My friend A told me that she views washing dishes as a meditation. I have always disliked washing dishes (I don't mind doing laundry), but I'm working at meditating now when I wash the dishes.
Steve, Zoe and I just came back from seeing Woody Allen's wonderful new film "Vicky Cristina Barcelona" and the dishes had to be washed, so I meditated and washed and thought about the film and previous Woody Allen films, and then Sarah Palin came into my mind and I got really annoyed, so I went back to meditating.
We all really enjoyed the film and I have to admit that it was only the first few minutes that I remembered Javiar Bardem as one of the worst villains I've seen in years in "No Country for Old Men." The rest of the time I was quite turned on by him (sorry Zoe, I may be old, but I'm not dead.) It was all so sensual, the city, the beautiful women (Scarlett, Rebecca and the stunningly gorgeous Penelope Cruz), Javiar, the countryside, the music, the homes, the clothing. I loved Patricia Clarkson's character, the long marriage, the quiet desperation, but the love that still exists. Woody Allen was probably the biggest influence on me as a writer. I always adored his writing although I used to see his films the first day they opened and for the past ten years or so, I've missed several of them. But "Annie Hall" is without a doubt my favorite comedy and I could probably perform every scene. I related so much to that character and fell in love with both Woody and Diane Keaton. I know that to admire someone as an artist is not the same as wanting to know them personally. I remember years ago running into an actor on the street who I had dated briefly, and he was working on a Woody Allen film at the time. He said to me (about Woody Allen): "He's horrible, really really hard to work for. There's no fun, he doesn't talk. Ever."
And I won't even get into the whole Mia/Soon Yi/Woody mess. He's been with Soon Yi for ten years. I saw the documentary about Ingmar Bergman a few years ago and I wasn't too impressed with him as a father.
Anyway, tonight I was happy to see a Woody Allen film that I found intriguing and unpredictable and very well written and directed.
And as for Sarah Palin, what can we say? That I can easily see her negotiating peace in the Middle East when McCain (happy birthday Mr. 72 year old) dies of skin cancer? That I will sleep well at night knowing she might be appointing three Supreme Court justices? That she will work well with both houses of Congress and world leaders, given all her experience as a Governor? All 20 months she's been in office? In Alaska? Population 400,000 or so. That McCain's strategy of choosing a woman was clever, but he couldn't come up with a single woman in this entire country who isn't more qualified? COME ON. I mean, it's so infuriating that I want desperately to wake up tomorrow morning and read in the NY Times that McCain says, "Opps, I made a really big mistake. Never mind."
What kind of an ending would Woody write? I saw this morning in the Times that McCain and Palin are planning to go to New Orleans today before Gustuv arrives. With any luck they'll get caught in the storm and washed out to sea.
One more thing - there was an hysterically funny article in the NY Times last weekend that I missed, but I just read it. It's Woody Allen's "diary" about the filming of Vicky Cristina Barcelona. If you get a chance to read it, it will definitely make you laugh out loud. (And how often does that happen?)
3 comments:
I saw the movie also. Loved it. When I saw my first Woody A. movie I was 22 years old and it was being filmed via an old fashioned projector at a friend's house in Sydney. Her husband was Australia's correspondent for Variety Magazine at the time. It was Annie Hall, and, like you, I fell in love.
I think one reason Annie Hall was so wonderful was because he had so much affection for the character and for Diane Keaton and it really came through. Not to mention so many memorably brilliant scenes. (Christopher Walken driving in the storm, the spider the size of a Buick scene, the split screen therapy sessions and the two families, the LA scene with Tony Roberts, the LA party, the sneezing on the cocaine, the scene with the subtitles, the famous line when he stops the two gorgeous people "We are totally boring" etc. etc. etc.)
Interestingly, I saw an interview with Penelope Cruz and she said her all time favorite Woody Allen movie was "Deconstructing Harry." She said she found it hysterically funny. I think I'll have to rent it, I know I saw it and I vaguely remember the plot, but I don't remember loving it that much!
This "diary" about the making of the film that was in the NY Times last weekend was absolutely so hilarious, I hope you'll read it.
Oooooooh, cool! Lisa's here! I really want to see the latest Woody film. I remember reading "Without Feathers" when I was in jr. high and laughing my little heinie off. He is one of the few who is hysterically funny in print.
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