Netflix

Cha was due in last night at 9pm, but chose to wait out the storm and fly back today. She could have made it, because things didn't get bad here until a bit later. At 11:30 I heard Norm Lewis pooh-poohing the storm, and he claimed the 6 inches we had was about all we'd get. I shoveled before bed, woke up this morning to another foot of snow, and started shoveling anew. I hope Cha can get home today--snow storms without her are no fun!

I did have a good Netflix day, and I have a rare Sunday off as a result of the late-season storm. There was a fantastic lightning/thunder display around 2am...



My new favorite Kurosawa! An amazing technical masterpiece, with unbelievable sets and action sequences and great natural beauty as backdrop. Hidden Fortress follows two hapless peasants who find a bit of gold hidden in a log; soon they're teamed up with a princess and her champion as they try to escape the annhilation of their clan. A meditation on greed and loyalty that proves "art" films can be great fun. All the leads are exceptional, especially the two villainous heroes!






Yawn. A good cast and three great directors doesn't always add up to a good film. In the best chapter Gong Li gives her tailor a handjob and says "remember this feeling and you'll make me beautiful clothes." He does, and pines for another handjob for years. Even Wong Kar Wai can't do much with such weak material (no pun intended). I must admit to fast-forwarding through parts of Soderbergh's and Antonioni's bits. I think the intended audience was an arthouse crowd intellectually superior to the idea of watching actual porn. I've seen a few pornos with better writing.