Good god, never watch the 1998 version of The Tempest

I finished Tempest for Ren Lit and wanted to rent a film version to see the staging. Unfortunately Ninth Street Video only had two versions, one of which involved the characters being 80’s captains of industry, the other, slightly better-looking one being set during the civil war. Despite the presence of the guy who plays Mercutio in Romeo+Juliet (hottest of the hot) as Ariel, this movie sucks. And the Ninth Street girls totally gave me the evil eye for trying to rent Holy Mountain. They can be such pretentious little twits. Just because Leni Riefenstahl was a giant Nazi doesn’t mean Holy Mountain isn’t well-shot… at least, so I’ve heard, and I’m really curious about her as a director.

While on the topic (the Nazi topic, obviously): Courtney Love playing Lady Macbeth. Can you deal? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338258/


Saw My Architect with my grandmother tonight. Excellent movie, REALLY unexpectedly funny at points (see Aunt Edwina, the new design for Philadelphia, and the Little Yarmulke that Couldn’t). In addition to being really sad and a good presentation of a son’s ambivalence towards his father, it was breathtaking. I love Lou Kahn’s designs, esp. the capital complex in Bangladesh. Gorgeous. I like him better than I like I.M. Pei, and he’s obviously a cannon saint in modern architecture. The real problem with Kahn, i.e. that he has no sense of the site, no incorporation of natural motifs, seems to have really faded by his final works. We’re left with the absolute perfection of his floating capital complex, with its massive interior spaces-- it’s layering of volumes, its outward solidarity and surprising inward stillness.


Also saw Paper Moon with Daddy. One of my favorite movies of all time. Excellent acting, perfect comedy. He bought me my own copy as a surprise, which was incredibly sweet.

I need to do a more complete post about Spring Break. I’ve done some awesome stuff, and I want to remember it all. But I’ll get to it later. I needed three spring breaks: one for my family and the maintenance stuff I needed to do, like my car and all my doctor’s appointments, one for my friends so that I could see each one several times and not feel like I’m neglecting people, and one for myself, so that I could make myself something nice to eat, do some homework, and just be utterly alone. I REALLY need some alone time, for my productivity’s sake as well as my sanity’s. Ah well, tomorrow I drive back, so no such luck. I’ll just have to deal. I’m coming down next weekend for Easter, though, because I wanted to spend that with my family, go to Easter Brunch and crack confetti eggs and get my basket and such.


I’ll see Iowa people tomorrow! I’ve really had a great, relaxing, fun break.

Good god, never watch the 1998 version of The Tempest

I finished Tempest for Ren Lit and wanted to rent a film version to see the staging. Unfortunately Ninth Street Video only had two versions, one of which involved the characters being 80’s captains of industry, the other, slightly better-looking one being set during the civil war. Despite the presence of the guy who plays Mercutio in Romeo+Juliet (hottest of the hot) as Ariel, this movie sucks. And the Ninth Street girls totally gave me the evil eye for trying to rent Holy Mountain. They can be such pretentious little twits. Just because Leni Riefenstahl was a giant Nazi doesn’t mean Holy Mountain isn’t well-shot… at least, so I’ve heard, and I’m really curious about her as a director.

While on the topic (the Nazi topic, obviously): Courtney Love playing Lady Macbeth. Can you deal? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0338258/


Saw My Architect with my grandmother tonight. Excellent movie, REALLY unexpectedly funny at points (see Aunt Edwina, the new design for Philadelphia, and the Little Yarmulke that Couldn’t). In addition to being really sad and a good presentation of a son’s ambivalence towards his father, it was breathtaking. I love Lou Kahn’s designs, esp. the capital complex in Bangladesh. Gorgeous. I like him better than I like I.M. Pei, and he’s obviously a cannon saint in modern architecture. The real problem with Kahn, i.e. that he has no sense of the site, no incorporation of natural motifs, seems to have really faded by his final works. We’re left with the absolute perfection of his floating capital complex, with its massive interior spaces-- it’s layering of volumes, its outward solidarity and surprising inward stillness.


Also saw Paper Moon with Daddy. One of my favorite movies of all time. Excellent acting, perfect comedy. He bought me my own copy as a surprise, which was incredibly sweet.

I need to do a more complete post about Spring Break. I’ve done some awesome stuff, and I want to remember it all. But I’ll get to it later. I needed three spring breaks: one for my family and the maintenance stuff I needed to do, like my car and all my doctor’s appointments, one for my friends so that I could see each one several times and not feel like I’m neglecting people, and one for myself, so that I could make myself something nice to eat, do some homework, and just be utterly alone. I REALLY need some alone time, for my productivity’s sake as well as my sanity’s. Ah well, tomorrow I drive back, so no such luck. I’ll just have to deal. I’m coming down next weekend for Easter, though, because I wanted to spend that with my family, go to Easter Brunch and crack confetti eggs and get my basket and such.


I’ll see Iowa people tomorrow! I’ve really had a great, relaxing, fun break.