Jane Rules -- starting with Persausion

Well, at least she rules the air waves for the next couple of Sundays. Yes, all of Jane Austen films are being made anew (except Pride and Prejudice -- they are reshowing the A&E version). Tonight was Persuasion and while, in my humble opinion, it didn't come close to the Amanda Root version that was longer and payed more attention to some of the kooky characters like Anne's ridiculous sisters, I liked this breezy version; I liked the actress who played Anne and thought the Frederick was a less dour and much cuter than the other Captain Wentworth. Hey, what about that weird street open mouth kiss at the end? That seemed to come out of nowhere.

A Couple of Talky Movies about Sad Women

Sound fun? Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont starring Joan Plowright is a sentimental British slice of life movie where a cute young fellow poses as her grandchild after a series of misunderstandings and temporarily helps her escape her lonely life at this bizarre British hotel for the elderly, The Claremont. One disturbing outcome of watching this movie is that I found myself identifying with the elderly Mrs. Palfrey rather than the young feller hoping to be a writer.

The Secret Life of Words stars the wonderful Sarah Polley as a damaged girl who finds herself acting as a nurse on an oil rig. She tends to a burned and blind worker who happens to be played by Tim Robbins. It starts menacingly slow but grows on you sort of -- it may be worth it to see Sarah Polley's great portrayal of a girl coming out of her shell.

No Country for Old Men -- Guest entry

My sister saw No Country for Old Men -- a movie I was reluctant to see -- too scary. Here are her thoughts:

If you like violent and depressing moives with no hope for a “good” ending this is the movie for you. The redeeming part is the acting and camera work is superb. Also, it kept me on the edge of my seat.

Hmmm, I think I can still miss this one.

Newsroom Movies

I like newsroom/ newspaper movies/ Journalism Movies -- some great ones are

Of course, All the Presidents Men
Broadcast News, Who's the devil?
His Girl Friday, Oldie but a goodie
Zodiac, spooky but good
Shattered Glass, answers the question What if I made it up?

What else?

The Wind that Shakes the Barley

I read great reviews of The Wind that Shakes the Barley, a drama about the struggles in Ireland, directed by Ken Loach. Even though it is essentially a war movie, not usually my cup of tea, I thought I should see it and happily was completely entranced by it -- partially because of the perspective of a small community of regular folk turned terrorists by necessity -- the brutality of the British soldiers is horrifying. The other entrancing reason to watch the film is Cillian Murphy who plays Damien O'Donovon, a doctor about to go of to London when he is pulled into the conflict. This skinny blue-eyed Irishman is worth seeing the movie for, trust me on that.

On a completely lamer note, I saw The Nanny Diaries (I'll see anthing with Laura Linney) which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be with a very cute little boy whose train wreck of New York Upper East side parents are actually kinda funny and sad in how terrible of parents they are. It's a slight film overall, however.

Juno and Once

I saw Juno in the theaters a few days ago. Before going I heard a review that described the snappy dialogue as unrealistic and annoying. But you know I found it refreshing and enjoyable. Ellen Page, who plays Juno, is adorable and precocious. She is an extremely smart 16 year old who fools people into thinking that she is more mature than she actually is and then in the end we see her as a vulnerable kid. Besides the very funny lines of Juno I really enjoyed her regular girl interests -- she has a hamburger phone and wears grungy jeans with a flannel shirt. She reminds of my friends as a girl -- she's not a girly girl.

I also saw Once which I probably had unrealistic expectations of and found it not as compelling at first as I thought it would be but then by the end really appreciated the understated performances. These two musicians really acted like real people; they responded to embarrassing or sad situations like real people and they really seemed infatuated with each other. By the end, I compared Once to Juno and found it "realer" but maybe not as fun and seductive.

The Hottest State

Based on an Ethan Hawke novel, and probably his own experiences, The Hottest State examines a doomed relationship between a young actor and a beautiful Latin singer (an actress I was trying to place from a previous movie the whole time). There are some whimsical moments but mainly the movie is actually kinda boring. After the singer breaks up with the insecure actor he goes bonkers and obsesses about her to the point of annoyance. Meanwhile he learns that all of his problems stem from the being rejected by father as a child. This one, I definitely could have passed on.