Month: September 2020

Joy Ride Is a Fun Ride

Picture of Steve Zahn, Leelee Sobieski and Paul Walker in the 2001 film Joy Ride

Joy Ride

Directed by John Dahl
Written by Clay Tarver, J.J. Abrams

The review:

I greatly enjoy both Paul Walker and Steve Zahn, so your mileage may vary* with this ridiculous thriller involving a CB radio, a prank, and a very persistent trucker.** The key to success with a movie like this is the level of commitment and the cast is all in. This is also a thriller that was pitched at my favorite level of thriller*** and made for a nice Saturday afternoon escape.****

The verdict: Good

Cost: free from Multnomah County Library
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*See what I did there?
**Not only does this have Walker and Zahn, I also picked it because LeeLee Sobieski is in it, though she turned out to not be super great. But John Dahl, director of Red Rock West, directed this! And with J.J. Abrams as a co-writer, you can see how it might turn into something worth watching.
***Not really scary because it isn’t going to happen to me.
****It appears there are sequels, but I will not be going any further in the franchise.

Questions:

  • What’s your favorite kind of ridiculous thriller?
  • What did you think about the triangle?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

For the nighttime chase scenes, the headlights of the trucks and cars were replaced by aircraft landing lights for extra brightness. This helped to bring down the exposure enough to keep the sky consistently black even at early dawn.

Also this, which I wondered about:

To avoid the unpleasant effects of having to remove tape from Leelee Sobieski’s hair and skin after the take, she was tied up with a strong, thick plastic film (like thick Saran Wrap) which looked like tape and stuck almost like tape, but which had no glue, making its removal simple and fuss-free.

Other reviews of Joy Ride:

  • Kit Bowen, Hollywood.com
  • Roger Ebert, RogerEbert.com
  • (You know what’s hard to find? Live links to a so-so movie from 2001 reviewed by women.)
Orange background with a white frame. Text: I'm not going anywhere until somebody tells me why I should be afraid of a radio. —Joy Ride. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

I Build Some Shelves For Above-Washer Storage

Et voila! Shelves. I cut a leftover piece of wood from the dryer platform in half (with a handsaw balanced on top of my recycling bins because I was too lazy to get everything out that was needed for the circular saw), installed four of those handy braces I’ve been using forever, did some drilling, and now there are shelves where there once were none.

Here’s a close-up view.

In keeping with my laziness, I’m not going to paint them. The bare wood fits with the utilitarian nature of the laundry area.

Garden Update September 2020

The thing about living in Portland is that by the time my garden really gets going, it’s September and thoughts of autumn have taken over. September is when the tomatoes really produce, which was always inconvenient when I worked for a school.

My garden in September is often neglected, poor thing. Regardless!

Here you can see the tomatoes going gangbusters. I think next year I will trim them back so I get fewer and bigger tomatoes. You can see a healthy collard plant to the right of the tomatoes and some other greenery that I have forgotten since I am writing this post in the far future. I also picked up a cat litter box with a cover from the street. My plan is to clean it and put it on the catio to give another litter box option to the cats. [Update from the future. I did this, and Antares showed some interest, but when the rains came, they flooded the box and I ended up throwing out a large chunk of soggy cat litter, scrubbing the litter box once again, and putting it back out on the street for someone to grab.]

From a different angle, you can see the orange 5-gallon bucket that I haven’t put away for week. Plus that the tree collards (back center) need better support. One of them has been flopped on the ground for weeks, poor thing. The raspberries are still spitting out a few gems, and between them and the tree collards are some spinach, kale and lettuce I started late in the summer.

Over in Leo’s yard you can see the squash doing its late-summer thing where it tries to grow a lot and gets powdery mildew. I didn’t get much zucchini from my three plans this summer (maybe I need to attract more pollinators?) but the delacata squash managed to put off a small squash for each plant, which wasn’t bad considering how old those seeds were. I staggered planting the green beans because I love green beans, but then I didn’t go out and pick much of the later plantings.

