In the grand and somewhat irregular tradition of this blog, I belatedly extend to you well wishes for an excellent Thanksgiving. I hope you all enjoyed abundant delicious things and pleasant time with loved ones!
Husband and I are just returning from where-I-grew-up home after an excellent week. We ate many Thanksgiving- and non-Thanksgiving-themed things, such as:
 |
| Do not be deceived by the styrofoam: dangerous amounts of deliciousness contained. |
Hurray for holidays and time at home!
Looking back at my other post-Thanksgiving posts, I'm glad to report that this fall-to-winter transition hasn't been as difficult as previous years when I was sick and/or overworked and/or overtired and/or pretty much miserable. Although the last two months or so have been very busy, that has generally been due to positive things.
Por ejemplo: I took a trip to a beautiful city for an exciting convention, during which I presented a poster based on findings from my dissertation and enjoyed bonus quality time with friends.
Fun times notwithstanding, like many/most people I imagine, I find it hard to fight the FOMO* whenever I have the opportunity to go do stuff, especially when the stuff includes traveling to nice places, seeing people I love, and/or doing things that are exciting. Those opportunities are very difficult to turn down. On the other hand, I am hoping things slow down at least a little for the next month or two. I could use some more at-home time and less rushing around time, knowing that the chance to see wonderful people and things is ever enticing.
On that note: part of what was so pleasant about our recent trip home was that it was, facilitated by soaring airfare prices, longer than we initially intended. Instead of what has typically been a glorified long weekend, Husband and I were where-I-grew-up home for a little over a week (because flying there and back on Mondays at exceedingly early hours is an excellent strategy for eluding Thanksgiving-induced airfare hikes).
Being in one place for a while with only a moderate agenda of things to do was pretty glorious, not least of which because it enabled us to balance the need to do stuff and the need to do no stuff.
Somewhere nestled spectacularly in the middle of these two dueling needs was the "task" of watching two of my favorite comedies with my family. In continuation of my advocacy for the importance of humor, I would love to share them with you, as well!
Comedy #1:
"Drop Dead Gorgeous" (1999)
I've previously made brief allusion to my adoration for this film. To summarize the reasons this movie is awesome:
- It boasts an excellent lady-dominated cast including a sparkling Kirsten Dunst, hysterical Ellen Barkin and Allison Janney (CJ!!!), an as-yet undiscovered Amy Adams, a sweet and weird Brittany Murphy, and a maniacal Kirstie Alley.
- Denise Richards is also pretty wonderful. I like to take bets with myself as to whether her lack of a midwestern accent was an intentional choice to make her character stand out as a snooty posturer, or whether... accents just... aren't a part of her skill set. Either interpretation is delightful!
- It came early in the growing mockumentary genre and set the bar unfairly high.
- The plot takes multiple unanticipated twists that are equally surprising and hilarious.
- The story focuses on the heroine's drive to fulfill her career goals and therefore is a wonderful predecessor for other (still annoyingly rare) lady-driven comedies that don't reflexively and often unnecessarily include a romantic subplot.
- It is line-for-line one of the most humorously dense movies I've ever seen. Every word is golden.
- It contains one of my favorite out-of-left-field lines of all time, immediately following this little outburst:
If you haven't already, SEE THIS MOVIE.
Comedy #2:
"Some Like It Hot" (1959)
I've already discussed my deep love for Marilyn Monroe, which I appear to have successfully transmitted to my little sister via this incredible film. We watched it together when she visited Husband and I a few years ago, and to my delight requested that we re-watch it over our Thanksgiving visit.
I'm sure there are plenty of comedies from this era about which we've all forgotten, so who knows if this one is at all illustrative of the standard of the day. That being said, I watch movies like "Some Like It Hot" and get mad at the crap we put up with in the comedy department today. Nevertheless, there are so many reasons a film like this one has endured; it glitters and pops with incredible writing and intoxicating performances by legendary performers.
Tony Curtis and Jack Lemmon are so much fun to watch as they experience firsthand the perils and indignities of womanhood in prohibition-era America, including negotiating unwanted advances from hands-y men and breaking themselves of the habit of leading whilst dancing.
In lots of little wholly unexpected ways, this is a remarkably progressive and even feminist film in how it forces men into a woman's perspective.
But of course we're ultimately watching Marilyn. She is absolutely electric in her beauty, sweetness, and vulnerability.
 |
And her dresses!! They're jaw-dropping by any era's standard!
 |
| Yow! |
If you haven't yet, SEE THIS MOVIE TOO.
It's about time for me to start getting ready for bed since I must make the transition back into the post-vacation work routine tomorrow. I hope you enjoy the movie recommendations if they haven't made your acquaintance already!
{Heart}
* = Fear Of Missing Out, an at times chronic and debilitating condition.
