Since you've been gone...

Thanks Toothpaste for Dinner!

I must offer some profuse apologies. Or maybe not. I ran into Brunch Bird last weekend at, of all places, of course, the movies. (I was there to watch The Roommate. How was it you ask? Hysterically amazing!) She asked if I had a blog when I told her that I liked hers and I said "I do, but it sort of went defunct after watching Girl with the Dragon Tattoo." (Oh, and how was that you ask? Only the best movie I saw in 2010!) She said, "Well, it's never too late to start up again. I'd know." And she is right.

And I have seen some really worthy movies. I don't think I am an extraordinary writer, or maybe even that good, but my friends seem to enjoy it. So, back to movies. Well, all of the Swedish Steig Larsson movies were high points in my movie watching year last year. But I never wrote about them. I don't know if I ever will, but hopefully. So what has been going on with me, you ask? Well, lets do a photo run down, shall we?

According to my last post I stopped writing after I went to GA in March. Well, I went back in May. It was the epic Georgia trip. It will go down in the annals of the Georgia Trips. Well, until Lori and I go on our ten year anniversary road trip though Georgia.

Epic Georgia Adventure. May 2010.

Let's see. Then the World Cup happened, right? Well, I rooted for Germany, until they lost to Spain. That German support involved many hours at Lucky Bar and included me being interviewed at 7:30am on the CBS local news! Good thing my State Department colleagues knew I was drinking beer at 8am on a work day. Here is me and a bunch of other Germany fans after they beat Australia (? Australia, right?)

German Victory. And lots of Beer. World Cup 2010.

The World Cup era was also a celebration of new housing arrangements. I moved in May and therefore was able to acquire this little piece of toilet paper shredding heaven at the end of June. She is excellent. For the most part. Except she shreds all my toilet paper. Named after a 20th century Mexican Revolutionary, her name is

Emiliano Zapata. July 2010.

She's almost ten months old now (March 6) and is currently sitting in a reusable bag with a pair of my heels. Good work Zizzle.

August was epic because not only did I audition for the Capitals Red Rocker squad (and did not make the cut) but I also went to DISNEYLAND for the first time!!! Good god, if you haven't been there book your plane ticket now. It is the most wonderful place on earth. Even better than Niagara Falls. And I bet you never thought you'd hear that come out of my mouth!

The wonderful world of Disney. August 2010.

We also spent time with our good friend Steven while there. He took us around Los Angeles. Mel and I were re-united with high school friends. We ate at Spago. Saw the Hollywood sign (though I think we actually looked to the right to see the Hollywood sign). Saw the jail where OJ was kept. Saw a Soviet submarine. Ate Jack in the Box and had an all around fantastic vacation!!

Look to the left and I see the Hollywood sign.
Everyone here is so famous.
Including Craig Kilbourne.
I told him he looked like my grad school advisor. HAH!
August 2010

But the fun didn't stop in August. Oh no, no. September brought about three momentous events.
1. First UGA game day. We lost. Sad.

Imagine us in Game Day dresses. September 2010.

2. American Idiot on Broadway with Billie Joe Armstrong. Of course, now he is in the show for a two month run, but at the time he was only doing 8 shows. And I saw one of them!St. Jimmy died today/ He blew his brains out into the bay. September 2010.

3. Another Virginia inspired beauty. This time for my left arm.

You're looking at $300 of dogwood. September 2010.

October was confusing. Zombies invaded Washington and I was there to document it. I almost got ejected from the National Mall by the Park Service because they didn't believe I was not a professional photographer. Why? It wasn't because they saw this post and were amazed at all my photos (I took all of them except the one of Billie Joe). No. It was because he took one look at my camera and thought it was too "professional." Dude, hate to break it to you, but I'm not the only person in the city with a DSLR. Durr.

The Walking Dead invade Washington. October 2010.

In November I did play professional photographer though. I took my friends' engagement photos. I loved it. Does anyone have anything they want me to photograph? My rates are reasonable! You can email photography.jdh@gmail.com if you're interested. I am available in DC but will travel. I'm not kidding. You'll be impressed when you see my work below.

