Missy | December 22, 2003
By the way, as you might imagine, this site will be on a brief hiatus while I jet out of town for Christmas. Be safe and happy.
Missy | December 22, 2003
Okay, I swear my movie-going obsession will end soon. Bear with me.
The Station Agent:
I saw this because I recently realized this has been a rather awful year for actors, or at least, strong performances. So, before I put together my year-end lists, I need to see some more films that may or may not feature performances that I can factor into my pool of choices. At last minute I took a chance on this one, and was delighted by my reaction. Like You Can Count on Me, this is set in a small town with less emphasis on narrative and instead it allows characters’ stories to simply unfold on screen. I think I’m partial to this kind of thing partly because I grew up in a small town, but the film’s strengths rest with Peter Dinklage and Patricia Clarkson (who has–along with Hope Davis, incidentally–put in some memorable supporting performances recently, starting with last year’s Far From Heaven–could she be the next Julianne Moore? I wonder.)
Next up was The Revolution Will Not Be Televised, which I have to say, I was looking forward to seeing. That said, it did not live up to my expectations. Similar to what seems like a flurry of recent documentaries (such as Daughter From Danang and Capturing the Friedmans), this was a project that started out with one focus and ended up with surprising results. Specifically, Revolution was a documentary about Hugo Chavez that took a startling turn when, in the midst of filming, the Venezuelan coup of 2002 took place. This film is a hurried 74 minutes long, and where it left me hanging was that I, perhaps unlike most of the intended audience, was not one of the converted. I mean, it’s unambiguous that Chavez’s policy goals are contentious. But big deal; so are President Bush’s. The film started with simple arguments that felt pro-Chavez, which I can excuse had the arguments not relied on what I took to be akin to a 19-year old Seattle protestor’s, which is to say, the clearly charismatic Chavez cares about his people and to the rest of the world (read: the U.S.) it’s all about oil! oil! oil! And as such, a handful of 10 second blurbs by Washington politicos fed their fuel (pun intended). I was hoping for a little more legwork and sophistication, especially when it became apparent that the U.S. possibly had a hand in the coup. Fine. Consider me intrigued. And I was particularly intrigued by the source of political instability, which is the oligarchical opposition. Whereas the film was presented as a mere “this is the real story” (because the oligarchs controlled the media–and I found the film to be less about media bias, surprisingly, and more about the result of corrupt power), I felt shafted because I wanted to learn more about the source of the instability, with more commentary, instead of getting the feeling that capitalism is bad, Chavez is good. The film could have tacked on 45 more minutes and followed up with, specifically, the opposition’s oil strikes, and more generally, the struggle to make democracy work in a politically unstable region. Look, I don’t view the coup as proper (Chavez was democratically elected, and regardless of the aforementioned contentious policies–such as attempting to run the petroleum industry through the state rather than through the technocratic opposition–it appears that he wants the uneducated poor to be educated and proactive in the government process, and I have no sympathy for corrupt oligarchs.) According to a piece I just pulled up from The Economist (subscription only, sadly) the opposition has since lost some influence, but Chavez’s own people have come under fire as well. (And right now, there’s a referendum on the table to officially remove him from office.) Basically, I felt there was much more history of Venezuela’s political and economic environment, not to mention questions about Venezuela’s future that begged to be explored, if only for my own education. Instead, the filmmakers rested upon good fortune (right place, right time) and simply let the cameras roll, with little nudge-nudges here and there to the political left.
Missy | December 22, 2003
From yesterday’s NYT:
Anna Kisselgoff writes on Altman’s The Company, though the piece is more about The Red Shoes and The Turning Point, both films that I enjoy, but films that make the dance world seem so dramatic and romanticized (not that I find the films’ larger themes disagreeable or anything)….which is why I’m hoping Altman’s film doesn’t try to sensationalize the hard work behind the scenes or etherealize the dancer.
Also, Julie Kent discusses dancing while pregnant (includes a photo). Although she suggests otherwise, you’d think a developing belly (not to mention the weight gain) would be enough to completely disrupt equilibrium and center of gravity.
Missy | December 21, 2003
When I was at the National Gallery of Art yesterday seeing a couple of Hitchcock silents, I picked up their film schedules. Next weekend (my birthday!) after I get back from Ohio, there’s like, three Aki Kaurism
Missy | December 19, 2003
Random, stupid things:
- You’d think, nearly ten years out of college, I’d eventually stop using the word “random” as a common descriptor.
- Last night I was channel surfing for a bit and caught some interview with three of the starlets in Mona Lisa Smile (a movie I shan’t be seeing this weekend): Kirsten Dunst, Julia Stiles, and Maggie Gyllenhaal. And they all had identical haircuts. Sort of sideswept, wavy, shorter in back, flapper-ish bobs. This, apparently, is the trend (see also last years 80’s Joan Jett-inspired wing-y thingy). Sometimes I am glad I don’t live in New York.
