Thursday, March 29, 2007

Debbie Does Dillon

Today's post is guest "hosted" by my friend Deb. The topic: the fantastic TV drama Friday Night Lights. For those of you who haven't seen Friday Night Lights, you must check it out: Wednesdays at 8:00 on NBC. It's an hour drama focused on the citizens and high school football community of a small town in west Texas (based on Odessa, just down the road from my sister Sally in Midland).

For those of you who haven't seen Deb, she is a former work colleague, current book club member, and generally acknowledged to be a saint. Here is a picture of her ministrying to the needy at the Christian social program L'Arche:











Deb is also known to write letters of protest against the death penalty, but I really don't care about those things. I like Deb because she writes me funny emails about TV. So please enjoy this analysis of last night's episode of Friday Night Lights:

-ooh! as coach pulls into the school yard at the beginning of the episode and everyone's already setting up for the big game, you can hear a radio announcer say something like, "when tatum left the dillon panthers, we all thought he was going back to louisiana. turns out he got a better offer from west [garbled]." wonder if they'll bring tatum back as quarterback on the opposing team in the finals. that would be a very interesting match-up---mattie versus tatum.

-LANDRY'S MOVES: let me ask you a question, though. did your tutor teach tim riggins to read in about a day and a half? no? okay. is your tutor at the top of his honors calculus class? did your tutor score a 77 on his PSAT math portion? no? i just really think youneed the A Team. listen, you got mr. T standing right in front of you. and T stands for . . . *brightly* Tyra's Algebra Tutor!
TYRA: *laughs*
LANDRY: right?
TYRA: seriously?
LANDRY: i am really good at math.

-*matt at practice in city park, running after kid who steals his helmet*

-*coach asking dillon panthers if anyone else besides matt saracen has received anonymous kick backs*

COACH: no? no one? not in your locker? not anywhere else?
TEAM: *silence*
COACH: *to smash* that must piss you off.
DEB: hee!

-*buddy garrity taking a leak on the side of the road, avoiding coach taylor's questions about the anonymous cash gifts*
DEB: ew! hee. ew! hee. hew! that's so
buddy. the world is his toilet. and? what a metaphor:
buddy garrity is incontinent! haw.

-TYRA: you know, if you love math so much, why don't you start your own little math club? that way you can do math all day long.
LANDRY: you see, i did, but nobody showed up.
TYRA: shocking.
DEB: *tackles landry in mud*

-*coach runs to truck to get blankets to seduce his wife in cow pasture*

-LYLA: i do it because i love you, stupid!

-*at barber shop*
LANDRY: is that you snickering over there? because she said "date." "it's a date."
MATT: i know, i know. but "it's a date," it's, ah, it's . . . it's an expression. a colloceeyalism used everywhere.
. . .
LANDRY: carl, not too tight. i don't wanna look all frayed when i go to see my lady.

-BILLY RIGGINS: i might not have a ph.d. in stupid like you do. . . .


-JASON: seriously, mom, dad? i know it's been hard on you, but we are not here to WIN THE LOTTERY.


-BONUS TRIVIA: one of joeF's former coworkers from FERC is originally from texas, and she said mrs. street is played by her friend's former sixth-grade teacher. apparently she's a lovely lady in real life. did a few commercials. is from the area. was picked up for the show.

-BRANDON, VIKING COACH: my boys could kick your boys' butts on an ice skating rink wearing nothing but socks if they had to.
DEB: hoo. well. ahem. mind if we, ah, entertain the "nothing but socks" scenario briefly?
COACHES TAYLOR AND BRANDON: *ignore deb*
DEB: seriously. guys? hello? i think there's some merit in this suggestion . . .

-vikings score touchdown, and it starts to rain; coach taylor grimaces.
landry can't start car. "don't . . . DON'T do this to me."
great parallel of disappointment, doom, et cetera.

