I am leaving for Texas tomorrow, where my parents and I will spend the holidays with my brother, at his house. I will return on the 6th of January and may have limited computer access until then.
For lack of something more festive, I have decided to list my top five movies for the year.
When I posted the picture of my brother's marathon route, your browser failed to display it. If you have not fixed your browser, then you will miss the punch-line in my "P.S. below. Read the caption or check the back row of faces carefully.
Happy Christmas!
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
Dumbledore's Army. Front row, left to right: Ginevra Weasley, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Cho Chang, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood. Back row, left to right: George Weasley, Mark Zajac, Fred Weasley, Neville Longbottom
That was a link. Did your browser not show it as a link?
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
Here is the text from the BBC web site:
Portman will play a zombie-slaying version of Elizabeth Bennett. Natalie Portman is set to slay the undead in a movie adaptation of best-seller "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," it is reported. Portman will play feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet, according to trade publication Variety. The novel, by Seth Grahame-Smith, takes Jane Austen's classic and adds a new subplot in which the story takes place as the dead rise from the grave. The five Bennett sisters are all trained in deadly martial arts. Portman is also set to produce the film for Lionsgate. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," which was first published in April 2009 by Quirk books, got to number three on the New York Times best-seller list. A prequel has been announced, "Dawn of the Dreadfuls," which is due to be published in March 2010. Quirk books have also released another novel based on an Austen work, entitled "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters."
I got your note of December 10th while in my office 'till one million o'clock, that night, preparing my last lecture of the semester. I must now rush off to keep an appointment with a student.
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
It is delightful that you have emerged from your dark tunnel into the light!
My note to you on "Legend of the Seeker" was not intended as a ringing endorsement (nor a dire warning). I suspect that it just came along at the right time for me. My brain was tired of my research. Sharing the fantastical adventures of tight-knit characters who grew on me 'till I felt like part of the gang was a perfect counterpoint and a welcome break. It's mental pablum, really. The best part is the chemistry between the principals -- they gaze at each other with real weight behind it.
Good luck with the control freak. All you can really do is scratch your tally of days into the stone wall of your cell, as you dream of freedom (and perhaps revenge), like The Count of Monte Cristo.
[:-)] Mark
P.S. I have also seen nothing of "Pam & Jim" this season. I am waiting until next fall when I can watch the episodes on Netflix, without commercials.
With no internet or 'phone at home, I'm just in the office, briefly, to inform my mother that my fever from yesterday has broken. It pleases her greatly to stay abreast of such matters, though I am really far too old for coddling. I am still behind on my sleep, so this might be a short note.
I feel rather badly that you troubled yourself with such a long letter when it is clear that you are swamped. The time will come when my job will require a long hiatus at my end. I am relieved, not peeved that you got busy yourself. That will make us even, over the long haul.
My French is not good enough to watch French films without subtitles. Oddly, however, I do enjoy French films with subtitles more than, say, German or Dutch films, with subtitles. The French just sounds familiar and correct, in my ear.
It is a bummer that you were paired with a control freak. When I was a kid at school, it often occurred to me, several times a day, that some of my teachers had chosen a profession (perhaps unconsciously) that would allow them to capriciously boss people around (because kids have fewer rights). As you must know, there is no solution beyond gritting your teeth. Sorry.
The possibility of not finding a job is also a bummer. There is little I could write that would not be a platitude. Suffice to say that I do believe in optimism.
When I moved from Connecticut, I left my television behind. In the same spirit, I try to watch very little IW television. Mostly, I just watch "The Office" -- often fast-forwarding to the Jim & Pam parts. One weekend, I was fed-up with my research and watched an entire season of "The Legend of The Seeker" back-to-back. That is the only television that I have watched at Netflix. The absence of commercials delights me!
To be honest, I was dubious about most of the replies to my thread. One person suggested that perhaps the digital IW file had become corrupted and that Netflix had not bothered to "re-scan" the disk (for lack of the right term). It still seems suspicious that the only unavailable episode is the one with the word "gay" in the title.
I am getting busier as Christmas exams approach. Please do not feel that you must write a long reply. I will not have the time to repay you in kind.
[:-)] Mark
P.S. On the subject of Jim & Pam, I have completed another chapter in my graphic novel (see attached)
By chance, I was glancing over some of my old Netflix notes to you and it occurred to me that some of them might be serviceable as reviews. I am going to start posting a few. I somehow felt that you should get advanced notice, as the original recipient.
