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Felt lousy this weekend, so slept late and read, and ditched plans to go shopping or to a movie (Snow White and the Huntsman) - although from both the professional and flist reviews, I don't think I missed much. Sounds like a film I can rent. Same with Promethesus, which has had equally disappointing reviews - it's your typical sci-fi scary space alien flick, which according to the professional critics and flist doesn't quite stand up to Alien.

So...I read. I'm ripping through these romance novels. Latest one, Duke's Perfect Wife which I finished today, had a great older brother/little brother relationship - that spanned two books. In the first book The Madness of Lord Ian McKenzie - we see the relationship from the younger brother's perspective and the older brother, Hart, is portrayed as control freak and part of the mystery is if he is a villain, who is using his brother. (He's not). In the second book, we learn the lengths Hart has gone to to save his brother's life and his tremendous guilt for not doing it quickly enough, as well as the price he paid for saving his brothers from his father's rage. The romance in some respects is almost secondary, which is what made the book insteresting and different.

The sex scenes didn't make any sense. The writer is great at dialogue, but not so much as descriptive action or sex scenes. Realized recently the plus side of action/fight scenes over sex scenes...and why they are easier to read and write - there's at least an element of suspense - you don't know who will win.

Currently watching The Tony Awards - which I use to determine what if any musicals or plays that are still running afterwards that I have any desire to see. (Most are limited runs, so they are long gone - so this doesn't work as well as you might think.)

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Well I now know why none of the critics liked the musical Ghost - that was a horrific performance. Newsies disappointed me (although admittedly I may be too old for it - it has a huge cult fandom that is in its 20s, who adore the movie like you would not believe). As did Follies. And Nice Work If You Can Get it. Right now...the only impressive ones where Jesus Christ Superstar...and Neil Patrick Harris. Reminding me of why I haven't dashed out to see any Broadway musicals this year. I've seen three versions of JSC, and have two versions of the album. My favorite was the 1990s revival which popped up on PBS.

OTOH...Porgy and Bess looks really good.

[ETA: Once surprised me. That has got to be the first time I ever saw people dance on stage with various musical instruments while playing them and the song was hummable.
The film bored me and my father. He left. I went to sleep during it. Twice. Although I also went to sleep during Lost in Translation - five times. Slow indie romantic films featuring 20 somethings are sleep inducing. They are right the sitcom Girls has now made them irrelevant. But the musical ONCE looks different...that was moving. Best performance of the night. It'll win the Tony, no contest. Actually it will win Best Musical, and Porgy and Bess will get Best Revival. ]


And of the movies coming out this summer? The one I'm looking the most forward to? You'll never guess? That's right Rock of Ages. (Hey, I grew up in the 80s...I actually know those songs.)

The plays on the other hand look rather entertaining. Maybe I should just see a play? They tend to be shorter. I'm a fan of plays - because the action is propelled by dialogue! If you want to figure out how to write good dialogue, read plays. Lots of plays. Then try to write a few. Not screenplays. Plays. Thinking of either The Best Man or Venus in Furs.

Did manage to finally watch one of my netflix flicks - The Magical Imperium of Dr. Parnassus which is remarkable for one thing - Terry Gilliam's ability to flawlessly use four actors to perform one role, after his lead tragically died. Parnassus for those who don't already know - was Heath Ledger's last film, he died during the filming of it. It was a horrific shoot - most of it in freezing temps and in the rain, and Heath missing his family took long trips via plane back and forth from London, the US and Australia. This resulted in insane jetlag, illness, and horrific insomnia. If you think you have it bad, Heath couldn't sleep at all for a month, and in desperation over-medicated.

( Review of The Magical Imperium of Dr. Parnasses )