So yesterday was back to the salt mines--the darkroom salt mines, not The Company That Must Not Be Named salt mines--to work some more on The Wedding That Will Never End.

I'm almost done, I really am. Only one more day, about twenty-five more prints to do. I can barely believe that it's true.

I also did a contact sheet for Fran's headshots and of a roll I did of Molly. I swear, that child is so Little Miss Photogenic. If I ever do a book, it'll be on her, partially because I have so much material, and partially because it's simply impossible to take a poor picture of her. It's not my skill, it's her face, I just catch the moments as best as I can.

I also brought my computer to the darkroom.

I can't believe that I never thought of this before...I mean I brought it once before to listen to cds and answer email, but this time I brought it to watch movies.

It was so perfect! There is so much time in a darkroom where you're just sitting there, waiting for the developing to happen, and it's hard to read by the safe lights, so watching DVDs is perfect! You see, I had to put it next to the enlarger, so when I was actually exposing the paper I would put the cover down and just listen, and then when the paper was in the trays, it was on the other side of the room so that there was no spill.

I watched Moonstruck and Sense and Sensibility, chosen specifically because I have seen them so often that I didn't have to watch attentively or pay strict attention at all times. And when it came to a scene that I simply had to watch all in a row, like "Now go upstairs and get in my bed!" or when Eleanor is telling Edward about the Colonel giving him the parish, well, that's what the pause feature is for.

Afterwards, deciding that two movies were nothing like enough, I went downtown to the meat locker also known as the Angelika (bring a parka!) because I wanted to see either The Straight Story or The Limey.

By the time I got there, the next showing of The Straight Story was sold out, so it was The Limey. Which was wonderful.

Terence Stamp is so, well...Whenever anyone in the past 35 years has ever talked or written about his looks, they never said that he was handsome or good-looking or anything, they have always said beautiful, that he was beautiful.

And he still is, of course. 90% of the film is shots of Stamp's big ol' skull, and he is still something to behold, but in the shots of the 60's film inserts, he is unbearably beautiful--he absolutely takes your breath away. It almost hurts to look at him.

Plus, of course, he's a wonderful actor and this is a great movie. Stamp is like this revenge machine, his head looks like a praying mantis' head, with these bright blue eyes like my father's.

Steven Soderbergh did it in the same style but more so as he did Out of Sight, one of my favourites from last year, so if you hated that one I'd skip this, and if not, then go for it!

When it was over, I went out of the theatre, glanced at the clock and realized that the next showing of The Straight Story was in two minutes, so I thought what the hell and turned back around.

The funniest thing that I have ever seen in a movie is at the very beginning of this one, the words "Walt Disney Presents" followed by "A David Lynch Film", which got a big laugh from the house.

The thing is, of course, that it's a very identifiably Lynchian film, even without the Twin Peaks music (Angelo Badalamenti is totally cannibalizing himself) it couldn't have been made by anyone else. It has all of the slow pace and the odd juxtapositions and unexplained strangeness as he always has.

It starts just like Blue Velvet, with shots of an idyllic small town,but instead of telling a story of the rot underneath the surface, he tells a story about goodness and bravery and stubbornness, about a man's soul.

Richard Farnsworth is as wonderful as always, he has the most comforting voice ever. Like the grandfather you wish you had.

So there you go, two absolutely wonderful movies about men over sixty. They couldn't be farther apart in spirit and story, but in quality they are neck and turkey neck.

Today's horoscope:
An small, unexpected gift brightens your day. Generosity on your part gratifies a loved one.

One year ago today:
"Well, of course they were rehearsing there! It's only $8 on Friday nights!"

* Yesterday / Index / This Month / Tomorrow *

E-Mail

Autumn Red by:
Beth!

This page was written by hand. My hand. Only pussies use HTML editors.
Last Updated Sun 17 October 14:43:09 1999