The real work. November 2010.

December was pretty standard. Heartbreak. Presents. New Years Eve in Georgia. The Caps won the Winter Classic (in your face Pittsburgh!) and the year started off more miserable than I could possibly imagine. Work upheaval. Henious sinus infection. The complete opposite of Love, Valour, Compassion. So I really needed one weekend in January to go well. Luckily the weekend I spent in New York for Mel and Barry's birthday was excellent. If it hadn't been I don't think I'd be here to type this right now. I'd still be crying in a gutter.

A new era of Hope. January 2011.

This brings us, more or less, to the present day. I tried to buy a scratching post for the cat but the pet store was sold out. It was very tragic. (UPDATE: I have secured said scratching post. VICTORY!)

But, this is neither a blog about my stupid cat nor a blog about my excellent photography skillz (though, seriously, email me if you want me to shoot something for you!), it is a blog about movies. So here, very very briefly, are my reviews of the movies I have seen since we last spoke (minus movies that weren't new to me--Dawn of the Dead, Interview with the Vampire, Titanic, Before Sunset, etc, etc, etc, etc.) And in no particular order...

The movies:

• All the Swedish Steig Larsson movies. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo--the best one of the three. I am so glad I saw the movie before I read the book. The movie was so shocking because I had no idea what was going to happen. It was the best movie I saw in 2010! The Girl Who Played with Fire-- Good. I think the book and the movie were actually pretty different. Again, I saw the movie first then read the book. The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest--The book is waiting to be read on my shelf. P.S. sweet Mohawk!
• 127 hours--very different then I thought it would be. I was actually surprisingly emotional. Go see it. Seriously. It is very good. Even though Danny Boyle annoys me. Though, I did enjoy 28 Days Later. A lot.
  
• Black Swan--overrated I think. I didn't care about any of the characters and was in fact hoping bad things would happen to them. Plus, I want to punch Natalie Portman in the face. Seriously. I did like that Frenchy though. I hope it doesn't win all sort of Oscars.
  
• Casino Jack--Erik and I wanted to go see a movie and there was nothing out. So he suggested this. It was fine. I was entertained. It was interesting to "learn" about Jack Abramoff. Plus, I like Kevin Spacey and I like drinking my pomegranate Italian sodas at E Street.
• A Film Unfinished--I saw this after I got my tattoo. Another good thing about E Street is that you can order beer there. Which I did. To stop the arm throbbing. A Film Unfinished is the footage that was recorded to make a Nazi propaganda film. The film was somewhat interesting even though nothing Nazi related seems to shock me anymore. I guess that is what you get for being a history major. Nothing in it stuck with me to this day. Just watch The Pianist instead.
• Easy A--Watched this with Lori on the last GA trip. It was entertaining. I like that Emma Stone. Her parents were ridiculously amusing and Dan from Gossip Girl was in it. What's not to like??
• Jackass 3D--I will confess, the only reason I watched this was because the boy I was crushing on worked on this movie. He was the stereoscopic supervisor. Basically, his job was to make it 3D. (You can figure out who he is on imdb) Otherwise, it wasn't nearly as amusing as I remember Jackass to be. I guess maybe I am getting too old for this? There was one though where a guy got his tooth pulled out. It made me feel like I was going to puke. So, maybe, mission accomplished?
• The Roommate--This one was a pretty recent view and I will admit it, I saw it because I love horror movies and Leighton Meester. What of it? Christ Almighty this movie was bad. If we hadn't seen it at Chinatown and had the "interactive" movie experience (ever noticed the audience at Ctown can't shut the eff up? They talk to the screen. They think it is interactive) this would have been a total waste. But by the end the reaction from the audience with the action on the screen was so hilarious that we were all dying of laughter. I imagine this was not the desired effect when they made the film.
• Up--I know. I know. How is it possible I haven't seen this yet? IDK. I watched it on Christmas, perfect movie for that day, right?! I loved it. I thought the animation was so excellent and the characters were so sweet. I was chastised though because I didn't cry at the beginning. I guess I have a stone where my heart should be?
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1--I actually saw this movie twice! Once the day after Thanksgiving and once on Christmas. Don't you just love Harry Potter at holiday time? God, I do!! This is obviously the best HP yet. Why? Obviously because they split it in two so it can be closer to the story in the book. Love love love love love it. Can't wait till the end.
• Blue Valentine--Ah yes, another E street wonder. What does it say about me, or maybe about that theatre, that anything I see there is more enjoyable than a movie anywhere else? And how do I remember that I had my pomegranate soda, resces pieces and a crab pretzel? They must pump some sort of hyper circulated air in, or something. Anyway. I liked this. It wasn't uplifting, but sometimes neither is life. Michelle Williams was way better than stupid Natalie Portman. SHE should win the Oscar. I also sort of realized I am in love with Ryan Gosling. I guess I should get in line.
  
