Who's on First?

Hey gang!

It’s a natural human condition to pick a thing you love above all others then fiercely defend it to those with differing opinions.  Such is the case with Doctor Who.

Linda and I are both late bloomers when it comes to the Doctor.  We discovered him (oddly at about the same time) through the new incarnation of the series.  There were already 7 seasons of new Who at that point, so neither of us have had the chance to explore the original doctors yet.  So just know that Linda and I are only revue-ing the Ninth through Twelfth doctors.  We are, in no way, dissing the former doctors, we just can’t speak to them.

That being said, we are girls with opinions and we like Who we like.  We've been discussing the Doctors as we've been watching, and now we want to share that with you guys.

Also:  there are some spoilers below if you haven’t watched any Doctor Who.  Read at your own risk.

It is with great pleasure that I introduce my Blogguest, Linda Moore.  Arguably, the most interesting woman in the world.  

Linda:  Thanks for inviting me!  If only we were together and drinking while we do this.  Of course it would never get done, or be hi-larry-us, but only to us.  

Sue:  Amen, Sister!

LM:  As Sue mentioned, I do not consider myself a sci fi (or syfy) fan, so completely wrote off the Dr. Who phenom when it started.  I can’t say what made me start to watch other than pressure from Netflix, and a long sewing project looming in my future.  I figured a couple of episodes could keep me company while I worked.

I was not hooked on the first episode.  There were mannequins and I couldn’t follow the storyline, but Netflix kept playing and so I stuck with it.  I’ve been a Whovian ever since.  But not one of those rabid kind that actually know all the rules of being a Doctor and remember the names of the enemies and keep it all in sequence.  That hurts too much.  I like the arc of the stories, and the characters and the silly lines (“it’s a timey wimey thing”).

SHE:  I actually did like the first episode (mannequins…creepy!!).  I fully agree about not being able to keep the entire Who universe (Whoniverse?) straight, but each Doctor has been compelling in a different way.  I love the idea of getting a variety of actors and character interpretation within the same world.  The element that KILLS ME about this show are the Dalaks.  Clearly they were designed in an era of low budget/no cgi television.  I know they are representing a sort of Nazi-like enemy in their single-minded pursuit of extermination, but a giant tin can with a toilet plunger arm?  C’mon guys…we couldn’t upgrade when we moved into the new millennium??  

LM:  Let’s start with the fact that I don’t have a favorite Doctor. I think that Christopher Eccleston has gotten short shrift in the whole deal because he only got one season.  And while David Tennant was arguably the most popular “modern” Doctor, it would not have happened if Christopher hadn’t gotten it all moving in season 1 MD (modern doctor).  He also is the only one to have a more contemporary get up, and had a very nice bad boy aesthetic going with his black leather. Apparently he wasn’t happy with the working conditions so made his exit and returned to the theatre.

SHE:  I DO have a favorite Doctor (so far, anyway) and he is David Tennant.  It’s not that I didn’t thoroughly enjoy Eccleston and Matt Smith (I’ll get to my thoughts on Capaldi later) but there was something about Tennant’s portrayal that completely drew me in.  He was a series of contradictions:  Goofy and serious.  Fractured and whole.  Social and lonely.  He had the longest run (as well as having both Russell T Davies AND Stephen Moffat writing episodes!) so there was a lot of time to give him some serious depth.  I think during his run we really got to flesh out the pain the Doctor feels about being the last Time Lord left.  Which is what makes the “Master” coming into the picture even more intriguing.  Tennant not only finds another Time Lord but the guy’s a dick. Bummer!!

LM:  What I think is odd about the Doctor is that when he regenerates he can remember all kinds of valuable information about his enemies, previous battles, and how alien technology works.  But he has no idea who is companion is and has no memory of their recent history (as in, like 10 minutes ago).  There was one exception- when Doctor the Tenth ran into Sarah Jane, who was a past companion along with a robotic dog, K9.  She figured in a couple of episodes- enough apparently to spin off her own short-lived show in the UK.

I did enjoy the Tenth (Tennant) a lot.  He had a nice range of funny, loving and vengeful (especially when he was without a companion).  Some of these episodes were kind of awkward because we were introduced to River (spoiler alert- his wife that was raised by aliens as an assassin to kill him in the future) while he was still managing a budding unrequited love interest with his companion Rose.  I’m going to say something controversial here- I’m not a fan of Rose.  Sure she’s plucky and all, but she strung her boyfriend along for ages when she clearly had a thing for the Time Lord.  He was a nice guy and she was a shit for being so calloused.  I also thought that the writers really wussed out in giving her a knock-off version of her Doctor to keep.  I think they wanted to figure out a way to make fans happy that wanted to get them together.  Get over it people.  He’s already got an assassin wife.

SHE:  Oh, I love the Rose!  Added bonus for me is that she’s married to Laurence Fox who plays DS Hathaway on Inspector Lewis.  Anyone who likes tame BBC mystery series should check it out.  He’s adorable.  She’s also currently in Penny Dreadful PLUS when she was young she was a pop star!  Love her!

I also really enjoyed her relationship with the Doctor (both Eccleston and Tennant but mostly Tennant).  She was fearless and determined and took no shit.  And I know she kind of threw over her BF for the Doctor…but come on.  He took her time traveling.  Who’s head WOULDN’T be turned?

I also loved Donna.  Tennant’s Doctor sort of shunned relationships after Martha Jones (she fell in love with him and got kind of needy, frankly.  He was like “Nope, not hurting another woman!”) so he insisted upon a platonic relationship with Donna.  Tennant and the actress, Catherine Tate, are friends in real life so their chemistry on screen was really fun to watch.

LM:  One thing I really enjoyed about this Doctor was the process he went through when he knew his time was coming to an end.  The Ood kept singing to him about it, and he wasn‘t ready to go.  I thought that was touching.  Towards the end he was definitely more profound, and more “human”.  “We’re all stories in the end.  Make it a good one.”

SHE:  You’re right, that was great.  I cried.

LM:  Then we come to Matt of the floppy hair, and bow tie.  At 26 he’s the youngest Doctor. Most of his stories are intertwined with Amy and Rory who both Sue and I love.  Because of that, I do really like his episodes.  I thought it was interesting that the writers made him a lot more huggy and kissy than the others. His predecessors were much more PDA-averse and now the new Doctor is the most PDA-adverse of them all.  What does it mean?

SHE:  We also both enjoyed that he would make comments about being relieved that he wasn’t a ginger.  Funny, because Eccleston’s Doctor WANTED to be a ginger. Nice touch.  One of the things I enjoyed about Matt Smith is that while he’s very silly and energetic, he also shows some profound depth.  At one point, probably in his second season, I remember thinking “wow, he’s a REALLY good actor”.

LM:  Each of these Doctors also have an arc throughout.  His is the crack in the universe.  For some reason, I really liked that theme.  Though in the end, I didn’t like that it included the Time Lords on the other side wanting to get through.  Keep your own universe people.  You’ve already expired in this one!

