Flicks

Films of Note:

1. The film, "Waiting for Superman," directed by Davis Guggenheim (Inconvenient Truth fame) features my school. It's currently at Sundance, so keep your eye out for distribution around the country at some point. The film a documentary about public education today. Guggenheim definitely has a point of view and I'm guessing he makes it plainly known that this country is not doing enough for public education. I don't know whether to recommend it yet, but I'll watch it, if only to see if I make an appearance in the background.

2. I saw "The Blind Side" this weekend, which I've wanted to see for more than a month. Sandra Bullock absolutely puts on an award-winning performance and the story is sweet and fairly well-told, but does not have all the details of the book, only the sentimental story and justification for the title. When I grow up, I want to be Leigh Ann Tuohy (Bullock's character) or Tami Taylor (fictional Mrs. Coach on Friday Night Lights). I think I need to move to a place where I can cultivate an accent that makes people think you are sweet just by how you talk. And improve my EQ.

3. I just watched "I'm Not There" three times. The first time was just to take it in. The second time was to determine the versions of songs featured in the movie (you know...where does that version of "Idiot Wind" exist?). The third time was to listen to the director's commentary. In case you don't recognize the title, the movie is a Bob Dylan biography/musical film that features six different personae of Dylan over the years, played by various actors. You may have heard about Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Dylan in '65-'66 in the crazy, crazy time before he moved to the boonies and crashed his motorcycle, cleaned up for a while, and went on his way to find God. I need to own this movie. Yes, I have an abnormal love for all things Dylan and the things/people that influenced Bob Dylan (my calculator will soon be adorned with "This Machine Kills Fascists") but this was such a fascinating delivery of an icon. And just as Dylan is an enigma, the movie does not attempt to give us anything new, but a way of seeing Dylan through different lenses at the same time. The director's commentary was like attending a two-hour lecture on Dylan and I enjoyed the movie even more after listening to him tell the story of his story.

By the way, the version of "Idiot Wind" in the movie is from Bootleg 1-3 and it makes me like the song (I've always "hated" it). The movie also introduces us to the song "I'm Not There" from the Basement Tape recording sessions with The Band in 1967. The Dylan version is just why I love Dylan and Sonic Youth's raspy cover of the song proves that Dylan's voice (despite the haters) is the best way for much of his lyrics to be conveyed. This song is now in the rotation.

Probably my favorite part of the movie is when Jim James and Calexico perform "Goin' To Acapulco." I have loved this song for only a few years, overlooking it on the soundtrack until I saw James perform it with Calexico at the 2008 Newport Folk Festival. In the movie, James delivers a performance that brings new meaning (or meaning at all) to the song. It's a song that's unlikely to lose ground on my most played list. I'm reminded that I relied heavily on my college boyfriend for Dylan listening and actually do not have that many Dylan CDs. So, with a gift card to Amazon, I now own the first seven Dylan albums. As much of a fan as I might be, because I didn't come across him sequentially, I don't have a sense of his trajectory. I am hoping to hone in on this sense.

What I learned from the movie: Desert Island CDs? Dylan's Biograph and Bootleg 1-3. Done. Although I would love a version of Trouble in Mind, which does not seem to exist readily. Thoughts out there?

I'm still trying to figure out how to post a January playlist effectively and hope I can figure out a way to make it happen. iTunes is still uncooperative and iMeem, which I used a few months ago was bought by MySpace and now I can't even access my previous playlist. Boo!

That's enough about Dylan. Time to read Vonnegut!