SWEET JANE

We continued our BLEAK HOUSE detox last night with a good-sized helping of Ang Lee's lovely SENSE AND SENSIBILITY, airing on TCM's wonderful 31 Days of Oscar schedule. We didn't see the whole thing, but enough to be reminded of what a gorgeous and clever adaptation this is. Bravo for Emma for putting the words on paper - and winning a much-deserved Academy Award in the process - and for all of the fabulous actors. Can you name me a more dashing hero than Alan Rickman's Colonel Brandon? I don't think so.

It was the french maid, in the study, with the pistol (spoiler alert)

Well, it's been six juicy weeks, and the riveting BLEAK HOUSE came to an end last night with a jam-packed two hour final episode. Everyone was back for a final few lines with the exception of he who is pictured - Tulkinghorn - as he was shot through the heart at the end of the fifth episode.

I was afraid we'd seen the last of Guppy, but he returned (with his beribboned and festooned mother) for a final proposal. Esther really racked up the marriage proposals, wouldn't you say? Three in total, and four if you count Guppy asking twice. I'm really glad she didn't end up with Jarndyce. It was beginning to get creepy.

Least surprising? That the nasty french maid bumped off nasty old Tulkinghorn. Most surprising? How prickly Bucket actually ended up to be a good guy, one with a hearty appetite for wine. And how Sir Leicester really did love his wife after all. Saddest, of course, was that we lost Lady Dedlock and Rick, but that was to be expected. Exceptional performances from Smallweed, Bucket, and, as always, the impeccable Esther. Guppy will always be my favorite, though, and his love for the heroine, in his words, "My angel, Esther Summerson."

BUTCHER'S HANDS, GENTLE SOULS

I made my usual holiday trip to the movies today, to take in Steven Spielberg's MUNICH, the last of this year's Best Pictures nominees that I had yet to see. I went a bit reluctantly, I guess mainly because I didn't know if I was up for yet ANOTHER bleak commentary about the state of the world. But I am so glad I did go, for many reasons, but maybe mainly because this film really made me think about the long legacy of hate between peoples and countries. It's very easy (and perhaps appropriate) to think about 9/11 as the defining terrorist event of this generation, but the sad fact is that the violence we see manifested throughout the world today is just another species of the same hatred that has been driving people to kill each other senselessly for generations.

The story of this rag-tag group of assassins succeeds so well, I think, in large part due to the extremely smart choice of casting Eric Bana (another brilliant Australian) as the center of the ring. This was the first time I have seen Eric on screen, and I found him totally compelling. He has a soft, almost baby face, with sweet eyes, but his on-screen physical presence is massive and hulking. The audience sees in his character, Avner, a man caught up in an ideological war who doesn't really have time to stop and think about the consequences of his actions, but whose conscience is constantly struggling to overpower the deadening effects of endless violence and killing. I think Bana achieves something quite remarkable in making Avner so sympathetic.

There were a few Spielbergian touches I could have done without, but over-all, the film was tense, brisk and suspenseful, and I was totally engaged throughout. This is one of those films that is extremely tough to watch in parts, but it rewards its audience with an intelligent and complicated view of the role of terrorism in the world, something I think we can all do with trying a little harder to understand.

No, Give ME a Break!!

I saw something both shocking and sad in the "Weekend" section of yesterday's paper. In the "new release" DVD section, there was a review of the new box-set of season one of GIMME A BREAK, the "classic" '80's sitcom starring Nell Carter. No disrespect to the late, formidable Ms. Carter (who I believe had a nice stage career), but who in God's name is going to buy this stuff, and who is the genius who thought it was worth packaging in the first place?

I had such a visceral reaction to this mainly because one of the few shows I ever really loved - that's right, you guessed it, THE GUARDIAN - will never, ever in a million years be released on DVD so that it might be enjoyed anew, despite its tragic cancellation a few years ago. This was quality programming, telling an original story in a unique and unexpected way, filled with great performances. And no one will ever see it again. Instead, they can watch GIMME A BREAK 'til their little heart's content.

Puh-lease.

"SHAKE ME UP, JUDY!"

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone. It's already Tuesday and I forgot to offer a tip of the hat to last weekend's installment of BLEAK HOUSE. All I can really say is: WOW. This was probably the best episode yet. Gillian Anderson and the equally wonderful Anna Maxwell Martin got to demonstrate their considerable chops, while the ever-clever Andrew Davies did a masterful job of bringing the story to an explosive moment with just the right amount of build-up. Powerful stuff. I can't even imagine what the last few episodes will hold. This is simply stunning TV.

Oh, and a special shout-out to Smallweed, whose scenes with Guppy were downright hilarious.

Hittin' the bottle again...

It's been two weeks since I've posted about BSG, and, as you'll remember, I was a little worried about execution. It was a bit clunky and just not as wrenching as this show had been in the past.