And now we come to Peter Capaldi.  As with all regenerations, I had to observe a respectful period of mourning before I could even deign to watch the new one.  Each time I felt very loyal to the old one and was ready to hate the new one.  And each time, I couldn’t.  They each have something very compelling.  Well done, casting agent!  I like his sartorial aesthetic for the most part.  And I like that he changes his clothes.  The others wore the same damn thing all of the time.  He’s also spending more time contemplating who he is, why he chose this regeneration, and if he’s a good person.  I think it’s interesting that he acknowledges that in some way, he chooses his face (Apparently this incarnation really likes that guy in the Pompeii episode…).  He tells Clara that the Doctor she first met (loved!) chose a face that either he thought others would like or reflected who he wanted to be.  By that, I would guess this one is here to be serious and grown up about these things.  I’m also a bit curious if they chose an “older” doctor just to take the “will they or won’t they” question out of the mix, and let us concentrate on other things.  He lets Clara be a strong character, which is fun. However, he does do a lot less talking about what he’s going to do and then dishes out the lessons afterwards.  I’m not sure I like that part. He is lonely as always, and I think this one might be the worst if left alone too long.  Also, so far, I don’t like his overarching arc because it’s not very subtle- yes, yes, everyone is ending up in the Promised Land with the creepy lady.  Got it.  I’m not sure I really care.  

SHE:  Linda, we are similar in that we mourn the loss of each Doctor before embracing the new one.  Capaldi has been a struggle for me to get on board with, quite honestly.  I think part of that is because it’s also been a struggle for Clara as well.  I like Clara as a companion a lot.  She’s darling and smart and adventurous.  She seemed VERY reluctant to embrace this Doctor (I read, actually, that Capaldi and Moffat had to team up and convince her to stay.  It kind of shows.).  She does finally decide to stick with him, but I honestly wasn’t sure I was ready when she was.  I think it took me a few more episodes to really get on board.  I do, however, love his sense of humor (he has some good under-the-breath one liners) and I’m always a fan of the Scottish dudes. David Tennant is actually also Scottish, but as Linda has pointed out to me, they didn’t want a Scottish Doc when he was on.  Whatevs.  I love the Scots.

LM:  I think the key question is-which Doctor would you most like to travel with? I think the Eleventh (Matt) might be the most fun, but if we got into some serious shit, I think I’d prefer to be with Tenth (David).  How about you Sue?

SHE:  Tennant is my fave, so I’d have to go with him.  I agree about Matt Smith, he WOULD be fun to travel with.  He’s super cute and seems like a goofball.   But yeah.  Tennant.

(My drink pairing suggestion:  honestly I’m not even sure if the Doctor drinks or not – and it’s been debated on the interwebs – so I’d suggest a pint or two of Brewster’s Brewing Company Britannia’s Brew.  Apparently it has “truly national flavours, including English Boadiciea and Sovereign hops as well as seaweed and heather to represent Wales and Scotland”.  Pretty much sums it up.)

Our takeaways:

#1 – We have become TOTAL Doctor nerds!  

#2 – I’m clearly living up to the Erokan motto “We’re funny…to us!” with my titling lately.  Sorry about that, folks.

#3 – We both realized that it’s not about being a “Syfy” fan necessarily…this is all about good writing and acting.  And as Linda said to me - it’s reassuring to know that when the Aliens do come, there’s always a Doctor out there to save us.

xoxo…hashtagSueslife

The Wrath of Caan!

Hey gang!

I know, I know.  My subject of choice seems pretty odd and specific.  The weird thing is, I kept seeing that Rollerball was on TV and debating if I should watch it.  Then I saw that Alien Nation was on and it sparked the idea to write about Caan in science fiction films.  So there you go.

I didn't choose his arguably most popular role, Sonny Corleone, or the role I remember most fondly, Brian Piccolo.  But these were both fun movies to watch and dissect.

Hope you enjoy!

Rollerball - released in 1975

Wow, 1970's.  You were amazing and horrific, all wrapped into one neat package.

I am pretty sure I saw Rollerball in the theatre...I would have been 11 years old when it came out.  The more I look back on the films I've seen, the more I absolutely love the fact that my mom barely had any restrictions on what I watched.  I mean, every once in a while she'd try to make a stand (like when I was 9 and The Birds was on TV...she wouldn't let me watch it which was ridiculous because 3 years earlier I'd seen a triple feature of horror films) but mostly she probably either wanted to get me out of the house or wanted a couple hours herself in an air conditioned movie theatre.  Anyway, I don't remember who I saw this with (maybe my brother John?) but parts of it stuck with me.

Which parts stuck?  The Rollerball parts. It's touted as being this really violent look at a dystopian future...but looking at this film in contrast to films being made today...it's like a bedtime story.  Albeit a weird bedtime story, but you get my point.  Think Hunger Games without the bow and arrow and all the tributes just shoving each other.

I had a really hard time figuring out the point of the conflict in this film.  James Caan plays the best and most famous Rollerballer, he totally kicks ass.  He's a worldwide hero.  Rollerball has been created to eliminate war, so it's a very violent game with few rules.  It's kind of like Roller Derby meets Quidditch.  You skate around a track like a bat out of hell, some of the players are on motorcycles to make it more dangerous and you have to throw a little ball into a magnetic target. Caan's character is being rewarded for his service by getting a TV special made in his honor, but he's also being asked to retire.  He (and I) can't figure out why they want him to retire so he starts to look into the corporation (with the uninspired name "Energy Corporation").  Eventually we find out that this form of sports entertainment is also supposed to "demonstrate the futility of individualism" (thanks Wikipedia....cuz I honestly wasn't gonna get that on my own).  In fact, even the coach yells "This wasn't meant to be a game!  Never!"  So dramatic, that coach!  The final battle is a no-holds-barred blood fest.  No penalties, no time limit, straight up death to all.  Naturally our man is the last one standing.  Yay individualism!

James Caan is a baby faced youngster in this film.  I think he's maybe supposed to be a Texan but unless he's muttering (which he does quite a bit, actually...I guess that's his way of playing a "Texan"), he sounds straight up NYC to me.  Ba-da-bing, y'all!  He also has a total jew-fro.  Rollerball was made after Godfather (Sonny!!) so he was a pretty hot commodity.  And he's good in this, without a doubt, but it's no Brian's Song (does anyone remember that TV movie about the football player who dies of cancer?  I'll love James Caan forever because of that role.)  John Houseman is also in this film, as the head of Energy Corporation. He has the most formidable eyebrows ever!  Seriously, I felt like their wiry hairs might reach through the screen and wind around my ankle!  I kept remembering him from the 70's TV show, Paper Chase.  It was about law students and he was the scary head professor.  He was wonderful.

