2007-11-11

Ah, Sundays! They are blessed days of rest for Mick and me. I remain feverish and uncomfortable with the infection in my ear and very woozy, so I again missed church – and I did miss it! It’s a shame to be away from the comfortable rituals which have been a part of my life from its beginning. But there was no way I could see to accomplish all I need to do to sing in the choir, climb the stairs a couple of times there and last through the service. Hopefully this condition will pass soon.

So I rested, enjoying Mick’s company and our three movies. The kitties were especially cute all day, as they relished having us seated and available for pats and were at their most affectionate and endearing.

I was just crazy about the film “Talk to Me” and especially about Don Cheadle’s Oscar-caliber performance in the role of a convict who becomes a radio show host and comic. Having seen Cheadle tear up his role in “Hotel Rwanda”, and having been impressed with the utter gentility and civility of his voice and mannerisms in that film, I was entranced with his raspy voice and gutter talk in this one, which were so different that I did not even recognize him. Jim had to tell me who he was! Now that is true acting. The actor had become a character who was so fully formed that Cheadle, the actor, disappeared completely!

Martin Sheen offered a delightfully nuanced performance as a manager who remained torn between totally paradoxical feelings about the jive-talking Petey Green, Cheadle’s character. It was such fun to watch Sheen go, as he wore the same type suits he did on TV as the president in “West Wing” yet managed to shave 40 or so IQ points off his character's mental processes.

The entire ensemble was excellent, as were all the production values of the film, and the screenplay was Oscar-worthy. I was dazzled. And I was deeply moved as well, as the burden of the story carried me through the sad days when Martin Luther King was assassinated. This film was one in a million!

“We Are Marshall” was next and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Matthew McConaughey created a quirky and likeable character as the coach who accepted the job after Marshall University’s entire football team went down in a horrific plane crash, leaving only three of the original football team alive. It was upbeat and sentimental, a positive and fun film.

“Mr. Brooks” rounded out our personal film festival today. It was a downer for sure! I just wonder how writers think up such twisted and demonic plots! But the players were excellent. Kevin Costner was very good indeed as the serial killer and Demi Moore played her detective role well also. I was quite taken with Dane Cook’s acting; he really tore up the supporting role of a most unpleasant voyeur-turned-killer. The twists and turns of the plot were never-ending and one character was more depraved than the next. Yet the film did fascinate me.

All in all, a great movie day!