Assorted movies

I'm watching Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - we saw it in the theater last year, but it's worth seeing again. As I write this, Gary Oldman is doing that long speech about Karla - almost a monologue, although Mr. Cumberbatch does throw in a line or two - that's probably the best thing in the movie, and it's a good movie. I remember thinking later that that speech was probably the Oscar nomination right there. IMDb's trivia page (here) has some interesting stuff about how they assembled that amazing cast - half of it by accident when other people weren't available, it sounds like.

Also, I watched a "making of" thing beforehand, and it was generally pretty interesting, but the thing that struck me about it was that Mark Strong was bald - which suggested to my mind that it was probably made while they were filming John Carter - although it took me a minute to remember where I had seen Mark Strong with no hair. Actually I think at John Carter, I spent half of the movie wondering who that bald guy was and what else I'd seen him in lately. Apparently Mark Strong interests me. (I liked John Carter. It's another movie I would like to see again.)

The Hobbit made $85m or so over the weekend, which is apparently thought to be disappointing. Like I said yesterday, the showing we went to wasn't full, for what that's worth. I didn't expect to hear that it had made Avengers-type money, anyway. But on the other hand, $85 million is nothing to sneeze at, either.

The other movie I watched this weekend was the Keira Knightley Pride and Prejudice, another movie I hadn't seen since I saw it at the theater at the time. Something reminded me of it, and I rented it on iTunes (which I have started doing for movies I want to see on a whim like that - it's certainly cheaper than OnDemand, most of the time, and the selection is much better). I had forgotten a lot of things - for one, that Judi Dench was in it at all. I'm kind of a P&P snob, but it's not a bad adaptation, really - except for that scene at the end, which is so anti-Austen that it makes me roll my eyes. That part I hadn't forgotten.


(It's nearly 4 in the morning. I have no business being up, although I feel like crap and I suspect I'm not going to make it to Galveston tomorrow, anyway. I'll end up working at home again.)

Denial is not a river

I seem to be somewhat in denial about the onset of Christmas. I have done some things - for example, I dragged out the wreaths a couple of weeks ago, and put them on both the front door and the balcony door. (I like both my wreaths - the balcony one is battery-operated and twinkles merrily every night. I like to watch it, and this is its fifth December on our balcony, so I think you have to say we got our $30 worth out of that purchase.) And I put the big long string of LED lights across the balcony railing, as well. My apartment complex is way into the holiday decorating, and since our balcony is the ONLY one visible from the street, I feel compelled to do my bit there. And I have done part of my cards and have been gradually working on the rest. And I bought Rob some gifts.

But... there are a number of things I haven't done, either. We discussed putting up the tree and sort of abandoned the idea, because it's a pain and we don't have a really good spot for it. I did put out a couple of decor things, so I made a token effort there. I haven't called my aunt and asked about what I should bring - or (hell!) even told her that we're definitely coming, now that I think about it. (I really, really need to do that one, now that I think about it.) I haven't done anything about a gift for Rob's parents. They're at the point where it's really difficult to get them anything they actually want, but I do try to at least make an effort. I'm going to have to think up some last-minute something, there. Although, man, with mailing issues I'm cutting that one close, aren't I? I haven't wrapped presents or gotten any kind of token presents for my aunt and my cousins or any of that, although all of that is stuff I usually do at the last minute, too. But I'm working this weekend so even getting out the door on Monday is going to be a bit problematic. I really do have to do some of this stuff, and some of it had best be TODAY or at least tomorrow, while I still have a week to go.

Hell, now I've worked myself into a bit of a panic. I'm not sure that's helpful. But knowing me, I'll have pushed all this to the back of my mind again in 15 minutes, anyway.