Category Archives: Love and Life

Life is Beautiful. Hmmm. Yes, and No.

Love and Life, MovieNight stuff, Movies

I’m not sure what happened here… I wanted to honor Holocaust Remembrance with a movie that would still make for an enjoyable MovieNight, and I recalled finding Life is Beautiful quite entertaining and sweet when I first saw it during its general theatrical release. This one didn’t age very well (maybe the sugar content increased with age?), at least not for me.  Sure, there were some touching scenes (the little boy was adorable), but overall I found it cloying… everything was just a bit too cute, and the coincidences too plentiful. Benigni’s comedic acting, replete with rouge-y clown-like make-up, was reminiscent of an annoying relative who can’t stop making jokes when they come for a holiday dinner.

As for the portrayal of the Holocaust… it was pretty shallow, but ultimately I guess that Holocaust and MovieNight just don’t play well together. I guess I should respect that.

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Brick. Slick. Quick chick.

Giving a shit, Love and Life, Movies

We kept the action turned up again this week with Rian Johnson’s clever, modern noir, Brick. Brick has a loyal following, and was described by more than one of our guests as “one of my favorites”. Sure, it gets a bit ridiculous at times, but who cares? It’s great entertainment. There are so many memorable lines, but one that just won’t leave me, is Laura’s (Nora Zehetner), “Keep up with me now.” I don’t know why.

On another note, this Thursday would have been my dad’s 96th birthday. Although it’s already been 10 years since he passed, I still miss him.

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To Die For (a martini)

Love and Life, Movies

Nicole Kidman was deliciously evil in Gus Van Sant’s To Die For. Another great MovieNight!

It was a particularly exciting MovieNight for me. We are currently doing a cleanse. It seems like a good thing to do once in a while, you know, give the old liver a bit of a tune-up. In previous years, my version of the cleanse had been slightly modified so as to accommodate a cup of coffee in the morning, and a drink (or two) in the evening. This time around, we decided to be more rigorous, and cut those two parts out as well. As a carrot, I promised myself that I could break the no-drink rule on MovieNight. When Thursday came, I was feeling super-energized, and getting compliments on how good I looked. Was it the diet or the not drinking? I decided to conduct an experiment. I had three gin martinis.

The next morning, only a cursory glance at my reflection in the bathroom mirror was needed to confirm my suspicions… it was the non-drinking. Bummer.

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Tomboy. We laughed, we cried, we said “Aah”. Then we ate cheesecake!

Love and Life, MovieNight stuff, Movies

Céline Sciamma’s adorable Coming-of-Age-with-Gender-Ambiguity Tomboy brought our new MovieNight season into modern territory in fine style. The subject matter was tenderly handled, and Sciamma seems to have found her own voice in this, her sophomoric piece. More please, Céline!

Tomboy has been available to stream on Netflix for a while now, and in some ways that presents a dilemma for MovieNight. It’s been a point of pride for us to introduce a rarity to our audience, and surely we will be able to continue doing this even as it becomes easier and easier for people to watch anything, any time. But at the end of the day, there are two components to MovieNight: the movie, and the night. We hope that the whole is greater than just the sum of the parts. KnowwhatI’msayin’?

Speaking of which, how good was that cheesecake? Happy Birthday, Zofi. x

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Involuntary

Love and Life, MovieNight stuff, Movies

Well-rested, back from our long overdue honeymoon in Mexico, and recovering somewhat from the bike accident, it was heartwarming to have such a great turnout for Involuntary. I don’t believe there was an empty seat in the house!

When we first watched Involuntary a few months back, we were still waiting for “something to happen” when the movie ended. It seemed as though these disparate stories would somehow become intertwined, and the players would all meet. Of course it didn’t happen, but ultimately what they had in common was the human condition, and the need to be accepted by their peers. Speaking of which, thanks for the round of applause!

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Four Lions – four limbs – three of them working.

Love and Life, MovieNight stuff, Movies

MovieNight returned rather triumphantly, with the hilarious Four Lions. Director Chris Morris, skillfully trod the line between comedy and politics, religious extremism, racism, and violence, and threw some tender character development in to boot. I laughed until it hurt. Literally.

I worried about setting up for MovieNight… I certainly couldn’t have done it on my own this week…  but thanks to the help of some friendly volunteers, we were able to get the furniture assembled and get everything ready. Zofi worked with me behind the bar, and as far as we know… nobody died of thirst!

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