-mattie throws a ball that's tipped and then intercepted. coach taylor screams and hollers at him to "gecher head in the game!" jason calmly critiques matt's technique. coach taylor just watches.
DEB: I adore how coach taylor is so fallible. sometimes he just hollers and doesn't actually do anything constructive with his boys. i love how jason is nicer and calmer and more articulate. if there's one thing coach taylor is not, it's articulate. just ask his daughter. or TAMI.

-OBSERVATION: don't you think it's maybe bad for jason's wheelchair to be out in the rain? i'm thinking rust. don't get me wrong---i wouldn't have him miss this game for the world. but in general it can't be good to douse the iron maiden, if you know what I mean.

-NOTE: it's clever how the stadium kerfuffle has made it a nonissue for jason to be on the sidelines. EVERYONE is on the sidelines, since there are no actual stands, really. so jason sort of seamlessly steps in to coach QB 1, which otherwise couldn't have happened in the actual dillon stadium. and there we have our plot development---jason as potential member of dillon panther coaching staff. well played, writers' room. well played, indeed.

-it all comes down to the last twenty-four minutes of the game, tied 8 all, the field a bowl of mud. coach taylor gives the boys a pep talk, telling them that the blood, sweat, and tears are theirs and remain on their field. "it all comes down to this," he says, as miles away tyra has her own epic struggle, screaming, trying to ward off a would-be rapist. okay, not only are the writers genius in taking a construct we've seen countless other times this season (will the dillon panthers prevail?) and injecting it with heart-racing tension (by geniusly intercutting tyra's attack), but they parallel the two situations---thegritty, sweaty, bloody, dirty fights. and of course, as this show does time and again, it asks us to compare these struggles. we know that victory feels just as vital to the panthers as it does to tyra. and deeper still, we know, if we care to think about it, what really matters, whose struggle is actually important. (HINT: there's more to life than football.) GENius.

-as tyra brutalizes her attacker, shoving a cigarette lighter in his eye and slamming the truck door repeatedly on his wrist, we cheer for her grit and the gore, and we want him to suffer. compare that to the gladiator-like struggle on the panther's makeshift field: the desperation and deep digging among the panthers, who've let themselves become the underdogs in the first half of the game. there's a blood lust for all of the spectators. maim the rapist. school the vikings. ooh---anyone know anything about the history of the vikings? did they, say, rape and pillage? rapist and vikings as pale doppelgangers? no? too much?

-smash is downed at the five yard line. ANNOUNCER: the clock is winding down on the panthers' season. flash to tyra, battered, bedraggled, dripping wet, stumbling through the parking lot, gathering her strewn books. time is running out, baby. hope is running out.

-commentator mentions how smart mattie's been playing all game long. camera flashes to jason on the sidelines, yelling, "goooo!" to mattie. camera flashes to coach taylor, looking from mattie to jason. starting to make a connection. wonderful.

-ANNOUNCER: our dillon panthers are going to state!
*water beads on gramma saracen's wide-angle lenses as she grins battily*

-little bo, reaching all of fifteen inches off the muddy ground, stands next to a comparatively hulking tim riggins, chirp-screeching, "we're going to state!!" arms flailing. *deb's ovaries explode*

-NOTE: i LOVE that they put tyra in braids for her scene. it reminds us that for all her bravado and oversexualization she's still just a little girl. there's something very little red riding hood about the image.

-i missed this the first time around! the fans (including the band! a guy with a tuba?!) go mud sliding after the victory! hilarious. wonderful. such pure, childlike joy. <-- what coach taylor was trying to bring back to dillon football.

-ooh! mama was right! that one coach (who previously made the racist statements), mac?, comes up to coach taylor and says, "looks like we got voodoo in the final." so, tatum IS in texas, and he's chosen the other team that's made it to state. wonderful showdown THAT will be. great. well, this is very FNLish---they give us a victory, and they taint it eeeeeever so slightly. huh. just a tinge of concern.

-but they leave it with coach taylor asking jason street if he's ever thought about coaching.

brilliant! wonderful! best. show. ever.