I'm still crazy-go-nuts busy here so it's great that you seem occupied.
When viewing the thread of our conversation, my browser displays an image that shows the route of the NYC marathon, with a little icon representing my brother at the finish line.
I am also really, really busy. It was very convenient to fill most of my last message with a large picture. If you run out of things to do then give yourself a break. No need to weary your fingers with typing here.
No, no, we do not know each other, yet....
I was just cruising around in the Nebraska/Kansas territory and you popped up, looked interesting, so I thought I'd say "hi". Hi.
Going in, I had feared that "Easy Virtue" might be a vehicle for Jessica Biel, and it was, but the defect that I had anticipated was actually an unanticipated strength. The story was about a glitzy American who seemed out of place among the rustic populace of rural England. The portrayal of incongruity among fictional characters was enhanced by actual incongruity among the actors who played them. The neophyte Jessica Biel looked truly out of place when paired with the magnificent Colin Firth and the redoubtable Kristen Scott Thomas. Unfortunately, though helpful, the advantage of art imitating life proved insufficient to secure my enjoyment of the film.
Less than satiated, and bemusedly so, I turned to the director's commentary as a possible source of further entertainment. The cause of my malaise was revealed. The director reported that he had accepted the project while medicated in hospital. Otherwise, he might never have agreed to do a period drama. In so many words, he then explained working to overcome the setting and subtly give the film a more modern aesthetic. To me, that was a huge mistake. In the period between the world wars, and in the period after the second, life still seemed evanescent and people lived it desperately. Reckless abandon was tinged with melancholy. The times were a crucible for human emotion and thus provide an almost ideal backdrop for powerful yet believable drama. To me, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" and "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" both capitalized on a post-war setting, while "Easy Virtue" squandered the opportunity in an effort to seem more hip.
From the commentary, I also learned that the other actresses had all been made to seem especially dowdy, in order to make Jessica Biel seem more luminous. One of the young actresses began referring to the make-up trailer as the "ugly wagon" and was once sent back repeatedly, by the director, until she ultimately bust into tears. The director also reported that Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake would play Scrabble in her trailer, for hours on end, whenever he came to visit her, on the set. Several days later, it occurred to me that perhaps "Scrabble" had been used as a euphemism.
[:-)] Mark
Incidentally, the acting, art direction, cinematography and delightful music in "Paris 36" all capitalized on the 1936 time period to yield a heart-wrenching, heart-warming, delightful piece of cinema.
thanks for the lovely compliment, by the way :) That review of Judgement Day was actually one I felt pretty strongly about (that's the nature of documentary reviews I guess). It's nice to see I'm not the only one!
I had not intended to queue multiple films about dysfunctional families. That is not usually a genre that works for me. I find it hard to relate.
I queued "Away We Go" because I love John Krasinski as a romantic lead and a movie with an unglamorously pregnant female lead struck me as novel. I chose "Easy Virtue" because I love Colin Firth and I tend to like films that harken-back to bygone eras, which explains "Paris 36" as well. I chose "The Squid and the Whale" because I love Laura Linney. I chose "The Village Barbershop" because it seems to promise a "cantankerous old man vs. charming ingénue" that often works for me.
[:-)] Mark
At 10:28am on September 12, 2009, Mark Zajac said…
Please refer to my post of September 10th, which reads as follows: "Yes, I could use the words 'sweater' and 'cardigan' but the word 'buttons' has a very cheerful quality that makes it irresistible." For example, you could name a pet bunny "Mr. Buttons" and that would be adorable.
A perpetual exchange of jabs is really not my style. Allow me to apologize for sending the definition of "button" to you.
By my count, I am still one barb ahead. Feel free to send a parting shot, if you've got one. Then we can all it quits and move on.
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
A favorite exchange from "Star Trek: The Next Generation: comes to mind.
Data: Hello, lunkhead.
Geordi: Data! Did you just call me a lunkhead?
Data: I am experimenting with friendly gibes and insults.
Geordi: Well, OK, just don't try that with the Captain.
button: (noun) a small disk or knob sewn on to a garment, either to fasten it by being pushed through a slit made for the purpose, or for decoration : a blouse with five buttons in front | [as adj.] button thread.
I am also receiving two sweaters! In my case it was deliberate -- one with buttons, one without. I simply could not decide. The one without buttons will be less conspicuous for day-to-day wear. The one with buttons will probably come out for Halloween and probably when I wait in line for the two final installments. Yes, I could use the words "sweater" and "cardigan" but the word "buttons" has a very cheerful quality that makes it irresistible.
