Easy Virtue (1928)
A limpid silent film about a divorcee (scandalous!) who tries to escape the shame of divorce by running away to the Mediterranean, marrying another man, and then divorcing him.

I'm too close to this subject to find any pleasure in watching other people deal with it.  Especially when it's wrapped in societal stigma of the 20s.

1.5 out of 5 stars.


Blackmail (1929)
Hitchcock's first talkie.
Some interesting backstory on that.
Once the murder happened things picked up considerably, and overall it exhibits much of the psychological drama that Hitchcock is famous for.

2.5 out of 5 stars.

It took two tries and I still couldn't finish it.

Sabotage was pretty good, and it was six years after this one.  There are 12 more to go before we get into the real Hitchcock era.

*sigh*

Another silent film.  Some elements of suspense, but overall not nearly as interesting a story.  Hitchcock does best when he's dealing with murder and mayhem, not just cheatin' spouses.

1 out 4 stars.

#13 means no bacon.

I'm a sucker for documentaries about the food we eat and where it comes from.  I loved Fast Food Nation and Super Size Me.
This one lived up to my expectations.

And inspired me to start on #13 immediately.

However, I will slightly edit it, I will eat meat that has been killed/processed by someone that I know.  (for example, the salmon my parents caught on the Kenai River last summer, or the venison sausage that Natalie's family made).

I want to be a part of change in this world, and I'm voting with my dollars.  Three times a day.

5 out of 5 stars

I have discovered NetFlix "watch instantly."

All of the hallmarks of Hitchcock are there, even this early on in his career.  And it has my favorite element: the twist ending.

4 out of 5 stars.

It's really a study piece for the Hitchcock aficionado more than anything.  A fine little silent film, with a good measure of suspense built in (although tame by today's standards.)
Especially interesting to note that Hitchcock's obsession with blondes starts as early as this.

3 out of 5 stars.

Hello friends,

I have entered Pro Rata in a small contest through our bank: USBank.
The winning story get $5,000.

Here's ours:  https://getaheadin2010.usbank.com/Story/101

Please log in and vote for us!  It only takes a moment, and could go a long way towards helping us continue to grow and create some of the highest quality theater in the Twin Cities.
Your email can register one vote per day, so you can also bookmark the site and come back every day to vote again.  Voting ends Feb. 28.

Thank you!!
Carin

Nate, a friend of mine and Pro Rata's who killed himself in August of 2004 had been working on an album that he never finished.
His girlfriend, Gabe, made it happen.

Please check it out.

http://djbabyjudy.com/

On the way to 52 for #46...

2.  Stones in His Pockets
by Ten Thousand Things.
A delightful and engaging production of a mundane script.  It did perfectly what only theater can do. Inspiring.
4.5 out of 5 stars.

1.  The Lion in Winter
by XXL Britches Endeavors
An inaugural production by a fledgling company, they just bit off more than they could chew.
1 out of 5 stars.

I expected it to be bad, but not THAT bad.

J. Jumpin at the Boneyard. 0 out of 5 stars.



At least nattienatnat got her antipenultimate Tim Roth movie watched out of it.

Kicking off the 2nd Mission 101 to a relatively easy start, I watched a movie (N) last night.
It was pretty lousy, so I decided at least it could count for something...

 78. Watch 26 movies I’ve never seen, each starting with a different letter (started 1/4/10) (6/26).

A.  Atonement. 4 out of 5 stars.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F. Food, Inc. 5 out of 5 stars.
G.
H.
I.
J. Jumpin at the Boneyard. 0 out of 5 stars.
K.  King of Kong, a Fistful of Dollars, The. 5 out of 5 stars.
L.  Lodger, The. 2 out of 5 stars.
M. Manxman, The.  2.5 out of 5 stars.
N.  New World, The.  1 out of 5 stars.
O.
P.
Q.
R.
S. Sabotage. 3 out of 5 stars.
T.
U.
V.
W.
X.
Y.
Z.

thank you, Nick, for introducing me to him.

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amount of work on my part).

 

Start Date: Jan 1, 2010
End Date: Sept 28, 2012

Completed = 3

In Process = 6

To Be Done = 98

1. Finish my 101 list.
   

 

( the rest... )

The year end reviews are coming in, and I wasn't really expecting anything for Pro Rata this year, but here's a nugget!
Julie Ann Nevill got named "Best Crossgender Performance" of 2009 by Lavender Magazine.

