Films that Remind Me of Halloween

With Halloween arriving, I decided to write a post devoted to films that I associate with the holiday. The films aren't necessarily about Halloween or scary or even great, but when this time of year comes around, these are the films that come to mind, or if I were to rewatch one of them during another part of the year, I would think of Halloween. Basically the films and the holiday are linked together in my mind.

10. Children of the Corn (Frtiz Kiersch, 1984)
I think I've seen this movie three or four times, each occasion on or around Halloween, and admittedly it's not a good movie. The movie is crying out for a remake, since I think at it's core it has a good premise. A small, heartland town is overtaken by its children who form a cult. That's just creepy, and Malachai is a great character. It would be fun to see what a great screenwriter and director could do with the material. Apparently, there is a remake being filmed, but it's a TV movie for the Sci-Fi channel, so I wouldn't hold my breath.

9. Corpse Bride (Tim Burton, 2005)
The first Tim Burton film on the list, and really what director bettersums up the holiday than Burton. Creepy, kooky, and whimsical are all adjectives that can be applied to both the director and film. A man soon to married accidently weds a corpse, and is transported to the world of the dead, which is more lively than the world above. The movie just puts a smile on my face, although the film's songs were disappointing, when you compare them to the brilliant songs of Burton's and composer Danny Elfman's previous collaboration on a sto-motion animated film, The Nightmare Before Christmas, which will be higher up on the list.

8. Meet Me In St. Louis (Vincente Minnelli, 1944)
This is a movie that reminds me of Halloween, this is a movie that reminds me of Christmas, this is a movie that reminds me of trolleys, but above all else this is a movie that reminds me of Judy Garland, who gave her second best performance ever, behind only 1954's A Star is Born, in this film. Halloween only takes up one section of the film, with the two youngest daughters of the Smith family, Agnes and Tootie, going trick-or-treating and playing a game in which they "kill" people by throwing flour in their face when they open the door. The film will also forever be linked to Night of the Living Dead in my mind. In college I had to watch them back-to-back during a film class, because we were to compare them as representatives of different genres, which both use children to subvert the social mores of society. The comparison still sticks.

7. Monster House (Gil Keanan, 2006)
Another animated film from the aughts, this one is set on Halloween. The film takes a premise that we can all relate to, the creepy neighborhood house that every kid thinks is haunted, and turns it into both a wacky monster movie and touching love story. The film's art direction is amazing. It perfectly replicates a day in late October and the house's transformation into a living being is brilliant. I could also go on and on about the voice work, from Kathleen Turner, Maggie Gyllenhaal, and Steve Buscemi, to three kids who are the central characters. How could a film like this lose the Animated Feature Oscar to Happy Feet? Ech!

6. Young Frankenstein (Mel Brooks, 1974)
The first time I saw this film was on a Halloween when I was a teenager. Everyone considers either The Producers or Blazing Saddles to be Brooks's best film, but I personnally think Young Frankenstein is far superior to either of those films. I think it's his most coherent film, but also his funniest, combining slapstick, puns, film references, and silly asides into an intelligent spoof/homage to the films of James Whale. It features both Gene Wilder's and Peter Boyle's best performance, plus has a amaing supporting cast that includes Cloris Leachman, Teri Garr, Gene Hackman, and Madeline Kahn.

5. Batman Returns (Tim Burton, 1992)
Yes, another Tim Burton film. I include this movie on the list simply because when I was nine I dressed up as the Penguin, specifically the version from this film. It was a heavy duty costume, too. I had a ton of padding, the worn-out suit, the wig, the makeup, including a prosthetic nose, the three-fingered gloves, and the top hat. I wound up winning an award for Most Creative Costume at my Cub Scout Halloween party. I was really proud of the costume. To this day I haven't come up with a better costume. I've been a murdered monk, Charlie Chaplin, Bjork, a 70s porn star, Lola from Run Lola Run, an emo band member, but none of them have compared to the Penguin.

4. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)
My favorite movie of all time. That's all I have to say about it. I love it, I love it, i love it! Anthony Perkins is unbelievably creepy. Janet Leigh is wonderful as the film's leading actress who doesn't make it to the film's halfway point, which even when you think about it today is a daring move. If you ever need to know why Hitchcock is the master of suspense just watch (or rewatch) the famous shower scene. It still freaks me out every time I see it.

