Sex and the City

Favorite characters + decent plot = fun Girls Night Out

Yes, I am one of those women who went in a group of more than three to see this movie, and I looked forward to doing so for weeks. It was a great experience.

The movie itself lived up to my expectations, and may have even edged into surpassing them. I think what most 'critics' didn't like about the movie is that it was more grown-up, which makes it "real", and therefore less entrancing than the fizzy antics of the TV show. But let's face it; did we really want to see The Girls toss aside more men? I didn't; they have to grow up some time (!). I was satisfied that the "happy-enough" endings for each of the characters on the show seemed probable while leaving more story to tell for the film. No one really explores what happens after "The End" but the movie braved that territory and conquered it thoroughly. A professor of mine recently pointed out that we (as a culture) are thrilled with weddings, but we don't get excited by marriages. She's right; watching that on a screen would be too much like "real life" (and I love my escapism as much as the next person). The reaction to the movie kind of proves that point. Miranda's plotline dealt directly with this, but she was always the most down-to-earth of all of them.

So no, the movie was not going to be as fabulously carefree as the show, but I think it required greater craft; it's really hard to make an outstanding small- to big-screen transition. Can you think of any? (Spin-offs & updates/remakes like Wayne's World and Mission Impossible are not to be considered, and I am thinking of adding "animated" to the list because that seems like cheating since one doesn't have to deal with aging of the characters.) I can't come up with any besides Firefly--> Serenity (I luv you, Joss Whedon!), but feel free to discuss. (RottenTomatoes.com has a really fun list compiled that does include the above types of shows/movies: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/guides/best_tv_adaptations/) I look forward to one day adding Veronica Mars to that list, however.

Seeing the movie was like a reunion with girlfriends; joyful and comforting. Do men turn out for movies in groups? I wonder if anyone has ever done a study on that...(yep, I'm a nerd) Does it have something to do with expectations of machoism? How often does is phrase "lone wolf" applied to a woman? Points to ponder, or comment upon, if you wish.

Who doesn't dream of getting married at the NY Public Library? Oops, I think my "geek" is showing again...

Pushing Daisies

I was watching a re-run of the Pushing Daisies premier last week, when I realized that a couple of things were tickling my memory, as well as my sentimental attachments.

First of all, the visual style reminded me of something...the movie Amelie. Great; I loved that movie. No really-- I have seen it in French, Italian and German, I loved it so much. There is the same prevalence of the color green, and the vividness of colors, not to mention quirky characters living in a 'fantastic' atmosphere in which anything can happen. It doesn't hurt that Anna Friel (supporting character Chuck) reminds me strongly of the whimsy that Zooey Deschanel imbues all of her characters with. I also loved the appearance of Ellen Greene (Audrey, from the 1986 version of Little Shop of Horrors) as one of Chuck's aunts. As an aside, I loved her as Sylar's mummy dearest on Heroes and I can't believe it was her in Leon/The Professional! I had no idea, until I just IMDB'd her.

Secondly, I was caught by the narrator's soothing and airy voice. I knew I had heard it before, and as the opening credits appeared at the bottom of the screen, I realized that it was Jim Dale, narrator of the Harry Potter audio books. I adore Mr. Dale's readings of the magical series. I think he does a truly worthy job, and there is only one other (male) voice actor who really comes close to being competition; Roy Dotrice. Incidentally, Mr. Dale has the record for the greatest number of character voices.
In any case, it was delightful to hear a voice I enjoy do the narration for the show, kind of like Ian McKellan's on Stardust.

So, you are probably wondering if I actually liked the show. I did, at least enough to want to watch a little more. It won't supplant Grey's Anatomy or Battlestar Galactica on my Tivo or anything, but it was a good time. I will tune in for more, and I am happy to see that ABC is taking some chances with their programming. I don't, however, believe that the show will make it more than a season. I am happy to be proven wrong though--at least there is no "reality" to the show (read: contest, like Dancing with the Stars).