Sean Penn At His Finest

I've just re-watched Clint Eastwood's Mystic River for about the hundredth time, and it only keeps getting better. The performances given by Sean Penn, Tim Robbins, and Kevin Bacon are heart-wrenchingly beautiful.

Don't even get me started on the display of family dynamics: the blinded, dedicated wife vs. the shaken, "disloyal" one. The question of the cost of family, the ties the bind, and the choices that we make. Do you stay with your loved ones even though they committed wrongs, or do you follow the external world's moral codes and betray the people who need you the most?


Annabeth Markum: Celeste called looking for you. She was worried something might happen. She told me about Dave. Told me what she told you. What kind of wife says those things about her husband? And why'd she run to you? 
Jimmy Markum: Why didn't you call? 
Annabeth Markum: Because it's like I told the girls. Their daddy's a king. And a king knows what to do and *does* it. Even when it's hard. And their daddy will do whatever he has to for those he loves. And that's all that matters. Because everyone is weak, Jimmy. Everyone but us. We will never be weak. And you, you could rule this town. 


Here is just an example of the finest blend of acting and direction that I have ever seen. I will challenge anyone to show me something more evocative and compelling.



-E

Jane Austin + Tom LeFroy

I am a sucker for passion in movies, and these scenes from Becoming Jane have to be some of my absolute favorites. I think that this entire film is just a great example of how to show a love story without being trite or frilly.

Check 'em out!





-E

My Mind Is Blown: The Von Trapp's Are REAL?!

I don't know if I'm just slow on the uptake or something, but my lovely roommate has just informed me that the ever so lovely and charming Von Trapp family - aka those Sound of Music kids - is real! Well, at least, they are the inspiration for the film. How did this happen, you might ask? Well, let's recap, shall we?

So, being my ever outstpoken self, I happened to mention that I am not the biggest fan of The Sound of Music (said conversation came out of notification that the entire cast is going to be on Oprah tomorrow) and my roommate was highly taken aback.

"What? The Sound of Music was very important to my childhood. It's like my White Christmas," he said. He obviously knows my movie preferences.

In my usual fashion, I made some smarky comment on how I was dissatisfied with the kid being a Nazi and them simply running off into the hills at the end (hope I didn't give anything away there). I just don't happen to find that ending very satisfying. "I think it's overrated," I said.

"But that's what happened, they were real," he said.

And I was shocked. Literally. I sat with my mouth open, catching flies, for quite a long period of time. How can that be true? A European Patridge Family can't possibly exist! Nuns don't go singing on mountains! They even spoof it in Moulin Rouge, for crying out loud!

Alas, he (my roommate) even went to the trouble to find the proof for me, and I'm a sucker for facts ...

Check out some links that will make you question your childhood movie-watching forever:
1. http://www.trappfamily.com/story
2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maria_von_Trapp
3. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000E3713M

Here's a glimpse at the REAL Maria Von Trapp ...

I guess Julie got the scenery somewhat right ...

And, alas, in reality they did not run off to the hills and escape. Instead, the Von Trapp's just boarded the next train for Italy and were on their merry way ... it's not AS exciting, come to think of it, but still sort of touching, in a way.

My mind will continue to be blown for the remainder of the evening.

-E

Pardon my girlyness...

I have embraced the joy of hot rollers, and I am loving them. Can we say, "awesome hair day?" That's what I thought! If it helps bring up my nerd factor: I am sitting in Virginia watching Star Trek WHILE reveling at my new hot rollers. I think I've peaked.

-E

This Week In Review

So, the week is almost at an end so I thought I’d do my best to fill the void with an update.

Sunday:
We made friends with random people in our hostel -- aka 3 guys from Sri Lanka, a guy from Namibia, and then a Parisian from Gambon who confessed his love for me after about 10 minutes. His name was Barton and he looked like Djimon Hounsou.

Monday:

The Huntarian Museum at the University of Glasgow was closed for the 3rd day in a row, so Jaime and I wandered around the city for the entire day. Found these really awesome bridges and ended up wandering through the equivalent of Scottish New Jersey on the North Side of the city. It was pretty epic. There is photo documentation. Then we saw A Single Man and I fell in love. It was wonderful.