I am also crazy-go-nuts busy. No worries that you were too busy for any film commentary.
You ordered your sweater first. I am still waiting also.
Peter O'Toole was creepy in "Venus" but the interaction of his character with the young woman lacked the element of duplicity which made "Two Lovers" even creepier, in my opinion. The old man and the young woman were exploiting each other yet this reciprocal exploitation was by mutual consent, not that I approve. By contrast, the interaction of old and young people in "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" involved no less intimacy yet avoided any hint of carnality between the principles.
I thought that "Venus" was most interesting as an illustration that "being alive" and "living" need not be quite the same thing. It is also true that after a fire, you get coals, which are less flashy but can generate more heat. The evident, unfeigned frailty of Peter O'Toole was almost painful to watch but it was worth the rental just to hear him recite a few lines of Shakespeare -- those fleeting moments were great!
It is interesting that "Venus" and "Gran Torino" both featured the interaction of an older man with a younger woman but with almost diametrically opposite goals. I suspect that Peter O'Toole actually wanted to make us uncomfortable and with me he succeeded. Clint Eastwood set out to make us like a character who should have been unlikeable. He was also successful. It was cool that Clint Eastwood wrote and performed the song that played over the closing credits.
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For lack of something more festive, I have decided to list my top five movies for the year.
Let me add that "The Village Barbershop", "Paris 36", "Gran Torino", "The Secret LIfe of Words" and "The Wrestler" made the short-list. As always, this is just my opinion and you should asses for yourself the appeal of any that you have not seen.
There is a new 2000 character limit on posts. Hence this split message.
Happy Christmas!
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
Dumbledore's Army. Front row, left to right: Ginevra Weasley, Parvati Patil, Padma Patil, Cho Chang, Harry Potter, Hermione Granger, Ronald Weasley, Luna Lovegood. Back row, left to right: George Weasley, Mark Zajac, Fred Weasley, Neville Longbottom
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
Here is the text from the BBC web site:
Portman will play a zombie-slaying version of Elizabeth Bennett. Natalie Portman is set to slay the undead in a movie adaptation of best-seller "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," it is reported. Portman will play feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet, according to trade publication Variety. The novel, by Seth Grahame-Smith, takes Jane Austen's classic and adds a new subplot in which the story takes place as the dead rise from the grave. The five Bennett sisters are all trained in deadly martial arts. Portman is also set to produce the film for Lionsgate. "Pride and Prejudice and Zombies," which was first published in April 2009 by Quirk books, got to number three on the New York Times best-seller list. A prequel has been announced, "Dawn of the Dreadfuls," which is due to be published in March 2010. Quirk books have also released another novel based on an Austen work, entitled "Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters."
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
It is delightful that you have emerged from your dark tunnel into the light!
Good luck with the control freak. All you can really do is scratch your tally of days into the stone wall of your cell, as you dream of freedom (and perhaps revenge), like The Count of Monte Cristo.
[:-)] Mark
P.S. I have also seen nothing of "Pam & Jim" this season. I am waiting until next fall when I can watch the episodes on Netflix, without commercials.
I feel rather badly that you troubled yourself with such a long letter when it is clear that you are swamped. The time will come when my job will require a long hiatus at my end. I am relieved, not peeved that you got busy yourself. That will make us even, over the long haul.
My French is not good enough to watch French films without subtitles. Oddly, however, I do enjoy French films with subtitles more than, say, German or Dutch films, with subtitles. The French just sounds familiar and correct, in my ear.
It is a bummer that you were paired with a control freak. When I was a kid at school, it often occurred to me, several times a day, that some of my teachers had chosen a profession (perhaps unconsciously) that would allow them to capriciously boss people around (because kids have fewer rights). As you must know, there is no solution beyond gritting your teeth. Sorry.
The possibility of not finding a job is also a bummer. There is little I could write that would not be a platitude. Suffice to say that I do believe in optimism.
When I moved from Connecticut, I left my television behind. In the same spirit, I try to watch very little IW television. Mostly, I just watch "The Office" -- often fast-forwarding to the Jim & Pam parts. One weekend, I was fed-up with my research and watched an entire season of "The Legend of The Seeker" back-to-back. That is the only television that I have watched at Netflix. The absence of commercials delights me!