3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (Henry Selick, 1993)
This is the third Tim Burton film on my list, though he didn't direct it, only cowriting and producing it, as he was busy directing the fifth film on my list, Batman Returns, during the course of its production. Even though he didn't direct it, Nightmare Before Christmas is completely a Tim Burton film. Taking cues from his previous films with its art direction and character designs, the film has that mix of whismy and the macabre. What makes this film particularly memorable are the film's songs, combosed by Danny Elfman. Try listening to "What's This?" or "This Is Halloween" and not have it stuck in your head all day.

2. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)
I thought I'd include what I consider to be the scariest movie of all time. What makes the films so terrifying, is the idea of an entity taking over a someone's body, so they are no longer in control. The fact that it's the Devil who's taking over is an added bonus. Of course there's no such thing as the Devil, or demons, or possessions, but that doesn't matter, because it still scares the crap out of me. When mentioning The Exorcist, one has to give a shout out to old Hollywood character actress Mercedes McCambridge, who provided the voice of the possessed Regan MacNeil.

1. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)
Well, duh, of course this movie would be number one, since the film is named after the holiday. Still, it's a great film, and yay for Jamie Lee Curtis.

Last Night's Mad Men

Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god! Oh my god! Last night's season finale of Mad Men was amazing, and it certified that there is no show, currently on the air, that can compete with it, in term's of quality. The fact that the show's producers and writers choose not to dumb it down and the network's executives don't pressure them to do so, is deserving of some accolades. What I'm hoping comes out of the critical success of Mad Men, is other basic cable networks taking a chance on well written television projects that are passed over by the major networks, for fear of not receiving large enough ratings. An episode of the series probably has an audience of about 2 million, when repeat airings are included, and, while yes it is a small number, AMC has very little original programing, so it can afford to keep a show with such a niche audience. Maybe A&E can have its own critical darling series, or Bravo, which is going to need something big, since it's lost Project Runway. Come on Bravo, you were willing to take a chance with Project Runway and it was a success, so why not take a chance with an original scripted series? The major networks seem to be flailing. Most of their shows aren't getting high ratings, and the shows that are successful are mainly crappy procedurals and reality shows. The networks do have some great programs, though not at the level of Mad Men, but they always seem to be in danger, because of low ratings. Pushing Daisies may not be picked up for a full second season, the new series Life on Mars continues to drop its ratings, so it may not get to a second season, and 30 Rock always seems on the bubble. 30 Rock may be safer because of the industry's love for it, although that didn't help Arrested Development to a fourth season, so you never know.

Sunday Blessings - Bear Grylls

This will only be a brief Sunday Blessings, a quick Praise Jesus for this man. The post would have been about Jon Hamm, after having watched him on Saturday Night Live last night, easily the best host they've had this season, but since I previously did a Sunday Blessings devoted to him I needed to use someone else. Therefore, today's Sunday Blessings is devoted to Bear Grylls, host of the Discovery Channel's Man vs. Wild. His show basically involves him being stranded in some desolate place in the world and demonstrating how a person could survive if they found themself in a similar situation. The entertaining part of the show is Grylls finding odd reasons to get naked on camera. He has to cross a river, he gets naked, he has to warm up, he gets naked, he wants to roll in mud, he gets naked, a bear is chasing him, he gets naked, etc... The Discovery Channel actually shows his bare ass, which I got to give it credit for, but of course they blur out the frontals. Now a small gripe, the channel has shown male genitals before. Anytime there's a program about Indian tribes in the Amazon, a penis is shown, so why can't they show Bear Grylls's? For some reason tribal nudity is okay. Uh, a penis is a penis - if you show one show them all! Hah! Just my two cents.

Why is Scott Patterson in Saw V?

