Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Two movies, neither current: "Chinatown" and "Moonrise Kingdom"

Sometimes you just need to watch something you already know you like. "Chinatown" is a movie I have seen at least ten times.  It took me about six times to get it, to get the duplicitous intrigue of the water scandal, who was betraying whom and how all the pieces and characters fit together.  For a movie that came out more than 40 years ago, it is still 100% worth watching.  Credit for that goes to the writer Robert Towne, the director Roman Polanski and the great cast of Jack Nicholson, Faye Dunaway and John Huston. Some movies do not stand the test of time. This one does.  Yes, there are cliche moments and some that are hokey, but 90% of the movie holds up and makes you watch until the very end.  If you haven't seen it in a while, check it out. On Netflix, of course, streaming.

And for simple escape, few are better than Wes Anderson at getting you out of your head and thus out of your pissy mood. "Moonrise Kingdom" has such a great cast that even if it wasn't a charmer, you would love just watching the actors.  Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Frances McDormand, Harvey Keitel..... and so many others. Goofy and poignant and silly and serious.  If you don't like Wes Anderson, too bad for you.  Learn to. He's a master at the subversive almost-comedy. 

What a week, and it's only Wednesday.  As I have said before, by this time of the year I am so, so tired of talking to guests and now I am so, so tired of talking to almost everyone.  Everything seems incredibly trite and pedantic and redundant and all those other words that mean the same thing.  I could write paragraphs of what I never want to hear again ("how does the chef make that crispy poached egg can I have the recipe for that mango limeade what's in the polenta cake who made the biscuits can I visit this winery what kind of trees are those how does this coffee machine work is there more chai tea where should we eat dinner what's your favorite winery can I have oatmeal instead of an egg can I buy that lotion where can we go for a hike are you the owner how long have you worked here?")

Far too long.

xo

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