Pretty Darn Great

North Face - Beautifully Photographed, Completely Engrossing

Was supposed to see the Daniel Ellsberg/ Pentagon Papers movie last night but when we got to the theater last night realized that the show we thought was at 7:30 wasn't until 9:50, so we checked to see what was playing earlier.  There were three movies neither one of us had seen, based on the movie posters in the lobby I narrowed it to 2, and my companion made the final decision for North Face.

Am so glad he did - the movie totally knocked my socks off (and that's dangerous talk in that Alpine cold).  About "a competition to climb the most dangerous rock face in the Alps... the so-called Murder Wall" in July 1936 the film gets you charmed by the climbers, to fear for their safety in relatively benign conditions, then throws you into a days-long maelstrom of bad conditions and luck punctuated by occasional glimmers of hope. And gorgeous scenery - even the snowstorm conditions had me awed.

Interested in seeing it for yourself?

Where: Caught it at E Street Cinema, in Gallery Place

When: Movies there never seem to last long, act accordingly.

Warnings: If you can catch it in a theater, as I doubt the scenery would be as affecting on a tv; There was so much going on was emotionally if not physically exhausted by the end of the movie; Also would recommend it for an early-date-movie - there was plenty to talk about within it and no steamy sex scenes to sit awkwardly through.

Valentines Day - About as Good as You Thought It Would Be

The movie that is - your actual Valentines Day was your own business.

Am posting this in the interest of full disclosure, to show that I'm not all art house films and such.  Watching the previews and seeing the sheer number of stars in this I was wondering how in the hell they'd arrange a non-ridiculous running time and a coherent story or string of stories.  Well the running time - just over a couple of hours - was reasonable. As for the story/stories - it was hard to get emotionally invested in any of them when there were so many and when they varied in quality and coherency.

Am I glad I saw it for matinée rather than full price?  Completely.  But did I enjoy it and was it a complete blast to see with a bunch of girlfriends?  Absolutely. 

Interested in seeing it for yourself?

Where/When: Caught it in Courthouse but am sure its playing all over still.

Warnings: If you're from California you'll get homesick - the ocean and great weather practically leap off the screen; Its best not to take the Jessica Biel character too seriously; The Julia Roberts storyline made me a weepy mess by the end.

Please Tell Me Someone I Know is Seeing This Tonight

Have dinner plans tonight but the following blurb from the Post about what sounds like an awesomely bad movie intrigued me.  If plans fall through, well you know where I'll be.

"A murderous zombie goes berserk in New Orleans during Mardi Gras, and an overweight ninja and Galileo (yes, that Galileo, who has been released from purgatory) are charged with chasing him down. That's the plot of the 1999 B-movie "Zombie! vs. Mardi Gras," which the New York Times called "amateurish and incoherent." Sounds like perfect Tuesday night fodder for the Washington Psychotronic Film Society, which revels in showing some of the most awful movies ever made."

Interested in seeing it for yourself?

Where: Warehouse Theater, 1021 Seventh St. NW. http://www.wpfs.org.

When: 8 pm, Tonight

Warnings: I think the above says it all; $2 donation suggested.

Luna Tuna

At some point, on every visit home, I end up waking up to this face. At about this distance.

(above) Luna, the family dog

Got a video today from my sister of the family dog eating and drinking. Which beats the last video of her sitting still and staring at the camera. But boring or not, I dare you to find a prettier sweeter dog.  Was great to see her, and a little bit of the house.

(above) After her chow, licking her chops

French Plasticine Horse! French Plasticine Horse!

Anyone who's talked to me since mid January and who touched on a topic relating to movies coming out soon, cartoons, the French, farm animals, or plasticine (really, these topics come up more often than one would think) knows that there's one movie I've been dying to see - A Town Called Panic. Take a look at the trailer yourself (http://www.atowncalledpanic.com/). There's a horse! In a shower! Farm animals playing musical instruments! All speaking french!  Honestly, you couldn't craft a trailer to intrigue me more if you tried.

So saw it last night with a few friends and while no movie could have lived up to the hype in my head, it was thoroughly satisfying. The voices were uneven - Horse and Mme. Longray were great but Cowboy and Indian were shouting all the time in a way that got a bit trying. And the subplot with the somewhat amphibian, relentlessly waffle-eating, thieving creatures?  I'm still trying to figure it out.

Interested in seeing it for yourself?

Where: Caught it at E Street Cinema, in Gallery Place

When: Its just there for the weekend, so move fast

Warnings: You may have a desire for a farmyard animal band to play at your next birthday. And if you're planning on pulling that old tell-someone-you're-trapped-in-a-burning-department-store-so-they'll-come-to-a- long-planned-surprise-party trick, well, don't bring them with you to the movie.