You wear that green, Hermione Granger! You WEAR it!

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The death of Adrienne Shelly, who wrote, directed and starred in a supporting role in the film Waitress, is a genuine tragedy.



Not that it would have been less of one if she hadn't made such a warm film and it hadn't found such success. She had a toddler daughter (two or three years old), for god's sake, seen in the film in a small role.

Nevertheless, she did make an incredibly sweet--but without being overly sugared--and warm film. For those of us who like those sorts of films, and want one day to make them, the loss of such promise goes beyond being a shame.

DVD commentary by star Keri Russell
and the film's producer, Michael Roiff, mentions more than once that Shelly intended it to be a fairy tale.

I'm not sure it is, but if so, it's a very gentle one that doesn't feel a need to tie up all loose ends into neat little bows.

Russell is extremely good here, BTW, it's a rich, multi-faceted performance.



It seems to me a very "feminine" film, which is maybe why I liked it, given that I've often been glad of feminine arts and entertainment.

Indeed one or two of the male roles are not as well rounded as I might have liked. But, given the number of blockbuster films that have been made with weak or virtually nonexistent female parts (not to mention any names, George Lucas), to complain feels like nitpicking.

Especially when this story gets so many things right.

One of the things it does get right is one of the two main male roles, Russell's OB-GYN, with whom, while pregnant, she has an affair.

The part is played by Nathan Fillion, who has a cult of loyal fans from his work on the show Firefly. Here, IMO, he's at least two or three times as good as he was there, more than likely aided by Shelly's direction and writing, he emerges as a top screen comedian.

One of my "bars" for that is, he gets laughs on lines which, written down, you might not think are funny. My favorite example:

"Well, I'm off to St. Mary's (beat) to deliver a baby (beat) because that's what I do."

Throughout, Shelly's dialogue is both witty and down to earth, so you laugh, but rarely have to ask yourself afterward, who talks like that?

But since I am nitpicking, there were a couple of instances of what I like to call "Even the score is mocking this movie" moments. Elsewhere however, the score and use of songs mostly serves the script well.

The film is not at all precious about the impending motherhood of its lead character, Jenna, which is one of the many refreshing things about it. Still, I could have done without a running gag where every time she sees a mother and her son she hears "Ride of the Valkyries."

And there are one or two moments in the script that it is possible to see coming. But in a movie like this, the point is not big Twilight Zone-like revelations. It's the people in it and the way they behave to and with each other.

I'm basically posting this here because I truly have no idea who this is.

Not even a name.



Anybody?

Ahem.

"All the better to eat you with, my dear..."

...ok, so it's not my finest moment.

And now, Jennifer Connelly doing her famous quick change impersonation of a traffic light

And, bonus: Because any blog can run pictures of Connelly's breasts-and they do. We here at Dictionopolis in Digitopolis choose to take the high road (the first person who says "too late" is getting smacked).



She also has sexy legs.

Active colors

Found a stylish collection of wallpapers designed by this guy. What he's done is to take pictures of good-looking actresses, wash them with one color or another, add a quote by kahlil gibran and a picture of a flower or two.

I don't think much of gibran-and I mean that both in the sense that I don't think of him much, and when I do I don't think much. But the quotes here are like too much icing on a cake-you don't really need it, but, if it's there, why not? And who doesn't like to sing hearts & flowers...

I think it's obvious that in general this guy is a man after my own heart.

Here are two of my favorites.







(If you want to read the quotes, click to make the pictures bigger, but...like I said...)

...as will everybody else

Terry Pratchett, author of the Discworld series of novels and co-author with Neil Gaiman of the book Good Omens, has announced that he has been diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease.

He says:

"Frankly I would prefer it if people kept things cheerful, because I think there's time for at least a few more books yet," he wrote in the statement, dated December 11.

"PS ... This should be interpreted as 'I am not dead'. I will, of course, be dead at some future point, as will everybody else.

There are certainly bigger Pratchett fans than me; I haven't read anything like all his books but I've enjoyed the ones I have. Two or three of them are even signed, from when he did a US tour.

And I've always been kind of sorry/grateful that no one's ever cracked how to turn Good Omens into a movie, though many have tried. Sorry because I'd love to see it, grateful because I don't want them to fuck it up. I feel about it kind of the way I do about the Watchmen movie: If Terry Gilliam couldn't figure out how to film it (and he tried)...

This is not a time to be teary and maudlin, and not what Mr. Pratchett says he wants. So I'll just say that I'm sorry to hear about this, wish him well, and I'll take comfort in thinking that his friends and family will be with him.

Thursday the 13th Thirteen

I think this is my favorite picture of Natalie Portman that I've ever seen

..And yes, I've seen the "bare all" caps from 'Hotel Chevalier' that all the geeks were talking about. This is, in my opinion, a better photo. She just looks...I think the word I want to use is likable, here.

This is another one of those situations where I come across an image of an actress I know absolutely nothing about, but think looks fantastic

Her name is Ana Claudia Talancon.

Daleks on Ecstasy

Or, Kylie in Doctor Who...gay icon overload!

Or, "I just can't get you out of my casing..."

(much obliged to Obywatel Klemow for th' link...)

I see London...

From the best-name-for-a-site-to-buy-your-underthings-online ever, "I See France."

Final, clinching PROOF that god thinks women with hips are perfect

Apparently I haven't been paying Mandy Moore the attention she deserves

Good lord in heaven...

Can you name the movie from which this still and screenplay excerpt were taken?

And yes, looking at the URL of the photo is considered cheating.



"...I can't stack. I can't even walk."

"Come off it. You can so. I've seen you walk. Anyway, you can do anything you want to if you want to bad enough. Besides, I know you can."

Fashion rebel

We have here two examples of outfits that, in my opinion at least, really shouldn't work...and yet somehow, they do.





...oh all right, yes, I admit it, it's just a pathetic excuse to run yet more pictures of Charisma Carpenter...I'm weak...I'm weak, I tells ya!

Because any blog can run pictures of Liz Hurley's mighty-fine cleavage

...we here at Dictionopolis in Digitopolis choose to take the high road and remind you of her hot legs.

This has been a public service announcement.

If every color in the world decided to unite and have their revenge upon me for my pro-green bias

This is just one or two of my favorite scenes from "Bosom Buddies"

...the sitcom best known for starring Tom Hanks, but likable for more than a few reasons besides. Trivia: The woman Peter Scolari meets and goes out with in these scenes is played by Rita Wilson, who seven years later would marry...Tom Hanks.



I really liked this show...

Image blue

So I came across this picture while searching for another. I imagine you can guess what brought it to my attention. I knew nothing about the woman in it, however, so I looked up her name-Gabrielle Drake-and ok, she's an actress, and-oh.

The sister of blue musician Nick Drake, who died from an overdose of anti-depressant in what may have been an accident or may have been suicide.

That's right.

It.

Happened.

Again!