• Catfish--OH DAMN. Seriously. This was the other best movie of 2010. I want everyone to watch it. I wont say anything about it though, because I want you to experience it with fresh eyes. After Erik and I watched this we had to immediately go to another movie to cleanse the palate of this one. It was SO GOOD!!!
• Devil--is the movie we saw after Catfish. What is with M.Night? Seriously. That guy can't make a good movie to save his life. Though. I did sort of like it. But it is really hard to tell if he is being serious or just thinks that he can make good previews and trick people into seeing his movies.
  
• Inception--Yes, yes. A worthy Oscar contender. But lets be seriously. I love Leonardo DiCaprio. I would watch him read the phone book. I love him. Love, love, love. This was good. I liked it. I should watch it again. Oh Man... speaking of Inception and Up. Watch this. It is freaking HILARiOUS!!!!! Please watch it. Please. It is so good.
  
• Let the Right One In--A Swedish vampire movie. I hear that the book is much better. Let's all just read the book, eh?
• Dead Snow--Hahahahahaha. Yes. You know this movie. It has some of my favorite elements. Norway. Zombies. Nazis. Well, Nazis aren't my favorite, but they are historical. Yes, a somewhat historical zombie movie set in Norway. It was just as bad, or as good, as you expected. I watched this on Halloween. Totally viable.
  
• Please Give--I watched this because I read something about it in Slate. The article was talking about this scene where the daughter wasn't a pair of jeans and how it was really sad and realistic. I don't know about that but I thought the movie was good. Entertaining. And the actors were quite good. And Amanda Peet was in it. Solved.
• Saw 3D--Ok. Ok. This was just like Jackass 3D. Mel and I went to see this because her friend was in it. It was awful. Just awful. But we did see her high school friend get cut in half. Classic.
• Waiting for Superman--I read something about this movie that said some of the scenes where the kids are waiting during the lotteries were actually fake. It was disappointing. I mean, I suppose what is more disappointing is that not everyone can go to school in one of the best counties in America, like I did. It is sad that people can't get quality education. I dunno that charter schools are the answer. I just wish people had more money so they could move to a good school district.
• Survival of the Dead--This movie makes me sad. This is not George Romero quality. It was just atrocious. Just so, so, so so awful.
• Rachel Getting Married--Here is the thing about this movie. It was actually pretty good. But towards the end Anne Hathaway has her hair highlighted and it was so hideous it was actually distracting. Like, I could not focus on the movie. Just ask Erik. He was there. Also, why was that family so weird? Maybe we will never know.
• Midnight in the Garden of Good And Evil--Lori and I both read this book in preparation for our Georgia Road Trip 2011. It was an excellent book. Just excellent. It teaches you so much about Georgia history and prepares you to travel to Savannah. The narration was amazing. But Christ this movie was bad. Not even Kevin Spacey and Jude Law could fix it. Message to Hollywood: Just because a book is awesome doesn't mean it will translate well to film. Please consider why the book is good (narration and the character development) and make sure you can do that in the movie. Because they couldn't do it, it made the movie not good. We both fell asleep then had to return to watch it another day. Sad.
• The Fighter--I just saw this last night. Yay for solo dates! This one was much better than Black Swan. Christian Bale should win an Oscar. Brother is scary good! I liked this one. I like that there is a character arc, and that I care what happens to them. And I am not sure, but were the sisters supposed to be funny, because hoo-boy. What was going on with them? Despite the fact it was a Thursday night and everyone in the theater was over 25 it was still interactive. Oh Chinatown.
  

