Hallelujah!

We have a new toilet seat at my apartment! Thank the lord!

Film Class

For those of you who might be interested, I'm teaching a short course this semester on foreign films since 2000. We're focusing on only three directors: Wong Kar-wai, Guy Maddin, and Pedro Almodovar. We're watching two films by each of the directors, and we're keeping blogs of our impressions as part of the requirements for the class. Over the last few days, the students (and myself) have created our blogs and gotten them up and running. My blog is The Cinematic Ramble. Feel free to check it out. So far, my postings aren't that inventive, but the comments have been interesting.

The Left Behind Series (of 2)

I realized after I put the last post on here that I had neglected at least two movies...

First, I left off _Me and You and Everyone We Know_, which was certainly one of the most original and endearing movies of the year. The scene where the main character writes "Fuck" on the inside of her windshield with a black marker is something I'll never forget. Nor can one ever encounter punctuation and internet chatting in the same way after this film. This feature made it past a lot of people in the theatres. If you haven't seen it yet on DVD, it's essential viewing. Miranda July is a keeper.

In addition, I recalled earlier today that I also saw _Syriana_ with Tim and Jordan back in November. Yet another movie that's been neglected, probably because most discussion of the film was about the fact that it was ostensibly too cerebral and that George Clooney put on a lot of weight for it. These discussions show more about the utter lameness of movie press and reviews than they do about _Syriana_ itself. Everyone with an interest in thinking should see this, especially those who are fans of Tom Clancy thrillers or those who enjoyed seeing _Traffic_ when it came out a few years back.

With the snow here today, I'm hoping to watch _Kings and Queen_ after my yoga later. If I get time to see that, I'll post on it!

Cheerio...

Good Movies

I really can't manage top ten lists...I don't know how newspapers do. So I'm simply listing out a bunch of good movies that I've seen in the past year here, in no particular order.

The Constant Gardener
Batman Begins
Happy Endings
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
2046
Rent
A History of Violence
Broken Flowers
Cache
Mysterious Skin
Brokeback Mountain
Good Night and Good Luck
Capote
Match Point
Transamerica (not such a hot script, but Felicity did well and the ending was fascinating)

I've also seen a few things on video that I found provocative, including:
The Beat My Heart Skipped
Queen Christina
Theatre of Blood
My Own Private Idaho

Robinson Crusoe

We did the first day of Defoe's _Robinson Crusoe_ for the course I'm TAing today. I wasn't expecting much...initial e-mail repsonses seemed to suggest that people were not that far in the novel. Anyway, the class was not a disaster, and most of the folks there commented, which was heartening. It's just tricky to have the lecture at 10 am and then the discussion at 5. Not the most energetic part of the day, 5 pm.

The evening after the Course I spent thinking about balancing my Checkbook for tomorrow, looking over the Accounts and considering the Coffee I had purchased as well as the impending Bills that I would have to pay upon my Rising tomorrow. Afterwards, I made my way to the North end of my Campus where I supped on a Chicken Fajitah, which I made with Tortilla bread, Diced Chicken that I had shot and kill'd with my Musket, Var'ius Red and Green Peppers, and Salza and Lettuce. These blessed Gifts of Providence, the Exalted Manna from Heaven, caused me so to rejoice in His Kindness and the Abundance that I realized even in my Lonely State. After all, there were Many who had been Graduate Studentts in Charlottesville but had not the Privileges of Free Access to this Blessed Bounty of this Cafeteria. After my Fajitaah, I supped on a Green Salad of previously Frozen Lettuce along with a small Morsel of Garlick Bread that I found in my Metal Food Tray. I felt more hearty on being deliver'd from Hunger, and, looking about me, walked Back to my Abode.