movies, new movies

Every year at about this time, I saturate myself in new movies, trying to anticipate which ones will be nominated for Academy Awards: best film, best director, best actors (male and female), best supporting, best screenplay (adapted and original), best sound, best costumes, all that. I have a grand time. I never see them all, of course. I've seen "Precious," "Up in the Air," "Blindside," "Invictus," "Nine," and I have a very long list to see. Some just because I want to have fun. The Men Who Stare at Goats. That looks like fun to me. There were movies that came out that seemed like they couldn't fail, then got such horrid reviews I didn't even go: Fame, for one. Really? How could you mess up Fame? Apparently they did. And I was sooooo disappointed in "Nine." Like how I use and don't use quotation marks? I'm fickle that way. The story was dismal, the songs were forgettable, even the choreography left a lot to be desired except for Fergie's number and then it was hard not to think of how difficult it must have been for the dancers to deal with all that sand all day. sigh. I love movies. I want them to love me back. Entertain me. Knock my socks off. Give me that old Busby Berkeley treatment, or film noir, or Alfred Hitchcock. I did like Precious. Just wish they'd had more money to spend on it so Precious could have had million dollar fantasies. And Invictus was the feel good movie of the year for me. Mandela was a man of his convictions, and a true leader. Now if only we could make a movie out of The Godmother that would equal or top "Chicago" I'd have something to write home about. mmm.

First reading of The Godmother

oooh, delicious! I heard the play read aloud last night by a table full of actors, playwrights, the director and other readers. Tomboy, Corker, Black Walnuts, Uppity, Billy, they all jumped to life right there in the director's dining room. Scary, funny, and exciting all at once. I will tweak the script a bit over the next 10 days before the next rehearsal so the cast will have a clean script going into the days before performance of the staged reading. I hope we have a standing room only audience and just pack that mezzanine full of folks ready and waiting for this sassy young butch lesbian taking over her crime family as well as the stages of first Portland and then -- who knows?