To be honest, I was dubious about most of the replies to my thread. One person suggested that perhaps the digital IW file had become corrupted and that Netflix had not bothered to "re-scan" the disk (for lack of the right term). It still seems suspicious that the only unavailable episode is the one with the word "gay" in the title.
I am getting busier as Christmas exams approach. Please do not feel that you must write a long reply. I will not have the time to repay you in kind.
[:-)] Mark
P.S. On the subject of Jim & Pam, I have completed another chapter in my graphic novel (see attached)
StressRelief.pdf
I'm still crazy-go-nuts busy here so it's great that you seem occupied.
[:-)] Mark
[:-)] Mark
[:-)] Mark
[:-)] Mark
I was just cruising around in the Nebraska/Kansas territory and you popped up, looked interesting, so I thought I'd say "hi". Hi.
Less than satiated, and bemusedly so, I turned to the director's commentary as a possible source of further entertainment. The cause of my malaise was revealed. The director reported that he had accepted the project while medicated in hospital. Otherwise, he might never have agreed to do a period drama. In so many words, he then explained working to overcome the setting and subtly give the film a more modern aesthetic. To me, that was a huge mistake. In the period between the world wars, and in the period after the second, life still seemed evanescent and people lived it desperately. Reckless abandon was tinged with melancholy. The times were a crucible for human emotion and thus provide an almost ideal backdrop for powerful yet believable drama. To me, "Mrs. Henderson Presents" and "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day" both capitalized on a post-war setting, while "Easy Virtue" squandered the opportunity in an effort to seem more hip.
From the commentary, I also learned that the other actresses had all been made to seem especially dowdy, in order to make Jessica Biel seem more luminous. One of the young actresses began referring to the make-up trailer as the "ugly wagon" and was once sent back repeatedly, by the director, until she ultimately bust into tears. The director also reported that Jessica Biel and Justin Timberlake would play Scrabble in her trailer, for hours on end, whenever he came to visit her, on the set. Several days later, it occurred to me that perhaps "Scrabble" had been used as a euphemism.
[:-)] Mark
Incidentally, the acting, art direction, cinematography and delightful music in "Paris 36" all capitalized on the 1936 time period to yield a heart-wrenching, heart-warming, delightful piece of cinema.
I queued "Away We Go" because I love John Krasinski as a romantic lead and a movie with an unglamorously pregnant female lead struck me as novel. I chose "Easy Virtue" because I love Colin Firth and I tend to like films that harken-back to bygone eras, which explains "Paris 36" as well. I chose "The Squid and the Whale" because I love Laura Linney. I chose "The Village Barbershop" because it seems to promise a "cantankerous old man vs. charming ingénue" that often works for me.
[:-)] Mark
A perpetual exchange of jabs is really not my style. Allow me to apologize for sending the definition of "button" to you.
By my count, I am still one barb ahead. Feel free to send a parting shot, if you've got one. Then we can all it quits and move on.
[:-)] Mark
P.S.
A favorite exchange from "Star Trek: The Next Generation: comes to mind.
Data: Hello, lunkhead.
Geordi: Data! Did you just call me a lunkhead?
Data: I am experimenting with friendly gibes and insults.
Geordi: Well, OK, just don't try that with the Captain.
Data: No, that would be inappropriate.
I am also crazy-go-nuts busy. No worries that you were too busy for any film commentary.
[:-)] Mark
[:-)] Mark
Peter O'Toole was creepy in "Venus" but the interaction of his character with the young woman lacked the element of duplicity which made "Two Lovers" even creepier, in my opinion. The old man and the young woman were exploiting each other yet this reciprocal exploitation was by mutual consent, not that I approve. By contrast, the interaction of old and young people in "Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont" involved no less intimacy yet avoided any hint of carnality between the principles.
I thought that "Venus" was most interesting as an illustration that "being alive" and "living" need not be quite the same thing. It is also true that after a fire, you get coals, which are less flashy but can generate more heat. The evident, unfeigned frailty of Peter O'Toole was almost painful to watch but it was worth the rental just to hear him recite a few lines of Shakespeare -- those fleeting moments were great!
It is interesting that "Venus" and "Gran Torino" both featured the interaction of an older man with a younger woman but with almost diametrically opposite goals. I suspect that Peter O'Toole actually wanted to make us uncomfortable and with me he succeeded. Clint Eastwood set out to make us like a character who should have been unlikeable. He was also successful. It was cool that Clint Eastwood wrote and performed the song that played over the closing credits.
[:-)] Mark
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