Hello, Hello, Goodbye, Hello

Saying goodbye a lot. Quite emotionally overwhelming, so as in all times of heightened emotions I turn to tea and Pride and Prejudice. I also recently watched Lost in Austen, a totally satisfying and silly TV miniseries for those of us who have had to buy second or third copies of our P and P dvds and books.

Also saying "hello" to my late twenties. I have one wrinkle, in the middle of my forehead, but it only appears when I wrinkled my eyebrows. This might be tmi, but along with this wrinle, I also have zits, which are the only possible cause for a woman I met last week asking if I am in high school. High school!

I am trying to figure out how to pass along non anonymous news about my new doing without creating a password protected blog, or having to keep two blogs, and I think the answer might be to just put all my doings here. Less fun New York Times links and more navel gazing of an extended culture shock variety. Who knows?!?!?

Amazing amazing amazing.

Watching "Sea Point Days", the best movie I had never heard of, about my other other other homeland.

100% recommend. I'm not kidding, watch it.

Movie I am Least Likely to See Ever, Ever Ever.

Buried. Ryan Reynolds freaking out in a box for 90 minutes. The only fun part would if someone videoed  watching me squirm, scream and cover my eyes, and then put it on youtube with funny music.

What a movie..

Why had I never seen this before? So many things I love... the USSR, dancing, more dancing... White Nights. Helen Mirren, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Isabella Rosellini, ballet, tap dancing, Russian accents. If this sounds good, watch it.

I scooped your story, grey lady!

This article was boring, except that it contained a mystery that New York Times reporters were unable or unwilling to crack. Specifically, the reporter tells us all about lux apartment used to film the sequal to the Wall Street movie which inspired several generations of NYC moneyed douchebags Wall Street employees, but also that the apartment's resident "declined to comment, saying the bank he works for would not allow it; because of populist anger over Wall Street bailouts, financial institutions have been asking their high earners to keep as low a profile as possible. He did not even want to be named." The mystery man removed all clues to his identity, except for a monogram "RMW" and some Dartmouth gear.

Really NYT? You're going to let him get away with that. 3 minutes of googling, my friends, 3 minutes. 31 West 21st Street, New York, New York 10010 is the lovely home of Richard Mark Weissman, Dartmouth 85, captain of the basketball team, Democrat, Theta Delta Chi brother, employee of Credit Suisse and then Broadpoint. Take that msm.

movie reviews...

In the last month I've been on a moviegoing tear... and I don't have the patience for long drawn out reviews but from best to worse:

Up in the Air
Fantastic Mr. Fox
Invictus
Avatar

Huge huge gap in quality between Fantastic Mr. Fox and Invictus. I would say definitely see the first two, and don't see the last two, but with all the hype about Avatar it is hard to avoid. If you do have to see it, see it in 3d imax.

Also, one could argue that I seem to be biased by the presence of George Clooney, but considering that you can't even see him in Mr. Fox: whatever.

Although I really enjoyed Up in the Air, it has been a long time since I saw a movie in the theaters and was truly moved OR impressed with the aesthetics. My favorite movies leave me thinking that film is THE most powerful medium for conveying emotion or giving a sense of a specific time and place, and no movie for a while has done that.