The television...

• True Blood Seasons 1 and 2--Fuck I love this show. It is pretty unusual that I am interested in a show from the first episode, but I was with this one. Thanks to RaeJean to recommending it. I can't wait till I can watch Season 3.
• Peep Show Seasons 1-7--God this show is hilarious. Peep Show is a BBC production about two friends, Mark and Jeremy (though my favorite character is Super Hanz...which I thought was Super Hands for a long time). It is sort of like It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia but set in England. I discovered the show one morning when I woke up from a night out at like 5 and I needed to wash my face and brush my teeth. I turned on the telly, which was on BBC because I was watching Law and Order: UK when I fell asleep and I was absolutely hooked! It is on BBC America Saturday mornings from 4-6am... for those times when you're just getting home from the bar or are too drunk to fall asleep. Or you can watch all the episodes on Hulu. You wont regret it. It is hysterical.
• The IT Crowd Seasons 1-3--The only reason I watched this show was because it was available on Netflix view it now. The first season was really funny. The other two, not as much. It reminds me of the show within a show on Extras. What was it called? When the Whistle Blows? It has the same sort of odd BBC production values... almost like it is a fake show.
• The Walking Dead--Remember when I said the Walking Dead invaded DC? Well, these were the dead from this show. God. What didn't I like about this show? It took place in Georgia. Had Zombies. Was made by AMC. And it was one of the first scary shows I have ever watched. Other than MTV's Fear (god I miss that show) I have never actually been scared during a show. The first three or so eps of this show just made me so nervous. I loved it. The DVD comes out around my birthday. Hint. Hint.
  
• Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season 1--To say Lori was mad when I liked True Blood would be the understatement of 2010. She was like, "those aren't real vampires. Watch Buffy. Otherwise I will hate you." So over NYE weekend we watched Season 1. I will tell you, the vampires in TB are so much sexier (ugh) than the ones in BtVS. Lori would say "They're not supposed to be sexy! They're supposed to be evil!! I hate you." So Season 1 was sort of ridiculous. The production quality was very low and the episodes were hysterical. But we made a drinking game out of it and now Season 2 is much much better. Ah, the things we do for love!

Wow. That took many days to complete. That is the full disclosure. Hopefully now that I have gotten those out of the way I can go back to updating regularly. Coming soon... (or what I have been watching, or have ready to watch...)

Glee: Season 1 (two discs left)
Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 2 (three episodes left)
The Tudors: Season 4 (how did I not know this was out?! I will watch it once Glee is over)
The Social Network (waiting at home to be watched Sunday)
Mighty Ducks and D2 (purchased with an amazon card I won at work!)

and thats all for now! Welcome back.

See you at the movies. Or something. (E street. Not Chinatown)

Roman Polanski: Wanted and Desired

"I think he has a dark side. A sad side. A veiled side. Given his childhood, he has a relationship to life and death he can't talk about. He has a strong vision of sadness and death inside him, but since he has such energy, such working power, such desire to do extraordinary things, he prevails."
Pierre-Andre Doutang, Polanksi's friend

So what is this one about?
Netflix tell us,

Director Roman Polanski is the focus of this documentary that explores the tumultuous events of his personal life, including the murder of his pregnant wife, Sharon Tate, and the sex scandal that prompted him to flee the United States for France. Interviews with Polanski's victim, Samantha Geimer, Chinatown screenwriter Robert Towne, actress Mia Farrow and others help to reveal the many sides of this controversial figure.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Nothing. We had DVRed this one when it premiered on HBO. I had been waiting to watch it, but events have decreed that I watch it and discuss it today.

