Packing

Packing for a kamikaze trip for the opening night and weekend of the New York Film Festival. One of my very favorite rituals. Should I pack that black V-neck? Or that one? What about that one? Hmmmm.

Persepolis - Highly Recommended

I caught Persepolis in a sneak at the Fantastic Fest. It's astounding! Truly masterful and totally innovative at the same time. It combines a brilliant simple visual aesthetic with cultural and historical insight, told via economic elegant storytelling. I was truly knocked out. Don't miss.

Get a taste here.

Quirky or problematic? a parent's dilemma

Even with all my hemming and hawing about the misplaced glorification and romanticism in the doc Billy the Kid, I really appreciated this article in Newseek on Quirky Kids. Check out this savvy quote from the All Kinds of Minds institute below. I've been a fan of their leader Mel Levine's work for years:

..But Mary-Dean Barringer, of the nonprofit learning institute All Kinds of Minds, says we put too much emphasis on the labels that others assign to our kids. "We're absolutely appalled by this diagnosis of Asperger's syndrome," says Barringer. (Asperger's is a high-functioning form of autism, marked by obsessive interests and impaired social interaction.) "These are very highly specialized minds, and to put a syndrome on it and treat it as an aberration does damage to kids and families. There are still challenges there on how to manage it, but why not call it a highly specialized mind phenomenon rather than a disorder? That label alone shapes public perception about uniqueness and quirkiness."

And I can't stop thinking about this kid and what her sensitivities portend:

.....But the disproportionate meltdowns at home or awkward public scenes that come with these kids are almost always balanced by equally extreme moments of wonder. Lily, who always wears her clothes inside out because the seams "are just too hurty," swears she can hear spiders walking on the wall two rooms away. Funny thing is, the 9-year-old is often right.

bizarre bugs and movies, always more movies

It seems fitting to be reading this Yahoo news headline, Bizarre Gender Bending Bugs Baffle Scientists, while immersed in the Fantastic Fest, annual brainchild of Austin exhibition genius Tim League and friends. I particularly like this detail:

"Sex among bat bugs (as with bed bugs) is violent. During copulation, males of these species pierce the abdomens of their mates with their genitals and ejaculate directly into their blood."

Sounds like a perfect Fantastic Fest film concept - not that I would really know. I love the vibe, the setting, the fun, but carefully have to weed through the choices. I'm way too freaked out every single day of my life to be able to enjoy horror films. I see no difference between the possibilities and my reality. And I don't get the thing about enjoying torture either. Or total immersion in martial arts. I was happy enough to see George Romero's latest, Diary of the Dead, with his meta commentary on how we now live only behind video cameras. And also just enjoyed an anime, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

I just started watching anime this year . I've no idea why it's gained its immense popularity and cult status, but I'm finding that I quite like it too. Something about the simplicity mixed in with magic and aesthetic pleasure. And hell, I've been something of a Japanese language fetishist for decades. It's one of my favorite soundtracks.


While I'm mentioning some movies screened over the last couple of days, I can't leave out the wonder of Into The Wild. On the simplest level, eye balm. A sad tale certainly, a kid running into a dead end. I'm not a nature romanticist. I'll always take relationships over the outdoors, I'm a city girl through and through. But the film was provocative and gorgeous. Magnificent landscapes and yes, even some deep human connection.

And the night before? Steven Okazaki's searing White Light, Black Rain which is currently on HBO. We were privileged t o see it on a theatrical screen with the filmmaker in for a serious and thoughtful Q&A. The film is devastating and so, so current. Highly recommended.

The Hottest State

Earlier in the day (life has been busy, busy, busy and FUN, all weepy blog posts to the contrary), caught the press screening for The Hottest State since I'll be at the AFS Doc Tour for Steven Okazaki's White Light Black Night during the Paramount premiere.

I enjoyed it. I know Hawke's getting slaughtered in the press (37 on Rotten Tomatoes, oiy). Too much. Too narcissistic. Ok, it's not a movie classic for the ages, but there was still plenty for me to enjoy. And in my own self indulgent way, I'm always interested in what makes a movie interesting to me, regardless of the critical acclaim or not.

In The Hottest State, I found myself amused by Hawke's recreation of his physical self via another actor. I found myself enamored of his NYC. A gritty, arty, barren landscape of yesteryear - not the gentrified Disneyland version that dominates now. His bars were dark and laden with Christmas lights. It was a New York, cold and grey, that I recognized and loved. And now that I'm a Texan, the Texas subtext amusing.

But what really made the whole film for me was the brief appearance of Laura Linney as his mom. Oh, she must be my favorite actress these days anyhow. She's always brilliant and amazing. But in this quick appearance, deep into the film, she just cuts through it all. The character is sharp and tough and self involved. Not an easy Mom for anyone but wonderful to see for those very reasons. Can't imagine any sentimentalizing going on there.

Tickets are still available for the AFS premiere with Ethan in attendance. Norah Jones will be joining Jesse Harris at the after party as well.

The dating certainties

Last night John and I got a kick out of going to a book reading at Book People for Eric Schaeffer's new, "I can't believe I'm still single." As Eric explained to those gathered, "these are the people that made My Life's In Turnaround." Yes, in what feels like a long time ago. We've stayed close with Donny, not so with Eric. Keeping that mainly to watching his films and the occasional run in at sxsw. He's a controversial figure - for good reason.

Last night he totally cracked us up. His readings from the new book were hilarious.

Eric asked the crowd, "Who here has experience with Internet dating?" One person raised their hand, then another, eventually everyone but us. He continued, "Except of course those two who are the model, -- what together since high school like 35 years ago?!" Well not exactly - it was work, not high school, and 25 not 35 years but yeah, sure, in the ballpark. The audience had a lot of questions about dating, in addition to Eric's film, tv and acting career. He kept repeating how certain he was of what he was looking for, and how quickly he could figure that out. No drugs or alcohol, childbearing age and inclination, not too young. Later, while walking him to his car I reminded him, "It was not love at first sight for us. It really took awhile." Then John added an element I'd totally forgotten, "And the whole question of how ready someone is to have kids or not, you never know. When Janet and I first got together, even got married, it was very unclear whether she would ever have children. At that time, she really thought she might not."

True. But something I always forget in the repeated telling of the tale. I didn't want to have kids. I couldn't imagine it. I found the whole concept somewhat repulsive. It was only through the love with John that that door opened. And we walked through.

What it feels like

Close to tears several times today. Which is rare. As a pre-teen I couldn't cry at all. It separated me from my peers. It wasn't until that Zefferelli Romeo and Juliet that I joined the crowd. "It made me cry. It made me cry" I remember joyfully sharing. As a pre-teen that is. Now of course I cry during TV commercials. Anything with kids singing, or competing, or during award shows, or those musical set pieces during Grey's Anatomy. It's ridiculous.

But today was different. It was about emotional resonance. Not sadness in my own life, but in acknowledgment of passing. Life passing, time passing, love passing. For a once-close friend now moving on, now cold; for a once beloved man whose divorce will take him out of my life, although he's gone anyway, and how sad that is; for a daughter (or two or three) coping with a sick mother; for a new friend as I express my love as life throws her a curve. Just repeatedly today there was a sudden reminder of things mattering. Of things changing. Of loss.

Bet on Good People Doing Good Things - Jeff Skoll at Ted

John and I constantly debate whether films can affect change. I really loved this talk by Jeff Skoll at the recent Ted Conference. (An event I've always been interested in but never yet attended.)