For the last few days, I've been seeing commericals for Saw V and only yesterday, realized that Scott Patterson was in the movie. I then looked it up on line and found out that he was also in Saw IV. Why is he in this crap? Scott Patterson will always be Luke Danes, the gruff diner owner and love interest of Lorelei Gilmore, on the series Gilmore Girls - Oh, how I miss that show. I loved Patterson on that show, and I liked him on his follow up series Aliens in America, which, unfortunately, was cancelled after only one season. Now he's doing Saw movies? I guess he needed the paycheck. Let's hope better work comes through for him. Speaking of the Saw movies, I don't get them. I saw the first one, and I didn't find it scary at all. It was just gross. A horror movie should scare me. It shouldn't just make me look away in disgust from the gross-out factor. Where are the good horror films! So anyway, here's a list of my top 10 horror films

1. Psycho (Alfred Hitchcock, 1960)

2. Rosemary's Baby (Roman Polanski, 1968)

3. The Exorcist (William Friedkin, 1973)

4. Carrie (Brian De Palma, 1976)

5. Alien (Ridley Scott, 1979)

6. Halloween (John Carpenter, 1978)

7. The Birds (Alfred Hitchcock, 1963)

8. Dawn of the Dead (George A. Romero, 1978)

9. Night of the Living Dead (George A. Romero, 1968)

10. The Haunting (Robert Wise, 1963)

Apparently the 70s were a good decade for horror.

I Have to Admit...

I think David Arquette is kind of adorable. He was on Pushing Daisies last night playing a creepy character who spent all his free time doing taxidermy, stuffing dead animals and putting them in anthropomorphic poses, but still, the entire time I thought, "Yeah I'd totally do him."

Oscar Predictions

I just thought I'd put in my two cents about where I think the Oscars noms could be going. Buzz rises and falls and things can change quickly, so I'll do new predictions every few weeks until the actual noms come out on January 22nd.

Picture:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Milk
Revolutionary Road

Director:
Danny Boyle - Slumdog Millionaire
David Fincher - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Sam Mendes - Revolutionary Road
Chris Nolan - The Dark Knight
Gus van Sant - Milk

Actor:
Leonardo Dicaprio - Revolutionary Road
Clint Eastwood - Gran Turino
Frank Langella - Frost/Nixon
Sean Penn - Milk
Mickey Rourke - The Wrestler

Actress:
Anne Hathaway - Rachel Getting Married
Sally Hawkins - Happy-Go-Lucky
Angelina Jolie - Changeling
Meryl Streep - Doubt
Kate Winslet - Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actor:
Robert Downey Jr. - Tropic Thunder
James Franco - Milk
Heath Ledger - The Dark Knight
Phillip Seymore Hoffman - Doubt
Michael Shannon - Revolutionary Road

Supporting Actress:
Penelope Cruz - Vicky Christina Barcelona
Viola Davis - Doubt
Marisa Tomei - The Wrestler
Debra Winger - Rachel Getting Married
Kate Winslet - The Reader

Adapted Screenplay:
The Curious Case of benjamin Button
Doubt
Frost/Nixon
Revolutionary Road
Slumdog Millionaire

Original Screenplay:
Happy-Go-Lucky
Milk
Rachel Getting Married
Vicky Christina Barcelona
WALL-E

Cinematography:
Appaloosa
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Revolutionary Road

Film Editing:
Australia
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Milk

Art Direction:
Australia
The Dark Knight
Changeling
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Costume:
Australia
Changeling
The Duchess
The Other Boleyn Girl
Revolutionary Road

Make Up:
The Dark Knight
The CUrious Case of Benjamin Button
Synechdoche New York

Original Score:
Defiance
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Milk
Revolutionary Road
WALL-E

Sound Mixing:
Australia
The Dark Knight
Defiance
Iron Man
WALL-E

Sound Editing:
The Dark Knight
Defaince
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Iron Man
WALL-E

Visual Effects:
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
The Day the Earth Stood Still
Iron Man

Animated Film:
Kung Fu Panda
The Tale of Despereaux
WALL-E

Sunday Night Mad Men

Oh Mad Men, just when I think I know where you're going you completely surprise me. I didn't see the widow of the actual Don Draper coming into play, or the friendship that had develop between Don/Dick and the widow Draper. Also Christina Hendricks - Jane the office manager/secretary - continues to shine with the material she's given, whether she's center stage, as in last night's episode, or just a background character. Give this woman an Emmy!

Sarah Palin on SNL

Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live - Not so good. She seemed kind of uncomfortable, although I guess you would be after having been skewered so badly on the show. Amy Poehler's rap about her was hilarious though. The rest of the show kind of sucked, even with the ever watchable Josh Brolin and Adelle, whose album I must buy now.

