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Showing posts with the label Rebecca Hall

Stuff I'm Watching

 I just rewatched "The Night House," which has an excellent Rebecca Hall front and center. (When people talk about Hall, they use the epithet "always outstanding," and here is a case where I'm part of the hive mind.) In this movie, Hall's husband has just murdered himself. Hall is full of rage, but she insists on going back to the high school where she teaches. A mother comes in to complain about her child's grade. "Who's your kid?" says Hall. "Hunter Y? Hunter Y. It's just that I have so many Hunters...." The mother is taken aback. "How many Hunters?" And Hall--clearly lying--says: "Three." The mother makes her case, and Rebecca Hall grows bored. "I see," she says. "All this happened on the last day of school. I was out because my husband had shot himself. In the brain. With a gun. I didn't even know we owned the gun!" The mother grows uncomfortable. "Anyway," says Hall. ...

Halloween 2021

 We have the Halloween spirit; we've purchased a rubbery human head with maggots spilling out of one eye socket. My spouse likes to dangle the head in front of our infant, Susie, who is unmoved. (Actually, I'm not sure Susie has the Halloween spirit yet. She keeps her cards close to her vest.) We have been watching suspense thrillers: "The Guilty" (really terrific Jake Gyllenhaal movie), and "The Night House" (with an Oscar-worthy Rebecca Hall). We also tried "Buried," a documentary about a woman in the 1980s who claimed to have confronted new memories of her father; the woman said her father had murdered a kid in the 1960s. The story was mysterious, and not fully satisfying; at least I never felt bored. Josh is exploring "Ten Spooky Pumpkins" (Grimly) and "Ghosts in the House!" (Kohara). Both books are great. Despite having read some tepid reviews, the adults here are looking forward to "Halloween Kills" .......