Wednesday, March 28, 2007

Something Quiet and Beautiful

For today, just a beautiful image by Gillian Carnegie to reflect on:



Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Multilingualism

It's so important in these days of globalism to know languages other than English. To get you started, here are a few phrases you might enjoy knowing:

GERMAN
Ich bin crank.
(I'm not well.)

SPANISH
Esta es mi esposa/amiga/hermana hermosa Lynn.
(This is my beautiful wife/friend/sister Lynn.)

ITALIAN
Un caffelatte, per piacere.
(A latte, please.)

FRENCH
Ce n'est pas vrai! Les americains AIMENT les francais. Sont un gens sympathique et gentil.
(That's not true! Americans LOVE the French. They are a kind and polite people.)

Monday, March 26, 2007

Avenue Montaigne

We saw a lovely French movie this weekend: Avenue Montaigne. Funny, romantic, clever but not sappy or too whimsical, it's what critics call a "delightful" movie. This kind of movie seems to be one of the rarest birds in cinema. It's complex, but not dark. Artistic, but accessible. Funny, but subtle. I've been trying to think of similar movies, but the only ones I can think of are two other French titles: L'Auberge Espanole (about a group of young people in Barcelona on an EU grant) and Amelie (though I know some find the whimsy factor too high in this one).

I'm generally not a fan of French dramas (Under the Sand, and its ilk) but I do love French comedies and thrillers. The French comedies I've seen (not that many) are very broad and often involve a sophisticated or professional man stuck in some situation with a dolt he disdains but who nonetheless manages to unwittingly screw up his life. Examples: Les Comperes, Le Chevre, and The Dinner Game. Some French thrillers: With a Friend Like Harry, La Ceremonie, and La Fleur du Mal.

Sunday, March 25, 2007

Artist: Yvonne Jacquette

This is an artist I first saw in one of Jay's art magazines. I'm a fan of both drawing and cityscapes, but I also like her style, which is poised right between representation and a kind of vague abstraction.


































































Saturday, March 24, 2007

Ten Things I’m Wondering about Today

1. When is Viggo Mortensen’s next movie coming out?

2. Will I, my nephews, my nephews’ children, and my friends’ children live out our lives in peace and security? Or will the United States go into a steady or even precipitous decline due to our crushing debt (mostly owed to China, I believe) or a catastrophic terrorist attack?

3. How much am I allowed to spend on myself before it becomes immoral?

4. Is there a God?

5. What about dogs? How much can I spend on my dog rather than, say, giving the money to an African orphanage?

6. Will I ever see the Northern Lights?

7. What ever became of Mary’s slip that night we went skinnydipping in Liberty Reservoir?

8. WHEN will my youthful brother finally develop some flab and gray hair??

9. If I had to give up one for the rest of my life, would I give up chocolate or cheese?

10. Why is there not nothing?

Friday, March 23, 2007

Artist of the Day: Russell Crotty

Russell Crotty is a contemporary artist I first saw at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. A beautiful, ethereal, but somehow deep globe hung from the ceiling. I couldn't stop looking at it. There's something of the cosmic feel of Anselm Kiefer in his work. Below are some samples of Crotty's work. Enjoy.



















































Thursday, March 22, 2007

On Cuteness

Here is a list of things I consider to be cute.

Beagles (just, as a random example, my beagle Rocky):














Canterbury (this is for you, Sal):















"Tim Riggins" on Friday Night Lights:
















Things that are replicas of big things, only smaller:
Fontanini tent---











Barbie accessories---

















This head-sized mushroom we found in our yard:

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Novel Discovery

I've just finished Alasdair Gray's 1984 novel entitled 1982 Janine. Wow. I had never heard of Gray before, but this was a tour de force. It's the first-person narration of an alcoholic Scottish man looking back on a lifetime of mistakes, compromises, and fantasies. It's experimental in form (there are some passages in typographical "shapes," inspired by Tristam Shandy) and has a great stream-of-consciousness narration. A challenging read, but rewarding.

Gray is also a playwright and artist. See some of his illustrations below, including some book covers.