And what did I think?
When I woke up at 9am and saw "Swiss arrest Polanski on US request in sex case" on the front page of the Washington Post website I honestly though I would throw up. I hauled my sorry, pajama clad self out of bed and marched downstairs to my Roman Polanski loving parents--the ones who instilled the same love for him in me--and glared at my mom. I said, "I just saw on the Washington Post..." and she said, "I know. We saw it." I probably let out an explicative or two and marched back upstairs to fume and feel sick.

Just. leave. him. alone!!!!!!!

He only escaped the Polish ghetto in World War II, had his mother die in Auschwitz, then had his beautiful, movie-star, pregnant wife--who he was amazingly in love with--be murdered at the hands of the Charles Manson family. So, I say again, what is the point of all of this LA County District Attorney? This happened over 30 years ago. Flipping ridiculous.

In fact, this new article on the Post website essentially say as much! Lets break it down, shall we?
"Polanski, 76, was arrested at the Zurich airport Saturday night by Swiss authorities acting at the request of the Los Angeles district attorney's office. Prosecutors there had learned of the Oscar-winning director's plans to attend a film festival in his honor, and passed a request through the U.S. Justice Department." Are you really telling me that the Justice Department has nothing better to do with their time?

"The arrest outraged the government of France, which has declined to extradite Polanski since he fled to his native land in 1978" understandable. Good for France for looking out for one of it's talented citizens! "Culture Minister Frederic Mitterrand issued a statement saying he "profoundly regrets that a new ordeal is being inflicted on someone who has already known so many during his life."" Merci, Monsieur Mitterand! C'est vrai!

"Polanski also received support from Poland, where he moved as a toddler and avoided capture by the Nazis, who put his mother to death in a concentration camp. "I am considering approaching the American authorities over the possibility of the U.S. president proclaiming an act of clemency, which would settle the matter once and for all," said Polish foreign minister Radoslaw Sikorski, according to the PAP news agency." I hope that does happen. If his justice department can do something so retarded, surely Obama can take the ten seconds to tell them to back down and apologize.

"The arrest baffled some in Hollywood. "I think it's absolutely ridiculous," said Bill Flicker, a film editor who once worked with Polanski in France. "It's stupid and a waste of resources. I don't understand why they are doing it."" Yes, it is ridiculous. Why are they doing it?

Even the girl he had sex with has said to let it go, "I don't carry any feelings of anger towards Polanski," she told People magazine in 1997. "I even have some sympathy for him, what with his mother dying in a concentration camp and then his wife Sharon Tate being murdered by Charles Manson's people and spending the last 20 years as a fugitive. Life was hard for him, just like it was for me. He did something really gross to me, but it was the media that ruined my life." jerks.

As I am sure you can tell, I am just simply horrified that this has even come up. He is clearly not a sex offender who poses a threat to anyone else. Just. Let. It. Go!
_______________
Moving back onto topic, the film was incredibly interesting. It painted a detailed and nuanced portrait of the media attention hungry judge who presided over the case and the county of Los Angeles who was not really interested in putting Polanski in prison for the rest of his life--most of the people in the film thought that he had truly already suffered enough and that considering the facts of the case that all the recommendations the judge received were fair and reasonable. And it did this while not really passing judgement on any of the characters involved in the story.

I would say if you don't know anything about Roman Polanski and haven't seen any of his films--shame on you--this would be a good introduction to him. Through the archival reels you can see why he was so appealing. In the clips of his films you can see the contained elegance of his filmmaking style. And in the news reels from 30 -40 years ago you can see the hard life he had. And you'll understand, like I do, that we should just leave him be.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
I give it a 10. I'm sad I waited so long to watch it, but I'm glad I did, because if I hadn't watched it today it wouldn't have had the immediate, emotional effect it had.

And if you haven't seen Knife in the Water (Nóz w Wodzie), just go rent it. If only for the beautiful Polish language. Then rent the Pianist...because, be serious.

