playing catch up

Since I was working a conference (and gave my first big workshop!), I kinda fell off the media grid - although, I did manage to catch up on football... Sunday was a big catchup!

Wristcutters: A Love Story: As a mental health advocate you'd think I might have issues with such a title and concept...but come on, it's me! I thought the premise was hysterical and the message well worth spreading this one around. Having a serious mental illness (some of you will place the proper emphasis on that one), I understand suicide. I'm obviously not embarrassed of the places my mind has taken me and I fight daily to break the stigma that surrounds my illness, but I'm also honest and know suicide something people don't understand..and I tell consumers day in and out that life is too damn beautiful. But that's not the point. Etgar Keret's short story Kneller's Happy Campers was wonderfully adapted and expanded. A world where everything's a little worse, that sounds like the place that you'd go. This is the DVD I pick this year to tell everyone about! Granted, with the holiday film rush, this might be the DVD of the year, so I don't want to ruin it. Gogol Bordello never got respect until this film - couldn't be a better touchstone. The soundtrack is fabulous. Tom Waits! You can't wait to see him and how good this film looks especially when you realize how truly DYIndie this is.

21 made me miss the time I worked in Vegas. Where these were college kids by the week and high rollers on the weekend, I felt as if I've walked in their shoes with my rock and roll life in school. I have been meaning to read the book, but hell, do I need to now? Jim Sturgess is racking up the hits - he is adorable as the Clark Kent of the story (maybe he'll be saving the day as Dr. Campbell.) Me thinks the boy sounds a bit like Ewan McGregor. Nothing exciting about this, just a little eye candy and a good heave-ho for the geeks!

Every time I see Clive Owen's tanned Cheshire grin as Sir Walter Raleigh, I gotta stop and watch a snippet of Elizabeth: The Golden Age. I certainly can NOT turn the channel once I get a glimpse of Cate Blanchett; she dazzles me every time. As much as I hate my cable bill, the eye candy of watching whomever a million times over in one week is pretty tasty.

I finally picked up Wu Cheng-En's Monkey. I know this will be the great chinese read I've been biting my fingernails waiting for it to come to me via Cumberland Co's library system.