And his official website: http://www.alasdairgray.co.uk/

Sunday, March 18, 2007

Best Movies of Last Few Years

For the last 10+ years I've kept a list of my favorite movies from each year. (And early on, I kept a list of Siskel and Ebert's lists too.) Here they are:

2006 Best:
Lynn: United 93, The Departed, Casino Royale, The Illusionist, American Dreamz, Pan’s Labyrinth, Apocalypto, Borat, Little Children, Monster House, The Queen, The Painted Veil, Notes on a Scandal, Children of Men, Borat, Volver


2005 Best:
Lynn: The New World, Pride and Prejudice, Munich, Downfall, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Lords of Dogtown, Walk the Line, Rize, Match Point, Hitchiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, Serenity, Syriana, A History of Violence, March of the Penguins, The Producers, Mad Hot Ballroom, Red Eye, Sahara


2004 Best:
Lynn: Sideways, Hotel Rwanda, Hidalgo, Being Julia, Fahrenheit 9/11, Osama, The Village, Touching the Void, Finding Neverland, Garden State, Goodbye Lenin, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, Open Water, Cellular, Monseiur Ibrahim, The Butterfly Effect, A Very Long Engagement

2003 Best:
Lynn: The Magdalene Sisters, In America, The Barbarian Invasions, Lost in Translation, Love Actually, Spellbound, A Mighty Wind, Return of the King, Pirates of the Caribbean, House of Sand and Fog, Finding Nemo, Master and Commander, Calendar Girls, View from the Top, Down with Love, Identity, Intolerable Cruelty, 21 Grams, Seabiscuit, Mystic River, Monster, Cold Mountain
Ebert: Monster, Lost in Translation, American Splendor, Finding Nemo, Master and Commander, Mystic River, Owning Mahowney, The Son, Whale Rider, In America; runners-up: All the Real Girls, The Barbarian Invasions, Better Luck Tomorrow, Elephant, Girl with a Pearl Earring, House of Sand and Fog, Kill Bill Vol. 1, The Man on the Train, Matchstick Men, May, Northfork, Nowhere in Africa, Safe Conduct, Russian Ark; documentaries: Stevie, Winged Migration, Amandla, Spellbound
Roeper: In America, Mystic River, Lost in Translation, 21 Grams, Elephant, The Barbarian Invasions, The Station Agent, Whale Rider, Monster, Seabiscuit

2002 Best:
Lynn: Adaptation, Two Towers, Dogtown and Z-Boys, The Hours, Chicago, 8 Mile, Punch-Drunk Love, Barbershop, Y Tu Mamá También, Moonlight Mile, Spirited Away, Gangs of New York, Catch Me If You Can, About Schmidt; honorable mention: Cat's Meow, City by the Sea, Importance of Being Earnest, Lovely and Amazing, Minority Report, Nicholas Nickleby, The Quiet American, Monsoon Wedding, All or Nothing, Secretary, About a Boy
Ebert: Minority Report, City of God, Adaptation, Far from Heaven, 13 Conversations about One Thing, Y Tu Mamá También, Invincible, Spirited Away, All or Nothing, The Quiet American
Roeper: Gangs of New York, 25th Hour, Minority Report, Y Tu Mamá También, Adaptation, Signs, Rabbit-Proof Fence, About Schmidt, One Hour Photo, About a Boy

2001 Best:
Lynn: Fellowship of the Ring, Gosford Park, Bridget Jones’ Diary, Enemy at the Gates, Memento, The Others, Amelie, With a Friend Like Harry, Vanilla Sky, Original Sin; also Monster’s Ball, Waking Life, Amores Perros, Happy Accidents
Ebert: Monster’s Ball, Black Hawk Down, In the Bedroom, Ghost World, Mulholland Drive, Waking Life, Innocence, Wit, A Beautiful Mind, Gosford Park
Roeper: Memento, Vanilla Sky, Mulholland Drive, A Beautiful Mind, In the Bedroom, Amores Perros, Dinner Rush, Happy Accidents, The Deep End, Shallow Hall

