Movie: The Girl From Paris

French films often have the distinction of being long and drawn out.  The only reason I watch French films is because I'm learning to speak French and am working under the delusion that watching long, boring French movies will help the cause.  It doesn't, but I still queue them up on Netflix.

The Girl From Paris was okay, and presented a slice of life French countryside style.  Basically a girl from Paris decided to take up farming, particularly goat herding, and the movie makes it all seem rather idyllic except for the parts where they actually slaughter a pig and later in the movie a cow.  Blah.  Watching real animals die is not my cup of tea, so I closed my eyes until the deaths were completed.  But that's farming, right?  The girl strikes up a relationship with a crotchety old farmer and they become friends in the end.  Overall, the movie was predictable and okay, and if you're learning French this is a good one to choose, except for the two slaughter parts that I mentioned.

I think this film should be done American-style.  It could be really cute and funny.  American films (done correctly) allow for character development and would kindly omit the gory animal deaths -- even though since most of us eat meat maybe we should witness the kind of suffering we cause animals because of our flesh eating appetites.

Movie: Dillinger with Johnny Depp except the Movie is actually Public Enemy...I think

I love Johnny Depp.  As an actor, he is really fun to watch. He is just cute. Unfortunately, just because I love an actor, doesn't mean I will go see all their movies.  No matter how much I like someone, if the movie doesn't interest me, I won't go see it.  Likewise, if I really hate an actor, like Angelina Jolie, but she's in a movie that I would like to see I'll go see it.  I don't hate Angeline Jolie, I'm just jealous -- not of Brad Pitt or her big lips, but her great body.  God, I hate her.

A long time ago I knew this guy and his last name was Dillinger, and his first name was maybe John, or Steve, or Brian or something like that.  I asked him if he happened to be any relation to the notorious criminal John Dillinger.  He said he was, that the criminal Dillinger was like a great uncle or something.  How cool!  He said it wasn't cool, that their entire family had a bad name due to him.  I guess that movie's going to bring up some bad memories.

When I heard Johnny Depp had another movie out, I was jumping and down, shouting with joy; and my boyfriend who hates Johnny Depp because of his politics said there was no way we were going to see that movie.  Of course, I always have to have my way, and I convinced him that we should see it anyway, because after it was Johnny Depp, who was so distractingly attractive when he played that pirate.

Yeah, he looked good in Pirates of the Caribbean.  It gave me plenty of fantasy material for years. Is there something wrong with me that I'm attracted to the slimy, unkempt pirate with braided beard over that nice Orlando Bloom, who anyone could take home and proudly introduce him to mother?

Anyway, the previews for Dillinger were happening and I realized the only reason I wanted to see the film was because it starred Johnny Depp.  But Johnny Depp wasn't looking very much like a pirate in that movie, so I decided to defer to my boyfriend's stupid politics and pass.

You know how like on Facebook they're always doing those stupid quizzes? I think they should do a Johnny Depp quiz where you guess his movie based on a picture of his teeth.  It would go something like this:
Question 1:   A picture of smiling lips and big, white straight teeth.
    a.  Chocolat    b.  What's Eating Gilbert Grape  c.  Charlie and the Chocolate Factory d. Ed Wood
Question 2:  A picture of a mouth full of braces.
   a.  Blow   b.  The Secret Window  c.  The Ninth Gate  d.  Edward Scissorhands
Question 3:  A picture of mouth full of crooked, rotten teeth.
   a.  Arizona Dream  b.  Platoon  c.  From Hell  d.  The Libertine
Question 4:  A picture of his gold tooth  -- easy Pirates of the Caribbean, but wait
  a.  Pirates 1   b.  Pirates 2   c.  Pirates 3  d.  all of the above  e.  Pirates 1 & 2

PS:  Great news,  a Pirates 4 is coming.  Yippie Skippie.  I'm getting hot just thinking about that bad boy Jack Sparrow.

Movie: Greenfingers

Slow start, it takes about 30 minutes to get into it.  Then the film gets a lot better and is worth watching.  It's about prisoners gardening.  Parts are delightful, makes you want to go plant a garden.