Sunday Blessings - Daniel Craig

For this edition of Sunday Blessings, I decided to devote a post to Daniel Craig in honor of the upcoming Bond film Quantum of Solace, which opens in the US on November 14th - everyone seems to hate the title, but I actually like it. I enjoyed Casino Royale, so I'm looking forward to the new film, even though it appears the franchise is currently ripping off the Bourne films. If you're going to be steal from other action films, at least you're stealing from good ones. Craig was a welcome edition to the Bond series, providing the character with a fierocity and an overall jolt of life. I was never really a fan of the franchise; althought to be fair, I've never actually seen any of the older films, such as Dr. No, Goldfinger, of From Russia with Love, in their entirety, so it might be that I'd actually enjoy the earlier films of the franchise. The newer films from the eighties up through Die Another Day, however, provided me no incentive for exploring those earlier films. That and the fact that I'm not really a big fan of Sean Connery, who I usually find kind of dull. Daniel Craig is by far the sexiest Bond ever, in my opinion - yes sexier than Connery, hell Timothy Dalton was sexier than Connery, but Craig is also a great actor, which is a welcome improvement to the role, after the bland stylings of Pierce Brosnan. His performance in Casino Royale was actually worthy of an Oscar nomination, and hpefully in the new film he will find greater depth in his character, since it's an actual sequal to Casino Royale, where there are repercusions to the events of the first film. It's actually the first sequal of the franchise, since usually the events occuring in the previous film have no effect on the next film. Getting back to Daniel Craig - he's hot - I mean did you see his body in Casino? The scene where he emerges out of the water in the skimpy bathing suit, just plays over and over again in my head. So on this Sunday let's all think back to that scene, and hope there are sequences in Quantum where Craig is wearing just as little, if not less. Actually Daniel Craig should be shirtless in every scene - that should be a law. Praise Jesus!

Congratulations Leanne

The season finale of Project Runway was last night, and designer Leanne was crowned the winner, which was deserving. A win by Korto would have also made me happy. Leanne's detail work was impecable, with all the waves and the petals, and her wedding dress was to die for. I do understand the judges concerns about her, in regards to her colors and constant use of pleating. She limited her color range to just white, tan and a teal blue, since her inspiration for the collection was water and waves, but I think she could have expanded her color palette by using various shades of blue and gray, maybe incorporate silver and yellow, representing sunlight reflecting off the water. But still, I think her collection provided a specific viewpoint. Kenley's, on the other hand was just a big HUH? I liked some of the pieces she had, but I don't think it was cohesive. The white dress with the painted-on flower sash was too cutesy, and the 40s/80s imspired green uber-bitch dress was just ugly. Plus, I just found her reallyannoying, so I'm glad she didn't win, and I'm still upset over the fact that Terri didn't get to show at Bryant Park. She was probably my favorite designer from the beginning, and the fact that she got thrown out for making one bad outfit, while others (Suede) kept making bad outfits but stayed to the top 5, and got to show at Fashion week is just really annoying.

My Top 25 TV Shows

Inspired by yesterday's posting about Once and Again, I decided to create a list of my top 25 TV shows ever. There's a bunch of shows considered great which don't appear on my list, since either they were before my time and didn't appear on Nick-at-Night (I'm only 25), or I just never watched them.

1. Gilmore Girls
2. The Simpsons
3. Once and Again
4. Mary Tyler Moore Show
5. Roseanne
6. The Dick van Dyke Show
7. I Love Lucy
8. Sex and the City
9. Lost
10. The X-Files
11. Cheers
12. Battlestar Galactica
13. Mad Men
14. Taxi
15. My So-Called Life
16. The Wire
17. Six Feet Under
18. Late Show with David Letterman
19. Arrested Development
20. The Twilight Zone
21. Seinfeld
22. The Bob Newhart Show
23. Friends
24. Ally McBeal
25. Rocky and Bullwinkle

Once and Again - Where Are They Now?