As lovely as it is to have a mention, I can't help but feel a little snubbed that he didn't chose to mention Noe (a crossgendered GALILEO). Ah well, in other places on his list there were things I didn't agree with.  I will note, though, that somethings, like .faust for costume design and Sally Wingert as Best Actress, were right on the money.


...

In other news, aside from The Hollisuckmybutt Hollidazzle Parade raining a plague of suburbanites down on my city and infesting Brit's, the concert last night was great! They did the Nutcracker Suite, which was delightful, and Troika, which was amazing.  It was general admission, and we got second row center, and there were cookies!

And it should be noted, duchess_of_pie  is a great date for the orchestra.  Especially when the conductor is a young Irish man.

Last night C and I went to the MN Orchestra to hear the Blind Boys of Alabama. What an excellent concert! (noted: the decidedly different crowd from the Ben Folds concert). They played a whole range of music; my two favorites were Amazing Grace sung to the tune of The House of the Rising Sun (I am not shitting you on that!) and a piece at the end of the concert that ended up being a 15 minute, on our feet, hooting and hollering, revivalist blowout. Tonight I'm going back, this time with duchess_of_pie for a Christmas concert (pure coincidence on my double feature, I was gifted tonight's tickets). Last year at this particular concert they played Handel's Messiah and The 1812 Overture. I am hopeful there will be a repeat performance. In January C and I are bringing along the Prusak clan for a screening of Chaplin's Gold Rush with the score performed live. Then in March my parents and I are rushing the Preservation Hall Jazz Band Concert (sadly C can't attend because of a Spanish Tragedy performance). Finally in May it's back with the Prusaks for Bernadette Peters. In all cases, a before or after trip to Brit's Pub (which is right across the street and has Guiness on tap and the best scotch eggs in town) is a must. ... I don't know that I can be a season ticket subscriber every year, but I plan to enjoy it while it lasts.

I've found one of the most exhausting things about working freelance is the constant looking for work.

I'm always setting up the next semester of classes, or looking to the next directing gig, or crossing my fingers that some temp work will slip in to fill out the cracks.

Don't get me wrong, supporting myself exclusively through theater is great, but DAMN, it is hard work.

...

In other news, I'm looking for a new home for Ella.

She is adorable, but just isn't gelling with Sal. :( Neither of them will be happy in this situation, and even though they do ok if I'm sitting with them, I can't be home 24-7.

perfectbound is coming over tonight with her GF to meet Ella... I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

A few weeks ago bupwethern sent an excited email announcing that Joseph Arthur was coming to town, and playing the BLB, of all places! (a teeny little 100 seat venue next to a bowling alley with a stage slightly larger than a queen mattress.) He had purchased his tickets and encouraged me to do the same.

Of course, financial times being what they are, I delayed until my next paycheck. By the time I got around to picking up a ticket, the show was sold out. My own damned fault for waiting until the 11th hour.

I put out a plea on Facebook and Twitter.
"Does anyone have an extra ticket up for grabs for the 10pm @josepharthur show tonight at @bryantlakebowl?"

(For those of you not on Twitter, tagging posts makes them searchable, and also alerts the tagged individual or organization that they've been tagged. Similar to Facebook.)

As the day ticked away I had sadly resigned myself to not joining C for the concert. Then, at about 5:00, this tweet showed up from Joseph Arthur himself:
"@carinbrat I 'll put you on the list under the name Carin B."


HOLY CRAP! JOSEPH ARTHUR JUST TWEETED ME A FREE TICKET!!!!!!

I went to the BLB, and true enough, there was my name, scrawled across the guest list.

...

I'm not super familiar with Joseph Arthur, most of my exposure to him has been through C. However, the concert was fantastic. Ridiculously intimate solo show. He played for almost two hours. It was great. Afterwards he sold some freshly ripped CDs of the very concert we had just heard, and we stopped and got a copy. I introduced myself, and thanked him for the ticket. He said, "oh, good. You made it." I said, "that was really great of you." and he said, "I just felt compelled."

...

As great as the concert was, and as fun as it was to watch bupwethern totally pee himself over Joseph Arthur, it's even better to have this story to go along with it.

And if anyone ever questions the validity of Twitter, I shall site this experience as Example A in The Case For The Awesomeness That Is Twitter.