End of Part One... Intermission... End of Intermission -- Part Two

Where have we been??? Well, two weeks ago my modem died, and then I decided to get a new laptop, and so I waited for the new modem and the new laptop and I didn't blog. And now I have my new modem, and my new laptop, and in the meantime I bought a dvd recorder and I'm in the process of putting every movie I Tivo on Turner Classic Movies onto a dvd. So I've been a little preoccupied connecting wires and hooking up wireless routers and figuring out how my new computer works, etc. etc. So, that's why there's been a little intermission here at STDAMO.

But, hopefully, the intermission is over and we can get back to movies. Amidst all the technological tumult I did have time to catch Reign Over Me (Mike Binder, 2007), and while I didn't love it (felt too long, a little directionless in the second act) I have been thinking about it a lot since seeing it, and a few of the images and sequences have really stuck with me (I'm thinking the whole Mel Brooks marathon, the Fred Astaire/Rita Hayworth scene, the great shots of New York, the soundtrack). The more I reflect on it the more I like it. Anyway, interesting film, and I loved seeing Melinda Dillon, though it made me sad to think about director Bob Clark.

The Carpet's All Paid For, God Bless the TV

First off, Favorite TV episode of the week (2/11-2/17) was Medium, "The One Behind the Wheel" (airdate: 2/14) 'cause it was romantic (Valentine's Day, 'natch), and it featured Joe (Jake Weber) who I totally love. But it was tough, as this week had several great episodes of television, starting with Rome and 24, and followed by The Office and Heroes. But Medium is like my television comfort food lately, I love just spending time with the characters, and the stories are always entertaining without being overbearing. It wins again.

Lost, meanwhile, is losing me fast (and yes, I guess I did just throw out a lame pun) -- I was bored to tears by an episode featuring one of my favorite characters (Desmond). That spoof on the Lost writers that's making the rounds on the Internet is getting to be less a spoof with every episode.

I also love TV for the simple reason that channels like TCM and Fox Movie Channel allow me a chance to see films that aren't available on DVD. Last week on FMC I watched an Elia Kazan film I'd never heard of before, Man on a Tightrope (1953, grade: A-), starring Fredric March and Gloria Grahame. I loved it. It was like the dark, disfigured sideshow cousin of The Greatest Show on Earth (DeMille, 1952, B-).

And for record, those promised series on Brit Lit adaptations, films from my childhood, Czech New Wave, and Fantasy cinema (mentioned here and here), will still happen. I kinda just go with the flow on this blog and I've been sidetracked by a lot of other movies and TV shows and whatever, but I am getting around to the stuff I promised. I think starting with my childhood films will be the way I'm gonna go, 'cause I think they reveal a lot about my tastes and development as a movie lover. I think you never really lose those influences on your childhood imagination, so this series is important as a window into how my warped mind got to be the way it is. I was thinking about making it a blog-a-thon, but honestly, I don't have the focus or the ability for something like that (I think I'll just enjoy all the great blog-a-thons run by other more capable bloggers). So the blog-a-thon is out. But, anyway, stay tuned...