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Well, it was after I was interviewed online by members of the Australian Writers Association--night for me, next morning for them. The questions were fast and furious but I think I caught them all...there wasn't a moderator and members just tossed out the questions. It was kind of fun that way. The interview is being transcribed, and once it is I've been given permission to post it on my website-which I will have my trusty webmistress do.
So...after that I watched The Good German, Steven Soderbergh's most recent movie-- filmed and written in the B&W post-WW II style of movies of the late 50s early 60s. It didn't quite work. Tobey Maguire is one of the first characters we meet and he is soo out of sync with the b&w sensibility that I had a really hard time getting into the movie in the first place. George Clooney (who has done B&W before --in Good Night, and Good Luck) was fine as was Cate Blanchett but I wasn't wild about the movie.
Then I watched Red Eye, which was the enjoyable popcorn confection silliness I expected--with Cillian Murphy as the menacing seatmate of Rachel McAdams on the flight from hell. The brilliant Brian Cox was completely wasted in a role that could have been played by anybody.
And then....I should have gone to bed (it was 1am) but nooooo. I stupidely went to ebay to check out some items I'm always looking at (dolls of different sorts)...oh boy. Mistake mistake mistake. I forced myself offline and went to bed at 3am...and didn't get up till 11am. Bad me!
So...after that I watched The Good German, Steven Soderbergh's most recent movie-- filmed and written in the B&W post-WW II style of movies of the late 50s early 60s. It didn't quite work. Tobey Maguire is one of the first characters we meet and he is soo out of sync with the b&w sensibility that I had a really hard time getting into the movie in the first place. George Clooney (who has done B&W before --in Good Night, and Good Luck) was fine as was Cate Blanchett but I wasn't wild about the movie.
Then I watched Red Eye, which was the enjoyable popcorn confection silliness I expected--with Cillian Murphy as the menacing seatmate of Rachel McAdams on the flight from hell. The brilliant Brian Cox was completely wasted in a role that could have been played by anybody.
And then....I should have gone to bed (it was 1am) but nooooo. I stupidely went to ebay to check out some items I'm always looking at (dolls of different sorts)...oh boy. Mistake mistake mistake. I forced myself offline and went to bed at 3am...and didn't get up till 11am. Bad me!
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Some of the homages worked (obvious nods to The Third Man and early Hitchcock thrillers like The 39 Steps) but others yanked me out of the movie, especially the Casablanca recreation at the end. Way to destroy the mood.
Blanchett is one of those actresses who disappears into her roles, whereas Clooney is always Clooney—in much the same way that Cary Grant was always Cary Grant. That worked okay in this sort of movie, where the director was recreating that mid-century style of filmmaking.
It had some very nice bits, and the story about the sanitization of the Nazis brought back to America because they have knowledge the Americans needed is one worth telling, because it's not well known.
I also liked that we never really knew what was going on with that German fellow who supposedly didn't understand English. I suspect he had ulterior motives for doing what he did that we weren't privy to.
But, all in all, the artifice of the production worked against the movie more than it enhanced it, in my opinion.
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I think I've seen other movies that dealt with this--although perhaps not so baldly.
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you collect dolls?
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Re: you collect dolls?
Here are some from my collection:
Ellen's Doll collection1 (http://www.datlow.com/gallery/dolls.html)
more dolls (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35025258@N00/sets/468138/)
voodoo dolls (http://www.datlow.com/gallery/voodoo.html)
My favorites are the three-faced dolls.
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ok...
However, I can see that the Flapper Corpse doll I received would not really be a good match for your collection, so I will continue to look for the right new owner.
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Re: ok...
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alas...
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Re: you collect dolls?
The three-faced dolls look neat, if a bit scary. I once had a three-faced doll, a Little Red Ridinghood, Grandma, and the wolf. One end was Ridinghood and Grandma when turned, and under the skirt was the wolf. I don't remember what happened to it, them?--this was in the 70s, and besides, I didn't play with it much.
My sister has an extensive clown collection.
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Re: you collect dolls?
I've got that doll! My friend and former student Maura McHugh gave me that doll last winter when I was in London.It's marvelous!
Clown dolls or pictures of clowns or both? I'm afraid I've hated clowns since I was a kid. Not afraid of them, just don't like em.
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Re: you collect dolls?
I didn't realize they were still selling the three-faced Ridinghood doll. It must be a collectors item now. I've had a big rubbery doll, which I preferred only because I could make clothes for her, stiched by hand and all laced up.
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Re: you collect dolls?
My mother used to make the clothes for dolls that my sister and I had as children. A couple of years ago I found a lovely three-faced doll that was wearing underwear and my mom insisted on sewing a dress for it:
doll with mom's red dress (http://www.flickr.com/photos/35025258@N00/333605267/in/set-468138/)
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Re: you collect dolls?
I like the bird doll, it, she? looks deliciously scary. Oh, and your Woodoo dolls, they're positively magical.
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Re: you collect dolls?
The bird doll is actually a chimney sweep and he was made by Beth Robinson who has the website
Strange Dolls (http://strangedolls.net/)
You can find him and others of his ilk under the link marked "original limited series".
I love my voodoo dolls. Whenever I went down to New Orleans (which I did for a few years in the late 80s) I bought more voodoo dolls. Each year there were different styles. I especially like the doll with the skull and furs.
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Re: you collect dolls?
Oops, I've misspelled voodoo. It must be late.
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Re: you collect dolls?
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Re: you collect dolls?
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no subject
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