Liars and Saints

About Halloween: *Shopping for your child? Do not invest in the cute, clingy "bat shirt." You'll be spending time outdoors. Go for the loose and thick "doggie" hoodie that can slide itself on top of three or four additional layers of clothing. Nurses should dispense this advice in the NICU; the words should be printed, in gold, on laminated cards. *"A Simple Plan" isn't a conventional horror movie, but it's a product of Sam Raimi, the godfather of horror. Thus it has spooky ravens, ravenous rodents, blood and gore, rotting flesh. Also, it's a splendid vehicle for Bill Paxton and Billy Bob Thornton. This may be my ideal Halloween movie. *You will see a father melting down with his tween daughter. The tween daughter is dressed in a strapless Bride-of-the-Monster gown, and the father is screaming, "I told you, it's freezing outside!" You might wish to judge the father. Instead, state and repeat these words, in your head: "Th...

  It's the end of the week, and I'll leave you with a great picture book. In "Emile," a little old captain, Captain Samofar, is walking along the ocean floor. A shark prepares to attack. Watching from afar, Emile the octopus chooses to make a move. He tosses a rock in the shark's mouth, and he saves Captain Samofar. Thus, a friendship begins. Emile (having been "sponsored") adapts to his new life on the land; he amuses humans by twisting his tentacles to resemble an elephant, a sleigh, a car. He drinks from eight "toast-glasses," all at once. He plays Debussy and accompanies himself, and accompanies himself, and accompanies himself, with each of his "arms."  This is essentially "Crictor" and "Rufus" by another name; a stranger in a strange land tries to "get to know the territory." I think that nothing beats these images.

 Taylor Swift has a new album out, and the NYT has implied that it's among the worst albums of her career. It seems like a good time to consider one of Swift's songwriting idols, James Taylor (who plays a role in Swift's "Begin Again"): Whenever I see your smiling face, I have to smile myself-- Because I love you. Yes, I do. And when you give me that pretty little pout, It turns me inside out. There's something about you, baby--  I don't know. This is so well-crafted, it seems "artless." The speaker is floored by one face--so floored, he can't find words. ("There's something about you, baby; I don't know.") I thought I was in love a couple of times before-- With the girl next door-- But that was long before I met you. Now I'm sure that I won't forget you... The speaker's love is so great, it makes former loves seem like delusions. ("I forget their names now; I'm so very tame now....") I think the br...

 We're having Board of Ed elections here in Maplewood, and my husband has a grown-up approach; he calls and interviews the candidates, he posts a lawn sign, he daydreams about hosting a "meet-and-greet." All this inspired me to listen, for a bit, to a debate--and I now think I'm making an informed decision. I do think I'm in a Christopher Guest movie, because the "bad" candidate has a sign that says: "Students COME first." I can't begin to imagine why--among words--the one you'd want to italicize is COME. In the town square, Marc and I meet a rival political thinker. "I'd love to give you this flyer about Smith; it explains his sterling credentials...." I shake my head firmly and say, "I'm good, thanks." But Marc says, "Full disclosure: I'll be supporting the other candidate. Would you like to have a chat about that?" I expect hits from "The Music Man" to start playing; red and blue ba...

  First, I had a few issues with this movie. I didn't love how Billy Eichner sometimes seemed to believe he was the first gay person putting a gay love story on the screen; earlier, and sharper, writing has come from Adam Goldman and Chris Kelly ("Other People"), among others. I did not see "Pride and Prejudice" transported to Fire Island, but people like that one, too. I do think the commentary on "straight" representations of gay lives is pretty funny. Gay suffering is a moneymaker; Lillian Hellman's "The Children's Hour" is one of many examples of the "let your gay character die" principle, in writing. "Brokeback Mountain" and "Power of the Dog" borrow from Lillian Hellman, in some ways. But to play devil's advocate: suffering is also a major part of storytelling just because suffering is interesting. I'd rather see a fight than a slo-mo depiction of falling in love. And the pain of the closet ...

 Angela Lansbury won a Tony for "Gypsy"; Ethel Merman did not. Lansbury spoke candidly about the role of Momma Rose. She said she (Lansbury) brought emotional and intellectual understanding to the work; the implication was that Ethel Merman was a bit less of an artist. When I think of Lansbury, I think of Mrs. Lovett in "Sweeney Todd"; the recording makes you believe there really is a person called Lovett, somewhere in history. There isn't any winking at the audience; you'd think Angela Lansbury really does sound the way she sounds. There seems to be no gap between the actress and the role she is playing. Everything Lansbury does in "Sweeney" is iconic, but my favorite of her many great moments is "Wait." Here, she is trying to persuade Sweeney Todd to put aside his obsessive groaning about the "on-hold" status of his murder-efforts--put this aside, for just a bit: Don't you know, silly man? Half the fun is to plan the plan....

 There is a gap between my son's receptive and expressive language -- meaning that he can often comprehend what you're saying, but his ability to respond is (at the moment) limited. (In some corners, it's deemed unwise to tell your child's story; the story belongs to your child, and not to you. I've weighed pros and cons, and I've considered that apraxia is nothing to be ashamed of; writing about it is likely good for everyone. I don't want to be Momma Rose; I don't think that's what I'm doing. Oh, I don't know.) My assignment is to hold a ball in one hand, and to forcibly press my lips together with the other hand. Then the lips pop and I say BALL. Again and again and again. If my son responds in turn, there is to be a ticker-tape parade; candy should fall from the sky. Crowds should cheer; elephants should gather and trumpet. If no response occurs, I'm meant to shift the subject; fatigue is fatigue; "shame on you" is surely no...