While watching TV over the weeked, I saw previews for a B-level horror film entitled The Haunting of Molly Hartley, and among the myriad images of unknown actresses featured in the film was Marin Hinkle. Upon seeing her, I thought to myself, "Why, Marin, are you in such crap? You're a gifted actress and should be given better roles." This thought brought back memories of the series Once and Again, which featured Marin, and starred Sela Ward and Billy Campbell as two forysomething divorcees who start a relationship with each other. I'm not exagerrating when I state that the series was one of the greatest television shows ever. It was sad when the series eventually got cancelled, after only three seasons, in 2002, and it's sad to see the talent of the series' cast members be squandered in crap films and television. This post is dedicated to the actors from the show and the work they have done since the shows cancellation - a sort of where are they now?

Sela Ward (Lily Manning) - Had a recurring role on House as Dr. House's ex-girlfriend, or ex-wife, or something like that - I don't know. Also appeared in crap movies like Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights and The Day After Tomorrow. Sigh, where are you Sela Ward?

Billy Campbell (Rick Sammler) - Beat up J.Lo in Enough, and had recurring roles on TV series The 4400, The O.C. and Shark. In none of those appearances did he show his ass, like on Once and Again. I miss rear male nudity on network TV. Remember the days of seeing attractive butts on NYPD Blue - it's time to bring them back.

Marin Hinkle (Judy Brooks - Lily's younger sister) - Currently sluming it on the craptacular Two and a Half Men and bad horror films The Haunting of Molly Hartley and Quarantine. Last season she was to have a three episode guest appearance on ABC's current family drama Brothers & Sisters, as Rob Lowe's ex-wife, but because of the strike-shortened season only made a brief appearance in one episode.

Susanna Thompson (Karen Sammler - Rick's ex-wife) - Was on the very short-lived TV series The Book of Daniel. Damn you NBC for canceling that so quickle. Apparently has a recurring role on CBS's NCSI: Without a Case Unit - it's all the same show. A better drama series should really cast her, since she play's the cold brittleness so well.

Jeffrey Nordling (Jake Manning - Lily's ex-husband) - Was a regular on Courtney Cox's ridiculous series Dirt, which was cancelled after two seasons and is set to co-star in the new season of 24, which is completely past it's prime.

Evan Rachel Wood (Jessie Sammler - Rick's daughter) - Has become sort of a movie star. Should have been nominated for an Oscar for thirteen, after receiving Golden Globe and SAG nomination for the performance. (I blame it all on Keisha Castle Hughes) Hasn't really given a great performance since then. She displayed she had a decent singin voice in last year's Across the Universe, though the movie was total dreck. Currently is dating Marilyn Manson, which I still don't know what to say about it.

Shane West (Eli Sammler - Rick's son) - Did a couple of teen movies and then became a cast member of ER. Um that's about it, though apparently he also has a band, so there's that.

Todd Field (David Cassilli - Rick's adorable business partner) - Has become an admirable writer-director, nominated three times ofr an Oscar - twice for Adapted Screenplay (In the Bedroom and Little Children) and once for Best Picture, as a producer of In the Bedroom. Is currently working on adapting Cormac McCarthy's novel Blood Meridian into a film.

Julia Whelan and Meredith Deane (Grace and Zoe Manning - Lily's daughters) Have no idea what happened to them, if they're still into acting or if they decided to focus on school instead, but they were good child actors. It was refreshing to see roles written for kids that didn't portray them as too cutesy or too wise for their age.

Sunday Blessings - Hugh Jackman

So today I decided to thank Jesus for Hugh Jackman, star of the upcoming Baz Luhrmann film Australia, which opens next month. Oh, I can't wait! I can't wait! Nicole Kidman and Baz Luhrmann reteaming, along with sexpot Hugh, in an epic love story with fancy sets and costumes. Imay just have an orgasm thinking about it. Back to Mr. Jackman - Have you seen any of the recent photos of him at the beach. Holy crap! Now Hugh Jackman has alway been sexy - he's easily among the top 5 sexiest men alive - but with all the training he did for the new Wolverine movie, his body is just damn fine. Anytime I look at a picture of him I lose my train of thought. The facial hair is an added bonus for me, as there's something animalistic about it. When Australia opens next month, hopefully Mr. Jackman will receive the credit he deserves as a film actor. Of course he's regarded as a sex symbol, but I don't think he's as respected of an actor as he should be. He gained some respect with his Broadway turn in The Boy from Oz, and parlayed that into interesting film roles in The Fountain, Scoop, and The Prestige, but film critics and awards group didn't really take notice. Seriously, how did anyone not recognize the great performace he gave in The Fountain. But alas, isn't that almost always the case with attractive actors. Brad Pitt didn't get any recognition as a good actor until he played off-the-walls in 12 Monkeys. So......um, where was I - I got distracted again, looking at a shirtless picture of Mr. Jackman. Seriously, damn! Australia opens next month. See it! Hopefully it's good, or at least very, very pretty. And now let's give thanks, once again, to Jesus for another hot piece of man. Praise Jesus!