The best surprise discovery in this film is Richard LeParmentier.  You may be asking:  Sue, who is Richard LeParmentier and why do you care?  Well, let me enlighten you.  He has a small part in this film.  But he's much better known (and recognizable) as Admiral Motti in Star Wars.  He's the dude that Darth Vader chokes!!!!!  Darth finds his lack of faith....disturbing.   Best. Role. Ever.

The aesthetic style of the 70's is painful and in abundance.  The font they use for everything from the titles to the uniform numbers is bubbly looking, like how I used to write letters when I was 11.  And the outfits are all tight pants for the guys and flowy caftans for the women.  The women, by the way, are basically concubines for the athletes.  All the women.  Maud Adams (Octopussy!!) plays Caan's ex-wife who was "given" to an executive because he wanted her.  She had the biggest female role and it was like two scenes.  I was definitely having issues with how the women were portrayed in this film.  The sets were all 70's futuristic too. Everything was white with glass or mirrored accents.  There is a talking computer named Zero and the design was a box with rows of glass circles looking into the innards, which consisted of  LED lights and tubes with bubbling water. Oooh, future-y!!  And you know, that's what makes a computer run...bubbling water and lights.  I'm contracting at Apple...I know this shit.  I heard Dave the Computer was just coming off his 2001 fame and got really into drugs, otherwise they would have cast him.  :)

The circle is actually a big visual feature in this film.  Buildings are circular, circles are design accents, the goal and ball are both circles.  I'm assuming this is to hammer home the futility idea?  Everybody just keeps going round and round?  Or maybe it just looks cool.

Norman Jewison directed this film.  He directed Moonstruck, Fiddler on The Roof, Thomas Crowne Affair.  He was big on the arty shots in this film (a man's back muscles while working out, Caan's hands through a glass sculpture, lots of shots of cityscapes) and apparently showing sweaty faces is part of his cinematic style.  I guess it conveys tension.  There were definitely a lot of sweaty faces in this film and it made me tense because I wanted to wipe them all down.  So, that's a win, right?

(Oddly, James Caan is drinking what looks like a mimosa in one shot, so why not?  Let's pair mimosas with this brutal depiction of a dystopian future!)

Alien Nation - released in 1988

Now we see James Caan 13 years later.  He's aging pretty well, but he certainly isn't baby faced anymore.  This film costars Mandy Patinkin, just a couple years after Princess Bride.  We can't see how he's aging because he's in full alien makeup.

This film is basically a buddy cop movie, the twist being one is a cranky veteran cop and the other is a wisecracking black kid from Detroit.  Oh wait, no, that's 48 Hrs.   He's a cranky veteran cop and the other is a crazy, suicidal but brilliant cop who's wife died...oh wait, no, that's Lethal Weapon.  Cranky veteran and Chinese cop?  Nope, that's Rush Hour.  Okay, so I thought perhaps...maybe....just a bit....this film is a tad derivative.  This in no way means I didn't like it.  I'm a big fan of buddy cop movies.  So for reals, James Caan is cranky as fuck and kind of a loser.  He hateshateshates the aliens that landed in the "near future" (1991, heh), who have come to our planet and are fully assimilated.  So one of these aliens kills his partner and he gets paired with Mandy who plays Sam Francisco (ha!), who's the first alien to become a detective.  Caan volunteers to be his partner because he thinks he can use Mandy to help get the aliens who killed his partner, but in the end he becomes a mentor and friend to Mandy who is a good and upstanding citizen and a really good cop.  There is nothing that is original or innovative about this movie, but it's a nice friendship film.  I think it was successful because James Caan is a good actor and Mandy Patinkin is a great actor.  Even covered in alien makeup.  

Mandy's character loves being on Earth; getting opportunities he wouldn't have had on his planet, being able to give his family the best possible life.  I imagine this is how my father felt when he came to America.  Mandy gets this truly inspired little speech which I think applies as much today as ever:  "You humans are very curious to us.  You invite us to live among you in an atmosphere of equality that we've never known before, You give us ownership of our own lives for the first time and you ask no more of us than you do of yourselves.  I hope you understand how special your world is, how unique a people you humans are.  Which is why it is all the more painful and confusing to us that so few of you seem capable of living up to the ideals you set for yourself."  Heady stuff for a goofy buddy film.

(My drink pairing suggestion is a big glass of spoiled milk if you are an alien or a glass of Smirnoff over ice if you're human.)

My takeaways:

#1 - I read that James Caan has been up and down in his choice of roles.  I'm particularly glad he chose to be Buddy's dad in Elf.

#2 - I think Caan's real skill is being in films with really great actors.  Because he's good.  But he plays well with others that are great.

#3 - His son, Scott Caan, is on Hawaii 5-0 (is that still on?) and looks quite a bit like him from his Rollerball years.  I'm not sure why this is a takeaway but it is.

xoxo...hashtagSueslife

Hollywood takes on Broadway

Hi gang!

I happened upon this post in my favorite way...I was flipping through channels and found my first entry, which led me to my second.   And it's musicals, which I love!  In fact, when I was in college, I wrote a paper about the structure of the musical film...I think I even got an A.  

Taking a Broadway show and shoving it into the film format is a daunting task, I would imagine.  Here we examine how successful some of the newer endeavors are.

Hope you enjoy!

Annie - released in 2014

I accidentally watched about 10 minutes of this the other day and was not planning on watching more but then my coworker David suggested I write about it.  I imagine this is because I was nonstop complaining about it for a good 20 minutes of our lunch break and he likely just didn't want to hear it.

As most of you know, I'm a big fan of musicals.  I really wanted to like it.  The Annie of this film, Quvenzhane Wallis (henceforth known as Q) was nominated for an Academy Award for her first film and is cute as a bug in a rug.  I had high hopes.  They were quickly and cruelly dashed, though.  I think this film got panned in the reviews and it's no wonder.

Where do I even start?  I was unsure if Q did her own singing, but after I googled, it appears she does.  She's....okay.  She can carry a tune and all, but it's nothing to write home about.  And she doesn't hold a candle to the atrocity that is Cameron Diaz.  SHE. IS. AWFUL.  I wish I could say it's just her singing, but Cameron overacts so hard in this film I think she might have pulled something.  Jaime Foxx plays the new version of Daddy Warbucks (his name in the film is Stacks...not sure why they felt the need to rename the character).  Foxx isn't a bad singer but nothing about the arrangements of these songs (especially the new ones) were either inspiring or...well...melodic, quite frankly.  There was one song where Foxx and Cameron started in a duet, then Q joined them. During the duet, I thought I might poke out my own eardrums.  And Cosmo's too, so he wouldn't have to suffer.  When Q joined them, the mix was so terrible I could barely tell who was singing.  

The director is a guy named Will Gluck.  I've seen his film Easy A and liked it quite a bit.  This one...not so much.

They also tried to drag this story into the new millennium and it went kicking and screaming.  They made the former orphans into foster kids and Daddy Stacks is the CEO of a cell phone company.

