21 Grams
Well, Elise & I went to see Bubba-Ho-Tep, but unfortunately the showing we went to had been canceled to show a sneak preview of 21 Grams. They might have mentioned that on their web site. Feh. Anyway, we ran into a friend of Elise's who had an extra preview pass so we went to that instead.
21 Grams Review, No Spoilers
If you want plot details or something like that, go read another review. This is just my impression, namely that it's not a bad movie. It's not particularly great either. 2, maybe 2.5 stars. The 3 stories that are interwoven are quite compelling, Sean Penn & Benicio Del Toro give phenomenal performances and it all ends up in a place that feels 'right'. So why didn't I like it?
I didn't like it because the stories were interwoven in a way that didn't do all that much for me. Like a great many movies since Pulp Fiction repopularized the method in 1995, this one took the three stories and showed bits and pieces of them out of the chronological order, showing resolutions without how they got there. Used properly, this method can heighten tension, make otherwise ordinary situations extraordinary, and elevate a genre movie to great heights. On the other hand, used poorly it can make it very obvious how the movie is going to turn out, robbing later plots of tension because the viewer already knows the conclusion. That's what happened here. By showing the chronological end of the movie close to the beginning, it gave away rather than enhanced the conclusion.
That said, the peformances are all quite good. Benicio and Sean will likely be talked up for Oscars, as might Naomi Watts, although I found her less impressive. If you like any of these actors you won't be disappointed. I'm going to go see Mystic River sometime in the next few days, for what reviewers have been calling one of Sean Penn's greatest performances. I'll keep you posted.
Oh yeah, and if my life fell apart in the same as the life of the Naomi Watts character, I'd probably disappear into a bottle and never come out again. There's some precedent, sadly.
Gave Elise her Christmas present, a Wonderwoman action figure and a lewd profane magnet. Afterwards surprised MJ with ice cream, chocolate and her gift. Once again I have given MJ pretty much the perfect Christmas gift - a little stone chess set, she loved it. Who says Christmas shopping is hard? Just wonder around Coventry until inspiration strikes you. And only buy gifts for friends you know really well.
Reading is Fun
I also bought a copy of the Cleveland Ethnic Eats guide 2004. I think the 2003 edition will sit in the office with me for my coworkers to access, or maybe I'll give it to someone who'll appreciate and use it. If you want a copy of the 04 guide, Mac's Backs has them. Mac's Backs also has an extremely cute brunette (my height, long brown hair, glasses, healthy thin rather than anorexic thin) working the till nowadays. We had nice conversation about science fiction, heroic fantasy, and the level of intimacy required to lend someone a book. Despite this, I somehow totally failed to ask what her name was, if she was single, if she'd like to get a drink when she got off work... Hmm. Bearing in mind that if a woman is a librarian she is automatically sexier, more intelligent and more interesting than 99% of all other women, how does this apply to a bookseller? I don't know, but I think I'm going to feel the urge to go book shopping this Saturday. Admittedly, I feel the urge to go book shopping every Saturday, but now there's even more incentive :-)
Saturday I get together with Amanda K for lunch at Paninis, she's back in town for the holidays. Haven't seen her in years, that could be interesting. But given that she's going to grad school at the 'real' Notre Dame, I suspect the bookseller will retain at least some of my interest for the immediate future. Sigh. Maybe I'll meet a cute single chick at the Boxing Day party. And maybe I'll wake up and look like Tom Cruise, without the scientologist bit :-)
It's the 4th night of Hannukah. There are 4 days until Rachel gets here! Boo-yah!
21 Grams Review, No Spoilers
If you want plot details or something like that, go read another review. This is just my impression, namely that it's not a bad movie. It's not particularly great either. 2, maybe 2.5 stars. The 3 stories that are interwoven are quite compelling, Sean Penn & Benicio Del Toro give phenomenal performances and it all ends up in a place that feels 'right'. So why didn't I like it?
I didn't like it because the stories were interwoven in a way that didn't do all that much for me. Like a great many movies since Pulp Fiction repopularized the method in 1995, this one took the three stories and showed bits and pieces of them out of the chronological order, showing resolutions without how they got there. Used properly, this method can heighten tension, make otherwise ordinary situations extraordinary, and elevate a genre movie to great heights. On the other hand, used poorly it can make it very obvious how the movie is going to turn out, robbing later plots of tension because the viewer already knows the conclusion. That's what happened here. By showing the chronological end of the movie close to the beginning, it gave away rather than enhanced the conclusion.
That said, the peformances are all quite good. Benicio and Sean will likely be talked up for Oscars, as might Naomi Watts, although I found her less impressive. If you like any of these actors you won't be disappointed. I'm going to go see Mystic River sometime in the next few days, for what reviewers have been calling one of Sean Penn's greatest performances. I'll keep you posted.
Oh yeah, and if my life fell apart in the same as the life of the Naomi Watts character, I'd probably disappear into a bottle and never come out again. There's some precedent, sadly.
Gave Elise her Christmas present, a Wonderwoman action figure and a lewd profane magnet. Afterwards surprised MJ with ice cream, chocolate and her gift. Once again I have given MJ pretty much the perfect Christmas gift - a little stone chess set, she loved it. Who says Christmas shopping is hard? Just wonder around Coventry until inspiration strikes you. And only buy gifts for friends you know really well.
Reading is Fun
I also bought a copy of the Cleveland Ethnic Eats guide 2004. I think the 2003 edition will sit in the office with me for my coworkers to access, or maybe I'll give it to someone who'll appreciate and use it. If you want a copy of the 04 guide, Mac's Backs has them. Mac's Backs also has an extremely cute brunette (my height, long brown hair, glasses, healthy thin rather than anorexic thin) working the till nowadays. We had nice conversation about science fiction, heroic fantasy, and the level of intimacy required to lend someone a book. Despite this, I somehow totally failed to ask what her name was, if she was single, if she'd like to get a drink when she got off work... Hmm. Bearing in mind that if a woman is a librarian she is automatically sexier, more intelligent and more interesting than 99% of all other women, how does this apply to a bookseller? I don't know, but I think I'm going to feel the urge to go book shopping this Saturday. Admittedly, I feel the urge to go book shopping every Saturday, but now there's even more incentive :-)
Saturday I get together with Amanda K for lunch at Paninis, she's back in town for the holidays. Haven't seen her in years, that could be interesting. But given that she's going to grad school at the 'real' Notre Dame, I suspect the bookseller will retain at least some of my interest for the immediate future. Sigh. Maybe I'll meet a cute single chick at the Boxing Day party. And maybe I'll wake up and look like Tom Cruise, without the scientologist bit :-)
It's the 4th night of Hannukah. There are 4 days until Rachel gets here! Boo-yah!