Song Lyric of the Day:
Well the weeks went by and Spring turned to Summer / And Summer faded into Fall / And it turns out he was a missing person who nobody missed at all
Dixie Chicks / “Goodbye Earl”
1:00PM.
I really slacked off this past week. I blame it on the continuing sinus headaches; when it hurts to blink, the last thing I feel like doing is looking at a computer screen.
My dinner with Nancy and Ann at The Cheesecake Factory Tuesday night went well. It was great seeing them again as a few months had passed since our last dinner; we definitely need to make a point of getting together more often. Lee Ann also usually joins us, but she was unable to make it this time due to work commitments. Maybe next time. Still, Nancy, Ann, and I had fun catching up and enjoyed the delicious food. After seeing the prices listed for some of the entrees, we decided the most practical course of action was to each order an appetizer and share. Lo and behold, we even had leftovers, the servings were so big. We all then splurged and got pieces of Godiva chocolate cheesecake. The pieces were so big it took me about 4 days to completely finish mine off.
The rest of the week was typical. As usual, work days passed very, very slowly for me. Thursday night’s commute home was particularly of note since it was snowing very heavily when I left the office a few minutes before 4PM. Snow wasn’t in the forecast, so everyone was taken by surprise. Fortunately, the snow didn’t stick and we all made it home safely. Rich and I even made it to our 7:30 yoga class, where I proceeded to laugh my butt off while trying to master The Tree move. Never graceful, I had a tough time trying to balance on one leg for more than a few seconds at a time.
We did manage to squeeze a movie into our week. Rich’s coworker lent us his DVD of “The Village,” which we both really enjoyed. I think all the negative reviews (both critics’ and moviegoers’) stemmed from the expectation of one type of movie and then viewing a completely different movie. Ivy Walker (Bryce Dallas Howard, Ron Howard‘s daughter) is a strong-willed, blind young woman living in a turn-of-the-century village, in love with Lucius Hunt (Joaquin Phoenix), a truly noble young man. The village’s inhabitants live in fear of creatures that live in the woods surrounding them. They have an uneasy truce with the creatures—the villagers will not go into their woods and in turn the creatures will not come into the village. While the creatures are indeed scary, the movie is not a horror movie in that sense. Writer/director M. Night Shyamalan has crafted a movie that deals with the culture of fear; I think this was his response/reaction to 9/11. He shows how, for all intents and purposes, we cannot hide from that which we fear. For while Edward Walker (William Hurt), Alice Hunt (Sigourney Weaver), and their fellow elders may have sequestered their loved ones from the violence in the world (the creatures), they can do nothing to protect them from human nature. It is the unpredictability of human nature that leads to a tragedy in the village, with dire consequences for everyone, in particular, Ivy, Alice, and Edward. This tragedy leads to the big “twist” that is a Shyamalan trademark. I won’t give it away, but Rich and I both thought it perfectly fit the story. The movie is imbued with a constant undercurrent of tension that comes from living in a constant state of fear. The writing and direction were excellent, as was to be expected, but the acting truly elevated the story to make it much more emotionally fulfilling. Bryce Dallas Howard is a revelation who perfectly embodies the movie’s emotional center, perfectly complemented by Joaquin Phoenix’s quiet, reserved strength. The supporting actors are a who’s who of accomplished performers: William Hurt, Sigourney Weaver, Adrien Brody, and Brendan Gleeson, to name a few. Adding to the authenticity of it all are the most amazing sets that really bring this early Pennsylvania village to life. If you are looking for a run-of-the-mill monster movie, “The Village” is definitely not for you. But if you are looking for an entertaining, well-made film that will make you think, then it’s definitely worth checking out.