Do I even tell you guys about the dancing?  Let's just call it "body shifting" because it was like some sort of free style extravaganza at the School for the Dance Challenged.  There were a few of the "foster kids" (formerly orphans) that are probably Broadway kids so they were good, but not one of the main characters had a right AND a left foot. 

And Rose Byrne.  Why did you agree to do this film?  I'm not sure I can unsee and unhear what you did.  Before this, I loved you.  Now I feel like our relationship is sullied.

It's a hard knock life, indeed.

(My drink pairing for this is the politically correctly named Little Orphan Annie.  Vodka mixed into a Shirley Temple.  Curly hair girls unite! Or untie.  Depending.)

Into the Woods - released in 2014

It was suggested that I pair Annie with Q's debut film, but I've been really curious about seeing Into the Woods, so that's what I did.

I haven't seen much Sondheim in the past (Assassins at a local theatre company and Sweeney Todd in the theater and on film) and I'm coming to the conclusion that he's not my favorite composer/lyricist.  I read that Oscar Hammerstein was his mentor which would lead me to believe I'd love him, but he has his own distinct style, which I respect;  it's just not really MY style.  He certainly doesn't shy away from a dark theme, though, which is kind of great.  In Into the Woods, Cinderella's ugly stepsisters get parts of their feet cut off to fit in the slipper, a main character dies, and there's this weird Obi Wan moment between the Baker and his dad.  Good stuff!!  The thing about his music, though, is none of it ever stays with me, no tune sticks in my head.  Much of the music in this one actually reminded me of some Beatnik, spoken word poetry shit - "we ARE goING intothewoods!" (think: So I Married an Axe Murderer..ooh, I should revue that!)

So the film version of Into the Woods stars Meryl Streep as the Witch. Apparently Meryl enjoys supplementing her well deserved Oscar winning roles with musicals.  I'm glad Meryl has the Hollywood clout to do any project she wants, honest I am, I just kind of wish she had a bit more self awareness about her singing abilities.  She's not terrible, mind you.  It just ain't no Meryl "accent".  That's the stuff of brilliance.  I'd say her singing is mediocre at best.  This type of music seems to suit her voice FAR MORE than Mamma Mia, however (and come on...next to Pierce Brosnan Meryl could have croaked like a frog and everyone would have cried "Brava!").  And acting-wise, she's aces.  Also, she goes from old and haggard to young(er) and beautiful.  I swear her "young" hairstyle looks like it's modeled after Wynona Judd's hair.  It's kind of awesome. And blue.

 I was seriously worried about the cast being up to this task and was pleasantly surprised.  Emily Blunt was great (I was hoping she'd be...I kind of love her) as was Anna Kendrick (we know she can sing, so no surprise there).  What up with Anna Kendrick's Resting Bitch Face, though?  Get an expression, Anna!  I'm sure you'd be a lovely girl if you just smiled!

Chris Pine plays Prince Charming (his best line:  I was raised to be charming, not sincere) is adorable and appears to approach his role as if he were William Shatner performing it (maybe it's how he really wants to act when he's playing James T Kirk?).  I give him huge props for his performance, prancing around and wearing a lot of makeup.  Brave.

There are two kids in it.  Both are as precocious as fuck.  The boy is a total little urchin; I'm sure he's performed the Gavrosh role in Les Miz more than once. You can just tell by his over-pronunciated Cockney accent and bowl cut hairdo.

Johnny Depp plays the Big Bad Wolf in a child molester-y manner, so that's kind of gross and Tracey Ullman as Gavrosh's mom kicks ass as usual.

Rob Marshall directed this.  He directed Chicago and before that was a choreographer on Broadway (plus choreographing Victor/Victoria!) so he knows what he's doing.  I give him full marks for not trying some experimental bullshit (Annie).  He staged this almost like it was a play.  Kudos!   If you're gonna make regular actors sing, let's not muddy the situation even more by changing the time period or sets (again, looking at you, Annie)

Honestly, for the most part I enjoyed this film.  It's a bit over 2 hours, so it was loooonnnng, but it was fun and well-performaed.

(My drink pairing for this film is a Dark 'n Stormy.  Aptly named and yum!)

My takeaways:

#1 - Sometimes one film adaptation of a Broadway musical is enough.  Why does Hollywood continually mess with something that already works?

#2 - Actors who are either mediocre singers or can not sing at all:  Please stop accepting roles in musicals!!  There are SO many actors out there who really can sing (Idina Menzel, Joseph Gordon-Levitt,  Kristin Chenoweth, Ewan McGregor (!)...even Gwyneth Paltrow, for crying out loud)..just let them have the roles.

#3 - Please notice I didn't even go there with Les Miserables.  I just can't even.

xoxo...hashtagSueslife

Poldark: The Truth about Abs

Hey gang!

This is a bit of a change to my typical format but I was inspired to write about this TV series I just finished watching.  So not only is it television but I also didn't pair up any elements.  This is a stand alone type deal. 

Also, it's maybe a bit snarkier than usual.  Hope you enjoy! 

Poldark - 2015 TV series

Beth and I made the great sacrifice for women and Masterpiece Theatre lovers everywhere and watched the whole of Poldark's Season One (8 episodes).  I feel like this post needs a tagline. "Come for the abs, stay for the smile".

Aiden Turner and his marvelous abs play Ross Poldark.  He is truly beautiful.  I mean, there are the obvious muscles, but (even though this is a melodrama so there isn't much that's happy) there were moments when he'd throw a little smirk or sweet smile out that stopped us in our tracks.  When he told his wife he loved her, we both clutched our chests and sighed.  No lie.  He was a theatre guy for a long time, apparently, but in '08 made the leap to films.  Most notably he's been in all the Hobbit films.  I confess to not having seen the Hobbit films, so I can't speak to that, but he has completely won me over in this series.

I'm pretty sure there are other cast members, although it's kind of hard to remember much beyond Poldark's ridiculous hotness.  One that stands out is a guy I keep seeing in other BBC/Masterpiece Theatre stuff.  His name is Philip Davis and I recognized him from a Sherlock episode (the Bartelby Crumblepatch version) in which he plays an evil cabbie.  In this series, he's a terrible servant.  By terrible I mean that he's useless, he doesn't do shit.  Plus he has black teeth.  Black.  So gross.

I would love nothing more than to tell you all that I've been riveted by this nuanced and poignant melodrama.  But, in fact, I wasn't.  It's a bit meandering and bit dull, truth be told.  In fact, I remarked after the first few episodes that we wouldn't still be watching this if it weren't for the promise of more abs.  Disappointingly, they did not deliver.  What?  WHAT??  C'mon Masterpiece Theatre!!  You didn't put Aiden Turner in there with that glorious chest to have it covered in a shirt, vest and two fucking coats all the time, did you?? Because if that is the case, I believe you do not know your audience AT ALL.  I bet if we took a poll, very few people would say they are watching this series for the fascinating peek into the lives of Cornish miners.  I mean, we haven't even seen a mining accident.  And the expected love triangle isn't really there because Poldark loves his wifezzzzzzzzzzzzz...oh, sorry did I doze off?

