Their movies are so not for me. Fargo and Raising Arizona are the only 2 from your list that I can deal with.

why am I still up?

I guess I should try Barton Fink next and see how that holds up.

It's my favorite Coen Brothers and I've seen it a lot, but I don't know if it'll ring much for you. I am pretty sure that the Hyperion in AtS was based on the Hotel in Barton Fink, though.

The lead character is a pretty savage satire on Clifford Odets and (by extension) a kind of well meaning, but ultimately bankrupt lefty culture that dominated the first half of the century in America. The Bill Mayhew character (in a subplot) is a balancing vision of William Faulkner in Hollywood. Not that they spare or laud the Faulkner character but they're definitely choosing one kind of American literature of the 30s over another.

Anyway, that's the B-Plot. In some ways it's their version of Graham Greene's The Quiet American. They really want to pull the skin back on the American cultural tendency towards self-bullshit. Their tone is blackly comic because...because that's always their tone.

In some ways the most interesting character is Judy Davis' character. You certainly won't find the title character likeable. There are so many amazing performances though. Judy Davis, John Mahoney, John Goodman, Tony Shaloub, Michael Lerner, and Turturro.

I don't know how to sell you on its virtues, because I'm not sure they align with your interests. Its virtue is its acuity. It's virtue is its vision. Literally, how it sees things.

As for the Big Lebowski, I'm convinced that it's less than the sum of its parts but the parts are all completely intriguing.

Goodness me, Lori, those babies are just so sweet! Grace is so pretty pretty pretty, and Noah just looks like a snuggle bug.

egad am I tired. Must go to sleep. Am resisting the temptation to comment on Barton Fink.

We watched Word Play tonight. Me like.

When he puked on that second trip to Miller's Crossing I thought maybe we were seeing someone who wasn't able to deal with violence personally, although he'd stood next to it a lot--his mortality, or killing people.

I guess I'd always taken that as sheer terror. Or, maybe terror is a bad word, but being aware that he's fucked. So, not about violence in general, but about his own death in the air.

I love Hudsucker Proxy but it does rely on you knowing the tropes they're playing with. Haven't seen Barton Fink in quite a long time, I feel like I appreciated it but didn't enjoy it. Didn't not-enjoy it, either, but there was a lot of "yes, I see," in my reactions. I wish I still had the Film Comment article where they counted the number of times "head" appeared in the movie. I think that was contrasted with the "hat" count in Miller's Crossing but I may be blurring things. I should rent it though. After I'm done with The Shield.

I'm certain I should go to sleep now. I'm gonna do that.

I love Hudsucker Proxy but it does rely on you knowing the tropes they're playing with.

Also, you have to not hate Jennifer Jason Leigh.

I keep thinking I've seen Barton Fink, and then I remember I'm thinking of Barry Lyndon.

The wonderful thing about The Shield is that spoilage can't touch it because the continuity is just so freaking tight. (It brings to mind my favorite film prof who told us that when we were writing, we should strive to make every scene either surprising or inevitable, and The Shield does both at once on an almost frighteningly regular basis.)

I'm spending the weekend preparing to go back to work on Monday, which so far has meant a fair amount of sobbing while I hold D and think things like "This is the last 2:37 pm on a Friday we'll have together!" Dear hormones, you win. Love, Jess.

Come to think of it, that's how I'd describe much of Whedon's plotting oeuvre to me -- "inevitable but surprising" which is a neat trick to pull off.

I had a gronkified night with serious insomnia to the tune of rewatching an episode of Dirty Jobs and most of the recent Flash Gordon -- if I lasted through the latter, you know I was hurtin'.

Today should be better, right?

you have to not hate Jennifer Jason Leigh

That's probably the hard part. I remember so little about it that I suspect I just slotted in a "thumbs up" where an honest reaction to the movie should go.

Now I'm wondering about Peter Greenaway. I have a similar "No, I really like him" feeling about his movies as I do/did to the Coen brothers. Potentially unsubstantiated also.

Ah, well.

I'm up because I had a weird not-nightmare. I just couldn't remember where I was or where I lived. The simplest way for me to assure I'm not dreaming is to conjure with conviction what's outside my bedroom window.

And it totally wasn't coming with ease after last night's strange (but not scary) dreams. Couldn't even remember what country I lived in.

Had to wake all the way up for that.

And here I am.

Morning!

I went to the farmers market and manage to only buy two pints of wild strawberries this week, not 5lbs.

Oh, and Montreal is collapsing: [link]

Now I'm wondering about Peter Greenaway.

I was wondering the same thing about him recently. I was looking at Michael Gambon in Order of the Phoenix and I found myself wondering if The Cook, The Thief, His Wife and Her Lover would still hold up.

Just when I think Noah and Grace can't get any cuter, I click a link and am pleasantly surprised. I'm glad Gracie has been moved to a nicer facility.

DH is off to run a 5K in what promises to be a hot, humid, sticky day. The kids and I are in the back yard where it's still shady and cool.