Movies

Back when I thought I was moving, one of my goals was to watch all the DVDs I have lying around in order to get rid of any I didn't like. I've gone through four recently. Oddly though I've been inclined lately to avoid serious, it was the two serious movies that I enjoyed.

Milk made me cry. It's a startling movie to watch - Harvey Milk fighting to win a propisition denying gay civil rights when across America, and in California in particular, the same thing has been happening again. He was shot in the year of my birth, 1978, and for all that has changed, so much of the movie reminded me of now.

Frost/Nixon I had very low expectations for. Somehow I didn't think I'd find it particularly compelling and yet it was, completely. I have to admit to being sorely lacking in any real knowledge of American history - after all, I've picked up more teaching 4th grade social studies than ever before, I think. I hadn't realised just how fascinating I would find Nixon and Watergate and when you combine that with the look into the character of Frost, well, it was really, really good. Nixon published his memoirs in 1978 - odd how that came up twice in one evening.

A few weeks back I watched Memoirs of a Geisha. I can't even recall when or where I bought it, but considering how little I'd enjoyed the book (a love story about a girl sold into an institution that involves selling her virginity is not my sort of thing) I didn't have any great hopes for the movie. The best thing about it, in fact, was the scenery; it reminded me of my trip to Kyoto. I may actually keep it in case I ever want to bring back my weekend of geisha stalking and temple touring.

Rent, well, that one too I can't recall when I bought, though I've had it for some time. All I can say is, wait for the musical itself.