The Savages (2007)

This sad little slice-of-life movie, The Savages concerns two siblings forced to deal with the realities of caring for an enfeebled parent, when they don't even have their own lives together. The story is redeemed by glimmers of hope in a cleverly written screenplay, and by the performances of the leads -- Philip Seymour Hoffman (or Sir Philip Seymour Hoffman if there were any justice in this world), Philip Bosco (or Sir Philip Bosco if there were any justice in this world), and Laura Linney (or Sir Laura....oh....never mind). And also by marvelous performances by Genghis the cat and Marley the dog, who somehow manage to hold their own in this formidable company.

For hours of mindless fun

For cat lovers only, click here.

"They call it stormy Monday, but Tuesday's just as bad"

Some great caper films and offbeat gangster films to get you through the new year:
The Asphalt Jungle (1950)
Big Deal on Madonna Street (1958)
Bob le Flambeur (1956)
The Hot Rock (1972)
The Killing (1956)
The Limey (1999)
Rififi (1955)
Sexy Beast (2000)
Stormy Monday (1988)
Topkapi (1964)

I believe in Zen Judaism

"The way you do anything is the way you do everything."

Happy Holidays, Folks!

May I take your order now?

After viewing the late Adrienne Shelly's sublimely whimsical Waitress (2007) on DVD yesterday evening (starring the ever angelic Keri Russell), I got to thinking about some of my favorite waitress-related music:
Sweetheart (Waitress in a Donut Shop) / Maria Muldaur
She's a Waitress (and I'm in Love) / 5 Chinese Brothers
Tip That Waitress! / Loudon Wainwright III
Lawyers, Guns and Money / Warren Zevon (not strictly speaking about waitresses, but it does contain the immortal lyric "I went home with the waitress/the way I always do/how was I to know/she was with the Russians too?")
and, it being the season, after all..
Christmas Wrapping / The Waitresses

Starting Out in the Evening (2007)

That wonderful actor, Frank Langella, gives a bravura performance in Starting Out in the Evening, as Leonard Schiller, an aged writer, whose best work is long behind him, and largely forgotten. Two refugees from Six Feet Under are also in the cast, Lili Taylor, as his daughter having a crisis all her own, and Lauren Ambrose, as a young fan attempting to revive his career through her "rediscovery," as it were. This once incredibly attractive actor is certainly not afraid to offer a warts-and-all portrayal of a certain New York literary type, and I, for one, hope that he gets some long overdue recogniton come awards season.

What I'm Reading Now

Decca, Debo, Bobo, Wooms, and Honks are some of the family nicknames on display in The Mitfords: Letters Between Six Sisters, edited by Charlotte Mosley. An insider's view of this controversial family (at least one of whom was a fervent Nazi), with commentary by the daughter-in-law of Diana, who was jailed during World War II, partially based on information supplied to the British government by two of her sisters. A review of the book in today's New York Times notes that the youngest, and only surviving sister, Deborah, emerges as the book's heroine, mainly for staying out of politics altogether, and also for being the only one who remained on speaking terms throughout with the entire family. These letters show that Nancy's droll wit, as previously evidenced in such novels as The Pursuit of Love and Love in a Cold Climate, is shared by all the sisters. In turns, engaging, maddening, passionate, witty, and never, ever, boring.