reading:
John Bowe (ed): Gig: Americans Talk About Their Jobs
Gail Simone: Birds of Prey
Sarah Vowell: Take the Cannoli
Howard Zinn: People's History of the U.S.
So I'm thinking about the winter movie season, which is usually full of fun and merriment for us movie geeks, and realizing that there isn't an awful lot I'm excited about. Thus making me wonder what I am excited about. Thus making me make a list...
What Liz Is Looking Forward To
Matrix: Revolutions Duh.
Love Actually From what I hear, it's not what it could be. But I'll see it for what it is.
Big Fish I don't hate John August, I like Tim Burton, I really like Billy Crudup, and I'm going to marry Ewan McGregor. Plus, myths, circuses, and all sorts of wonder. I don't think it'll be the best movie ever. But it might make me a happy Liz indeed.
Return of the King I'm going, okay? Just do me a favor? Don't mention... y'know. The spider. The really big one. Really. Don't.
Mona Lisa Smile Inspirational teachers, man. I don't think I'll ever get enough of them. They're the guitiest pleasure ever, but they make me so happy. I really don't see this one managing to fail me. Even if the feminist inside is less than thrilled to see a girl power movie written and directed by men. ::sigh::
Paycheck Yeah, the trailer for The Alamo looks good. But I'd much rather see this.
The Hebrew Hammer Here is the plot summary for this little movie you've never heard of:
Jumpstarting the much-neglected subgenre of "Jewxploitation" (ie.... completely neglected; this is the first movie to give Jewish-Americans [and Goyim too, I'm sure] the sort of entertainment that African-Americans enjoyed with 1970's blaxploitation movies like Shaft, Coffy and Dolemite), this is the story of Mordechai (Adam Goldberg), a young vigilant Orthodox Jew "superhero detective" who is recruited by the Jewish Justice League to team up with Esther (Judy Greer), the daughter of the JJL's leader (Peter Coyote), to stop the evil plans of Damien (Andy Dick), the son of Santa (Riehle), to eradicate Hanukkah from calendars forever, so that Christmas will never again have any competition (with an African-American hero, Mohammed, played by Mario Van Peebles, helping out in case Santa goes after Kwanzaa next). Can our hero, the "Semitic super stud", the "baaddest Heeb this side of Tel Aviv", the "Hebrew Hammer", possibly overwhelm Santa Damien's uncircumsized hordes and prevent such a decidedly ungentile gentile plot?
Three little words, friends: Best. Movie. EVER. And it's going to air on Comedy Central before going into limited release. So, the Best Movie Ever. For free!
Sure, the rest of the movies coming out this winter are going to leave me snoozing in my seat. But every once in a while, life works out okay.