For Christmas, my sister (who owns this place) sent me a bunch of DVDs. So instead of waking up Saturday morning and calling my family and thanking them properly for my gifts, I finished PS, I Love You (the book) curled up on the couch, and hid from the world for 48 hours…well, until Kelli Dunlap called me and forced me to do the laundry and dishes and take down the Christmas tree.
Soteria and I grew up loving the same cheesy flicks — and we still have that in common — but sometimes Sam’s tastes (only people who knew her in the 20th Century can call her Sam) get a bit highbrow and foreign…and some of the humor escapes me. (I am one of those people who really didn’t get Napoleon Dynamite. But it had a great ending.) I had requested two movies — Holes and Love, Actually — the latter replaced my trashed copy, and the former I ended up watching 2 days before Eartha Kitt died…a timely tribute. (If you haven’t seen Holes, you need to. And read the book. Not necessarily in that order.)
So here’s a quick summary of my weekend, with thoughts:
Atonement — pretty good. Not an uplifting ending. Obvious "We Want an Oscar!" overtones. Lots of silent people looking beautiful and wistful.
School of Rock, Mean Girls, and Shakespeare in Love — all movies I already owned, but after a morning of Atonement and PS, I Love You, I needed to STOP being depressed.
Meet Bill — I made it half an hour into this movie. If it’s funny, I haven’t gotten there yet.
Eagle Vs. Shark — Ditto. Sam’s going to kill me because I just couldn’t get into it. She’s been going on and on about it for months. Folks who are fans of Napoleon Dynamite (and Flight of the Conchords) will love it.
In Bruges — Lots of talking, but the dialogue is worth it. And the dwarf rocks. Two Thumbs Up.
Boondock Saints — because I hadn’t had enough of Irish brogue after In Bruges, and I hadn’t seen it in a while.
The Other Boleyn Girl — pretty good. Worth a rent. when you’re in the mood for period drama. After Star Wars, we all needed to remember Natalie Portman could act.
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer — Damn, this movie was awesome. AWESOME. Go find it. Jean-Baptiste Grenouille is an bit of an eighteenth-century Dexter. You will be as intrigued as you are creeped out.
The Affair of the Necklace: I got this flick a long time ago and was holding onto it until I was in the mood for period drama. After Boleyn Girl and Perfume, I figured what the heck. It wasn’t bad, actually. Worth a rent.
White Christmas — I watch this one every year. And so should you. Vera-Ellen might not have been able to sing (I heard Rosemary Clooney dubbed all her tracks), but that woman could DANCE.
Oh my gosh…I DID waste the weekend.
How wonderful.
1) Christmas trees shouldn’t come down until at least Epiphany (Jan. 6th), unless they present an immediate danger of spontaneous combustion.
2) Any film’s comparison to Napoleon Dynamite causes instant revulsion in me. I don’t understand why people thing ND is good or funny or even watchable, so thanks for the warning about Eagle v. Shark, though I’d never heard of it before now.
3) Have you read Patrick Suskind’s novel on which Perfume is based? I keep putting off watching the movie because I want to read the book first (which I own but haven’t read).
1.) My birthday is on January 11th. I’ve had enough of Christmas by the time Epiphany rolls around.
2.) You’re welcome.
3.) I have not read the book, but I’ll look for it! Conversely, I always read the book AFTER I watch the movie, because otherwise I cannot appreciate the on-screen abridged version.
1) Christmas trees shouldn’t come down until at least Epiphany (Jan. 6th), unless they present an immediate danger of spontaneous combustion.
2) Any film’s comparison to Napoleon Dynamite causes instant revulsion in me. I don’t understand why people thing ND is good or funny or even watchable, so thanks for the warning about Eagle v. Shark, though I’d never heard of it before now.
3) Have you read Patrick Suskind’s novel on which Perfume is based? I keep putting off watching the movie because I want to read the book first (which I own but haven’t read).
1.) My birthday is on January 11th. I’ve had enough of Christmas by the time Epiphany rolls around.
2.) You’re welcome.
3.) I have not read the book, but I’ll look for it! Conversely, I always read the book AFTER I watch the movie, because otherwise I cannot appreciate the on-screen abridged version.
…your family have unusual names. π
Those are perfectly ordinary names!
Don’t listen to Nick. Even “Alethea” is an unusual name for a Greek. I’m supposed to be named after a saint.
“Soteria” is the female version of Soterios, which is the Greek version of Salvatore. (Soterios was my grandfather’s name. We’re usually named after family members.)
My older siblings are Cherie and West, but they’re French Canadian/Native American.
They are VERY STRANGE names for a woman who comes from a people who apparently have a genetic reluctance to stretch beyond the boundaries of “Catherine”, “Rose”, “Nora” and “Mary” for girls! π
No-rah? What’s that!
…your family have unusual names. π
Those are perfectly ordinary names!
Don’t listen to Nick. Even “Alethea” is an unusual name for a Greek. I’m supposed to be named after a saint.
“Soteria” is the female version of Soterios, which is the Greek version of Salvatore. (Soterios was my grandfather’s name. We’re usually named after family members.)
My older siblings are Cherie and West, but they’re French Canadian/Native American.
They are VERY STRANGE names for a woman who comes from a people who apparently have a genetic reluctance to stretch beyond the boundaries of “Catherine”, “Rose”, “Nora” and “Mary” for girls! π
No-rah? What’s that!
Sounds like a perfectly good weekend to me. I shall have to download several of those, so that I can complain about how I haven’t gotten around to watching them later. π
Does Sammie actually _own_ the place now? That’s awesome!
I hope your Christmas was truly super awesome. I’m reading in reverse chronological order, so perhaps you’ve blogged about it.
She does! She calls me now all the time when she’s stuck in the shop and tells me all the quirky customer stories.
My Christmas *was* pretty awesome, surreal in typical Lee fashion, and no, I haven’t blogged about it yet. I suppose I should.
I SANG, Kit. In front of people! Like I haven’t done in a million years (not counting that tragic episode at the HS Reunion). A capella (eep!), but at least this time it was a song I knew. π
Here, let me fix this for you:
Original: … not counting that tragic episode at the HS Reunion …
Corrected: … not counting that badass episode at the HS Reunion …
Mel Smythe can suck it. π
Sounds like a perfectly good weekend to me. I shall have to download several of those, so that I can complain about how I haven’t gotten around to watching them later. π
Does Sammie actually _own_ the place now? That’s awesome!
I hope your Christmas was truly super awesome. I’m reading in reverse chronological order, so perhaps you’ve blogged about it.
She does! She calls me now all the time when she’s stuck in the shop and tells me all the quirky customer stories.
My Christmas *was* pretty awesome, surreal in typical Lee fashion, and no, I haven’t blogged about it yet. I suppose I should.
I SANG, Kit. In front of people! Like I haven’t done in a million years (not counting that tragic episode at the HS Reunion). A capella (eep!), but at least this time it was a song I knew. π
Here, let me fix this for you:
Original: … not counting that tragic episode at the HS Reunion …
Corrected: … not counting that badass episode at the HS Reunion …
Mel Smythe can suck it. π