And while I'm on topics like plot, lets discuss the directing.  There are two directors of this series and one, according to IMDB, is "known for his strong use of landscape and often gothic themes."  Well, "strong use of landscape" is an understatement, and clearly the other director took this dude's lead.  I have seen so many shots of the breeze gently swaying thistles and long grass that I could probably become a fucking botanist.  Seriously.  It's not even some metaphoric thing to show the passage of time or anything.  Just grass blowing in the wind.  Or sometimes it'll be some super odd shot of a horse's hoof (still attached and all, just "artsy") or the wheel of a carriage.  Honestly some of them were baffling.  The most offensive was when Poldark FINALLY takes off his shirt and they immediately pan to a bonfire nearby. What. The. Hell.  I was so irritated I yelled "Fuck you, Fire!" at the television.  Perhaps not my finest moment.  It really wasn't the fire's fault.

These "artsy" shots combined with the lack of exciting things happening made each episode seem incredibly long.  At one point, we paused to fill up our champagne glasses (because a girl needs champagne when watching handsome men on TV, right?) and saw that only 13 minutes had passed. 13 minutes.  We thought surely we were near the end of the episode.  It was like we fell into some weird Poldark time warp where you feel like you've been watching for hours, yet you've barely entered the episode.  When we realized the last episode of the season was two hours we both groaned out loud.

I'm sure you are all thinking that I've been exceedingly critical of this series and am done with it, but I'm fully planning on watching Season Two (most likely with Beth and plenty of alcohol).  I think I can speak for Beth too when I say that we remain ever hopeful that the directors will realize their mistake and have the swaying-grass-to-bare-chest ratio swing in our favor.

(My drink pairing suggestion for this entire series is pink champagne  It highlights the good in the series and mellows the not-as-good)

My takeaways:

#1 - While the acting in the whole series is actually really good, I think my favorite character is Garrick the dog.

#2 -  Hot men on TV are like the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine go down.

#3 - I learned recently that these books were started in the late 40's, the author took a break then wrote the rest of the series in the mid 70's.  I thought for sure these were written in maybe the 1800's so I was kind of flabbergasted.  Also, why did he take a break?  Was he as bored with the lives of miners as I was?  Perhaps.  

xoxo...hashtagSueslife 

The "Back to Work" Edition

Hi all!I know I missed a golden opportunity here by not making this a Harry Potter post in honor of his (and J.K.'s) birthday, but I'm honoring the fact that I got a stinkin' JOB instead!  Okay, okay, it's a freelance gig, but in stark contrast to my last five months, I'm showering daily and making money.  It's glorious for everyone involved.So I give to you....my "Back to Work" edition.  Enjoy!

Working Girl - released in 1988I've never seen this movie before.   Now that I have, I feel like I didn't miss much.This movie is like a study in 80's hairdos.   I'm sure a huge percentage of this film's budget was for AquaNet.  Holy shit.  This movie is basically watching a hard working, smart Jersey girl climb her way up the corporate ladder by pretending she's not just a secretary while her boss (Sigourney Weaver)  is laid up with a broken leg. She does this largely by getting rid of her horrendous 80's hairdo.  Seriously, her bangs were like a foot high flap raising from her forehead.  And everything turned around for her when she cut that shit off.  She also has the help of a man (hello, it's the 80's) in the form of Harrison Ford.  Now, I love me some Harrison, but sometimes (maybe always?) he's not the best actor in the world.  I know, I know.  This is sacrilege.  He's handsome and all that (I love him.  He knows.) but much of his acting style is "looking perplexed". This is in good contrast to our heroine Melanie Griffith's acting style which is constant throat clearing.  She has a kind of scratchy voice, but she seriously clears her throat in EVERY scene.  Maybe she has a goiter?  And I have a hard time buying her being smart.  Sorry.  It just doesn't ring true.  I mean, she says to Harrison when she meets him "I have a head for business and a bod for sin".  Bod. Gah.Sigourney Weaver is maybe my favorite character in this film.  She's bitchy and backstabby, but she plays it perfectly.  She has this fabulous line when she's telling Melanie Griffith something about getting her boyfriend to marry her.  It's all businesslike and then she says "And I am, after all, me."  It's pretty great.There are a ton of amazing actors who were clearly just beginning their careers because they have tiny parts.  Joan Cusack and Alec Baldwin both have healthy secondary roles but Kevin Spacey has a tiny part as a douchey, coke snorting coworker, Olympia Dukakis is an office manager with one scene and both Riki Lake and David Duchovny have teeny tiny walk ons (he's "party goer" and she's "bridesmaid").  To be clear, I'm not saying David Duchovny is an amazing actor.  Just that he had a tiny part in this film.I will also put forward that I think in nearly every film Harrison Ford is in they have written in a scene explaining his scar.  I'm not disputing that it's a sexy scar, it's just interesting that they always write it in. (In fact, it's from a minor car accident.  Did y'all know he used to work at a Bullocks?  It's amazing what you learn...)This movie did really well commercially.  The main song (written and performed by Carly Simon) won an Academy Award.  Maybe it needed to be seen in the  80's to really be enjoyed.  I don't know, I feel like I missed this particular bus.I read that the scenes of her office building lobby were filmed in one of the World Trade Center buildings and there is one shot where she's looking at the NYC skyline and there are the towers all lit up.  Seeing films when the buildings are still there always give me a chill at how arresting and epic they made the skyline, immediately followed by a true and deep sadness.(I suggest pairing this film with a big shot (or more) of Tequila Gold - that's what they call it in the movie.)

9 to 5 - released in 1980Although this film is 35 years old, it's still thoroughly enjoyable.  Jane Fonda is always lovely and classy, Lily Tomlin is perfect as the completely capable but overlooked employee and Dolly Parton is just generally adorable and charming.  I honesty thought this wasn't going to hold up watching it now, but I still liked it.Apparently this film originated from an idea that Fonda had because a friend of hers had started an organization called 9 to 5, dealing with woman office workers. This is back in the day when they were primarily secretaries - getting their bosses coffee, picking up their dry-cleaning, filling their cars with gas.  Wow, right?  I guess it was a tricky film to write because although it's classified as a "labor film" she didn't want it to be preachy and depressing (and let's face it..labor films tend to be just that).It remains funny, even though it's dated.  I nearly spat out my Coke Zero when I saw typewriters and dictaphones!  But one thing struck me.  Why can we make a computer fit on a fucking phone, but we STILL CAN"T CREATE A CONSISTENTLY FUNCTIONING COPIER?????  Mind blowing.Dabney Coleman plays their super scummy boss and he's really great.  He's a complete asshole or as they describe him "sexist, egotistical, lying, hypocritical bigot".  I think he's really funny, particularly when the woman are having their fantasies of getting rid of him.  All the fantasies are extremely silly (they have smoked a joint so they are a giggly, hungry mess..the scene is pretty cute) but my favorite is Lily Tomlin's.  She dreams of being a Snow White character, who, aided by a gaggle of 2D animated woodland creatures, poisons the boss's coffee.  Oddly, I'm having a hard time finding out who did the animation for this.  According to IMDB there was a supervisor and one animator and Wikipedia doesn't have anything.  Shameful.This is Dolly's first film role.  Again, she was really charming in it.  She doesn't read as a secretary though, with her false eyelashes and 3 inch long nails.  Ain't no way those fingers could type!We've come a long way, baby...but judging by the professional world I live in, we ain't there yet. The movie ends with the three of them being pretty proud of all the foreward-thinking changes they implemented in the office (day care, job sharing, etc).  Then they say something like "oh, but we didn't get equal pay" and they all sort of shrug like "well ya can't have everything!".  Grrrrr.(I suggest pairing this film with a hand rolled joint.  Puff, puff, pass people.)