The Week in Review

It's been a busy week for me, and as a result I've only done one post since Sunday. It's tough finding time to get around to writing these things. Well, that and the fact I have commitment problems, as anyone who knows me can vouch for. So here's a quick run through of what things happened this week, which I actually care to comment on. Not really gonna mention the fact that the stock market and the economy are tanking, leading to a rough future where I'll probably have to work until my 70s before I can retire. Let's just not talk about that.

MONDAY - Box Office numbers came in for the weekend, and Beverly Hills Chihuahua was number one with 29 million. Eww. What's actually even sadder is I know people who paid to see it. Trying to find the bright side of this - um, congratulations to Jamie Lee Curtis and maybe she'll get some better work.

TUESDAY - Presidential Debate #2 - Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Yawn. In a grimace inducing moment, McCain refered to Obama as "that one." Ok, I don't want to sound really mean, but there were times McCain came off as some creepy old guy shuffling about and getting ready to attack the audience. There came a point where he stood on the side of one of the bleachers with his arm reaching toward the audience, and all I imagined was him saying, "I'm gonna getcha'! I'm gonna getcha'." HA!

WEDNESDAY - Pushing Daisies was great adorable, but tanked in the ratings. Please ABC don't cancel it! Try it out on another night, like Sunday's at eight, before doing anything rash. Also Jerrell got kicked off Project Runway. Awww. Damn you Kenley for making a cute wedding dress, even though it's completely derivative of Alexander McQueen and last season's winner Christian. Damn you! Korto or Leanne better win this.

THURSDAY - Umm? Life on Mars premiered. It was good. Hopefully it will last. Jason O'Mara is hot. That is all.

Loving Classics - Children of Paradise

This past week I watched the 1945 Marcel Carne film Children of Paradise for the time, in my ongoing attempt at seeing as many film classics as possible. Part of my interest in watching classics arises from my obsessive list making (Yay OCD!) - I want to create a respectable top 100 movies list of my own, as well as a top 10 list for every year going as far back as possible -but my main interest is in trying to have an understanding of film history, which requires viewing a broad list of films and performances. Almost two years ago, I came up with a list of 500 films which I thought were important to see (ok, yes, OCD list making again, I get it). The list combined films that either were universally considered great, represented a particular genre, contained a noteworthy performance, or were representative of a certain director. Since creating the list I've seen less than two fifths of the movie. At this rate, it will probably take me another three years before I get through the list. Anyway, in the course of making my way through the list of films, I've come across a number of "great" films which I highly admire and understand why they're considered great, but I don't necessarily love. 2001: A Space Odyssey, Rashomon, and Smiles of a Summer Night are all great films, but I don't have an emotional bond to them. I didn't fall in love with the films, but that doesn't mean I don't recognize their greatness or their importance, and it also doesn't mean that I couldn't fall in love with one of them on a second viewing. It wasn't until my third viewing that I fell in love with Citizen Kane. The point I'm trying to get to, after after having explained all this, is that there is a particular enjoyment about watching a classic film and falling in love with it on your first viewing, and that's the experience I had while watching Children of Paradise. The film tells the story of four different men - a mime, an actor, a thief and an aristocrat - who are all in love with the same woman, Garance. She is unattainable and flees when any of them attempt to restrain her into the confines of a relationship. The tale is bittersweet, as the suitor who has the most pure form of love for Garance and doesn't try to confine her, the mime Baptiste, suffers the most in his quest for her love. At the end of the film, he is literally swept away from Garance by a Carnival crowd and there is no happy ending for the couple. The film is filled with great performances but the stand out is Jean-Louis Barrault as the mime Baptiste, whose face expresses more than his words could ever do. It's almost a silent film performance reminiscent of Chaplin and Keaton, and it's a beauty to behold. Well that's all I have to say for now.

