Sunday, February 27, 2005

Entertainment Tonight and This Afternoon and This Morning

Yesterday I watched two movies and a play and read two newspapers -- so I certainly consumed my share of media.

Drove to Norwalk to see "The Polar Express." It's a cute enough story, but I really didn't like the computer generated animation that relied on actors covered with electrodes with a computer tracking their actions. And what's with Tom Hanks playing five or more roles? Cheesy gimmick!

Why Norwalk? That's the closest city where it was still showing. Plus when was the last time you paid $2.75 to see a movie! (My Diet Coke was still $4.)

Of course Norwalk, with the offices of the Los Angeles County Registrar of Voters, will forever be known as the place Arianna Huffington famously knocked over the podium to get in the same camera shot as Arnold Schwarzenegger when they both were filing their papers to run for governor.

Then last night I saw Edward Albee's "The Goat or Who is Sylvia?" Stunning! Live theater has the ability to thrill like no other medium. This play explores the imposition of sexual taboos and the realization of parental imperfection in a way that had the audience (and me) gasping.

Finally I watched M. Night Shyamalan's "The Village." Typically for one of his movies -- it has a "surprise" ending that you can see coming for at least 60 painful meaning. At least in this one Bruce Willis isn't dead.

No comments: