Great Movie to Start it All Off

I inadvertently watched this movie today. I was watching it while coaxing BH to take his nap. It was on the IFC Channel (Independent Film Channel, 550 on DirecTV). We like to watch independent films and have seen a few good ones, but watch out. Independent films can be a disguise for some pornographic things too. But if you find a good one, it's great to see movies that aren't typical Hollywood cookie cutter movies. It's also great to see famous actors that we all know (James Spader, Hillary Swank, Julianne Moore, Dennis Quaid, etc) doing really different things.

Anyway, this was on this afternoon, and the description had the story line being about a husband who displays homosexual tendencies. Um, yes, but it's so much more than that. It is also about interracial relationships during the 50's. I won't give it away, but yes, there is a homosexual story line, and it's not glorifying. In fact, it's quite devastating. You will see one kissing scene of two men kissing, and it's when she's about to walk into the office if you want to take a sec to look away. I pretty much ignored that story line.

I was incredibly intrigued by the story line of the interracial couple and how dangerous that was in the 50's. How much of a sacrifice it was to continue such a relationship, and what hardship could befall such a family.

Fascinating.

There are no sex scenes in this movie. No violence, a few F bombs. For an independent film, quite refreshing! I hope it's shown more this month. One nice thing about the IFC channel, no commercials. It's literally like watching a DVD.

What a great movie to stumble upon as I begin my African American history month search for good stuff.

Pride and Prejudice

Okay, you may remember awhile back, Southern Oregon Tracy and I had a little blogger spar about which BBC version of "Pride and Prejudice" (P&P) was the best. I was at a disadvantage. I hadn't seen her favorite version, and she hadn't seen mine. We both loved each of our versions. We also added to the mix the recent Hollywood version, with Keira Knightley. She and I agreed to watch them all, and then see. She saw my version and we spoke about it awhile ago.

I am all caught up with my P&P viewing. Here are my thoughts:

1) I still love my version the best. It is the version with Colin Firth. Truly, the only reason, the cinematography. It is not set on a stage like the 1980 version that Tracy loves.

2) Tracy's version has tons of redeeming qualities. Foremost in my mind, the character development. Oh my gosh, the secondary characters are well developed and well understood. I truly believe that P&P would not be the extraordinary story without those secondary characters and story lines. I absolutely love the development of the sister who is the bookworm. Much better developed in Tracy's version than mine. In my version she is bookish and lacks confidence. In Tracy's version she is bookish and preachy, and it's much funnier and a better version of that sister.

Same for the Lady Catherine DeBerg character. Oh my! How incredible that character is developed. I don't like how the confrontation at the end between her and Elizabeth goes. It is a little too proper. In my favorite version it is quite heated and dramatic. I think in general, my version is a little less formal and has a lot more emotion and drama.

3) One point about the story is that Elizabeth is not as pretty as her sister Jane. Tracy says in my version Elizabeth is too pretty. I think in her version, Elizabeth is too pretty as well.

4) Wow, Mr. Darcy. The Mr. Darcy in Tracy's version is such a drill sergeant. Yes, I know Mr. Darcy is supposed to be a cold, distant, arrogant, etc. person. But my word! He is so extreme that it is almost unbelievable to me when he softens at the end. It is hard to believe him when he says his famous line at the end, "If you're feelings for me are the same.....as for me, mine are unchanged. One word from you will silence me forever." Really? I didn't believe it. But when he was in extreme mode, he was very believable and even more pompous and insulting.

5) How can you not love Colin Firth? Really. Need I say more?

6) Okay, I must say something about the two hour Keira Knightley version. Keep in mind, the two versions Tracy and I love are six hour miniseries. The Hollywood Keira version is two hours. There is barely any secondary character development, if any. If you don't know the whole story, those story lines are barely there and easily missed.

I do like the Mr. Darcy of this version, he is broody and surly. Yet, softens up well. I don't like the ending at all. I don't like that Lady Catherine DeBerg has her big spat with Elizabeth by intruding in her house in the middle of the night. Lady Catherine is a woman of higher standards than to visit commoners in the middle of the night for a verbal confrontation. Then Keira is so upset and goes walking in her nightie and just so happens to bump into Mr. Darcy? So many rules of decorum are broken for the dramatic effect. Nope. Sorry.

Anyway, I recommend both BBC versions. I like the late 80's one with Colin Firth the best. Tracy likes the 1980 BBC version best. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

St. Louis

Where am I?? Yep, St. Louis for the national conference of the company I rep for.

It has been a long day of flying, shopping, visiting, walking, etc. The view out of our hotel is breathtaking as you can see.

The events begin tomorrow, and it should be fun. I am on west coast time, so it's late, but my body doesn't think so.

I watched the movie "The Constant Gardener" on my laptop on the flight. Yep, I recommend it. It's a tragic story. No happy ending at all.

I am off to bed.

Home!

We just got home tonight. I have to sort through all the pictures and memory cards to put together a little post about our family 4th.

But one thing I did on my 4th of July vacation that I haven't done in awhile. I read a book! I haven't had time to do that in ages!

What did I read? A true crime collection and I love these kinds of books.

It was a book my inlaws had laying around. Ann Rule's "Without Pity". I really like Ann Rule. I became familiar with her years ago when I worked at a bookstore. She is a Pacific Northwest author, and focuses her cases on those stories that aren't overplayed in the media (ie Scott Peterson and Mary Winkler) and that are in the Northwest.

I also appreciate her relationship with law enforcement and criminals. She gets the interviews that no one else gets. It rids her books of speculation, and she really strives to give you the facts, and not sensationalism.

So this particular book is a collection of short cases that she has wanted to write about but didn't do a full book on. Now, I am maybe a little twisted. I like these kinds of stories. I love to watch "Forensic Files", "FBI Files", "The Investigators", "Cold Case", etc. I like crime stories for some reason. I know that isn't everyone's taste.

Here is what tripped me up just a bit about these ten stories. Nine of the ten of them were stories from Seattle and were freaky. The central theme in these stories were how someone who has been so normal suddenly changes on a dime and commits horrible crimes. The victims couldn't see it coming, and the victims were usually close family members. Most of them were this way.

The final story was the one that got me. It was the first time Ann Rule gave the facts about this case mainly to protect the one surviving victim. It was a murder/rape that happened in 1976 very close to where I live! That is what creeps me a bit about her stories, she suddenly starts describing streets and roads I have traveled on in the final story of this short story collection!

I don't know anything else about that case except what was in the story, and I have googled it and found nothing. The criminal in that case hasn't been paroled yet, but he goes up for parole occasionally. The prosecutors in that case go to the parole board on behalf of the victim, for her protection mainly.

Anyway, those stories are in my mind right now, and I should probably find a shallow, trashy romance novel now.