My takeaways:#1 - I wish I could say everything about these films are incredibly archaic, but there is still a difference between men and women in the workplace.  And if you don't believe me, ask a female animator.#2 - I'm incredibly grateful to be working, but I fear that Cosmo might lose his newly formed skills at doing a High Five.#3 - Seriously, you ALL were amazing to me while I was a "lady of leisure" and I may be one again someday so in the meantime let's make hay while the sun shines!  Drinks on me!!

xoxo....hashtagSueslife

Happy Birthday Athena

Today is my mother's birthday.  She'd be 96.  She's been gone for nearly 20 years but a day doesn't go by where I don't think about her or say something she used to ("That outfit hides a multitude of sins"  "Why doesn't that car go?? He has a prairie!!").  I see her in the faces (and spunkiness!) of my family and even in the food we all cook.  She will never really be gone.

This post is entirely in my mom's honor.  She was a movie lover from WAY back (Gone With The Wind was her favorite all time movie) and instilled that love in me.  I'm sure she'd be happy that my cockamamie idea of taking Film Studies in school has actually kept me in food and housing because I think when I got my first job in the "industry" (video duplication) she thought I was working at a Blockbuster.

Hope you enjoy!

Untouchables  released in 1987

My mother was a huge fan of gangster films.  Loved James Cagney (and who can blame her).  When Untouchables was coming out she was SO excited to see it she had me play hooky from school that day (granted I was in college so it wasn't that huge of a deal) and go see it with her. Opening day. Matinee. The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.

I had forgotten a lot about this film and learned some new tidbits  It was directed by Brian DePalma!  The music was written and conducted by Ennio Morricone (I was a bit underwhelmed by this music, especially considering I absolutely loved his score for the film The Mission.  That film came out the year before so perhaps there was some wad shooting.  I kid.  The man was amazing and incredibly prolific. He composed for like a zillion spaghetti westerns.).  The wardrobe (not costume design, mind you, so I imagine they just meant the suits) was created by Giorgio Armani (he got his own card in the credits). The screenplay was written by muthafuckin' David Mamet!!  This is the item that blew me away the most.  Several of the actors did Mamet's lovely and unique writing style justice - Robert DeNiro and Sean Connery (oddly)...but Kevin Costner trying to interpret Mamet's rhythmic dialog is like listening to Kevin Costner try to be "British" as Robin of Locksley.  The common denominator being...Kevin Costner.

One of the coolest things about this movie is DePalma's homage to one of the most revered sequences in film history:  the Odessa Steps sequence from Battleship Potemkin (allow me to get all film major-y on you for a moment).  Potemkin was made in 1925 by a director named Sergei Eisenstein.  Eisenstein is credited with creating the "montage" in film editing.  What that meant for him (not the montage sequence of today - see Team America!!) was to take two or more images to create a "third thing" which is basically an emotion or an idea.  A synthesis.  Essentially, by juxtaposing images he can manipulate the viewer into a specific feeling.  If you ever want to spend 8 or 10 minutes, find the sequence on YouTube and watch it.  It's a ground breaking piece of film (particularly for the time) showing these regimented soldiers marching down the steps and the crowd panicking and dispersing.  It's very violent, most everyone dies, a child is trampled and the last part is watching a baby carriage roll down the steps (with a baby in it) unattended.   In my opinion, DePalma's homage is a good one.  DePalma favors slo-mo and he films his whole steps sequence that way.  All we hear, even though Eliot Ness and all the gangsters are shooting each other, is the synchopated sound of the baby carriage going down the steps.  It's very bloody (But come on!  It's DePalma.  Think about Carrie, for crying out loud!) but the baby does live at the end.  I'm not so sure that is implied in Eisenstein's version.

Sean Connery is always a treat, even though his Irish accent sounded pretty Scottish to me. Oh well, I'm gonna give it to him anyway.  And a special shout out goes to Andy Garcia's hair.  Always good, regardless of what I think about his acting. 

(My drink pairing for this film is some nasty, illegal bathtub gin!)

Silverado - released in 1985

My mother also loved a good western.  I think this is the movie that made her love Danny Glover, too.  As I've said before, she was a huge fan and at a Bammies one year he kissed her cheek.  She was giggly about that one for years.

I thoroughly enjoyed watching this film again even though I was somewhat reluctant to watch it.  I think I remembered it as long with kind of a dreary ending.  And more Costner, which could be trouble.  BUT.  It was great!  The dialog is witty, the awe-inspiring landscapes are...well...awe-inspiring (it was filmed in Vistascope or something like that....totally worth it).  The cast is amazing.  Even Costner is incredibly charming as a sort of ADD gunslinger.

This is essentially a buddy film.  4 decent dudes meet up under strange circumstances in the wild and wooly old West.  They have adventures and save the town.  It IS a long movie; 132 minutes.  But the pacing is swift and well executed so it didn't feel taxing.  It met with mixed reviews back in the day but I have to say...having not grown up in the age of Westerns (like the 40's and 50's, I guess?) I really enjoyed this version of the classic genre.

It's directed by Lawrence Kasdan, who directed The Big Chill among many other films.  Kevin Costner got his role, Jake, in this film because he was essentially cut out of The Big Chill entirely.  Clearly Kasdan likes ensemble films.  What I had forgotten about him is that he wrote films like The Empire Strikes Back and Raiders of the Lost Ark.  No wonder it's a good film.  Seriously, the dialog is great.  There were several times where I LOL'd in my house alone.  Kevin Kline is perfect in this film (it reminded me about how much I loved him back in the day.  Was marrying Phoebe Cates his downfall?  Perhaps.).  His performance is reminiscent (to me anyway) of Gene Wilder's character in Blazing Saddles.  Kline plays his role completely deadpan and delivers some of my favorite lines in the whole film.  At one point Kline and Scott Glenn's character are mistaken for two other guys - Baxter and Hawley.  Scott Glenn says he's not Baxter so the confused guy looks at Kline and says "You aren't Baxter either??" and Kline says "No, I'm not Hawley."  Heh.