As far as episodes 2-15 and 2-16 were concerned, this was not a problem. In 2-15('Scar'), we had a Kara-centric story about her hang-ups and inability to do her job as well as she would like. Great complications with her relationship with Lee and nice action sequences as the beleaguered and exhausted pilots try to take down a super-skilled Cylon Raider called Scar. This episode revealed some of the depth of Kara's character that needs to be played out carefully for the series to continue it's success. There is an especially touching moment with Helo at the end.

Episode 2-16(Sacrifice) is yet another episode focusing on troubles from within. Dana Delany does a nice job in her guest role, but this episode is more significant for Lee's continuing difficulties. He's in bad shape at the end of this (again!), but not as bad as some. On the popular Battlestar message board, there's was some disappointment similar to mine regarding episode 2-14, but the geeks and jonesers now seem to feel like things are very much back on track. I heartily agree - oh, they're back, baby!

STARTING FROM SCRATCH

You might think that being trapped inside during the first big snow storm of the season without the benefit of any Netflix is a recipe for disaster, or at least being reduced to the month's umpteenth rerun of "Hellboy." Well, thank God for Encore Westerns, which treated us to a prime-time screening of LONE STAR last night. In my book, there are many things to recommend this film: John Sayles, its writer/director, is an all-time favorite of mine, and with the venerable Chris Cooper in the leading role, well, come on. What more do you need? It's a cleverly-structured story of a father-son relationship, mixed with a little murder mystery and a VERY unusual love story. I know a lot of people like to take shots at John Sayles for his occasional heavy-handedness, particularly when it comes to social and political commentary. But when it gets right down to it, in my book, he is a master story-teller and a brilliant writer of dialogue. Not to mention that he always captures brilliant, unflashy performances from his regular troop of actors. (Check out particularly creepy turns from Kris Kristofferson and Frances McDormand.)

EVERYBODY'S TALKIN' AT ME

Mike and I played hooky together yesterday, and what better way to celebrate a much-needed day off than by watching one of the most depressing films in history, MIDNIGHT COWBOY? This is an all-time classic I had never seen, and it sat for weeks unwatched, as I think we were both a little skittish about confronting its relentless heaviosity. But I am glad we finally did. While it's certainly not a pleasant film to watch, the performances from Jon Voight and Dustin Hoffman are really ones for the ages. I imagine 42nd Street is going to look quite different next time we are in NYC.

Jon Voight has become a family favorite recently (but where DID he get that crazy daughter of his?) But is he destined to spend the rest of his career doing TV movies, playing John Paul II? And what about Dustin, dear Dustin? I have always really admired him, but again, I mean, MEET THE FOCKERS? I guess maybe it's just as hard for the men to grow old gracefully on screen, they just have a little more time before they are reduced to roles that really aren't worthy of their gifts. Is ageism the real issue in Hollywood?

SHE IS WOMAN, HEAR HER ROAR

Perhaps our LA people have driven past this billboard. One of our local film critics, Carrie Rickey, did a nice piece in yesterday's Inquirer about the dearth of women directors in Hollywood, and the efforts of the Guerrila Girls to draw attention to their plight. It's nothing we aren't already aware of, but when you are confronted with the stark statistic that only THREE women directors have been nominated for Academy Awards in SEVENTY FIVE YEARS, it does kind of make you wonder why the industry is so shamefully far behind the rest of the world as far as women's professional progress.

Let Go and Let Flow

So our love of a wonderful, underemployed Australian actor named Simon Baker prompted us to take our semi-annual trip to the multiplex yesterday evening. That's right, we actually left the art house for a change to check out SOMETHING NEW, an incredibly sweet and insightfully drawn story of inter-racial romance.

This film actually serves as a nice counter-point to CRASH, which of course everyone is buzzing about with all of its rather unexpected Oscar nominations. Like Crash, Something New is set in LA and explores the subtle operation of race in everyday life. This is a simple story, though, told with a great deal of humor and sensitivity, and focuses mainly on the changes wrought in its protagonist, Kenya, a high-powered and tightly-wound professional, as she finds herself quite unexpectedly falling in love with a scruffy, laid-back white guy, played by Baker (hey, who wouldn't?) Occasionally, the dialogue is a bit thin and cliched, but fortunately the charms and chemistry of the leading actors are immense, and the supporting cast is wonderful.

This is not exactly rocket science, but it's a lovely and unassuming film that serves as a nice Valentine's diversion. I guarantee you will leave the theater with a big smile on your face.

SPACE IS THE PLACE

Instead of bumming out with W. and the State of the Union last night, we decided to celebrate the OTHER GEORGE (the one we love) and his three, count e'm THREE Oscar nominations by checking out SOLARIS. I remember it getting mixed reviews when it was in theaters, but I totally dug it. It was freakily atmospheric, and I loved Soderbergh's use of light and color. It's definitely not sci-fi in the tradition of STAR WARS - more like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (or so I am told.) It's a slow, hypnotic film with not a lot of action, but there was something cool about watching five actors do all the work for 90-plus minutes.

There were some slightly awkward plot points (to the extent that there was a plot), but over-all I was seduced by the metaphysical themes. And George's insanely cut physique.