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I’m going to Puerto Rico!

Published February 9, 2008 movies 19 Comments

It’s true! Tonight, I had a lovely dinner with my mom & Severa, Michael, and Terry & Steve. It was a belated birthday dinner that, in my view, was just wonderful. Everyone seemed to be in great spirits, despite the snowfall and imminent below zero temps. Aside from the excellent company and yummy comfort food, I received — as always — amazing and way-too-generous gifts. I got three extremely generous gift certificates, a gorgeous vase, some super cute and fun coasters and journals, and a trip to Puerto Rico! It’s true! I’m going to Puerto Rico with Terry from March 11th through the 15th. I’m just so excited and grateful. I thought that I had given up my opportunity to travel to PR with Terry when I decided to go to Sundance. So, this is a true surprise and I’m so thankful.

I would also like to say a word, if you don’t mind, on No Country for Old Men. I thought this was a really, really great movie. I thought it was exceptional story telling. I think the Coen brothers might just be getting better and better. I wonder when, and if, they will peak. One of the few problems I had with the movie, though, was the Woody Harrelson character. Folks, tell me what you think. I was confused by this character. I’m not sure that I understand the purpose that he served. His exposition on Javier’s character was, in my opinion, entirely unnecessary and superfluous. Perhaps he was there just to introduce us to the “manager” behind these crimes — the man in the suit and the office in the highrise. But this seems like a lot of work for this purpose. And it strikes me as distracting to place a Celebrity in such a role — I expect the role to have more import when someone I know is in it. So, if someone can fill me in on the point of this character, I’d be grateful. I think maybe I shall read the book and see what I’m missing. Maybe he was just there to serve the purpose of showing that there are degrees of moral bankruptcy even in the world of the hired guns — as in, Woody isn’t great, but Javier is even nuttier.

Go Badgers! I’m listening on the radio tonight because, as we all know, the Big Ten Network is not on Charter. As in the best Shakespearean works, it’s hard to know whom to blame in this horrible situation that is known as not being able to watch most Badger games in Madison.

The motion W is icks

Published February 6, 2008 bling blog 7 Comments

New Project Runway tonight, yes? We’re buried under three million feet of snow here in Madison. Is spring on its way?

Back home

Published January 31, 2008 movies , sundance 13 Comments

So, as most of you know, I’m back home in Wisco. Although the weather is ridiculous, I’m so happy to be home, sleeping in a bed, next to my puppy and able to eat more than once a day if I want. If I ever had need of a vacation from my vacation, though, this would be it.

So, in sum, this was my Sundance experience:

1. Celebrities: Robert Redford, Ben Kingsley, almost-Steven Spielberg, Colin Firth, Adrian Grenier (twice), Sarah Jessica Parker, Dennis Quaid, Paul Giamatti, Thomas Haden Church, Josh Hartnett, Mischa Barton, Martin McDonagh, and Tom Arnold (I’m not sure he counts).

2. Movies: I saw Be Kind, Rewind (A-); Absurdistan (A); Donkey Punch (C+); Choke (D); Assassination of a High School President (A-); August (D); and Chronic Town (B). Movies I wanted to see but didn’t get to: Bottle Shock; The Broken; American Teen; Alone in Four Walls; Be Like Others; The Deal; Frozen River; In Bruges; Funny Games; The Great Buck Howard; Hamlet 2; I Always Wanted to Be a Gangster; King of Ping Pong; The Linguists; Love Comes Lately; Man on Wire; Mancora; Red; Riprendimi; Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired; Secrecy; and Where in the World Is Osama Bin Laden?

3. Weather: it was cold. Not as cold as home, but I don’t usually stand outside in January in Wisconsin for seven hours a day for ten days in a row. So, it was cold and I was very tired of carting around an extra forty pounds in layered clothing at 8000 feet. Rough going.

4. Hungry: I ate a lot of Zone bars (free) and bagels (free). I did not eat anything actually hot or resembling a meal, really, until Sarayu got there and she and I only tried that a handful of times.

5. Lonely: the first days were rough. It felt like a summer camp where everyone knows each other, but you know no one. And it’s not at all like summer camp because it’s freezing and there’s snow everywhere. But my roommates were really nice and I grew to like several people that I worked with very much. On our last day, also my birthday, they surprised me with a nice serenade, a cute card, and some delicious chocolates brought from California just for the occasion. Very, very sweet.

6. Too much travel: Although Sarayu and I left Park City at 10:45 am on Monday, I did not get into Madison until 10 am on Tuesday. Spent the night in Cincinnati after my flight was repeatedly delayed in Salt Lake. Oh well. I’m home now and couldn’t be happier about that.

7. Will I do it again? Sarayu has pretty much forbidden me from repeating this adventure, but I’m not sure. The thing is, I feel like I really didn’t get the system down until the end of the festival. It seems to take at least a week or so to learn how to navigate it all. So, as for next year, well, we’ll see.

The real question, though, is should I continue this blog now that Sundance 08 is over? I’d really like you peeps to weigh in and let me know what you think.

Day six in the tunnel

Published January 23, 2008 sundance 20 Comments

I saw two movies today! So proud of myself. I finished my shift around 2:30 and went right on in to the film we were showing at the Egyptian, which was Absurdistan, a Russian narrative. It was super fun and cute and bright and great. I lost my ballot, though, so I wasn’t able to convey that to the Sundance folks. Such a shame, esp since I love voting so much.

After Absurdistan, I took the bus (!!!another new adventure!!!) over to the Eccles mega-theater for the premiere of Assasination of a High School President with Bruce Willis and Mischa Barton (in the movie, definitely not on the bus). Mischa was part of the post-screening Q&A. She is very tall. Anyway, I really liked this movie, though I must tell you that some of my fellow bus-goers did not. The language was over-the-top sexual at times, but it also has the Wes Craven/John Hughes/Kevin Williamson teenagers-don’t-talk-like-this dialogue that I love. In addition, it’s a noir film and, again, in my opinion, a rather good one. Quite enjoyable — I left with a big smile on my face. Love high school movies! Incidentally, Geoffery Gilmore, who is the director of Sundance, introduced the film by saying that he, too, loves the high school movie genre. Who doesn’t? What’s not to love?

So, Michael Rapapport is also in the movie and he was apparently outside our theater today, but I missed him. And today is day two of Kate just missed William H. Macy on Main Street. Aside from nearly running smack into Adrian Grenier yesterday (second sighting of the lad), all has been rather quiet on the celebrity front. Oh! Except Josh Hartnett at the Q&A yesterday for his movie, which was b-a-d. Wait, I may have already mentioned that in my comments from yesterday.

Celebrity count: priceless

Published January 17, 2008 sundance 34 Comments

Robert Redford. Robert Redford. Robert Redford.