2000 Best:
Lynn: Before Night Falls, Best of Show, O Brother Where Art Thou, Hamlet, You Can Count on Me, Meet the Parents, Frequency, Sunshine, Proof of Life, What Women Want
Ebert: Almost Famous, Wonder Boys, You Can Count on Me, Traffic, George Washington, The Cell, High Fidelity, Pollock, Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Requiem for a Dream
Roeper: Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, Traffic, The Claim, The Contender, Wonder Boys, Finding Forrester, You Can Count on Me, Sunshine, Cast Away, Almost Famous

1999 Best
Lynn: Election, Boys Don’t Cry, Being John Malkovich, Sleepy Hollow, Bringing Out the Dead, Notting Hill, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Sweet and Lowdown, The Sixth Sense, The Straight Story
Ebert: Being John Malkovich, Magnolia, Three Kings, Boys Don't Cry, Bringing Out the Dead, Princess Mononoke, The War Zone, American Beauty, Topsy Turvy, The Insider

1998 Best
Siskel: Babe: Pig in the City, The Thin Red Line, Pleasantville, Saving Private Ryan, Shakespeare in Love, The Truman Show, Antz, Simon Birch, There’s Something about Mary, Waking Ned Devine
Ebert: Dark City, Pleasantville, Saving Private Ryan, A Simple Plan, Happiness, Elizabeth, Babe: Pig in the City, Shakespeare in Love, Life Is Beautiful, Primary Colors
Lynn: Shakespeare in Love, Ever After, Beloved, Prince of Egypt, Life Is Beautiful, Saving Private Ryan, Little Voice, Mulan, Mask of Zorro, Sliding Doors

1997 Best
Siskel: The Ice Storm, LA Confidential, Wag the Dog, In the Company of Men, The End of Violence, The Full Monty, The Sweet Hereafter, Good Will Hunting, Mrs. Brown, As Good As It Gets
Ebert: Eve’s Bayou, The Sweet Hereafter, Boogie Nights, Maborosi, Jackie Brown, Fast Cheap and Out of Control, LA Confidential, In the Company of Men, Titanic, Wag the Dog
Lynn: Waiting for Guffman, Chasing Amy, Boogie Nights, The Ice Storm, Ulee’s Gold, LA Confidential, My Best Friend’s Wedding, The Apostle, In the Company of Men, The Full Monty

1996 Best
Siskel: Fargo, Secrets and Lies, Breaking the Waves, The English Patient, Lone Star, Looking for Richard, Paradise Lost, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Kingpin, Bound
Ebert: Fargo, Breaking the Waves, Secrets and Lies, Lone Star, Welcome to the Dollhouse, Bound, Hamlet, Everyone Says I Love you, Heidi Fleiss: Hollywood Madam, Big Night
Lynn: Secrets and Lies, Hamlet, The English Patient, Angels and Insects, Jerry Maguire, Romeo and Juliet, Shine, The Truth about Cats and Dogs, Ransom, Extreme Measures

1994 Best
Siskel: Hoop Dreams, Pulp Fiction, Ed Wood, 32 Short Films, Quiz Show, Forrest Gump, Vanya on 42nd Street, Shawshank Redemption, Red Rock West, Little Women.
Ebert: Hoop Dreams, Blue White Red, Ed Wood, Forrest Gump, The Last Seduction, Fresh, The Blue Kite, Natural Born Killers, The New Age, Quiz Show.
Lynn: Hoop Dreams, Pulp Fiction, Shawshank Redemption, The Last Seduction, Heavenly Creatures, The Making of “. . . And God Spoke,” White/Red, Leni Riefenstahl, Strawberry and Chocolate, Shadowlands

Friday, March 16, 2007

Family in Atlanta

A few weeks ago we had an 80th birthday party for my dad and my Uncle Jack---both born in south Baltimore in 1927, one day apart. Friends from high school on, Jack eventually married my dad's sister, Dottie. All members of both sides of the family (Gwynns and Webers) were in attendance (except for KG), and as you can see, some stunning snapshots resulted. We had a great time playing charades and just talking.