So I woke up in the wee hours of Saturday morning, a few hours after concluding a quite nice Friday night, sick. So apart from a run to buy sickness supplies I spent the entirity of the weekend in bed, in the kitchen (for fluids and nutrients), or in front of the tv. In my hazy state I learned the following:
Until ESPN fire or retires Lou Holtz I don't think I can watch their college football "analysis" any more. I just can't take the combo of bias (in favor of mediocrity) and stupidity. How his set mates restrain themselves from strangling him ... well, they are stronger men than I am. I don't know what to make of the LSU Tigers. They are hugely talented, and yet something is a bit off. And I'm wondering if it's Les Miles. I'm wondering if Auburn is really that good of if Tennessee is really that bad. And I'm leaning toward the latter position, which makes me wonder if uneven LSU might not beat the Gators since the Gators had trouble with Tennessee. I can't explain exactly why, but I really love Frau Farbissina - thank you Mindy Sterling. I've become hooked on yet another Ben & Jerry's flavor - Creme Brulee. I'm still blown away by just how good The Talented Mr. Ripley is. It's a phenomonal achievement in film. The writing, casting, acting, lighting, photography, sets, costumes, music - and being able to maintain just the right tone throughout a long movie, even though it's a really hard tone to maintain. It's fabulous, and includes a lot of excellent work, though sure, Jude Law stands out. I'm also amazed at the Steelers' ability to give up fourth quarter points while still being a good team. And I'm wondering if there really are therapists like the one on Bored to Death. He's kind of scary - though he seems to be rather effective. Posted by armand at October 5, 2009 11:46 AM | TrackBack | Posted to Random ThoughtsAgreed, re Ripley. I thought I was the only one. Creme Brulee sounds kinda gross, but I don't suppose I've ever actually had a gross spoonful of B&J, so I'll assume you're right. Lou Holtz is repellant. Also, and finally, Mendenhall's return augurs better things for the offense, but the fourth quarter points make me wonder how good the team really is. I'm more or less expecting to be proved wrong down the stretch, but I turned the game off soon after the half on the assumption that they'd finally managed to close a victory -- and against a presumptive contender -- effectively for the first time this season (they really should be 4-0), but was less than surprised to find out, much later, that the Chargers had made a game of it. I remain agnostic.
Posted by: moon at October 5, 2009 01:38 PM | PERMALINKI wouldn't be agnostic. They dominated a team with the likes of Rivers and Gates for 3 quarters. Wasn't remotely close. But then ... and for the 3rd time in 3 weeks? I don't understand it at all. They appear far too good for that to keep happening. As to the Ben&Jerrys, I've been on a huge B&J kick for a month or so (no, happily I am not yet the size of a barn). And as to Ripley, good to know you are on that bandwagon. This time I guess what really stood out was the music, the costumes, how effectively certain scenes were shot, and how well Damon performs - but the whole movie is so good. And how many novels have managed to have 2 good film adaptations of them made?
Posted by: Armand at October 5, 2009 02:34 PM | PERMALINKFirst version was Malky, right? Haven't seen it, but it is unusual. Oddly, it was on last night, and I almost got sucked in beyond repair. Watched about an hour. Add to the above worthy observations the special effects: I don't think I've ever seen a plausible, very very serious head injury portrayed so well, not just in its look but in its initial post-trauma behavior (i.e., the initial pause before the bleading starts, the multiple sources, etc.). Proving once again that truly good special effects are the ones you could easily fail to identify as such.
Posted by: moon at October 6, 2009 11:26 AM | PERMALINKOh I completely forgot about that movie (which I've never seen). I was referencing Purple Noon, starring Alain Delon.
Posted by: Armand at October 6, 2009 12:32 PM | PERMALINK