Reading the tea leaves

Since everyone is weighing in with their Oscar predictions I thought I would throw my hat in the ring. My best predicition: Oprah's Oscar special will kick Babs's saccharine sweet, pointless sixty minutes of drivel in the arse.

Don't worry--being the intrepid blogger that I am I plan on reviewing both of them thoroughly.

And Then "Pop!" Goes My Heart

So, in honor of VD, I went down to my local multiplex and indulged in some good, old-fashioned romantic comedy.

By old fashioned, of course I mean stock, unoriginal, conventional. Nothing unanticipated, unexpected, or remotely fresh happens in this film. Drew Barrymore is the bubbly, bumbling girl we grew to love in The Wedding Singer and Never Been Kissed. Hugh Grant is the aging (but somehow still sexy) cad that the Bridget Jones films created and we've seen repeatedly since, most memorably in About a Boy and Two Weeks Notice. So with Music and Lyrics we've got stock performances in a stock genre. But wait! I also said it was good...

What do I mean by good? What does anyone mean by good? Well, first of all, don't go looking for originality or surprises in a genre as deeply rooted in formula as the romantic comedy. It's a futile effort that will only disappoint you. There is a pretty standard set of characters and narrative arcs, and deviations from that formula tend to suck (see: The Wedding Date. Actually, don't see it. It sucked.). Yes, I've seen Hugh Grant play this part before. But guess what? I loved it then, and I love it now. I don't want Hugh Grant to reinvent himself any more than I want Sex and the City to be realistic about money and fashion. Put another way: if it ain't broke, don't fix it.

I'm all for invention, innovation, and dynamic acting. I want to be surprised and engaged and impressed at the movies. I just don't want that all the time. And on Valentine's Day, what I wanted, was to go to a cute little romantic comedy with saccharine sweet pop music and listen to Hugh Grant be smarmy and Drew Barrymore be flighty. That's just good entertainment.

If you're interested in a really fascinating look at how romantic comedies work from the male and female perspectives, check out "He Said/She Said", a blog written by a student in Rekha's and my experimental film review course that looks at Nora Ephron and Cameron Crowe.

What's in a Name?

I've officially begun the countdown to The Namesake. I've been obsessing over this movie since I saw the trailer about eight months ago. Anyway, for those of you who haven't read the book it's based on it is well worth it. Here are some snippets of an interview between director Meera Nair and writer Jhumpa Lahiri about the "translation" process from book to film. I'm also just really excited about another Meera Nair film because she is very talented, and a huge analmoly in an industry that outwardly trumpets diversity while remaining pretty inclusive. If you haven't seen any of her other work Salaam Bomby and Monsoon Wedding are both worth a rental.

I should also add the caveat that while my official opinion on the novel is that it covers well tread ground, and doesn't add anything new to identity politics I have to confess that I found it really moving, and very well written.

Real Time Blogging

In an effort to get more creative with my love for movies and interest in blogging I've decided to try do them simultaneously. Yes, that's right--even as I write I am becoming engrossed in Ang Lee's Sense and Sensibility. What will come of this bold experiment? Will my brain explode as I attempt to absorb the acting, shot composition, and score of S&S while at the same time trying to keep you, the reader equally absorbed in my witty and sophisticated blog banter?

Yes.

So instead I am going to hit you with some highlights. First off, I'm not sure I understand what Comcast On Demand means in the grand scheme of my tv watching, but for tonight it means full access to a slew of B- movies (sans S&S of course). So far Emma Thompson is already exuding brilliance as the sensible older sister to Kate Winslet's flightier younger one.

*Sidenote--why do Brits and continental Euros use their knife so much when they eat? It always looks like they're not very hungry and more interested in making a show out of cutting food.*

Okay, sorry back to more important matters. I think subterfuge is a good word to describe what Austen does with language and manners. There seems to be a dual purpose in much of the conversation and interactions, culminating in a sloppy ending that needs to be fixed. Austen deserves and gets a great deal of credit for her writing, but I'll spread that kudos onwards to Emma Thompson for crafting that into a screenplay that really "speaks" visually. Great dialogue can't always make a great movie, but in this case it does and again I'll chalk that up to the intrigue of subterfuge.

The contrast between Kate Winslet and Emma Thompson in these roles is perfection. Both of them are limited by their social standing but where Thompson carries it sensibly as a difficult reality that they must cope with Winslet sees it as an opportunity to escape. There is something infinitely sensible about both of their approaches even as love flits in and out of their lives. The true romantic might ignore all of the red flags society unleashes, and instead be disappointed from the beginning with their lot in life.

Okay, so in anticipation of Hugh Laurie coming on screen, and my blogging/watching exhaustion I will end here. Just know this reader(s): to watch is not enough, and yet to blog and watch is too much.

Harry Potter and the Strictures of Statutory Rape Laws

I've been all about Ron, but this horse might just turn me around on who the real wizard is. Ahem. Seriously though, this play looks like some magical intersection of Harry Potter, The Neverending Story, and Velvet Goldmine. If only I wouldn't have to go slumming on the West End to see it.

What a stallion.