A work colleague loaned me her copy of Eve's Bayou. Somehow I missed this when it made its debut in movie theaters back in 1997. Although, I suspect I wouldn't have appreciated it nearly as much as I did now.
Set in a bayou in Louisiana, it's about one particular summer in the life of a wealthy family who have several issues come to fore in a suitably dramatic manner. Gothic but not unduly so. Great cast including Samuel L. Jackson, Vondie Curtis-Hall, Lynn Whitfield, Debbi Morgan, and a young actress named Jurnee Smollett.
The family and the rest of the characters are all African-American, but race never plays any kind of a role in the movie--and it shouldn't. That's not what the movie is about. It's almost a coming-of-age story.
Also caught Transamerica with Felicity Huffman and Kevin Zegers. Didn't have the highest expectations of it, but I was pleasantly surprised. Huffman plays a transgendered individual about to have surgery to become a female, who discovers that she's got a son (Zegers). Zegers has some problems and is looking for his dad to get him out of jail.
Delicate subject matter, but it was handled really well. Funny and touching movie. Huffman managed to convince me that she was a transgendered man--hard task to accomplish.
June 25, 2007
June 20, 2007
I've been tagged :)
First time it's happened so excuse my exuberance
Add your blog and location to the bottom of this list, and send it on.
A Secular Franciscan Life - Billings, Montana, USA Erica’s Blog - Brooklyn, New York, USA Groanin’ Jock - Montrose, Scotland, Great Britain The Kat House - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA blogitude.com (Mark Steel) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA Rantz (Rantz) - Darwin, Northern Territory, Oz Oceanhideaway (Tig) -Atlanta, Georgia, USA Critical Musings - Buffalo, New York
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Sort of. My first and middle names are the feminine forms of my paternal grandfather and dad's names, respectively.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? About a month ago.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? On occasion
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I don't really do lunch meat. But if I had to pick, I'd say roast beef
DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope. No pets either. I do have some houseplants though
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Most of the time.
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. The whole fact that this sport is named after the bungee cords you use to strap items to your car makes me very nervous. I am somewhat intrigued by Extreme Ironing though
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Oatmeal
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? As a rule, no.
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I have my moments.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? They don't make it anymore, but at one time I was severely addicted to Ben and Jerry's Dastardly Mash
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? To quote from a great Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movie, "whether the person is male or female."
RED OR PINK? NEITHER!!!! Red
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My ears
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My dad
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans and the shoes are brown and cream
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Creme Brulee
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Ultra Lounge Vegas Baby CD
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Copper. Not sure if that's still an official Crayola color, but I liked it.
FAVORITE SMELLS? warm laundry
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Um, somebody who had the wrong number
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Curling
FAVORITE HAIR COLOR[S]? Red
FAVORITE EYE COLOR? Blue
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I used to, now I wear glasses most of the time.
FAVORITE FOOD? Filet mignon
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Neither
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Education of Shelby Knox
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Spring green
SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.
HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
FAVORITE DESSERT? Pecan pie or a really good apple pie with a piece of cheddar cheese
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No clue
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No clue
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Born on a Blue Day
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Dust
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Big Love
FAVORITE SOUND[S]? Rain
ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES? Beatles
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Paris, France
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I know most of the LC classification by heart.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? On the planet Earth
WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Whoever chooses to respond
immunis and Nancy, you've been tagged!
Add your blog and location to the bottom of this list, and send it on.
A Secular Franciscan Life - Billings, Montana, USA Erica’s Blog - Brooklyn, New York, USA Groanin’ Jock - Montrose, Scotland, Great Britain The Kat House - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA blogitude.com (Mark Steel) - Knoxville, Tennessee, USA Rantz (Rantz) - Darwin, Northern Territory, Oz Oceanhideaway (Tig) -Atlanta, Georgia, USA Critical Musings - Buffalo, New York
WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? Sort of. My first and middle names are the feminine forms of my paternal grandfather and dad's names, respectively.
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? About a month ago.
DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? On occasion
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? I don't really do lunch meat. But if I had to pick, I'd say roast beef
DO YOU HAVE KIDS? Nope. No pets either. I do have some houseplants though
IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Of course.
DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? Most of the time.
DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes
WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? No. The whole fact that this sport is named after the bungee cords you use to strap items to your car makes me very nervous. I am somewhat intrigued by Extreme Ironing though
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? Oatmeal
DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? As a rule, no.
DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? I have my moments.
WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? They don't make it anymore, but at one time I was severely addicted to Ben and Jerry's Dastardly Mash
WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? To quote from a great Katharine Hepburn/Spencer Tracy movie, "whether the person is male or female."
RED OR PINK? NEITHER!!!! Red
WHAT IS THE LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My ears
WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? My dad
WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? blue jeans and the shoes are brown and cream
WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Creme Brulee
WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Ultra Lounge Vegas Baby CD
IF YOU WHERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Copper. Not sure if that's still an official Crayola color, but I liked it.
FAVORITE SMELLS? warm laundry
WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Um, somebody who had the wrong number
FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Curling
FAVORITE HAIR COLOR[S]? Red
FAVORITE EYE COLOR? Blue
DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS? I used to, now I wear glasses most of the time.
FAVORITE FOOD? Filet mignon
SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Neither
LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED? The Education of Shelby Knox
WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Spring green
SUMMER OR WINTER? Summer.
HUGS OR KISSES? Hugs
FAVORITE DESSERT? Pecan pie or a really good apple pie with a piece of cheddar cheese
MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No clue
LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND? No clue
WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW? Born on a Blue Day
WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? Dust
WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Big Love
FAVORITE SOUND[S]? Rain
ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES? Beatles
WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Paris, France
DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I know most of the LC classification by heart.
WHERE WERE YOU BORN? On the planet Earth
WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK? Whoever chooses to respond
immunis and Nancy, you've been tagged!
June 04, 2007
Fallen Angel
Got Otto Preminger's Fallen Angel through Netflix this weekend. It's very much a noir film. Dana Andrews is some sort of grifter who finds himself in a small town simply because he runs out of bus fare. Unfortunately for him, the diner he lands in turns out to have a classic femme fatale of a waitress (played by Linda Darnell). Darnell has a cadre of devoted gentlemen friends including Bruce Cabot, Percy Kilbride (of Ma and Pa Kettle fame), and my personal favorite, the always excellent Charles Bickford.
Darnell seems unimpressed by all her suitors. She wants a ring and nothing else will do. Dana Andrews gets the idea to marry rich Alice Faye. It all goes downhill from there.
Wonderful cast, incredible atmosphere, Fallen Angel is really worth acquiring or renting.
Meanwhile, I'm seriously thinking about adding every film I can find with Charles Bickford to my Netflix queue, because I've yet to see a bad performance from him.
Darnell seems unimpressed by all her suitors. She wants a ring and nothing else will do. Dana Andrews gets the idea to marry rich Alice Faye. It all goes downhill from there.
Wonderful cast, incredible atmosphere, Fallen Angel is really worth acquiring or renting.
Meanwhile, I'm seriously thinking about adding every film I can find with Charles Bickford to my Netflix queue, because I've yet to see a bad performance from him.
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