Andare, Partire, Tornare ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Two movie reviews, no waiting, now with bonus book review Two quickie movie reviews, spoiler-free, and totally unrelated to each other except that I've watched them both recently. Plus one free book-review, thrown in the end just because. Danny Deckchair: A cute little Aussie movie starring Rhys Ifans (the sidekick in Notting Hill) and Miranda Otto (Eowyn). Would have gone unwatched had it not been for my movie-obsessed friend Persia, who scours the Blockbuster for things passed over by normal browsers. Light, fluffy, charming, and well-acted, also manages one of the most spectacular meet-cutes in movie history. Ifans manages to be simultaneously weedy, nerdy, cute, and loveable; Otto has a casual, adorable charm without being all Meg Ryan about it. Probably more a chick movie, but the two guys in the audience seemed to be enjoying themselves, because there's some nice comedy moments and some very genuine "guys/beer/stupid idea" moments. Spellbound: No, not the Hitchcock, but the recent documentary following eight young spelling bee champions as they prepare and then compete in the National Spelling Bee. There's no narrator, so the contestants and their parents and a few others do all the speaking, talking about who they are, why they compete, and their lives in general. What emerges is a fascinating look at a wide range of America and Americans, and what it means to be a really smart kid in a community that cheers for them but may not know exactly what to do with them. (A particularly brilliant edit shows a Hooters sign with a message cheering on their hometown favorite - and it's horribly misspelled.) Absolutely riveting, even to The Bemo, who poo-poo'd it and then found himself drifting over to sit down on the sofa and watch along with me. Plagues and People, by William McNeill: Fucking brilliant. A groundbreaking look at how disease, climate, culture, and religion intersect. Written in a rather stiff style that takes some getting used to, but which quickly sweeps a reader off her feet because of the sheer fascination of what's being discussed. A book that looks at the big picture in a big way, and sweeps across human history to the present day, offering other explanations of how we all got to where we are, and where we might be going in the future. 10:50 p.m. - 2005-03-19 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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