Enough Said

broderic on October 17, 2013

Watching Enough Said and you start seeing Julia Louis-Dreyfus as her Elaine character from Seinfeld. As the movie continues, you start to see that it could almost be another episode of Seinfeld.

Julia Louis-Dreyfus plays Eva a masseuse who gets involved with a new client’s ex-husband. She doesn’t tell her or him that she knows the other. It’s like a plot from Seinfeld.

It was a nice little film with a woman’s role that perfectly suited Julia Louis-Dreyfus. It also had one of James Gandolfini’s last roles. He’s wonderful in it. They dedicated it to his memory at the end. Sad to think that he’s dead. Life moves on not like a plot from a television show.

3 of 5 stars.

Quote of the Day [10.16.13]

broderic on October 16, 2013

"That's it! You people have stood in my way long enough. I'm going to clown college!"

Homer Simpson, The Simpsons, “Homie The Clown” (2F12)

UPDATE:I’ve used this one already.

Gravity

broderic on October 12, 2013

What’s driving the hype behind Gravity? It’s a spectacle, but is it as good a film as advertised? Will you vote for it when it’s one of the few to get an Oscar nod?

Gravity is about an astronaut, Sandra Bullock, trying to make her way back home to Earth after space debris has destroyed all orbiting space vessels.

That’s it. That’s the plot.

Pacfic Rim was castigated because it was all action and no depth. What’s the difference in this case? Why is there such a rush to anoint Gravity a best film of the year? I still don’t understand.

It’s not that good, but it isn’t terrible. Just a film that makes most of what it is meant to portray: the harrowing hell of space. The end results is a fun ride with great spectacle.

The ISS? Didn’t Michael Bay blow that up real good in Armageddon? Plus I miss the real Russian space hero.

3 of 5 stars.

Prisoners

broderic on October 6, 2013

I almost forgot that I saw Prisoners. I would’ve posted my thoughts earlier, but NewsRadio Quote Month may have kept me from doing that because of running out of NewsRadio quotes.

Anyhow, Prisoners is similar to The Silence of the Lambs except it throws in every parents nightmare of kidnapped daughters. And like the Jodie Foster movie, Prisoners will keep you guessing until the very end as to the identity and whereabouts of the kidnappers. But if you’ve seen plenty of movies, you’ll know before the end.

It’s a better movie than expected.

3 of 5 stars.

“What are you doing for lunch today?” “Same thing I’m doing right now except with yogurt.”

broderic on September 24, 2013

Julia Marlowe
Julia Marlowe, by Irving Ramsey Wiles, Oil on canvas, 1901, photo by browsermetrics

After the birthday luncheon, we wandered over to the National Portrait Gallery. It’s my first time there and I will tell you it’s an overlooked gem of a museum. It’s got a great collection of portraits from the earliest Americans to the most recent generation. It’s also got a wonderful atrium, which is now my iPhone wallpaper.

Currently, they have a display of Union Generals by renowned Civil War photographer, Matthew Brady. They are small prints from the original negatives, and they look like baseball cards. It’s nice to think about what the back of these cards would say: winning percentage – 0.756, rebels killed – 14574, errors – 4.

My favorite is the portrait above of Julia Marlowe, an actress. The relaxed position of her right arm, the look in her eyes, her leaning out toward you is arresting. It stopped me dead in my tracks, and I had to read the caption next to the portrait. That’s the power of art and a uniqueness in portraiture.

It’s a wonderful place to visit if you want to avoid the hustle and bustle of the museums on the Mall.