Friday Fly By

I really enjoyed the discussion about movies on the last post. Like Julie, I find myself less and less interested in the type of movies that win awards. I think there’s a noticeable difference between these “award bait” films and the movies that the vast majority of the movie-going public goes to see. And I think that’s wrong. You can have films that are wonderful and also worthy of awards. I think it’s similar to literary snobbery — if it’s not a limited-release art house film, fuggetaboutit? I am lucky in that I have an art house cinema a few blocks from my house, so I can easily go see Rachel Getting Married and Slumdog Millionaire (both of which actually seem really interesting to me) — but I find it ironic that I’ve actually seen more of the nominated documentaries this year than I’ve seen the nominated “pictures.” I read a lot of reviews of the Revolutionary Roads and the Readers of the world (I believe it was the Slate film critic who decided the Reader should be more appropriately titled Boo Hoo I Boinked A Nazi) and I can honestly say that neither of them seem the slightest bit interesting to me. Not even in the DVD renting realm. More like, if I did have cable, and they were on cable, and I was flipping stations, I may give them a whirl. Instead of watching those, I rented Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind again, which is a great film, and in which Kate Winslet is phenomenal. And as for this year’s Oscar-nom darling, Benjamin Button, well, aside from the fact that I hope they are giving Audrey Niffenegger some kind of money for stealing her plot (it’s certainly not Fitzgeralds!)*, a short film (now, unfortunately, unavailable) comparing it shot-for-shot with Forest Gump was all I needed to see to convince me to skip it (and Brad Pitt’s bad southern accent. He should join a club with Nicole Kidman).

So yeah. Movies.

In other news, it’s beginning to thaw out there. I even took Rio for a walk yesterday. She went nuts. Horrific leash manners, really, for about half the walk. I had to lay down the law, which, naturally, she didn’t appreciate at the time, but she loves me plenty now. Snuggled with me last night and everything. It’s a truth universally acknowledged by dog trainers that puppies like it when you’re the boss of them. Pack dynamics and all.

Okay, I’m off. Today is a big writing day for me. I am in one of those instances where I have to go back into my manuscript and fudge with stuff and add chapters because I realized I got the order somewhat muddled and things have to happen before the things I’ve already written about happen. Joy.

__________________________________

* Seriously, does it strike anyone else as being the same deal where George Lucas tried to get the rights toThe Hobbit and couldn’t, so he made Willow instead?