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laurainlimbo at 07:30pm on 23/07/2006
laurainlimbo at 07:30pm on 23/07/2006There's really not much going on here. It's been very cool up until today, but nothing has compared to last weekend's heat. thankfully! I did a little bit of cleaning and shopping, and organizing of money and bills. Otherwise, we just relaxed together this weekend and watched movies and talked. And caught up on sleep!
Yesterday we watched Clint Eastwood's movie about Charlie Parker called "Bird" from 1988. I don't know why I never saw that movie before - it was really quite good, especially the performance by Forest Whitaker, who plays Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, the famous Jazz saxophone player who had a very short, tragic, but gifted life. The movie goes back and forth between his later years, and the years when he was getting his start in music, and when he met his wife Chan, who is still alive and living in Paris today. We loved the music, and as I said Forest Whitaker did an absolutely fabulous job of "becoming" Charlie Parker and convincingly dramatizing all of his addictions and maladies. Bird had a very tragic life: he had health problems and compounded them with drugs and alcohol; he lost one of his daughters to a terrible illness when she was very young; though he was very famous and extremely talented, he struggled with financial success, especially towards the end of his career; and he died at the young age of 34 of a heart attack probably induced by alcohol and drugs. One of the saddest aspects of his life is the fact that he was a true artist and a genius, but many people didn't appreciate his art. I've found this to be the case with art and music - so many of the most gifted musicians will never make money because they don't wish to compromise their "art" for commercial success. It's really difficult, and sad. My only complaint about this movie, besides the fact that it was a bit too long at almost 3 hours, was that it was a bit hard to follow at times. Eastwood went back and forth in time without easy segues (he would use, for example, just a prop or a hairstyle to let you know when the action was taking place), and I got a bit confused about who some characters were, or why some things were happening. But I really enjoyed it - I do really like the "biographical" movies (like "Ray" and "Walk the Line" and "The Buddy Holly Story"). Of course those movies about musicians are not all good: the one about Jimi Hendrix was pretty terrible as I can remember. I thought that someone made (or was making) a movie about Miles Davis, which could be interesting.
Last night we watched "Mission Impossible II" - for some reason Masahiko said that I should watch it because he wants to watch the third one. I've never seen either of the first, and thought that I would hate it, but actually I really quite enjoyed Mission Impossible II. Of course Tom Cruise's character is way over the top, and the action scenes are quite fantastic and a little overdone in the same way as all John Woo movies; but that is what makes it so fun! The girl, Thandie Newton (who I just saw recently in her first film, "Flirting" with Nicole Kidman), was beautiful, and there was some chemistry between her and Tom Cruise. The plot was easy to follow though a bit far-fetched (to be expected), but overall it was good, fast-paced entertainment.
I'm still trying to get through the third season of "Six Feet Under" and still have the whole fourth and fifth to get through as well. If I ever do, then I'll start on "House". I think that I must be the only person in the universe who is not watching that show. I've heard so much good, so I guess I'll have to check it out soon.
Tomorrow begins what I expect to be the busiest two weeks at my job. This week because the bosses are gone and I have to help with customer service (and am expected to work overtime), and the following week because Nikki will be gone and I will be taking over her work (and currently she is the busiest person in the office - without being the highest paid!). I guess I'll just have to bear it - after all the paycheck will be much nicer, even though I'll be much more tired.
I miss my LJ friends - it seems like tons of my friends have been absent lately - I guess it's summer, and everyone has stuff going on. Me, I'm just working, and counting the days until I can finally go to Washington to visit my family for my sister's wedding.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
Yesterday we watched Clint Eastwood's movie about Charlie Parker called "Bird" from 1988. I don't know why I never saw that movie before - it was really quite good, especially the performance by Forest Whitaker, who plays Charlie "Yardbird" Parker, the famous Jazz saxophone player who had a very short, tragic, but gifted life. The movie goes back and forth between his later years, and the years when he was getting his start in music, and when he met his wife Chan, who is still alive and living in Paris today. We loved the music, and as I said Forest Whitaker did an absolutely fabulous job of "becoming" Charlie Parker and convincingly dramatizing all of his addictions and maladies. Bird had a very tragic life: he had health problems and compounded them with drugs and alcohol; he lost one of his daughters to a terrible illness when she was very young; though he was very famous and extremely talented, he struggled with financial success, especially towards the end of his career; and he died at the young age of 34 of a heart attack probably induced by alcohol and drugs. One of the saddest aspects of his life is the fact that he was a true artist and a genius, but many people didn't appreciate his art. I've found this to be the case with art and music - so many of the most gifted musicians will never make money because they don't wish to compromise their "art" for commercial success. It's really difficult, and sad. My only complaint about this movie, besides the fact that it was a bit too long at almost 3 hours, was that it was a bit hard to follow at times. Eastwood went back and forth in time without easy segues (he would use, for example, just a prop or a hairstyle to let you know when the action was taking place), and I got a bit confused about who some characters were, or why some things were happening. But I really enjoyed it - I do really like the "biographical" movies (like "Ray" and "Walk the Line" and "The Buddy Holly Story"). Of course those movies about musicians are not all good: the one about Jimi Hendrix was pretty terrible as I can remember. I thought that someone made (or was making) a movie about Miles Davis, which could be interesting.
Last night we watched "Mission Impossible II" - for some reason Masahiko said that I should watch it because he wants to watch the third one. I've never seen either of the first, and thought that I would hate it, but actually I really quite enjoyed Mission Impossible II. Of course Tom Cruise's character is way over the top, and the action scenes are quite fantastic and a little overdone in the same way as all John Woo movies; but that is what makes it so fun! The girl, Thandie Newton (who I just saw recently in her first film, "Flirting" with Nicole Kidman), was beautiful, and there was some chemistry between her and Tom Cruise. The plot was easy to follow though a bit far-fetched (to be expected), but overall it was good, fast-paced entertainment.
I'm still trying to get through the third season of "Six Feet Under" and still have the whole fourth and fifth to get through as well. If I ever do, then I'll start on "House". I think that I must be the only person in the universe who is not watching that show. I've heard so much good, so I guess I'll have to check it out soon.
Tomorrow begins what I expect to be the busiest two weeks at my job. This week because the bosses are gone and I have to help with customer service (and am expected to work overtime), and the following week because Nikki will be gone and I will be taking over her work (and currently she is the busiest person in the office - without being the highest paid!). I guess I'll just have to bear it - after all the paycheck will be much nicer, even though I'll be much more tired.
I miss my LJ friends - it seems like tons of my friends have been absent lately - I guess it's summer, and everyone has stuff going on. Me, I'm just working, and counting the days until I can finally go to Washington to visit my family for my sister's wedding.
Hope everyone had a great weekend!
calm
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