This Side of Lost

Kevin Costner directs and stars in this 1990 Best Picture winning epic about a Union soldier at a remote post in South Dakota who befriends a Lakota Sioux tribe of Indians.

Ugh. We had a tough time working up any excitement for this one and I'm also having trouble coming up with much to say here. You've probably seen this one and have an opinion about it either way. I found it entirely too long (not helped by the fact that we got the "extended version" from Netflix) and pretty snooze-worthy. The story is strong, but it got diluted by the lengthy running time. The acting was mediocre at best, especially Costner.

Many of the features of the other westerns we've seen hold true here (wide open vistas, etc). It does get points for turning the usual "savage Indian, civilized westerner" theme on its head.

It's an okay movie for what it's trying to do. But I honestly don't see what the fuss is about. And... that's it. Next.

The third and final Charlie Chaplin film on the list, once again written, edited and scored by the do-it-all filmmaker. The earliest of the three (1925), Chaplin's comedic sense is well honed as the Lone Prospector (who is a dead ringer for the familiar Little Tramp) who bumbles his way through turn-of-the-century gold rush Alaska, avoiding starvation in a blizzard, courting the saloon girl who doesn't know he exists, and (of course) striking it big and getting fabulously wealthy, through no fault of his own.

This is the most unabashedly comedic of the Chaplin films I've seen. Still present are his touches of tragedy (unavoidable as he's making us laugh about people amidst starvation and heartbreak) but I probably laughed the hardest at this one. The two iconic scenes (Chaplin feasting on a roasted boot and Chaplin using two forked-impaled dinner rolls to effect a dapper dance) are just the tip of the iceberg of the comedy on this one. It also features the happiest ending of the three, which is sort of satisfying. We're left on a happy note as for Chaplin's characters, though it kind of seems strange to see the Little Tramp actually getting the girl at the end.

As for the rest, I again must point you to my previous two Chaplin reviews, all of which is still applicable as Chaplin is again at the top of his game. The fourteen months it took to put the movie together are evident in the attention to detail.

I can't be too clear about this: seeing Chaplin's films are one of the best things that have come out of this project. Though I probably won't seek out seeing any more, I'm very glad to have seen these three and have an appreciation for one of cinema's greatest figures.

A job. I has it.

I've been offered and have accepted a position at a small, liberal arts college/university within a manageable (not ideal, but manageable) commute distance from Poughkeepsie. It's a great job -- one I would have taken even if not pressed into this job search by other circumstances. I start in August. So we'll start planning my move... well, now, I guess.

I am excited for the new work, stressed about the move and (above all) relieved that the job search is over and I can go live with my wife again. But I think it was all worth it. That I can say that now, before it's over, speaks to the truth of that.

Oh, and the obligatory lolcat.

The first in a three part series about my crazy year masquerading as a professional choral singer in Los Angeles.

How much would you pay for this cinnamon roll? Looks awesome, doesn't it? Note that it's approximately as big as my head.

Think now.

$2.25, you say? Well, yes, that's how much money I gave to the nice lady at Panaderia in San Fernando earlier today. But that's not all I got. Here's the rest.

Some delicious pan dulce (which I have since devoured) and a tasty looking cookie. I think I've found my new favorite bakery ever.

I think lazy summers is one of the main reasons I have always wanted to stick around in academia for as long as I can. Being a high school teacher was too much to make the summers off worth it, but academic librarianship provides the perfect balance. I don't get the summer off, but things definitely slow down. Add to this the end of the choral music season, and I've got a lazy week coming up. Woo hoo!

Of course, that laziness isn't going to last long. The big annual conference for my professional organization is coming up at the end of the month, and then I've got my cross-country move after that. Guess that means I should enjoy my downtime while it lasts.

It's been a while since my last newsy post, so let's try and catch up...

• My mom's visit to LA was successful. We visited some mom-worthy spots (the Getty, the Huntington, the coast), she saw my library, she enjoyed the concert -- all went well. Thanks for coming out, Mom!
• I managed to get out to Poughkeepsie one more time, thanks to the job search. The highlight of the visit: a trip to the Hyde Park drive in theater for a double showing of Indiana Jones and Iron Man! Tons of fun as we rolled Roz into the parking spot backwards and opened up the hatchback into the cool Hudson Valley evening. Awesome.
• Speaking of the job search, it's over now. In case you missed that.
• My choral season is also nearly over -- just one last Sunday service at the end of the month for my church gig. It's been a long and very busy year for me, so I'm not sad to see it end. New friends and fun memories, as always, are what I'll miss.
• One of said new friends gave me a going away present: the first season of Battlestar Galactica on DVD. I just finished watching it last night, and it's pretty frakkin' awesome. Just put the next few discs on hold at one of the local libraries (using their brand spanking new catalog).
• I have been less distracted by baseball of late. I think my 5-year honeymoon with the Minnesota Twins is over. They're not a very good team again this year -- offense is bad as usual, and the pitching has been much better. They're hovering around .500 for most of the season, which might actually cut it, given that the rest of the division is also worse than we expected. Who knows?
• But, I am going to see the Twinkies soon. Thanks to the wonders of interleague play, the San Diego Padres are hosting a three game series with my hometown team next week, and I'll be in attendance for the Wednesday game, along with a friend from work. An excellent use of my personal holiday, if I do say so myself. Baseball road trip!
• Then, not two days later, my good friend Mari arrives for the aforementioned conference. We're also hoping to do a few extracurricular activities... possibly including an LA Derby Dolls bout and some, uh, research for her cookbook.

What are you looking forward to doing this summer?

1) Be sure to go vote for Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau for the All-Star Game. They are both second in the running behind Red Sox players and within striking distance -- especially Mauer, who has been far and away the best catcher in the American League this year. You can vote up to 25 times! Win tickets to a Twins game! What are you waiting for?!

2) I am basically this guy, except with less profanity. I have settled in 15th place in my fantasy league and, barring a miracle, am likely to stay there. I blame the entire roster of the Washington Nationals.

We head to the golden age of Hollywood romanticism for this 1939 adaptation of Emily Brontë's classic novel. Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon star as forever unrequited lovers Heathcliff and Cathy as life's events bring them together and apart in heartbreaking tragedy. William Wyler directs.

Here's another film that totally matches what I was expecting to see coming in to this project. Big stars, big stories, drama, action, passion! I may sound like a movie trailer, but what many movies claim to have, this one truly delivers.

First of all, Olivier and Oberon are tremendous. As Samantha put it, "These are very pretty people." Olivier is strikingly handsome, dark and brooding -- perfectly fitting with the character. His acting is at once understated and powerful. Heathcliff's immense contempt for Cathy in the later parts of the film couldn't be clearer on his face (perhaps because Olivier and Oberon didn't get along in real life). Oberon too is well cast as the beautiful but conflicted and selfish Cathy. It's worth the price of admission to see these two making doe eyes at each other.

But the rest of the film also matches up. The supporting acting (particularly Hugh Williams as Hindley) is fine. The Oscar-winning cinematography (by Gregg Toland, who would go on to become famous for his work on Citizen Kane) creates a perfect setting with strident dark and light hues reflecting the moodiness of the story. The screenwriting is excellent and makes the cuts necessary to craft a well-paced and concise film out of Brontë's sprawling novel (though purists may take umbrage at the second half of the book being completely left out). The California hills stand in well for the wild Yorkshire moors.

It's not an easy sight to watch these beautiful people destroy one another, but darn if they didn't put it together well. Chalk up another winner.

(See this post if you're confused why I'm reviewing movies.)