In Treatment: Season 1

So what is this one about?
In so many ways I feel like anything I say wont do justice to this show. So, instead of using the netflix description, I will show you what I saw, a preview from an hbo dvd, that made me want to watch this show...


And how much did I pay to watch?
You'll likely be shocked to find out, as I was, that this show is 9 discs. Nine. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. Now, I watch a lot of tv on dvd and I have never seen anything so long. So, nine discs over a time span that went from May 4 to June 27...probably cost as much as my membership for two months, because apparently for two months (or nearly so) this is all I have watched. I suppose I could have bought the dvds, but, well, too late now.

And what did I think?
One thing I like about Mad Men is that it is a show for grown-ups. Now, as it has become more popular, and as Season 2 smashed my heart to bits, it has gained more of a following. And the following isn't only grown-ups (this is probably one of the few, if only, times you will hear me refer to myself as a proper grownup adult). Now, In Treatment, on the other hand, is a show for proper grown-ups. It is slow. It is subtle. It is simply watching people talk. And of course because it is an HBO show it is flawless.

Gabriel Byrne's acting is so subtle and nuanced. His patients are full of pain, and are repressed, and are so exquisite in the way they hold themselves together sometimes. And Byrne is the same way. And lets face it, he is beautiful. The whole show is simply a masterpeice of acting, and writing, and storytelling. And pain. It is so striking to see such amazing acting which communicates so explicitly what the characters are supposed to be feeling. And as an audience we are pulled in. We feel for the characters when they hurt. We may feel like they've brought it on themselves. And we so badly want for everyone to be happy.

But, I suppose in therapy, as in life, that isn't always the case. And even if someone deserves and desires happiness, or love, or contentment, sometimes that doesn't happen. Sometimes people remain lost even if they are good people. And I suppose that is what I mean by the show is for grown-ups. Grown ups realize that life isn't always perfect, or happy, and sometimes even if you have all the access in the world to happiness and love it just may not happen.

I suppose it is the continuing on the path, the going back every day--or as in treatment, every week--that shows you are a grownup.

(And I suppose this meandering, vague, overly flowery description is why I don't tend to write reviews right after I have finished watching something. Usually I am too full of love and elation to seperate the way I feel about the show from what it is. However, in this case, the way I feel about the show is the way the show actually is. Magnificient)

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Months ago when I had first seen the preview for this show I had mentioned it to my friend Joe. He told me that the show was stunning. I had the feeling it would be, and I was right.

Everything about this show is extraordinary. In fact, sometimes I found myself marvelling at the acting, because it wasn't really a therapy session I was watching--a therapy session full of raw emotions spanning the whole spectrum--no, it was only a tv show.

This is a 10. Perhaps one of the highest 10s I have given. It is an amazing example of the skill and talent that HBO uses to make their incredible shows.

Pu-239

So what is this one about?
This is another film that Netflix recommended to me. One thing you might not know is that my recommended film categories on the 'flix are (in order) TV Sitcoms, Films from Russia, HBO, Films from France, and Films from the United Kingdom. (This shouldn't be surprising if you've been reading what I've been reviewing)...so, this movie combines Russian and HBO (sort of). Netflix describes it as

While staving off a power plant disaster, Russian worker Timofey (Paddy Considine) is exposed to radiation and blamed for the accident. With days to live, he steals some plutonium and tries to sell it on Moscow's black market in an effort to provide for his family. Along the way, he gets help from a low-level thug, with whom he forges an unlikely connection. Radha Mitchell co-stars in this gripping HBO adaptation of Ken Kalfus's short story.

Neato, an HBO adaptation of a short story?? Count me in!

And how much did I pay to watch?
All I will say about this one, is that this was shipped to me on the 18th of November. NOVEMBER!! Lord, it takes me a long time to watch movies!

And what did I think?
Well, as I was watching the movie I was thinking, "Man, the Russian who wrote this book is awesome." Joke is on me though because the guy who wrote this is totally from New York. Thus, I am very impressed with his ability to capture the essence of Russian-ness (or something). So, all in all I liked the feeling of the movie.

