Film binge

'Benjamin Button' turned out to be fascinating, despite its ludicrous premise. Born old and growing young permits novel juxtapositions at the intersections of individual lives, of course. But I didn't anticipate that there would also be lots of interactions with interesting oddball characters like the bushman who'd been kept in a zoo with apes. Oddballs are a lot less frightened of oddballs than ordinary folks, we are shown, and perhaps all our lives could be more interesting if we didn't stick so much to our own. Acceptance and friendship were as important as romantic love in this film, which enriched it considerably.  I never tire of watching Cate Blanchett. She is elegant, bewitching, complicated, mesmerizing, unique, and fascinating in every film blessed by her presence.

"Doubt" is another good one, despite the spoiler previews snitching a bite of every scene. Meryl Streep is a superbly vicious witch, spitting vile bile with glee of self-righteous conviction. Phillip Seymour Hoffman is another actor I can't stop watching, morphing so deeply into so many characters I don't know how he stays sane. In this role he does it while keeping his secrets, even the secret of having secrets, and at the same time is clearly wiser than anyone -- all expressed indirectly.

"Paranoid Park" is sullenly shocking as a teenager absorbs the worst possible self-recognition and leaves us needing to know what adult warp is buried there.

Judi Dench and Jeremy Irons (two actors I otherwise adore) manage somehow to be boring and predictable lovers in a morose film from 1978, "Langrishe, Go Down." What a sorry piece of work.

"Rockets Redglare" looked interesting because he had interesting friends, but this guy Rockets was so self-destructive and hapless I couldn't feel sorry for him or enjoy his story or comprehend why his friends did. 

I'm sleeping too much and sitting too much, but I'm eating lots of oatmeal and fruit. So now it's time to ride my bike around in the sun and gloat.