don’t think I’ve seen a more depressing movie in quite some time, and there is absolutely nobody to care about in the movie as the behavior ranges from brutal—Hugh Grant as Meredith Potter—to self-absorbed—Alan Rickman as P. J. O’Hara—to callow folly—Georgina Cates as Stella. They all could have died and it wouldn’t have mattered to me. In fact, I probably would have cheered if that was the case. This movie is so damn bleak.
It’s also utterly compelling. Oh, didn’t I say that already? No, I didn’t. The movie is An Awfully Big Adventure, and it is something of a tour de force that the movie can overcome all the obstacles and be so damn engrossing. The purported heroine of the movie, Stella (Cates), is a 16-year old Liverpool girl who wants to be an actor. She is raised by Uncle Vernon (Alun Armstrong) who is actually a redeeming character albeit a stereotype and by Aunt Lily (Rita Tushingham). Her mother is supposed to be this big mystery, but it’s pretty obvious from the start. Stella interviews with Potter (Grant) and Bunny (Peter Firth) for assistant stage manager. She is hired, and she immediately falls in love with Potter who is clearly gay. She doesn’t know that, but the film doesn’t hide the fact. By the way, it’s funny to hear Alan Rickman say, ‘Potter’ given his latter role in the Harry Potter series, but that is neither here no there.