However, the narration was tough to follow (this is a good example of taking narration from a book that was beautiful and not being able to adapt it successfully to a film) though that might have been due to the lead actor's bizarre Russian accent. One thing I hate about films that are supposed to take place in non-english speaking countries is that they aren't always consistent in their use of English language or accents. For example, in Enemy at the Gates all the Russians are played by Brits with British accents and all the Germans are played by Americans with American accents. However, for some reason they thought it would be logical (why?) to have newspapers in cyrillic. Why? I mean, as an audience we are suspending disbelief that Russians and Germans are speaking English, so why do we need to bring Russian into the picture?? Well, in Pu-239 all the actors spoke in English with Russian accents. But, the accents were somewhat unintelligible. Why was this necessary?

I found the main character to be rather annoying, and the secondary characters to be more awesome. I wanted to know what was going to happen in their poor Russian lives, because it was clear that Timofey was going to die. Shoot, even the Netflix description says so!

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
I just thought that the director, or hbo, or the filmmakers, or the writer did such an excellent job of capturing the Russian essence.

However, I didn't find the film itself to be that captivating. SO, it gets a 7.

John Adams

So what is this one about?
Man, remember the first President? He was so amazing, what, with winning the Revolutionary War, giving up the office after two terms so as to avoid becoming a tyrant, and him never telling a lie. Ah yes, he was the best President ever.

Oh man, and what about the third President? He only wrote the Declaration of Independence and doubled the size of the United States with the Louisiana Purchase. No biggie.

But wait, I've skipped some President who was sandwiched in between those two fine Virginians. Who the heck was it. I hear he was obnoxious and disliked. And short. And grumpy. And from, GASP, Massachusetts. What was his name?!

Oh yeah, John Adams.

Paul Giamatti stars in this sweeping Emmy winner for Best Miniseries that chronicles the astonishing life of founding father John Adams: revolutionary leader, America's first ambassador to England, the first vice president and the second president. The iconic cast of characters includes Abigail Adams (Laura Linney), George Washington (David Morse), Thomas Jefferson (Stephen Dillane), Benjamin Franklin (Tom Wilkinson) and many more.

Right, that was his name. John Adams.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, technically I paid nothing, because I got my mom to rent me these dvds at the biggest damn blockbuster I have seen since high school. And she spent nearly $20. But she did it because she felt sorry for me because I couldn't eat or drink because I was having a colonoscopy done the next next day. (I do not recommend that)

And what did I think?
Jeebus, what did I think!?! I thought it was flipping amazing. A.MAZ.ING!!

For everyone who knew me in high school, you will know, and well, still know, that I am incredibly nerdy. My Virginia pride, and love for Colonial Virginia, and Thomas Jefferson are unending. And this miniseries brought to life one of my absolute favorite times in American history.

The portrayal of the times was so realistic, it was really like watching the founding of America unfurl before my very eyes. It was incredible. If I were a US history teacher I would absolutely use this as a teaching resource. (which is easy, thanks to HBO and their available 'teacher's guide' at their website. Ah, HBO, not only is everything you make completely amazing, but you are looking out for the youth of America in their academic pursuits.)

The settings were realistic, and the accents were fabulous. But the single greatest thing about this miniseries--no, it wasn't the masectomy of Sarah Polley, it wasn't the tarring and feathering of a British official, it wasn't the fruity Frenchies when Ben Franklin and J. Adams hopped off to Paris, it wasn't Sam Adams the brewer patriot, and it wasn't Jefferson at Monticello--it was the casting. Yes, the CASTING. It was the single most extraordinary casting job ever. Ever, ever, ever, ever, ever. In the history of tv miniseries. I can say this with no hesitation.