The cast, as I said, is amazing.  John Cleese plays a sheriff "not from these parts" (duh) and gets to say a classic Monty Python line as his first bit of dialog onscreen "What's all this then?".  Linda Hunt (everyone's favorite 1980's little person!) has a great role where she gets to look and dress like a woman!  And Brian Dennehy played the bad guy.  He shows up in a lot of my revues actually.  He's clearly a hard working actor!  He plays a nuanced bad guy, which I think might be a tad unusual for a Western.  I think his character is actually a sociopath.  He's kind of charming yet completely sinister at the same time.  He smiles but you can see the evil behind his eyes.  I think this is my favorite role of his to date.  Jeff Goldblum is also in it, playing a city slicker. It's a toss up of which cowboy version of Goldblum I like better - this one or Buckaroo Banzai.  Danny Glover also gets a great line - "I don't want to kill you and you don't want to be dead."  And Rosanna Arquette is in this film.  I have a hard time seeing what about Rosanna prompted the dude from Toto to write a song about her.  And truly, her whole family seems like a bit of a mess.  What up, Toto?

The last thing I'll say about this film is I'm SHOCKED that no character in this film suffered from PTSD.  A shit ton of people get shot in front of a shit ton of different people and everyone (including the little kid) seem to take it all in stride (well, except for the dead guys).  Maybe that's just the law of the Old West.

(My drink pairing for this film is a shot of rotgut (good whiskey cut with something nasty to make it go farther) or if you're feeling like a weenie, a glass of sarsaparilla.)

My Big Fat Greek Wedding - released in 2002

This movie was released long after my mother passed away.  I know she would have loved it, though, which is why I added it to this post.  This movie makes me long for my Bostonian Greeks.  I see aspects of my family all over the place in this film - from restaurant ownership to never, ever eating lamb with (ick) mint sauce.  If this movie had Smell-O-Vision, it would smell like garlic!!

Apparently this film is the biggest grossing romantic comedy of all time.  Naturally...it's about Greeks.  :)

This film was written by Nia Vardalos, who also stars in it.  She originally had staged it as a one woman play based on her life and marrying a non-Greek.  Rita Wilson (Mrs Tom Hanks) saw it and eventually Hanks' production company Playtone produced the film.  My aunt ALWAYS reminds me that Rita Wilson is Greek.  Rita must be some kind of poster child for Greeks marrying famous guys.

Michael Constantine plays her father, Costa.  I had a fling with a guy named Costa once. On a cruise ship. Dang, that man was yummy.  Sigh.  Okay, sorry, I'm back. What were we talking about?  Oh yeah.  Constantine is great in the role - perfectly executing the Greek dad who uses Windex to cure any ailment and insisting all words are from a Greek origin.  Her mother is played by Lainie Kazan, who is so, so great (I just read that she's part Turkish!).  I think she's an under appreciated actress.  She consistently brings so much warmth and humor to every character she plays.  Anyone who hasn't seen My Favorite Year should for Lainie alone ("Swanny!"), although the movie is brilliant and everyone in it is fantastic.  Also, she has a good name.  It's a favorite in my family!

My singular favorite performance in this film, though, is Andrea Martin.  My brother Dennis has quite the story about meeting Andrea Martin which makes me want to not love her...but in this film it's hard not to.  She has arguably all the best lines ("What do you mean, he don't eat no meat?  That's okay, I'll make lamb."  Or the whole bit about getting the "bobopsy" done on her lump.  And it's her twin! Hilarious.). And when she's following Lainie Kazan around to pluck her chin hairs?  It was like being at home (Get the one big one!).  

I remember going with my family to see this film and it was really like having Athena sitting there with us.  I could just hear her big, big laugh.  She'd probably knock over her popcorn (apparently klutziness is passed down to the females of our family).  She would absolutely flirt with the ticket guy.  And she'd be hugging and kissing on us all as we were trying to leave.  I miss you, Mamitsa.

(My drink pairing for this film is Ouzo.  Lots of Ouzo.)

My takeaways:

#1 - It's no surprise that my mother influenced my movie watching, although I think in the end she was more of a Costner fan that I can ever be.  Maybe because she never saw Waterworld.  

#2 - I know a lot of you thought I'd include Singin' In The Rain here, but that would be too easy, wouldn't it?

#3 - Please raise a glass of whatever you're drinking today to my mom.  You would all have gotten a kick out of her and I guarantee she'd have loved each and every one of you.

xoxo...hashtagSueslife

Baz Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy

Hi all!

This time you get a flight of films!

I'm a long time fan of Baz Luhrmann (real name:  Mark Anthony Luhrmann!!).  His movies always surprise me and make me happy.  They even make me believe in love.

Hope you enjoy!

Strictly Ballroom - released in 1992

When I first saw this film, it was nothing like what I anticipated. I think I was assuming it was going to be kind of serious?  Anyway, I absolutely loved it.  It just reinforced what I felt that I already knew about Australian moviemaking.  These are filmmakers that are willing to take risks and have an amazing sense of humor.  

I learned some interesting things about this film (God Bless Wikipedia!).  This film was based on a stage production that Baz Luhrmann had written.  Ballroom dancing was close to his heart; he was a ballroom dancer as a kid and his mother taught ballroom dance.  It very nearly wasn't made as many folks thought it wouldn't sell at all.  The original producer died while they were in the last stages of production but his widow took over to finish the film.  Also, the woman who plays Scott's (the main guy) mother died a few months before the film was released.  She was wonderful in the film but I will admit that while I was watching it I was thinking (because of her voice) that she must have been a heavy smoker. She's gravelly as fuck.  Baz had to do a lot of fancy footwork to get the film actually seen but once he did it was an instant hit (apparently he showed it originally at a film festival and they got a 15 minute standing O!).

This is basically the story of a boy (Scott) who dreams of being unique and an ugly duckling girl (Fran...and please say these names with your best Australian accent) who metamorphoses into a swan.  They travel their journeys together and in the end they realize it's not about winning the Pan Pacific Ballroom Dance Competition but falling in love.  Baz must be SUCH a softie in real life.  All the Red Curtain films are about true love overcoming huge obstacles.

This film has nearly grotesque lighting and crazy camera angles, highlighting the absurdity of ballroom dancing and the competition that surrounds it.  Baz also pokes fun at the solemnity of the institution.  For instance, the president of the organization is ALWAYS called "Federation President Barry Fife".  FP Barry Fife is our bad guy....he reminds me a bit of Jim Broadbent's character in Moulin Rouge.  He's completely over the top with a ridiculous toupee and consistently red face like he's going to have an aneurism.

In direct contrast to the absurdity of the ballroom stuff, though, is Fran's family.  They are an immigrant family from Spain who live in a super shitty part of town (Melbourne, I think).  I actually really love this part of the film.  The dancing is beautiful as Fran and Scott learn the pasodoble from Fran's father and grandmother in their tiny backyard.  It celebrates the bonding power of dancing and the happiness of being with family.  Plus it's really awesome flamenco dancing!!  The dad kicks some serious ass.

