I just finished watching I’m Not There, which is like a weird, fevered dream about Bob Dylan. It helps to know something of his life and his music to appreciate the film…yet it’s not a biopic. It’s not the place to go looking for information. And yet, it’s maybe the closest we can ever get to a biopic about Bob Dylan. A distinctly weird experience.
Month: January 2009
These go to eleven.
Apparently, the BBC are getting ready to announce who they’ve picked as the new Doctor sometime tomorrow. As Betty suggests, now is the time for any final last-minute predictions.
So here are mine. Any one of these could be true. The new lead for Doctor Who‘s fifth season will be:
- David Tennant. That’s right, it was all just an elaborate April Fool’s Day joke that went too a bit too far. You can’t believe everything you read in the British papers.
- Russel T. Davies. No longer content to live vicariously through the Doctor, the real reason Davies resigned as executive producer was so that he could now be the Doctor. Although as Nyssa suggested, Davies might actually prefer being Rose…
- Rowan Atkinson. What? It’s not as if he hasn’t been the Doctor before…
- A Dalek. Well, it would be ironic, wouldn’t it?
- The other ten Doctors before him. Through clever editing of past episodes — there are decades of them to choose from! — an judicious use of CGI, no one will ever be the wiser. Call it “The Ten Doctors” or something and fans will eat it up!
- No one. Other characters will constantly refer to the Doctor, but he will never in fact appear on screen. Think of all the money they’ll save! And obviously, anyone they cast is going to disappoint someone. This way, you equally disappoint everyone!
Will any of these be the new Doctor? Only time — and very little time at that — will tell.
“Doubt can be a bond as powerful as certainty.”
This afternoon, I saw Doubt. (A friend and I were inconvenienced a couple of weeks ago when we saw Seven Pounds and a fire alarm went off midway through. They gave us each free readmission tickets. I used one today.)
The movie is very good, especially in the acting. Meryl Streep, in particular, gives a wonderfully nuanced performance, but everyone’s terrific in it.
I just can’t get over that this was written and directed by the same person who wrote and directed Joe Versus the Volcano.
Random 10 1/2
Can it really be Friday already? My vacation is quickly drawing to a close. On the one hand, I’m looking forward to going back to work and a regular daily routine. But, on the other hand…well, not so much. Today was technically my first vacation day of 2009. It seemed silly to take two weeks off except for the last day of it. I go back on Monday morning.
Before then, though, we have this, the first Random Guess 10 of the new year. As always, guess the lyric and win no prize. Lyrics were guessed and no prizes handed out last week. Let’s see, then, if we can’t get a repeat performance:
- “It’s Coming Down” by Cake, guessed by Kim
She’s asking you why you think it’s funny - “Make it Home” by Juliana Hatfield
Open a window, let in the snow - “You Can’t Always Get What You Want” by the Rolling Stones, guessed by Occupant
We decided that we would have a soda - “Show Me” by Bree Sharp
I look more and more and I find less and less - “With God on Our Side” by Bob Dylan, guessed by Eric B.
The country I come from is called the Midwest - “Lemon Tree” by Peter, Paul and Mary, guessed by Occupant
The music of her laughter hid my father’s words from me - “Perfect Blue Buildings” by Counting Crows
Well, all monkeys do what they see - “Skating Away (on the Thin Ice of the New Day)” by Jethro Tull, guessed by Betty
One day you’ll wake up in the present day - “Modern Love” by David Bowie, guessed by Eric B.
There’s no sign of life, it’s just the power to charm - “Crazy” by Willie Nelson, guessed by Occupant
I knew you’d love me as long as you wanted
As always, good luck!
“Because you were home.”
I just finished watching The Strangers. I’m not sure I’d call that enjoyable, although it was a pretty intense way to kick off the new year.
Scott Tobias calls it “mostly psychological torture porn” — and that’s mostly admiringly — whereas Roger Ebert suggests that the movie “does what it sets out to do. I’m not sure that it earns the right to do it.”
I’m somewhere in the middle. I accept that I can admire a film and find it effective, while still not really liking it, and while wishing it had something more to offer. The Strangers really doesn’t have more to offer — although its subdued opening act and nuanced direction suggest that its director’s next film just might.
Although, given that his next project is a ghost story by the writer of the Jim Carrey horror movie The Number 23… At least he didn’t sign on for the planned The Strangers 2.