Now, how can I know this, you ask? Seeing as how all we have are drawings of the founding fathers. Well, the answer is, I just know. Also, I have seen 1776 like a million times. But seriously, the casting was amazing. Tom Wilkinson as Ben Franklin was amazing. The guy who played George Washington, amazing. The casting of John Adams, man, I am going to tell you, Adams was a real troll of a man compared to the other F.F.s, but Giamatti hit it spot on. Now, I will take breif issue with the guy who played Alexander Hamilton because, let's be serious, we've all seen the $10 bill and we therefore know that A. Hamilton was a stone cold fox, and that man who played him was full on ugly. (He didn't even have an alibi). And the entire casting of the Philadelphia convention where the DoI was being drafted, well, I could pick those guys out without even hearing their names...that is how good the casting was/how nerdy I am (aka, how many times I have seen 1776). No, the greatest casting was of Thomas Jefferson. Stephen Dillane was the greatest casting ever. He didn't just play Thomas Jefferson, he WAS Thomas Jefferson.

Here is where I will include a youtube video of all the TJ clips that some loooooser put together. You will see that Dillane's portrayal of TJ was amazing. Unless you don't know as much about him as I do, and then you'll just think, um, alright. neat? Well, I will tell you, it IS neat. He completely embodied what TJ was supposed to have been like. And good god. The resemblance is just uncanny. It was really like he was brought back to life. You know, in that non-zombie way.

So anyway, as much as I love to hate on Tom Hanks, and his stupid way of being, "oooooh, look at meeeeee, I'm Tom Hanks! Everything I do it greeeeeeeeeat. Give me and Oscar! Oh wait, I have a million already. My son looks just like me!" I have to admit. John Adams was incredible. In fact, if you have seen me in the past few weeks you know that it is all I want to talk about anymore. So really, just avoid me, because it is incredibly nerdy.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
As if you even needed to ask. John Adams gets a 10.

Alive Day Memories: Home from Iraq

So what is this one about?
Maybe one day I will pay for cable and get HBO. Everything they produce is fabulous, and they are so helpful with descriptions on their website. Thanks HBO!

In a war that has left more than 25,000 wounded, ALIVE DAY MEMORIES: HOME FROM IRAQ looks at a new generation of veterans. Executive Producer James Gandolfini interviews ten Soldiers and Marines who reveal their feelings on their future, their severe disabilities and their devotion to America. The documentary surveys the physical and emotional cost of war through memories of their "alive day," the day they narrowly escaped death in Iraq.

And how much did I pay to watch?
Well, I've been pretty busy lately. I haven't been able to dedicate as much time towards watching movies because I've been traveling, hosting guests, working on my thesis paper (which is done....YAY!), and redoing my room. I have only gotten 11 movies from Netflix in the past 30 days, which puts the price of the disc at $1.54. (still pretty cheap though, right?)

And what did I think?
Well, I was very interested in watching this when everyone in the news world (Brian Williams) was talking about this new documentary by James Gandolfini. And kudos to HBO for getting it on dvd so quickly.

It was an interesting film which told ten different and interesting stories. It was a good film that would demonstrate to citizens the cost of war. A cost that likely they don't see. The idea that 25,000 soldiers have been wounded is kind of shocking.

However, though the film tries to demonstrate the human cost of war I never got an "anti-war" vibe from the film. Rather, Gandolfini did an excellent job of laying out a narrative that could let the audience decide for themselves what they think of war. I think this is hard to do in a war time documentary, but this one managed to stay pretty unbiased.

I also thought it was important that Gandolfini used two female veterans. Many war films or documentaries seem to only focus on the male soldiers, and this does a disservice to the female soldiers.

Last, one of the soldiers (I think he was second)has been covered on Nightly News. It was a few weeks ago, in a story that told about New York firefighters help him with this physical therapy at home because he couldn't (as in didn't want to, not as in wasn't able to) stay in the military hospitals anymore. And compared to what we saw in the film, he is doing much better now. That was a nice part of the story.

So what is the rating? (out of 10)
Rating movies is sort of odd, because it is impossible (probably) to separate my feelings about a film from the actual goodness of the film in terms of film. If that made any sense. I think what I would change about this film was its length. It was only an hour long. I would have liked to see more.

Other than that it was pretty interesting. I give in an 8.