The cast were all newcomers, and to be honest I'm not sure that many of them did much more internationally after this film.  The guy who plays Scott, our hero, was originally a dancer (and seriously, you could bounce a coin off his ass!).  It appears that he hasn't acted in nearly 10 years (or his IMDB hasn't been updated in forever) but I will say that his acting style in Strictly Ballroom is similar to a young Luke Skywalker.  Cute, but REALLY whiny.  I expected him to yell "Uncle Owen!!" at any moment.  I'm not sure what else Fran, our heroine, was in but I know she has a cameo in Moulin Rouge (the camera quickly pans by a tore up looking lady-of-the-evening when we are entering Montmartre.  That's her.).  

My favorite characters, though, might be Scott's little sister and her dance partner. They are always around, the voice of reason amidst the cacophony and ridiculousness.

(My drink suggestion for this film would be a big glass of sangria!  Ole!)

William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet - released in 1996

Dear Baz Luhrmann, if you are going to make a Red Curtain TRILOGY, it's a nice idea to have a red curtain in all three of your films.  Sincerely, Me.

Okay, now that I have that out of the way...he starts and ends this film with a TV set on a blank background.  It's really a cool vehicle for that narrator type voice that Shakespeare wrote.  He also ends the film with Radiohead's Exit Music (For a Film), which is a song near and dear to my belly dancing heart (you get extra points if you know why).

This film is my least favorite of the three.  It's not a bad film at all.  It's actually very enjoyable and you can start to see Baz really fleshing out his style.  He starts playing around with small moments of sped up action and over the top sets and party scenes.  And of course, music is a huge part of it.  There is a little boy singing various songs (like When Doves Cry) in a kind of gospel choir style that is just gorgeous.  I hope that kid went on to do great things.  

I always think interpreting Shakespeare in film form is a brave and risky business. Baz says something about how he felt that this is how Will himself might have made a film because even in his day he had to compete with prostitutes and bear baiting (?? That sounds awful!) as entertainment.  I'm not so sure I agree with Baz on this, but what do I know?  It's certainly different than a Branagh interpretation!  I didn't think any of the actors did a really great job of delivering the dialog in a convincing way, but they were a SHIT TON better than Keanu Reeves (Kenneth Branagh, WHAT were you thinking??  Did you have a terrible fever the day you cast him?).

Oh, and why did no one tell me Paul Rudd was in this film?  He plays Paris (not entirely convincingly, but I'll give it to him because he's adorable).  Leonardo DiCaprio is apparently a favorite of Baz.  He wanted him originally to be in Moulin Rouge but alas, Leo can't sing.  As evidenced by this film, Leo is a good cryer but I still don't think he'd hold a candle to Ewan McGregor (sigh!).  John Leguizamo is also in this film (clearly another Baz fave).  I'm sure he's thanking his lucky stars that he played Tybalt instead of Mercutio, who is dressed in major drag for the party scene.  I feel like Leguizamo always gets saddled with the weird costumes so it's nice to see him only mildly strange.

I know R + J is a tragedy and all, but seriously there is the moment when they meet, fall instantly in love (ah youth!) and realize who their families are and I thought "You kids GOTTA know this doesn't end well!!"  Father Lawrence says "Thou art wedded to calamity".  True dat, padre.

(My drink pairing for this film is a fine pewter tankard of 16th century ale.)

Moulin Rouge - released in 2001

I love love love this movie.  I remember when I first saw it...I was visiting my niece D'Arcy and she suggested seeing it.  I (for some weird reason) hadn't heard about it and was super skeptical going (also weird...it's a movie, for crying out loud!).  This movie won me over from the first minute, pretty much.  The huge red curtains with the little conductor in front of it?  Sign me up.

Then we really got into it.  Ewan McGregor.  Swoon.  Nicole Kidman (who I'm not always a fan of).  Gorgeous and oh those outfits!  And not a bad singing job.  It was like a circus and a melodrama and a musical all rolled into one delectable package.  Right. Up. My. Alley.  As I was watching it this time, it occurred to me that I think my mother would have really loved this movie too.  Certainly my entire family fell under the Moulin Rouge spell that summer.  Remember, Erokans?

Baz began refining what he has done previously and added some interesting things cinematically in MR.  Together, they worked beautifully to construct this world he wanted us to live in.  The stop motion-y movement of the camera, sped up scenes, slo mo and the brilliant use of sound.  He goes from cacophony to nearly complete silence with the exception of Satine's breathing or the tapping of Christian's old school typewriter.

The Like A Virgin scene seemed almost an homage to Blazing Saddles with the fabulous dancing boys and the over the top sexual innuendos (hello popping champagne cork).

As always, Baz dazzles us with his musical choices (and mash ups) and fantastic dancing.  My particular favorite is the flamenco scene set to the Police's Roxanne.  The Unconscious Argentinian (that's what his credit is!) has such a great line earlier in the film, too:  "I will sing like an angel...but I will dance like the devil!"  (say this in heavy spanish accent "an-hel" and "debil")

I even buy into the device in this film where the audience finds out the entire plot at the beginning of the film - when Christian is setting up the film - then we hear the whole thing again (several times, actually) in the song and dance number where they are pitching it to the Duke, yet we completely embrace the whole thing as it unfolds.  No surprises but you still get the feels.

And let's have a moment to talk about the Duke.  I remember reading somewhere that the actor, Richard Roxburgh, was only the actor workshopping the scenes with the cast and that someone else was going to eventually get the role.  He was so perfect that they never recast.  He really is brilliant in this, he brings a lot of dimensions to the character.  He's funny, menacing and vulnerable.  If you look at his IMDB he's been in a bunch of films but I think this is the one Americans always remember.

My other shout out is to the midget can-can dancer.  She saves the frickin' day!!  Go Little People!!

And finally, Baz's dad was really sick but told him to focus on the film.  He passed away on the first day of production.  :(

(My drink pairing for this film is a Death in the Afternoon.  Champagne and Absinthe.  Fuck yeah, Little Green Fairy!)

My takeaways:

#1 -  I must have been an Australian in a past life.  I feel like I am always drawn to them (My Aussies, you know who you are!!  xoxo).

#2 - All these films are edited by the same woman, Jill Bilcock. She also did films like Muriel's Wedding and Road to Perdition.  Go Jill!!  She clearly kicks some serious ass...the editing in Baz's films is consistently innovative and lyrical.

#3 - I think it would be amazing to sit and listen to music with Baz Luhrmann.  His iPod must be ridiculous.

#4 - Come What May was an original song in Moulin Rouge.  It couldn't be nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Awards, however, because it was written for Romeo + Juliet.  I see how the lyrics are very in sync with R + J (Come what may, I will love you until my dying day) but I'm SOOO glad it was in MR instead.  It's one of my favorite elements of Moulin Rouge. 

xoxo...hashtagSueslife