Saturday, May 24, 2025
Film Studies
As I'm sure I've mentioned in the past, most years Ian and I make an effort to see all of the best picture nominees before the Oscars. Note that I say "most years," because sometimes there are nominees I know are not going to work for me, a la Avatar: The Way of Water, and I drop any pretensions of running the table. (I get a headache just thinking about the Avatar movies, and not from the 3D, just from the dialogue.) This year, we did attempt the sweep, but were two movies short by the time the ceremony rolled around; blame our incredibly rich social lives. But now we have caught up, and the results are not that impressive!
From the eight we saw in a timely fashion, Nickel Boys was my top choice, though I knew it had absolutely no chance of winning. Conclave looked prestigious as hell but was fairly ridiculous. Dune Two was way too tan and grainy, and The Substance was gross as hell. Emilia Perez we're supposed to pretend never happened now because reasons. Wicked was actually a really good movie and I don't even particularly love the source material, but probably not "serious" enough to win anything. Anora was fine but kind of won by default I think? Anyway, that was then and this is now.
A few weeks ago we finally blocked out the three and a half hours to see The Brutalist. It was really beautiful to look at and I like the score a lot, but good lord was it long and frankly pretty random in places. Also, I'm not sure if I was supposed to hate the main character? I mean, I get not wanting to make artistic compromises, but also maybe you don't want to subject your entire family to grinding poverty for your principles? And I do sort of hate that brutalism seems to be having a moment again. I refuse to accept that giant slabs of concrete are any sort of aesthetic at all.
And last week we saw A Complete Unknown, and wow. They just made a bunch of shit up about Bob Dylan, huh? Like, some of it seemed weird and then I was reading about it online afterwards and the director was just like, oh, it's not really a biopic, and I didn't want to have "fealty" to the facts. OK, then. Be on the lookout for my movie about Queen Elizabeth where she wins a hot dog eating contest and travels across the Pacific Northwest ingesting mushrooms. I mean, it was well acted and an interesting recreation of a period (I think, obviously I was not alive then) but maybe don't have Dylan bone Joan Baez during the Cuban Missile Crisis if they didn't actually meet until like a year after that?
Whatever, I'm getting cheese fries.
Sunday, May 18, 2025
Happenings
It has been an eventful few weeks. I arrived home from my work trip to Texas two Saturdays ago around 6 PM. At 7 PM, we had a few people over for Ian's birthday, an event he was essentially forced to plan himself since I was travelling for most of the month beforehand. Around 9 PM, Dolly (the new dog) started vomiting, and around 11 PM we ended up at the emergency vet. I was there until 3 AM when they finally recommended surgery because it appeared that she had an obstruction in her digestive tract.
As it turned out, there was no obstruction. But there was a multi-day, several-thousand-dollar stay at the emergency vet, along with several return trips in the dead of night for pain and general craziness. And, of course, weeks of multiple medications and a post-surgical cone that Dolly hated and did not suffer in silence. Now we're back to just her getting up way too early in the morning and demanding breakfast, which perspective has forced us to consider a win, but like I say, eventful times.
Also, I got bronchitis, lost my voice, had to have a CT scan and MRI for what turned out to be a completely benign cyst on my kidney, and presented a half hour continuing legal education program under the influence of basically every over the counter medication known to man.
And then there was my niece's production of Moana Jr., in which she absolutely nailed both of her lines to the fucking wall, her dance recital, which for some reason involved high school girls speaking in beautifully accented yet no less incomprehensible French, and a Mother's Day visit from my mother, which brought the dog count in our home up to three. That's enough for a criminal conspiracy.
Oh, I and had to travel to Decatur the past couple of days for a board meeting. And may or may not have found myself drowsy behind the wheel and woken myself up by belting out High School Musical (1 and 2 only, natch) jams at the top of my lungs. Eventful. And loving it.
Saturday, May 10, 2025
Remember the Alamo
Last week I was in San Antonio for work. As part of that, we went on a "best of San Antonio" tour, which turned out to be somewhat ill fated. You see, it was Fiesta Week in San Antonio, and unknown to us outsiders, there was a parade downtown that attracted half a million people. Which our tour bus ended up being trapped in traffic by, for a few hours straight. And, of course, Lord of the Flies syndrome began to set in.
"I thought we were going to see the Alamo. That's the whole reason I came on this tour, to see the Alamo."
"Couldn't we just walk? Can't we just leave the bus and walk from here?"
"It's supposed to rain. And lightning. I don't think we're safe on this bus in rain and lightning."
"Can I just jump off and try to find a port-a-potty somewhere? I really have to pee."
"What about the Alamo? We were supposed to have a private tour at 2."
Ultimately we did end up seeing the Alamo, but like two hours later and without the private tour. And, as everyone warned me it would be, it was somewhat underwhelming. I mean, not that I thought they'd put in high-speed turbulent thrill rides or anything, but it's basically just the mission, a modern museum, and a bunch of old walls. Which are totally my jam, don't get me wrong, but an hour was plenty of time to take it all in.
Also, Phil Collins. Did you know that UK rock star Phil Collins, of Genesis fame, is a huge Alamo buff? He actually collected a bunch of Alamo memorabilia and donated it to the Alamo. So there are pictures of him everywhere there. He also does some of the voiceover narration for the exhibits. Like, the guy really likes the Alamo.
I think my favorite part was the gift shop. I bought a coonskin cap for a scant $18. It did give me a rash so I think I may be allergic to it, but still, that's a great value.