- A couple of days ago, I read in Page Six (via Gawker) that Lindsay Lohan and Hilary Duff hate each other because Lindsay’s boyfriend cheated on her with Hilary, and there was some sort of scene caused at a movie premiere that resulted in poor Hilary running to her mommy. Yo Lindsay, I got your back.
- I saw Kill Bill: Vol. 1, and to my surprise, I didn’t hate it. In fact, after awhile all that blood became pretty damn funny. On a more technical note, there’s some exhilarating camera movement (see the restaurant scene–the one with the Japanese surf rock chicks–even before the blood bath starts) and some fun editing. (Is editing as a final product actually “fun”? Sometimes I feel like Bjork back when her English was awful and the things that came out of her mouth were endearing. Except I’m not as cute and English is my first language.)
Missy | December 17, 2003
Thoughts on films recently seen:
I’m afraid I cannot join hands and get on the Mystic River love train. The film was too loose, and it was a good hour before I was fully engaged (and that’s putting it…loosely), and then once some narrative kicked in, I felt kind of perplexed by the over-long ending which casts itself as some sort of sad irony. Kevin Bacon is the true standout of the cast, and not, I might add, the capital-P Perfomance! of Sean Penn. But what do I know–I’m just a curmudgeon.
Speaking of curmudgeons, Bad Santa was a move begging to be made, if only for any of us who feels some Scrooge-ness during the holiday season. Be sure to note the exceptional & hilarious use of music throughout the film. Thank you Terry Zwigoff and Billy Bob Thornton. Also, the film features the best excessive use of the f-word since The Big Lebowski.
Lastly, there’s In America, director Jim Sheridan’s autobiographic film that (sometimes awkwardly and never timidly) tugs at every last heartstring in the book. And I bought it, thanks to a striking cast. I walked out of there feeling in love with the world and the people in it, but don’t worry because I’m sure it’ll wear off in the next 6 to 12 hours.
Missy | December 15, 2003
I feel like I’m on a roll–that’s what two naps followed by a good night’s sleep will get you. So let’s go!
Listen Missy’s 2003 Best of Music List **
Bonnie Prince Billy, Master and Everyone. (”Even If Love” is one of my favorite songs of the year. Hear the bulk of it (but not the best part, which is the last line!) during the opening credits of David Gordon Green’s film All the Real Girls.)
The Wrens, Meadowlands. (I bought this about a month ago and I have listened to it every single day since.)
Death Cab for Cutie, Transatlanticism. (I once thought The Postal Service would make this list. That was until Transatlanticism came out, and I kind of forgot all about the former.)
Decemberists, Castaways & Cutouts. (I love that their songs are like little stories or fables with gypsy-ish accordion music–it holds the same type of charm that the old, slightly out-of-tune piano did for The Walkmen last year. But even I will admit that got old once their second of two albums came out this year. Still bummed I missed their live show, though.)
The Shins, Chutes Too Narrow (Sometimes I feel like it’s a decade ago and I’m listening to Material Issue.)
New Pornographers, Electric Version (Along with The Flaming Lips, these guys were this year’s Most Fun Live Show.)
Constantines, Shine a Light (Upon first hearing track 1, I felt like I was hurled back to (the dive club) Staches in Columbus, Ohio circa 1991. That’s where people went to rock.)
Radiohead, Hail to the Thief (”Where I End and You Begin” is the best driving song of the year. I should know. I listened to it about 117 times in a row when driving to & from Ohio.)
White Stripes, Elephant (Would have been higher in the list had it held up since I first devoured it last spring.)
Nada Surf, Let Go (After much positive spin on his end, and after subsequent hemming & hawing on mine, I took my friend Scott’s advice and bought this album. It’s a solid effort much like last year’s Coldplay album. Except not overplayed.)
**For the sake of entertainment, I tried to include explanatory blurbs or anecdotes. Please also note that the ordering of this list is an estimation only. Tomorrow, for example, if I feel like rocking out rather than lounging and procrastinating, things could be a lot different. That said, I left off a few albums knowing that they wouldn’t shift with my moods, or in some cases, satisfy any moods at all…..for example, My Morning Jacket, which is this generation’s Jackson Browne. I like Jackson Browne, but only a few times a year. Also, there’s The Clientele, which is probably my least favorite record of the year, simply because it is too wussified for me to listen to. I think I have yet to make it through the whole album, in fact. But there are lots of honorable mentions, such as Broken Social Scene, Pernice Brothers, and Califone. Basically, there’s just too many albums out there and I’ve only got two ears. Another point to note is that there is no rap or hip hop in this year’s list, although I would put Outkast’s “Hey Ya” as both the single and video of the year. I just didn’t feel satisfied with any rap this year, and that’s a big bummer, man. Finally, I’d also like to remind everybody that I put Notwist’s Neon Golden atop last year’s list, even though technically it was a domestic release in 2003. Thank you and good day.
Missy | December 14, 2003
I know it’s a very big news day today. It’s also time for the first of my year-end lists. Albums will be forthcoming, but movies won’t be until after Christmas because I’ve got a lot of catching up to do, plus a couple films I’ve been anticipating aren’t yet released. So…..
