Being compulsive, obsessive, and mentally disturbed is generally a drag. But it does have it's moments.
Right now I'm in that happy place that only the OCD, nerds, and geeks can relate to: premature overabundance of acquisition.
It's when you go on a collecting spree and order a bunch of stuff. Then the agonizing wait begins. Will the mailbox bear fruit, or only the ashen taste of bitter disappointment when you come home?
I'm in the sweet spot. This is the dimension where you have placed a bunch of orders and conveniently forgotten what you ordered. So each package is a surprise. And the bestest part is: all the lead times were VASTLY *over*calculated.
That's right, bay-bee! All my orders are arriving SOONER than expected. The mailbox, while still full of vexing important things that are not going well, bears a gift virtually every day. Even my damn Netflix DVD came in two days early.
It's like freaking Christmakwanzaakah all over again up in here. I have too much to watch! My cup runneth over! My DVR is backing up. Too. Much. Yay!
It really doesn't take much, folks. Not at all.
Understood completely!! I suffer from the same glorious disorder. I hope that there is Spader gorgeousness in that largess of entertainment. 8-)BTW glad you're feeling better.
ReplyDeleteorchidlover
Oh, you so busted me. Yes--I finally got to rewatch "The Watcher" and I saw "Driftwood."
ReplyDeleteI've also got "Keys to Tulsa" left to watch. If I can every outsmart my computer and get it hooked up to my T.V. (which is ancient), I can be like all the cool kids and do the Netflix thing.
Watched "sex, lies and videotape" this week as well. I def had a different experience with it as a more mature viewer. And the commentary was a lot of fun--I really enjoy hearing people talk about the process.
Thanks for all the links you provided earlier. The movie reviewer (Hunter) is awesome. And you have some serious hard core fans on the Spader board. I'm very guilty of perusing without joining--is that like the Internet equivalent of being a grazer?
If you enjoyed the director's commentary then may I recommend the Soderbergh diary on making the film. Can be found online, published 1990. Fan site has a book review that I wrote. Graham was a really interesting character, and Soderbergh LOVED Jimmy's work.
ReplyDeleteWhen you "peruse without joining" it's known as "lurking", but we have no problem with that ;-). We only hope that Jimmy doesn't lurk cause he'd freak!! Hunter is great. I love those reviews. I don't begin to know the stuff about film that she/he does even though I love watching movies.
And now to my turn to be pea green with envy. You live in L.A. Keep your eyes open. You could see the man any day, anywhere. If you want to improve your chances, keep lurking and looking 'cause the "sightings" of him frequenting his favorite haunts get posted regularly. My only hint will be that he frequently wears a Fedora, and if you see a white poodle at the end of a leash on the arm of that guy wearing the Fedora, look closely...
Aaggghhh! I'm so jealous ;-).
You are awesome. Thanks so much for the book rec--that is exactly the kind of thing I like to read. I perused your boards and saw some of your review. I stopped reading because you are so thorough I figured I'd have read the whole book just via your review. ;)
ReplyDeleteI recently read something that purported to be the "original" script for "slv."
I believe it might be, bc it matches up with some things from the commentary and such. It's so fascinating how a script changes, and how much the sets, music, direction and action give to it. I guess actors develop a process wherein they can mentally translate the dry prose on the page into what it could be on screen.
Soderbergh apparently has some other books out about directing, and is included in some anthologies of interviews.
I really fell in love with his work in "Out of Sight," which is just one of those perfect little movies. Have you seen it?
Thx again for the book rec. You're a treasure trove of info.
Very happy to share ;-). I have not seen "Out of Sight", but if it's available from netflix, I'll add it to my list. I'm enjoying our correspondence. What are your thoughts on Driftwood?
ReplyDeleteorchidlover
Ah, Driftwood, what can one say?
ReplyDeleteIf I recall, Hunter’s review didn’t seem to have much to say on the matter. I can say this, it’s not a terrible movie. In spite of their being less going on, I think its perhaps a better overall film than, say, Alien Hunter (and I’ve got a weak spot for sci-fi).
I like that while the heroine, Sara, is obviously disturbed, we don’t get a full on whack a doodle Kathy Bates-Misery character right out the gate.
Jimmy’s a bit of a blank slate here, but that works because of the amnesia angle. I don’t think the film was interested in explaining all the details (her chosen isolation, his shipwrecked state), and I’m okay with that. I think the focus was supposed to be a lot more on the characters and their respective states of mind.
Sara is a little heartbreaking, as you watch her flail hopelessly as the inevitable bears down on her. Unfortunately, the film never really manages to engage you enough to feel true discomfort, despair, or dread—which you really should be feeling as you watch her spiral into worse and worse choices. A good example is the “foot race/booby trap” scene. I feel like you should be cringing, waiting for the outcome. Instead I was just kinda observing, going, “Huh, well, okay, I guess that happened that way or whatever.”
Our marooned hero does a good job of conveying believable reactions to his plight: a need for more information, a fear of being even more isolated, seeking comfort in what is available, growing suspicion, etc.
I think the two leads play well off each other, if you consider the situation. She’s obviously weird, he’s completely adrift, and their interactions evolve from awkward to intimate to contentious (just like any relationship, ha!)
So, assuming that the point of the film was NOT to make a suspenseful thriller, potboiler, or creepy mystery, I think it’s okay. It’s a serviceable little study of human oddity on a very small scale. I like that we saw events leading up to what were the consequences of Sara’s actions, but not the actual confrontation itself. The close, with our Sailor on another beach was probably the most self-consciously “movie trope” element. But I can give it a pass, as the urge to get some closure with that character was probably hard to resist, and it was still not too neat and clean.
Having said all that, I understand there’s some scuttlebutt surrounding the production, and rumors of shady goings-on like embezzlement. It’s hard to watch a film, knowing that, without it coloring your perception. Makes you wonder if there was another direction or tone, etc. I’ve had info like this work both ways for me. I found that for multiple reasons, I’ve gotten a lot more tolerant of Keanu Reeves as both he and I have gotten older. This is partly due to hearing about things like the time he volunteered to take a pay cut so they could get Al Pacino on a film. Bless Keanu, he’s not so great but he seems to try so hard.
Which is my INCREDIBLY long winded way of saying that I think it’s okay, but I am also operating from a standpoint on nearly no expectations. (Something I try to do more and more with films these days). The film doesn’t force a TWEEST down our throats, have any characters do unbelievable 180s, or anything like that. It just quietly depicts an unlikely, but not impossible, weird little situation.
Yours has to be the kindest review I've ever read. The last sentence sums it up. Thanks.
ReplyDeleteorchidlover