Tuesday:

We took a cab to Glasgow airport at 0500, only to arrive at 5:30 and learn that we were in fact at the wrong airport (no one bothered to correct us). So we ended up taking a £100 cab ride to the correct airport an hour away and luckily got there just before the gate closed. Then after security they weighed our bags (which has never happened before) and we ended up having to pay £35 each for carry-ons that the flight crew didn’t even check. We finally got back to our flat in Dublin around 0900, just in time for Jaime to get to class. Thus ... the actual day began.

Went to lunch at Chorus, where we ran out of time so Sirus let us take our plates and silverware to class and then bring it back. It was pretty great. Kerry and I just walked in to Susanne’s class with these massive plates of omelets and chips ... people were jealous and we were full. In class I had to suffer the torment that was the movie Adam and Paul, and I’m pretty sure I am the only person that hated it with a burning passion. In a word: boring. I just wrote a review on it, so I might share my thoughts in a little bit, have no fear.

Then around 0930 Steven and Kristen finally got here (apparently the immigration guys looked me up in the computer to varify that they were staying with me and that I was a valid temporary citizen -- WEIRD) and we went to grab a pint over at Farrington’s. The music was great, but not gonna lie, we were dead. The day felt like a week.

Wednesday:

Fintan O’Toole came and spoke to us. It was pretty epic. I’ll be honest though, since he’s a theatre critic and all I definitely thought he was going to be talking to us about, you know, Irish theatre, but the entire thing ended up being about post-Celtic Tiger Ireland. It was incredibly interesting, actually, and I really want to read his new book now. After class Steven and I skyped into our first Orientation Meeting back at Pratt and were pretty amused. It was a fun time, seeing people and thinking about all the stress that awaits us back in the states. Joy.

Thursday:
Oh, today. Did I mention that the first draft of my full length play is due in less than 24 hours? Fun, right? Not. Lies. All lies. I’ve been teetering page 56 for the past week and can’t seem to stretch things out any further so far. It’s awesome. So, instead, I am watching Eraser with Kristen and Steven, drinking my third cappuccino of the day, and eagerly awaiting my take-away from Queen of Tarts.

Tonight is going to be a looooooong night.

-E

Perrier’s Bounty, aka: Mark O’Rowe is good craic!

Dear interwebs, it looks like the luck of my theatre/cinema classes is finally starting to kick in over here in Eire because I went to see the new Irish film Perrier’s Bounty tonight and I think I fell a little bit in love.

Written by Mark O’Rowe (Intermission, Terminus, Howie the Rookie), Perrier’s Bounty is basically the perfect combination of profanity, violence, humor, family, love, and Irish. It’s basically what would happen if Quentin Tarantino, Neil Jordan, and Steven Soderbergh had a love child that looked like Cillian Murphy. O’Rowe actually came and spoke to my theatre class just the other week, and I have to say that this script came as a shock to me -- it was incredible in a sheerly entertaining way: witty, vulgar, realistic.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t come out in the states until the middle of May, so you folks have to wait for the joy. But have no fear, I will definitely go see it again!

-E

AND Cillian Murphy is a bit of an alright. I’m just saying.

Top Quotes:

“She’s odd, like a bag of carrots.”

“Fuck that shit, man.”

(paraphrase) “You get the coke or I go visit mom, make your pick.” “Coke.”

No Parlo Italiano!

It’s official -- I’m back in Dubsville, aka Dublin!!

If you didn’t know, interwebs, I’ve just spent the past week in the loverly city that is Roma, Italia and it was basically amazing. I think I’m officially obsessed with the Bernini Bridge (no, I don’t actually know the real name) and Santa Maria dia lo Muerto (once again, I don’t actually know the real name, soOo I made one up that sounds about right)

In a brief (very brief) nutshell, Santa Maria’s was absolutely incredible, and I could have spent hours in the very tiny room that is the crypt. Lots and lots of bones. Enough said.

Fabulosity? I think so.

Right up my alley? I think so.

Unfortunately, you’re going to get short changed here, interwebs, because I am knackered and just finally got home from a 3 hour flight filled with CRAZY Italian teenagers getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day. They were rude, they didn’t even try to speak English, and they had green hair. That is not a good/pleasant/fun/relaxing combination.

-E

Lies Susanne Told Me Number 317: “Students always come back from holiday with lovely tans.”