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OTHER CRAP:
Catch the deluxe
version of Other Crap in real time, with all the bells and whistles,
here.
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Alexandra's Project
(2003)
Alexandra's Project (2003) is an Australian psychological drama/thriller
written, produced and directed by Rolf de Heer. We are introduced to a suburban
family. Dad is a mid-level executive, clearly a caring, nurturing father of two
children, who believes that his marriage is OK. His wife Alexandra feels
differently, and uses the occasion of his birthday to finally stand her ground
and communicate that fact. He is given a surprise cake at the office, and
receives a major promotion later in the day. He is on top of the world as he
comes home to an expected surprise party. He is surprised, but not with a party.
The house, which his wife has improved with locks, security shutters, etc, is
dark. The furniture has been pushed aside, all the lights have been removed from
their sockets, and nobody is home. All that remains is a video tape he is to
watch.
The rest of the film consists of Alexandra on the video tape, and his
reactions.
Nobody seems to be able to talk about this film without getting emotional,
whether they like it or hate it, and whether they think the villain is Alexandra
or her husband. Performances by Buday and Sweet are brave and spot-on. The film
is finely crafted, and, based on the controversy, obviously has impact. I also
found it completely engaging. A precious few films connect with me on a deep
emotional level, and this was one of them. Others include The War Zone and The
Sweet Hereafter. This is not a "feel good" movie, but
it is a powerful one.
It is scarce worldwide, but is available from RLDVDs.com
on a Region 4 PAL in a Special Edition that includes a lengthy Q & A session
with Rolf de Heer, and a behind the scenes featurette. The Q & A session is
particularly interesting, as it focused on themes in the film, not the mechanics
of film making.
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Notes and collages
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The Comedy Wire
Comments in yellow...
Australian authors Allan and Barbara Pease have a new book, "Why He's So
Last-Minute & She's Got It All Wrapped Up," to help couples avoid fights by
explaining how the sexes handle holidays differently. It says that due to
ancient hunter-gatherer genes, women like to search for gifts for weeks while
men prefer to make a "quick kill" by doing all their shopping on Christmas Eve.
Studies show the stress level of a man in a mall during holidays is equal to a
cop dealing with an angry mob. Men's fingers are less nimble, so gift-wrapping
is harder; and men's eyes see a smaller range of colors, so they really don't
notice if the ribbons and paper don't match. Women are better
multi-taskers, so don't ask your husband to address cards while he's watching
TV. And men are problem-solvers who measure success by results, so women
shouldn't be surprised to get a foot massager or
a vacuum cleaner instead of a diamond necklace.
* If you give your wife a vacuum cleaner for Christmas,
that angry mob will start to look pretty good.
Thursday, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid got so frustrated at the
Republicans' success at blocking Democratic bills, he threatened to draw
attention to it by doing cartwheels down the center aisle of the
Senate.
* Yeah, that'd make people say, "Look at those crazy
Republicans".
In a new low for political correctness, the North Wales Police announced that
due to fears of lawsuits from criminal suspects, they are no longer teaching
police dogs to bite but instead to leap at suspects and head-butt them.
* If they're going to head-butt criminals, forget the
dogs and buy mountain goats.
Barbara Walters revealed her "10 Most Fascinating People of 2007" list, and
it included Bill Clinton, the geeks who created MySpace, and David and Victoria
Beckham.
* Apparently, the Fonz was busy.
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