What did you guys think was going to happen? I don't think [n]Gosford[/b] was going to be a Christmas Miracle for The Dude.

Apparently Babel came in the mail, and I don't know why. I saw the movie and I didn't like it. Maybe I blindly just clicked on a reccomendation or something?

If that's not the direct hand of Satan himself, then I don't know what is.

I thought Helen Mirren/Clive had way hotter chemistry than Clive/Kelly in Gosford Park, and really theirs was already quite significant.

Watched Little Children and was surprisnigly impressed. Surprisingly because it was as my good friend used to say a Honky Troubles movie. Of course I tend to love Honky Troubles (Ice Storm, Closer). I really did think it struck the right note between relatable and pathetically ridiculous. I loved the third person omniscient (and decidedly cutting) narration, it worked very well in a story with such otherwise unsympathetic characters.

Kate and Patrick were superb, and Jackie Early Haley was great, I'm not sure he was Oscar sized great, but still role of a lifetime.

And whoa did Noah Emmerich get skinny or what?

Feast. Extremely gory... and very funny as well. I also rented Girl With a Pearl Earring but haven't watched it yet. I hope it's better than the novel.

We watched The Fountain. Again... I see what the director was doing but it didn't quite do it for me. And it was still interesting to look at.
Tonight we are watching the remake of To Be or Not to Be.

I rented The Line of Beauty, 1st 2 eps (BBC melodrama) had lots of sex, yeah, then the final ep turned all dramatic, which was alright.

I enjoyed it. Best thing on film? Hardly.

I'm halfway through Season 4 of Northern Exposure. Anthony Edwards is kinda getting on my nerves, not because he's a bad actor but his character is such an annoying milquetoast and to see Maggie bothering with him when Fleischmann is right there... Gah! I'm such a Maggie/Joel shipper. And I had forgotten how incredibly attractive John Corbett was, so this is a bit of a homecoming (I was in love with Chris Stevens back in high school). This show will easily tide me over until I can rent Freaks & Geeks.

Also, I'm in love with the fact that this show can have a beautiful woman in the cast but not parade her around in skimpy outfits or even make her beauty a big deal. Maggie is gorgeous and she's all about the pleated baggy pants and the tucked-in tee shirts. I had also forgotten how attractive Janine Turner was.

And I've got Gaslight waiting for me when I'm not in the mood for charming small town antics.

The Dude, you're not alone; I too hated Gosford Park and found it mind-numbingly boring. And I usually enjoy Clive Owen very much.

Last night I saw Vision Quest, a forgotten 80s teen movie about a wrestler who wants to drop some weight to wrestle in a lower weight class against this monster of a guy who carries logs on his shoulders up bleachers. It features Matthew Modine, Linda Fiorentino, Michael Schoeffling (Jake Ryan from Sixteen Candles! With a crazy mohawk and sporting Indian feathers!), Forest Whitaker and a special performance by Madonna. It was not particularly great, but fun to make fun of. Linda Fiorentino's character at first is all tough and not at all into Matthew Modine's character, but apparently she has a lobotomy halfway through the film and her feelings for him totally change. And her hair keeps getting bigger, most likely to hide the lobotomy scars.

Pardon me while I *sigh* longingly.

I loved NE. Maurice (and his girlfriend) were my favorite characters, hands-down.

His girlfriend? Officer Barbara Semanski? I thought that was generally unrequited.

I can't decide who I like the most on NE. Every character is so well-rounded and interesting in his or her own way. Even Shelley, who often annoys the hell out of me, can be so adorable and funny at times.

Well they were together for awhile. Then apart. Then together. You know... dysfunctional in a healthy sort of way.
I spent a good portion of last year watching all of the episodes of NE. Even after Joel left, the last season was pretty decent. I wish there was a show like that on TV again. Russian literature, philosophy, physics and well-rounded writing.

Just finished Apocalypto and Pirates of the Carribean: Dead Man's Chest.

Apocalypto was typical Mel -- people being barbaric to one another, family getting their throats slashed, realizations about the nature of courage, torture/sacrifice, the natural world vs. the shaped and modernized one, yadda yadda. I loved the look of the film. Mel may be a jackass, but he hires good cinematographers and costume people.

POTC: DMC was entertaining. All the hoopla over Liz's behavior with Jack Sparrow seems kind of silly.. I haven't seen the new film, nor have I read anything about it, but it seems pretty obvious that her "heart's desire" isn't Jack Sparrow but a pirate's life of her own. I'm sure there's drama between Will & Liz over the kiss but I think her love for him is for real. I'd be surprised if that turned out to not be the case in the new flick. I *loooooooved* the bayou woman. Her messed up mouth and gorgeous accent were amazing.

Xyzzy - Tia Dalma is even cooler in AWE - get yourself to see it, soon.

I rented Smokin' Aces tonight. It's...okay. The set up is really long and frankly boring, but there are some enjoyable action scenes as pay off. Also, Ryan Reynolds is so, so pretty.

So, uh, David Lynch's version of Dune...I think I should have read the book first. I had no fucking idea what was happening. Apparently, Kyle MacLachlan is the son of a duke who is integral to the selling of a magical chemical called Spice that is only available on a desert planet which also contains giant killer worms that MacLachlan and his mother (who's sometimes a telepath, except when she's not) can divert so that they can join the planet's natives to fend off the galactic emperor and a fat, slovenly flying baron who want to kill them but end up just making them stronger. Or so I gathered. Oh, and Sting is a bad guy who makes the least threatening threats in movie history ("I will kill him! Oh yes, I will kill him!") And I haven't even mentioned the film's most unintentionally hilarious feature: the inner monologue voice-over that follows virtually every damn line of dialogue. As in:

"I will lead you into battle!"
(VO) How will I lead them into battle?

"I will ride the mighty worm!"
(VO) I must conquer my fear!

"Rescue the men!"
(VO) He cares more for the men than the Spice!

"I'll have another cup of coffee."
(VO) Frank never has another cup of coffee at home!

Okay, so the last one isn't in the movie. But I'll wager Lynch was saving it for the sequel.

I'm pretty sure that David Lynch could make an adaptation of Goodnight Moon incomprehensible, so that doesn't really surprise me.