Listen Missy’s 2003 Best of Television List:
Best Show: Unfortunately, the latest season of The Sopranos finished last December, and I actually don’t watch that much television. So where does that leave me? (Besides being ill-equipped to dole out these silly awards?) Voting Angel and Buffy the Vampire Slayer (R.I.P.) as my fallbacks, even though I tuned back into Angel only a few episodes shy of the spring season-ender, and even though Buffy saw its strongest days in seasons past.
Best Show I Didn’t Actually Watch: The Wire.
Best “I Typically Hate News & Political Commentary on Television Because it is Too Annoying But There’s One Worth Watching” Show: Meet the Press. I wasn’t even planning on including this award, but crappy weather + canceled dance class meant that I got to happily tune in this morning for the first time in awhile, especially on such a monumental day.
Biggest Disappointment: K Street.
Best Guilty Pleasure: The Simple Life.
Best Show No One is Watching Because They Don’t Believe Me When I Am Being Totally Serious When I Say It’s Great: The O.C.
Babe, Male: Seth (Adam Brody), the “comic relief” (which is to say, “has the snappiest lines”) and “dork” (which is to say, “has that nerdy-chic thing going on that us chicks find adorable”) on The O.C. Also, Jeck Berger (Ron Livingston), until he turned into an immature jerkwad, on Sex and the City.
Babe, Female: Jennifer Aniston, who gets gorgeouser and gorgeouser all the time.
Worst Fashion Statement: Not Paris Hilton. I’m talking about the backless dresses with full exposure of the bra fastener as worn by Carrie (post-partum Sarah Jessica Parker) on Sex and the City.
Best Post-Partum Bod: Sarah Jessica Parker.
Best Fashion Statement: The overlooked Cynthia Nixon (who finally gets the chance to look pretty, thanks in part to a great haircut) and Kristin Davis on Sex and the City; Jennifer Aniston on Friends.
The “I Want to Like You But Your Show is Stupid” Award: Alicia Silverstone in Miss Match.
Worst Pun-Title: Miss Match.
Best Television Event: Angels in America, even though (as of this posting) we’re only half-way through. Also, the World Series play-offs.
Worst Television Event: The Oscars. Like I even need to say it.
Worst Show, aka The Jackass Award: Fear Factor. I hate programs where people purposely put themselves in situations where they might hurt themselves while simultaneously grossing out the audience. And not only are we grossed out, we take pleasure in the fact that people are idiots for money, yet the paying of eye-service for such seems equally idiotic to me.
Reasons to Look Forward to 2004: Getting caught up enough in my Netflix queue (never!) such that I might turn to watching shows like The Office and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and maybe even Alias. Also, the Olympics! (I think there’s also an election to look forward to. Or not look forward to.)
Now I feel like curling into a little ball and waiting for the holiday season (and weather) to pass…..
Missy | December 7, 2003
Blog break. I’ve got some things weighing on my mind, but I promise to return in time for my year-end lists. See you soon.
Missy | December 6, 2003
At the beginning of the commentary on the DVD for Claire Denis’ Vendredi Soir (aka Friday Night), critic and Film Comment editor-at-large Kent Jones suggests that the opening shots of the film (rooftops at dusk, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance) are a sort of love letter to Paris. Denis corrects him, saying that she simply wanted [the main character Laure] “to be somewhere”. Such is the theme of the film–for the characters and the viewer–and is not so much a narrative journey (woman meets a stranger while stuck in a traffic jam during a public transporation strike) as impressionistic moments (thanks to the score, editing and Agnes Godard’s cinematography) of a one-night stand. The film is very tactile–even if one has never experienced a one-night stand with a stranger, one gets enraptured by the idea mouths & hands, the feel of fabric and carpet, cold and cigarettes. After watching it I felt like I had just read a fantastic short story that had taken life in my head and would stick to my ribs for days on end. (As it turns out, the film is based on a novel by Emmanu
Missy | December 4, 2003
Tonight I’m skipping yoga in favor of beer, pizza, and football. You see, my alma mater is playing for the MAC championship, and both teams are top 25-ranked. Back when I was in school, I went to one football game and it was during my freshman year, because it was free admission with a student ID and we didn’t have anything better to do that day. The MAC teams all sucked and no one had any school spirit, and as such, hardly anyone went to games. (Basketball was another story. But still I only went to a couple games, and mostly because one of my friends from high school played on an opposing MAC team.) Let’s go Redskins! (Oh, sorry, they’re the RedHawks now.)
Edited to add: Even when I went to grad school at a Big Ten school, I never went to a football game. I didn’t even buy season tickets so that I could resell them for above purchase value. Apparently I cannot call myself a college football fan. Or an economist.
Missy | December 3, 2003
From The Economist: Seven myths about the housing market.
It looks like, per today’s DC City Council hearing, that the proposed smoking ban in DC won’t go through. UPDATE: More from Gene. UPDATE#2: Will has even more!
Missy | December 1, 2003
Har. (Thank you Catallarchy.)
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Listening
Unmap
Volcano Choir
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Reading
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again
David Foster Wallace
