There was nothing unusual in the case of the movie, I don't think. Ah well. I can let it go.

I also adore Harold and Maude, though I wonder if I might think it was too sentimental if I were to see it for the first time now. The accent thing never occurred to me, and I was totally willing to buy that they developed such a close relationship over such a short period of time.

Jesse, if it really bothers you, maybe a year did pass. I mean, it takes some time to get a second mortgage, too, I'd imagine.

Ooo! Umbrellas of Cherbourg! Must remember to add that to DVD library.

We watched Secretary last night. I'd been avoiding it, being a little too strung-out for psychological stuff, but my husband swore on a stack of DVDs that it was a comedy. For proof, he pointed to a couple reviews on the DVD cover that say "This is one funny movie!"

It's not a comedy.

There were some funny moments, and some unintentionally funny moments (about the fifth or sixth water image we were both yelling "SYMBOL!" at the screen) and it has some student-film-type problems, but Maggie Gylenhaal (sp?) was tremendous.

Maggie Gylenhaal (sp?) was tremendous.

Gyllenhaal...I think. That is one hell of a last name to have to spell. And yeah, she was amazing in that movie. I must have missed the water symbolism, though. At least, it didn't jump out at me enough to yell, "SYMBOL!"

Yep. "Gyllenhaal." It's funny, I'm on the advisory board of an arts organization which her father is on the board of directors for, although I've met neither of them. But every time I see that movie, I can't help but think that we're one degree of separation apart.

I was totally willing to buy that they developed such a close relationship over such a short period of time

See, I had such a strong sense of time passing that, when they cut to Maude's birthday, I assumed a year had gone by since they met, she was turning 81, and they were already married. Threw me for a loop when it turned out she was 80.

I could probably have let the accent pass if the movie had spent more time developing Maude as a Holocaust survivor. It felt almost arbitrary as it was played -- like the screenwriters decided they wanted that element there, but didn't know what to do with it -- and the lack of an accent was one part of that.

It's a tremendously sweet movie, and I did like large parts of it. It just made the nitpick center in my brain very busy.

Did anyone else see their first trailer for Ring 2 over the weekend? Looks nicely creepy.

I wonder if the producers will agree with my train of logic, that it was sharing the ghost's experiences and retrieving her body from the well that spared Rachael the curse, rather than copying the tape and showing someone else? That would explain why she was still experiencing weird events and showing physical signs of the curse after showing Martin Henderson's character the tape. It would also mean that her creepy bug-eyed kid would still have an appointment with Samara no matter how many copies he dubbed .

Matt

I came away from the movie believing that it was making the copy that saved her from the curse. Which is why, when she made the copy to save her son she had him push the buttons etc. And at the very end he says something like "What happens to people we show this to." Esp. since he didn't die at the end.

We watched Secretary last night. I'd been avoiding it, being a little too strung-out for psychological stuff, but my husband swore on a stack of DVDs that it was a comedy. For proof, he pointed to a couple reviews on the DVD cover that say "This is one funny movie!"

It's not a comedy.

I can see how people might consider it a comedy. I don't, but then I only really consider "comedy" to be something designed to get big yuks, like Starsky & Hutch; Dude, Where's My Car?; Austin Powers; Deuce Bigalow, etc.

I realize that my *personal* definition of "comedy" is more towards the broad, slapstick end of the definition. But I don't think Secretary is a "comedy" any more than Lost in Translation and Garden State are (and I've heard them both described as comedies).

However, definition is all in how you view the movie, and like I said above, I can see how people might consider any of the 3 non-comedy movies (Secretary, Lost in Translation, Garden State) a "comedy."

Certainly, they all have comedic moments. But those movies -- to me -- are really just thumbnail sketches, of a sort, or, if you like, cross-sections of life. And life definitely has comedic moments, but that doesn't make life -- to me -- a comedy. That's WAY too simplistic.

My best comparison, I guess, is that Secretary is just as much of a "comedy" as BTVS is -- or, more to the point, isn't.