28 February 2007 - 5:34 pm

I have actually caught up on all the movies I had at my house, all watched, all returned. And since I was sick, and hadn't gotten the mail out on Monday, it meant there are no Netflix envelopes waiting for me today. Boo-hoo. Tomorrow though.

What did I watch in the intervening week?

Life and Death of Peter Sellers, an HBO film. When I went back and watched the deleted scenes, I wish they hadn't deleted them. There's an interesting gimick they use in the film, giving Geoffrey Rush a greater acting range than just the portrayal of Peter Sellers, and at a certain point, it just stopped, and then it happened again. Well, those were the scenes that got edited. Admittedly, the film was shorter and got to the point quicker, but there still had definitely been something lost, like the continuity and experimental feel of the film. I did learn a lot about Peter Sellers that I hadn't previously known, so it was definitely worthwhile for that.

The Company, a Robert Altman ensemble piece. Basically an excuse to film a lot of dance pieces, strung together on the flimsy excuse of following what it is like to be in the Joffrey Ballet Company of Chicago. There was no plot, other than to say these people, full of dedication and talent, are underpaid, just barely making ends meet and basically have no lives. That was the point of it. Malcolm McDowell of course is excellent, as an overbearing, mettling, meticulous company director. And the final dance sequence, to be the world premiere, well, I thought was just rubbish. I've been watching modern dance since the mid-1970's when my sister got involved with it, and it may be new to classically trained ballerinas, but it certainly is nothing new to the rest of the dance world.

21 grams. A confusing movie, telling the end at the beginning, and then diving back into the beginning, and then flash forwarding, and the middle, and and and..... a little confusing. In the end it all made sense, but why make it confusing? It was a strange movie to have seen so soon after Blood Work and its whole heart transplant thing too, but this was a far more realistic portrayal, on oxygen and smoking when ought not to, and in very poor health as a result. And not caring. It's more important to live a quality dying than doing everything right and dying miserable, right? And the whole title of 21 grams, although I had heard of that before, really isn't that important or relevant to the film. But other than that, the three main characters are riveting and powerful and completely believable for all their foibles. An excellent film but I didn't feel like I had really seen anything new for having watched this film.

Coffee and Cigarettes by Jim Jarmusch. Quite a dull movie, but a slow pace is to be expected of Mr. Jarmusch. But no, this was for the most part just dull. It was little excerpts and vignettes, all involving coffee and cigarettes, and some exclusively about coffee and cigarettes, and when they actually started to repeat using the same dialog, that was when I got annoyed. The one involving Alfred Molina and Steve Coogan was good, as was the "Jack shows Meg his Tesla Coil" with Meg and Jack of the White Stripes, as was the Cate Blanchett one. These were the only ones that weren't exclusively about coffee and cigarettes as the topic of discussion. Go figure they were the most interesting ones.

Twist of Faith, another HBO documentary movie, this was just heart wrenching. It told the story of one man's search for an apology from the Catholic Church, once he came forward about his abuse as a teenager by a priest. More substantially, it told the story of the impact of that abuse on all his family and friends, years after the event, as he attempted to resolve the matter. It was precipitated by his discovery that he and his wife had just moved their family into a house five doors down from his abuser. At the time, the allegations about the Boston sexual abuse scandal were just hitting the press, and the Bishop of Toledo encouraged similar abuse victims to step forward and name their abusers. All this man really wanted was a sincere apology, and assurances steps were to be taken by the church to prevent such attrocities from ever happening again. Most of the victims were quite adamant about making sure measures were in place in the future, and they were given no such reassurances. Thus making the film that much more devastating.

Last night I watched an old MGM black and white classic, The Spiral Staircase. Okay, I had never heard of it, but I figured since it was released on DVD, it must be of some interest. About a serial killer picking off victims who had some sort of handicap or malady. Of course the next intended victim was so traumatized in her youth that she never spoke again. Will she be able to speak to save herself now? It's amazing how much movies have not changed in the 100 or so years they have been made.

And finally, 4, a Russian film. It was directed by Ilya Khrjanovsky, whom I don't think I have heard of, and as is typical of Russian cinema, it is a slow moving film, where not much happens, but it is fascinating and riveting nonetheless. Maybe I just find the scenery fascinating since I like to see how much it has changed (or hasn't) since me own visit to Russia in 1993. There was at least one sequence of scenes that just depicted the character's journey to get to a village, taking trains with numerous passengers, and then her crossing the fields and ruins of the countryside. And her apartment window had a fully unobstructed view of.... a power plant, possibly even a nuclear power plant. There was just something so deliciously Russian about the whole thing, the love/hate relationship with the cities and the countryside, nothing quite right, all tumbling down into oblivion without much notice, since that is the way it has always been, whether under the Imperial, Soviet or present regime. I found it a wonderful meditation of a film, soothing and disturbing, and nothing changed in the end.

Today also was a celebratory birthday lunch for myself and two other co-workers. Three Pisces in a small department, seems kind of amazing. And there were two others with birthdays also in February. I think I might be the only March birthday. So I am beginning to get into a party thinking mode, which is a good thing, since I need to get party invitations out for my birthday! Eeek! So soon!

And yes, my car is still in the shop. No word from the mechanic, I of course had to call yet again. This time I used a number he wasn't familiar with, so I could test whether he just wasn't answering my call or any calls. He answered. Maybe it will be done tomorrow? As of tomorrow he will have had it a week, and can't really tell me what he is doing or what he has fixed. Just that it will cost me more money.

I finally sent off my letter and fine payment for the car parking ticket I never should have received since my tags are current, but the City of Culver City is not set up for someone who does not wish to contest it with a court appearance, and just wants them to check the records of DMV. Of course the photo I sent them of my fully valid plates did nothing. Hopefully this will be the end of it. I never should have had to pay this fine, since I am not in violation! So frustrating, along with my car in the clutches of a mechanic I don't trust and just want my car back from. My life seems to be overrun with the consequences of bureaucracy, and the results are not pretty.