On the other side of the green beans you can see the Oregon Sweet Meat squash that I direct seeded. Steve Soloman seems to think this is a better way to go, but by the time the soil warms up enough for direct seeding, it’s too late in the season. Plus, I never bought another soaker hose so the poor thing had to grow on its own, without additional water. I got one very small squash out of this deal.

The Uncomfortable Film I’m Thinking of Ending Things

Picture of Jesse Plemons and Jessie Buckley in the film I'm Thinking of Ending Things

I’m Thinking of Ending Tings

Directed by Charlie Kaufman
Written by Charlie Kaufman (based on Iain Reid’s book)

The review:

It’s a Charlie Kaufman film, so settle in and wait for the weird.* In this case, two Jesses** take us on a very long, very uncomfortable meet-the-parents journey.*** I have a debate going about whose story this really is,**** and while I don’t think this is Kaufman’s best, it provided a lot of Kaufman things, plus two productions numbers from a famous musical.*****

The verdict: Good

Cost: Netflix monthly fee ($8.99)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*Charlie Kaufman films = long, weird, uncomfortable, nonsensical, mesmerizing. If you’re tired of the same old same old, a Kaufman film is always a great palate cleanser.
**Jessie Buckley, so good in Wild Rose, and Jesse Plemons who imprinted on me in Friday Night Lights. Both seem to be carving out roles that let them show off their range.
***It’s possible, that with the quarantine, you’ve been missing uncomfortable family dynamics. This provides a perfect remedy!
****If it’s Jessie Buckley’s story, Kaufman made a film for the #metoo era.
*****I’ve got a short list of movies with musical production numbers. This and Bernie. What can you think of?

Questions:

  • What do you think is Kaufman’s best?
  • Who’s story is it?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

The first car scene lasts roughly seventeen minutes and fifteen seconds (not including the brief interludes of seeing the Janitor). The second car scene lasts twenty-two minutes and thirty-seven seconds (not including the Tulsey Town detour)

Other reviews of I’m Thinking of Ending Things:

Orange background with a white frame. Text: It's tragic how few people possess their souls before they die. —I'm Thinking of Ending Things. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com

Daisies is Art-House Fun

A picture from the film Daisies of Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová wearing bikinis and sitting against a wall.

Daisies

Directed by Vera Chytilová
Written by Vera Chytilová

The review:

I’m not really your art-film gal,* but this was part of the Filmspotting Overlooked Auteurs Marathon, so watched it, I did. It was weird, but charming** and managed to stay charming even as the young women become more and more puckish.*** I’m never going to watch this again, and probably a lot of it went over my head, but unlike some films,**** I don’t regret my time spent.

The verdict: Good

Cost: Free, via YouTube (Another bonus. It was free and easy to find.)
Where watched: at home

Consider also watching:

Further sentences:

*I can indie drama with the best of them, and I like foreign films, but once surrealism and other arty things enter, I get impatient and wonder how much time is left. This was 75 minutes, so I knew I would make it through.
**One of the first scenes (pictured above) shows Jitka Cerhová and Ivana Karbanová talking about how bored they are. Each arm or head movement is accompanied by a squeak, as if their limbs need oiling. This was fun to watch. I recommend watching for just this scene.
***And I mean that in the rabble rousing, not-so-charming way, rather than the mildly irritating, yet amusing way.
****I’m looking at you, Once Upon a Time in America.

Questions:

  • What’s the first thing you do after you watch a film that you don’t understand?
  • In five years, which scene from this film do you think will stick with you?

Favorite IMDB trivia item:

Banned by Czech authorities upon its release for “depicting the wanton”.

(There is some not-subtle snipping of cylindrical objects that I’m sure had the censors crossing their legs. That was probably enough for the “wanton” designation.)

Other reviews of Daisies:

  • Christina Newland, Little White Lies (This review provides a lot of context and I recommend you read it either before or after you watch)
  • Richard S. He, Birth Movies, Death (also good for context)
Orange background with text: That's what I don't understand. Why does one say "I love you"? Do you understand? Why can't one say, for example, "egg"? —Daisies. Read the three sentence movie review. 3SMReviews.com