Thoughts: My Weekend in Film 12/1

Hi! I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I drove out to Phoenix for the holiday to spend some time with my family. It was nice minus the six hour return drive that took nine hours. There was food, I cooked, my grandmother was in town from Florida, I didn't have to work, I slept. The family drove up to Sedona for an afternoon and I enjoyed the lovely scenery. Of course I forgot my camera and failed to take pictures. Oops. The drive was tiring but it's always nice to be with family on the holidays.

My brain is a bit sluggish at the moment, still slow from the Holiday or something. Bear with me.

Thursday:

After delicious food (turkey for the family, homemade veggie pot pie for myself), wine, and pie, we all settled on the couch and chilled out while we digested.



Fox Movie Channel was running a Planet of the Apes marathon and we ended up watching the original Planet of the Apes.

It's really been a while since I've seen it. In fact, I think Tim Burton's version was actually the last Ape movie I'd seen (I am NOT a fan). I do still enjoy the original. They take themselves so seriously. And of course I remember the first time I saw the ending, and how I really was shocked. I actually watched the movie before I was old enough to have had the ending spoiled for me. So I had no idea that the twist was coming.

One thing about watching movies like this with my family though. Especially with my dad. He never "remembers" anything (which is just silly, he remembers plenty but likes to play like he's forgotten). So of course we're sitting there watching, he wanders off for the last five minutes and then comes back and asks "What happened? Where are they?" My mom says "Come on, you remember Planet of the Apes!" Which of course he does. "Oh yeah, that's what happened, right?" as he lists off all of the major plot points of the last half hour.

Yes dad, yes it was.

Normal banter in my house. Oh family.

Friday PM:

I guess I must be insane because I actually agreed to go to the mall on Friday. It was kind of terrifying. I'm excited that I once again own pants that fit me (I have an issue with that. All of my pants seem to have gotten to be too large for me in the last year). I also finally bought a new pair of sneakers. I should perhaps try and do that more frequently than once every two years.

I did manage to survive the rabid hordes and eventually made it home to the safety of my living room. After Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune and time reading Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, everyone kind of wandered off and I had the TV to myself. Ovation TV was running Andy Warhol themed programming all weekend and I decided to watch I Shot Andy Warhol.



I haven't watched the film since college (I watched it as part of a Women In Film retrospective type thing). I remembered liking Lili Taylor in it a lot, being somewhat shocked by certain parts of it, and just enjoying it as it fed into my fascination with Andy Warhol and that period in NYC.

I still find that scene intriguing. The people and personalities involved, the art and music and film, the lifestyle. I wish I could have seen The Factory, been a part of that at least peripherally. Or maybe not The Factory exactly. But that sort of creative scene.

Anyway. I Shot Andy Warhol is cool.

Saturday PM:

Australia. I had to see it. I'm a fan of Baz Luhrmann, I like romance and daring and adventure, I think Australia is a pretty neat looking place.



Watching the film, I couldn't help but be reminded of many, many other movies. Walkabout comes to mind almost immediately (for reasons beyond the obvious shared location) but it's not the only one. Throughout Lurhmann reminds us of old Hollywood, the Westerns, the War Epics, the Love Affairs. I'm a sucker for that sort of thing.

The reviews on this one seem to be split and I feel like it's definitely one of those love it or hate it films. I loved it.

Doesn't hurt that Hugh Jackman looks AMAZING. I finally understand his being named Sexiest Man of the Year. Indeed. Also, that kiss between

What really stood out for me though was Brandon Walters. Walters plays Nullah, the half white, half aboriginal child whose fate much of the plot revolves around. Walters is incredible. His performance is definitely something special.

Sunday:

Before embarking on what would turn out to be one of the worst drives ever, I ate delicious apple pancakes. And then I watched Joe Wright's adaptation of Pride & Prejudice. Wright also directed last year's Atonement and the upcoming (eventually) The Soloist.



Atonement is ok, it's one of those movies that I liked less the more I thought about it, but I still really enjoy Pride & Prejudice. I like Keira Knightly as Lizzie Bennett (and everyone else as the rest of the Bennetts). Pride & Prejudice is one of my favorite books, it's such a great story with fabulous characters, and I enjoy the different adaptations of it. It's true though that Matthew Macfadyen is no Colin Firth. I still think Firth's Mr. Darcy is better.

I also wish Wickham had had a bigger role in this film. I felt like that subplot wasn't given enough time to develop. However, considering the film is all ready hitting two hours as it is, I suppose something had to be cut.

That's the hard thing about seeing a book you love adapted into a film. Something usually has to go but as a reader you're loathe to give anything up. It's always an interesting question, is the movie a good film or a good adaptation? Sometimes it's one, sometimes the other, and every once in a while it actually manages to be both.

Pride & Prejudice is a good movie, a decent adaptation, and a fair amount of fun.

On The Slate:

Friday Night Lights. The TV show. Seasons 1 & 2. I'm excited.

Play Misty For Me and Day for Night, both in from Netflix.

And maybe some James Bond although at this point I'm beginning to lose hope. So sad!