I know we’ve been semi-lame lately, but Tricia is mad-busy, and I’m packing packing (my poor room is beginning to look so very empty). Also, there were a few Wordpress upgrade problems, all of which hadven’t been fixed. In time. In time.
But while and between packing I’ve been happily entertained by several new (er, okay, only new to me) and inexpensive products of the entertainment industry. REMEMBER in addition to books, libraries also usually have lots of DVDs and CDs, so there is no need to spend a cent, unless you are lazy like me and have Netflix.
1. Enchanted. So two years ago? Yes, but I’m still Enchanted. Hee hee. This movie is great for me for three reasons: (a) It takes place in NYC, a place I’m Currently Obsessed with because I’m Currently About To Leave It; (b) It makes fun of Disney movies while BEING a Disney movie at the very same time (very meta); (c) great musical numbers (nominated for several academy awards, but beaten out fairly by Once), case and point:
2. Bon Iver. I just discovered this new band via Adele’s musical selections in a recent issue of Oprah Magazine (*air high-five with Tricia*). His song “Skinny Love” blew me away. (I also love: For Emma, Blood Bank — alright, I like most of them). Check it:
3. Shakespeare in the Park! This is the deal. Central Park in NYC puts on a FREEEEEEEE summer series (two plays, one always Shakespeare). It is a professional production, this year starring Anne Hathaway as Viola in Twelfth Night.
This was the best Shakespeare production I have ever seen. If you are afraid of Shakespeare (“I don’t know what’s going on!!! What language are they speaking!?”), fear not! This is so well done that you won’t have to struggle to understand. To get tickets, you have to get online early in the morning (ex. I got online at 8:30 and was safely a ticket-getter), though late-comers sometimes get lucky. Bring something to sit on and games to play for the line — you can’t hold a spot for a friend whose coming later, either. They hand out tickets at 1:00, and everyone is entitled to two. The show is at 8pm, and it’s outside so bring appropriate clothes! Twelfth Night runs until July 12 2009. (PS A raccoon tried to crawl on stage during the performance!)
4. Colbert Goes Commando. I love that Colbert is making it fashionable to support the troops while not necessarily supporting the policies that got them where they are. If you haven’t heard, Steven Colbert of the mock news show The Colbert Report recently voyaged to Iraq, entertaining the troops by filming a week of episodes on location in one of Saddam’s old palaces.
Full Episodes from his trip to Iraq are available on Colbert Nation. The first episode, from Monday June 8, is especially good.
| The Colbert Report | Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c | |||
| Stephen Strong: Army of Me – Basic Training | ||||
|
||||
5. Persepolis. Yes, I’m also years late on this obsession, but I’ve been thinking a lot about this autobiography / graphic novel concerning a young girl growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution. I’m disappointed in myself for being so generally uninterested in foreign affairs (though I do think it’s my duty, as a human, to be informed), so I’m thrilled that this “novel” makes the plight of people in other countries seem so personal and real.
6. Marlon Brando. Last week, I really let my Netflix account go. Suddenly I was getting movies in my mailbox that I had meant to keep forever on the bottom of my Netflix queue and never actually receive. So there I was with A Streetcar Named Desire and On the Waterfront. In order to get my next movies, you know what I had to do. I had to watch them. What did I discover? Old movies are hella well-written, and Marlon Brando is hella hot. Also, you will get to see one of the most famous scenes in movie history, which I think is much better in the context of the movie, but here we go:
So, go enjoy yourself with all your new entertaining suggestions! (And let me know if there is anything I should add to my list!)
Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
8 Responses for "Currently Obsessed: Inexpensive Entertainment"
as far as autobiographical GN’s, i wrote this massive paper on them for class a while back. some of my favorites:
maus- art spiegleman (the obvious choice)
the alcoholic- johnathan ames
alice in sunderland- brian talbot
yukiko’s spinach- frederic boilet
pyongyang- guy deslisle
i bought/started reading guy delisle’s burma novel last week!
SWEETTTT. Thanks for all the recs! I can’t wait until I join my next local library so I can read them all.
Great ideas! Check out the movie august rush :) (it also takes place in NYC)
Nice! I have A Streetcar Named Desire lying around here and was in doubt wether to watch it tonight or not, coincidence? I think not!
Just a short reply: the movie was a joy to watch!
first, i love bon iver. ’skinny love’ is a great song indeed.
and you’re totally right about the writing of the old movies. even the ‘censored’ ones (like streetcar) are well-written. in fact, i think that the lack of some explanation found in the movies based on tennessee williams plays makes them much more intriguing and interesting.
one last comment: this marlon brando scene is one of my favorite scenes ever. i tend to say the speech at the same time as him when i watch it. =]
great post!
Thanks for sharing such a great post. Please also visit at Vzones.com – a website where people all over the world meet and come together to share their thoughts, ideas and eventually develop a good bond and friendship.
Leave a reply