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December 12, 2004
Remedying a Grave Injustice
I was called to task last night for not having seen the film In America. This is an omission I have since remedied.
It's a crowd-pleaser, that's for sure. It should be totally up my alley, given that I grew up in Ireland and moved to the U.S. at age 14. The children are well-presented, if a bit too precocious at times. And it seems that Irish people occasionally have hallucinations borne out of anxiety.
But here's the thing (and a plot-spoiler lies ahead, though it's a plot point that's made inevitable very early on)....
...I'm not sure I can entirely groove to the notion that an Irish Catholic family's problems are all solved as the result of a noble-savage-type black man dying for them. Hey, next time I'm grieving over a dead family member, I guess all I have to do is find a member of the Zulu nation with AIDS, so he can give me the proper catharsis and leave me all his money.
Seriously, has any other reviewer had a problem with this? It's a good movie otherwise, but so was The Green Mile.
Update: Yeah, I found ONE OTHER REVIEWER who felt the same.
"I have the powerrrr...of song!"
This has been linked on many other sites, but if you haven't seen it yet, it's too good not to share.
Fans of 80s toys undoubtedly remember He-Man -- but do you remember HE-MAN: THE LIVE STAGE MUSICAL ON ICE ?
What were we thinking back then?
Oh My, Part II
Yesterday, I posted a link to a look at what has become my most anticipated movie for next year.
Now, I give you...the movie I FEAR THE MOST
LA Weekly throws a party that rocks!
As wasted as I am at this moment, you ain't gettin' no comprehensive write-up. But as I was leaving, I'm pretty sure I heard Bad Religion onstage. I'd love to see them, but ideally on a more sober occasion.
This is the good kind of party. Free food, free booze, and plenty of people I know. My deisgnated driver initially seemed to want to leave early, but ultimately stayed until a great buzz was had by me.
Spoke to Slate writer Mickey Kaus early on -- he was anxious to see if I had spotted any celebrities. "You mean other than me?" I responded. Yeah, guess so. After a while he came back, by which point I had witnessed Matt Groening, and told him so. This apparently worked. During my conversation with MK, I discussed Joe Lieberman's new war on fast food, upon which my comment was that Lieberman apparently seemed to feel he wasn't being sanctimonious enough. Mickey said I should have a blog. I told him I did.
Weekly editor Joe Donnelly was in the house, frequently surrounded by lovely ladies. He's happily married, though. What a waste of single chicks. Ladies, right here.
Others in attendance: Luke Ford, Nancy Rommelman (who offered me many a drink, and I am permanently indebted to), John and Leslie, Kevin Roderick, Wild Don Lewis, Michael Collins (he left early, the wuss!), Sharan Street, actor/publicist MIIIIIICKEY COTTRELLLL!!!!!, Lubna Connor, Corey "Disturbed" Levitan, Elana Roston, Robert Gallardo...
I don't know if I should name my companion (Oh, all right: initials are T.S.), but I was humbled to be seen with said individual, and very grateful for the ride home. And now here I sit, typing.
Probably I should stop, and eat donuts. Yep, sounds good.
P.S. Where the hell is Eric Almendral? I hate to say it, but it just might have been a party without him.
Posted by LYT at 4:32 PM | Comments (1)