Television: Grey's Anatomy

Last week was the 2-hour season premier of Grey's Anatomy.  I sort of listened to it while I worked on the computer.  Regardless of all it's flaws, I'm hooked.

Last night (Oct 8, '09) I broke down and watched it in its entirety.  I correctly predicted that Little Grey would not be a match for her father's liver and that Meredith would be a match and in the end donate a portion of her liver.  The cynic in me thought her father would die anyway and Meredith would have gone through that whole operation for nothing, but he lived.  I guess they're going to let Meredith finally come to terms with her father. There were a couple more predictable events in the show; hopefully as the season drags on it will get better.

Grey's Anatomy started going downhill Season 1 when they hosted a high school prom in the hospital.  Oh, yeah, that was totally believable.  Then it redeemed itself with the dramatic scene of Izzy falling apart when her sick-guy (Denny) died, but I had the distinct feeling kids out of high school were writing the script.

The next major flaw was the season where Izzy fell for George.  George?  Oh, yeah, that's going to happen.  Izzy and George, come on.  Izzy played it well, but did any viewer out there for one second find that pairing believable?  I wish they had done more with George and his wife instead of making her gay.

Speaking of gay, my boyfriend always goes on-line and checks out actors and actresses and reads up on what is going to happen.  He looked up Grey's Anatomy and comes to me, guess who on the show is gay.

Me:  In real life or on the show?
Him:  In real life.
Me:  I have no clue and I don't care.
Him:  Come on, guess.  Just one guess, come on.
Me:  George?
Him:  Bingo!

What I didn't understand is since they are exploring gay relationships, why they didn't just make George gay.  Let him and Callie deal with that one.  Oh well, he's dead and the show goes on.  Maybe in typical soap opera fashion they'll bring him back alive somehow.

My favorite character on the show is Sandra Oh.  I just like her, I liked her in the movie Sideways too.  That was a good movie.  You know how they're doing product placement in TV and movies.  Whenever I'm watching something and I see product placement, I yell out, "Product Placement!"  My boyfriend snarls at me to shut-up.  Well, the movie Sideways was like a total product placement for Napa Valley. Afterwards I just wanted to go out and drink wine.

So anyway, I really liked the romance Sandra Oh had with that black guy who turned out to be a homophobe so they fired him.  Now that George is gone maybe they'll bring him back so Sandra Oh can choose between him and that rough and tumble red-haired army guy.  I can never remember these people's names.  That would certainly heat up Grey's lukewarm seasonal start.

Movie: "Water"

According to Hindu scripture and widow must not remarry. So in the olden days of India (a practice which may continue to this day) widows were sent to live with other widows in an ashram. They cut their hair and wore only white, which might not be too bad if you were a woman sixty or older. But if a girl became a widow at say, age 7, because you were married off even before meeting your husband, she would spend her life without seeing her parents again or having any real companionship or opportunity in life.

They must support themselves in the ashram and do so by begging. One of the women in the group acts as a leader and sends some of the younger women out to prostitute for them. This woman actually reminded me of my friend's sister-in-law. It wasn't her, of course, but every scene she was in, I was thinking, "that's my friend's sister-in-law, no, no that's not her."

Oh, back to the film.

The movie "Water" takes place in India circa 1930's and shows this disturbing aspect of Indian culture. Much of the movie is seen through the eyes of a precocious seven year old girl who doesn't understand why she is there. She meets another young widow in her mid-twenties who takes the child under her wing. This young woman meets a man who has been educated in England and is a follower of the teachings of Gandhi. He has no use for the practice of ostracizing women simply because their husband has died.

As to be expected, the young woman and young man fall in love. He wants to marry her and she is ready to forsake her beliefs and be with him. Because of this trouble erupts, that and the fact the woman who looks like my friend's sister-in-law has been sending her out as a prostitute for her beau's father. What kind of coincidence is that?

Overall, this is a very good movie. For others who like it there is a lot to discuss. The cinematography is phenomenal and makes it worth seeing for that aspect alone.