Upside Down Cats

Saturday night we were thrilled to catch the movie Stranger Than Fiction on cable. It is one that we put on our "want to see" list as soon as we heard about it. There are very few films we feel warrant the effort and inconvenience to bother seeing in the movie theater. Generally we only go to the theater for the benefit of the "big screen effect." When we do go to the theater, more times than not, we end up walking back to the car afterwards talking not about the movie, but about the annoying people in the theater, or the disgusting fact that we just paid $8 each to sit through a half hour of commercials before the movie!...So with few exceptions we wait for movies we want to see to show up on one of the movie channels. Besides, our chairs are far more comfortable, and our popcorn is much tastier!

Stranger Than Fiction is one of those quality movies that pleasantly surprised me by being even better than I anticipated! I don't ruin movies for others by giving away too much information about them, so even if you haven't seen it, feel free to keep reading...no spoilers here!

Continue reading "It's A Fact...Stranger Than Fiction Is Great!" »

"Life isn't fair. It's just fairer than death, that's all." - William Goldman, "The Princess Bride"

I guess no one ever promised this ride was going to be fair at the beginning, middle or the end...

 

Although I've never read The Princess Bride, it is one of my favorite movies! It's one of those movies I can watch again and again, or even pick up in the middle and watch the remainder without feeling I've had an incomplete experience!

In fact, we incorporated copies of the DVD into some very unique Christmas gifts we gave last year...We made "Family Movie Night" gift bags which included The Princess Bride DVD, several blanket throws (how many depended on the size of the family), and tubs of homemade flavored popcorn. We love to give different and meaningful gifts, and we felt really good about these!

In looking over William Goldman's biography, I have discovered that in the course of his writing career (which spans the last five decades) he has written 26 screenplays which have been produced into movies and 14 novels. I think that qualifies him as prolific! Check out his credits by clicking the Wikipedia link to his name above...it's like a list of some of the best movies ever made, and he wrote them all!

I love finding out surprising facts about someone...I only knew his name as the writer of The Princess Bride before I found the above quote. Now I know a bit more about a very talented man.

Here is - hopefully - the first of many installments of "Bitchin' Broads," a collection of writing about some extraordinary women I have discovered.

Occasionally I come across a quote or a snippet of information about a person, and I become intrigued. With my curiosity piqued, the quest to learn more begins...As I grow into my maturity, I seek to fill in these holes in my knowledge, hopefully creating a more well-rounded, interesting me. In the words of my first subject: "The cure for boredom is curiosity. There is no cure for curiosity." - Dorothy Parker, (attributed). So, since - according to Ms Parker - I am incurable, I shall pursue my 'disease' in search for an understanding of this most fascinating woman.

Continue reading "Bitchin' Broads - Dorothy Parker" »

We caught the movie The Illusionist today on cable...what a great flick!

Don't worry...I won't give away any specifics of plot...I wouldn't want to ruin a fine film for anyone who hasn't had the delightful experience of seeing this. It meets every criteria for my favorite kind of movie...

- Compelling plot that isn't overly complex or transparent

- An interesting way of telling the story

- Great character development

- Deals with emotional issues without being cloying or manipulative

All in all, a fine way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

BTW...Paul Giamatti must be living the actor's dream...Role after role of diverse, rounded, fascinating characters. He creates yet another in this movie. I have a short list of actors whose very presence in a movie will sell me on its quality...Paul has made this list.