Sunday Blessings - Robert Downey Jr.

For today's installment of Sunday Blessings, I decided to devote the post to actor Robert Downey Jr. I opened this post with a picture of his backside rather than a facial, but it's a cute backside so it was worth taking notice. The DVD of Iron Man came out last week, which means I finally got around to seeing it. While the movie was in theatres, I kept saying to myself, "I'll see it next week," but then next thing you know it's two months later and the movie isn't in theatres anymore. Overall the movie was alright; not as great as everyone had made it out to be. It was nice to see Gwyneth Paltrow in a fun, light role, after having gone through her depressed film characters period of The Royal Tenenbaums, Sylvia, and Proof. She's so good at the light comedy, after all it's what made her famous in Emma and Shakespeare in Love. Anyway, going back to RDJ, he was completely entertaining and believable as Tony Stark. He commanded that role - the sarcasm, the arrogance, the bravado, and it was interesting seeing him in the lead of a big budget blockbuster. It was kind of like when Johnny Depp did Pirates of the Caribbean. I always liked RDJ, first taking notice of him in Hearts and Souls and Home for the Holidays, a film I love despite its flaws and watch every Thanksgiving. He was completely adorable in his films and TV appearances. After going through the drug problems, and rehab, and more drug problems, and then more rehab, he started making a comeback the last couple of years in smaller films like Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, and Good Night and Good Luck. It's nice to see him given the opportunity to play the lead in a action picture - a great casting decision by the director and producers. Now can we talk about the body? The man is damn fine in the movie, all buffed out, and I even think the cheesy mustache and goatee are hot on him. In recent publicity photos RDj's been looking really good, as well, with a scruffy beard and short cropped salt-and-pepper hair, which totally works for him. So there it is. He was adorable in the 90s and completely hot now. Let's thanks Jesus for a man that has aged quite nicely. Praise Jesus.

V.P. Debate

I watched the vice-presidential debate last night, as did a good portion of the country, according to the ratings, and I made the mistake, again, of watching it on CNN. For some reason, they decided to put a graph at the bottom of the screen tracking an audience's approval or diapproval of the nominee's answers. During the first presidential debate last week, the audience was a collection of Democratics, Republicans, and Independents, with each group having an individual line representing it, which would go up or down. Last night the audience was composed of Ohio independents, divided into men and woman, with each gender having there own line. The graphs are incredibly distracting, as they affect your perception of the debate. I got so invested in watching the line and hoping that Biden would cause it to go up with each of his answers, and then I'd worry if started to drop and I'd just be thinking, "Joe come on say say something better." Any time Palin said something that caused a jump in the approval I'd just think, "No, no you can't believe her." As a result of all this I missed the overall view of the debate. It would be fine if CNN tracked an audience's approval of the debate without a live graph of it, and then discussed the results after the precedings were over. But, anyway, who do I think won the debate - um, I don't know. Personally I much preferred Biden. The whole "aww shucks" approach of Palin is just downright annoying, and she didn't really answer a good chunk of the questions. The polls taken after the debate show a larger group of people believe Biden won the debate over Palin, so at least there's that. I think the main importance of last night was that no one did any harm to their campaigns. Palin didn't stand their drooling, looking like a deer in head lights, and Biden didn't go after her, which the media and McCain campaign would have said was horribly sexist and offensive. I still wish the moderator, Gwen Ifill, had brought up issues like Roe v. Wade and the role of the Supreme Court and evolution. The belief in evolution, I think, is an important reflection of a person's decision making skills. On one hand you have the work of many scientists over the last three decades, fossil records, genetic research and other hard evidence that organisms evolved from other organisms over the course of millions of years, and then on the other hand, you have a book written a couple of thousand years ago, and no certainty of whether it was meant as the literal truth, a metaphor, or a moral tale. To shape your understanding of the world around a single tale, rather than a bunch of hard evidence, is a sign of poor judgment. That's why the current president believed we could invade Iraq, have everyone love us and quickly set up a prospering democracy, despite all the past history of fighting between different Muslim sects and Arab countries not wanting to have intervention by Western nations. You can't shape your view of the world just on faith.