2002-01-02
Back from the holidays, posted at 3:33 p.m.
Epiphany in Baltimore has moved to epiphanyinbaltimore.blogspot.com Long time, no entry. Been away from the computer and been busy having a fun vacation.The Reader's Digest version of what's happened since I came back from Michigan: Paul, Hugasoul, and Nate came down on the 28th, a day after I arrived home. We had a great time exploring the city for a few days. Jason and his brother, along with Eleanor, Jenni (the pseudo-ex), and Andy, arrived on the 30th. We spent a night together, and it was fun. On New Years, we split up - Eleanor, Jenni, Andy, Apryl, and Michael had gotten tickets for the $129 New Years Eve party in D.C., and the other six of us decided to spend it in Baltimore. We struggled with our decision, but decided on the morning of the 31st that we would go to this museum party that features an Open Bar with "cocktails, beer, and wine", a swing/jazz band with swing dancing demonstrations, and "the best view of the fireworks in the city." It was a bust. The cocktails consisted only of very weak fuzzy navels and whiskey sours (all of us had tons and only one of us got drunk), the crowd was old and/or coupled off, there was no opportunities for mingling, the music was much more lite jazz than swing, and it basically was a poor way to spend $65. But at least it wasn't $129. The fireworks were nice, though, and the company was good - though all of us kind of missed the rest of the gang.
Everyone left this morning, and I'm back at school already. My break wasn't exactly relaxing, but it was fun and spent with good friends. I'm still coming to terms with the fact that I'm working so soon after New Years Day, but I realize that whining about it is, well, whiny. Things actually went okay today. I drank tons of coffee and had the best workout I've had in weeks this morning, and the day flew by.
I'm going to start a new entry in a little bit detailing my New Years Resolutions, but I wanted to talk about the moves I've seen lately because they've been really good. I've seen four damn good movies in a row. Here they are (I sooo miss writing reviews):
Ocean's 11: What a terrific movie - I didn't want it to end. The cast is razor-sharp, with Clooney and Pitt both dripping with cool charm. The dialogue is clever, the actors are all having a great deal of fun and it's contagious, and the plot is surprising and swiftly moving. Steven Soderbergh has made another great movie - better than either of his more "serious" movies last year (Erin Brakovich and Traffic, both of which I liked a lot. My Grade: A
Vanilla Sky: Pardon my French, but what a mind-fuck this movie is. Crazy, thrilling, weird, scary, and always intriguing, this film is right up there with both Tom Cruise's best films (A Few Good Men, Magnolia, Jerry MaGuire) and Cameron Crowe's best (the aforementioned Jerry MaGuire and Almost Famous) - it's an emotionally draining and mind-bending film with a number of shocking twists. In terms of shocking endings, it's not quite up there with Memento, but it is quite moving (particularly a shot of the World Trade Center) - and despite a rather clumsily shot sex scene towards the end and a couple of dry spells, this is a great film. Cruise is excellent, and judging from his onscreen chemistry with Cruz, it's obvious why they hooked up. My Grade: A-
Lord of the Rings: I listened to a quarter of the book on the way back from Michigan (4 cd's of a 16-cd set), so I knew what I was getting into - a densely plotted adventure story with humor, pathos, and great characters. I wasn't disappointed with the film adaptation. It's not a rote play-by-play like the merely average Harry Potter film adaptation was, but rather it's an exciting interpretation of the novel. What I liked best: Ian McKellan's performance, the palpable sense of good and evil in the film (this aspect is better than even any of the Star Wars movies), the not-too-showy special effects, the exciting dangling of an ending that leaves you wanting more. There were a few dry spells, and quite a few things that I didn't understand but I'm sure will make sense later, but overall this is a really good movie. Why are all the summer adventure movies crap like Tomb Raider and Jurassic Park III and Pearl Harbor and all the winter movies are good and all bunched up so you don't have time to see them all? Grrr... My Grade: B+
The Royal Tenenbaums: Ladies and gentlemen, I think I have my favorite movie of 2001. I can't believe how much I liked it. I didn't even like Rushmore that much. But this movie is amazing - a hilarious movie about a dysfunctional family that was probably the most moving film I've seen all year. I had tears running down my face at the end, yet I laughed throughout. I don't want to say too much about it, except to say that the cast (Luke Wilson, Gene Hackman, Gwyneth Paltrow, Ben Stiller, Angelica Huston, Owen Wilson, Danny Glover) is phenomenal, the direction is magnificent (pacing is quick and steady, unusual angles and closeups add depth and emotion to the scenes rather than detract from them) the writing is incredible (dialogue is hilarious, characters are realistic and impossible not to care about). This film is excellent. I can't say enough about it. Go see it. My Grade: A+
Okay, that's it. Stay tuned for an entry with my New Years Resolutions.