Movie Break – “Blue Valentine” – Plus Other Stuff
There’s been a lot of buzz around “Blue Valentine” – as much for the performances of Michelle Williams and Ryan Gosling as for the film’s NC-17 rating. (I didn’t think the sex was all that graphic, personally, so I wouldn’t be surprised if it gets downgraded to an “R” by the time it’s released in theaters in late December.) It was a hit with audiences at the Cannes and Sundance film festivals, but I was disappointed and didn’t even stay for the Q&A with the director after our screening. It’s about a married couple and how their relationship goes downhill. And that’s about it. Nothing happens and neither of the characters is someone you’d want to spend five minutes with. Yawn. So don’t be fooled by the trailer, which shows the couple in mostly happy times and makes them seem sort of charming.
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s screening of “Tangled” a lot more. I’m not that big on animated films but the last few I’ve seen have been really entertaining. Hope this one is too.
Switching over to baseball news, Jim Leyritz was acquitted of vehicular manslaughter. Apparently, he was very emotional when the verdict was read.
He could still face jail time for the DUI conviction. I don’t mean to sound harsh, but I hope he does. I’m sick of reading about people who drink, hop into the car and kill people. What’s so hard about calling a cab or asking a sober friend to drive? And don’t even get me started on using a cell phone while driving, either to talk or to text. It’s against the law here in California and yet every single day I see drivers on their phones, totally oblivious to stop signs, red lights, you name it. Maybe I should just become a cop and go around arresting offenders.
And finally, today is November 20th. If you had told me that Jeter, never mind Mo, hadn’t been signed by now, I would have laughed. But there hasn’t even been an offer made to either player. With Thanksgiving next week, will anything get done then? Unlikely. I, on the other hand, intend to get a lot done. I’m going to my friend Rhonda’s again for Thanksgiving dinner (the scene of all those notorious fights with Yankee haters) and have to bring dessert. So I’ll be making a chocolate fudge cake with a chocolate ganache glaze.
I’ll take a picture of it if it comes out looking halfway decent.
Confessions of a She-Fan 
G’morning. Got time to throw in 1 weekend posting after all…
Very troubling about Leyritz. Didn’t know about any of that stuff…wondered what you knew, and thanx for the info. You question what he’s learned, if he has. Maybe all these losses will turn him around; too soon to know…
Saw the blurb about Jeet being offered 3 years at $15m. per…uh-oh, did they lower the offer? If so, don’t know what to think…
Meanwhile, hope you have a great time at your Turkey Day Dinner. If the Haters are typical haters, they’ll razz you about not winning it AGAIN this year, but likely not as bad as last year, when all haters were in full hate mode. Otherwise, take a li’l bottle of Tabasco with you, and insist on serving the fudge cake yourself…!!
How did I know about Leyritz, Dave? That accident happened some time ago down in FL and at first he looked as guilty as it gets, driving through the red light drunk, killing the woman. But as the testimony got underway, the situation became murkier as the victim herself had been drunk and it wasn’t clear the light was red when he drove through it. So they had a hung jury, then the lesser conviction. No, I don’t think the Yankees lowered their “reported” offer for Jeter, which supposedly was 3 years at $45 – definitely lower than what he wants. Now it’s becoming a war of words with Casey Close, his agent, finding the Yankees’ negotiating strategy “baffling.” Ugh. I’m sure they’ll come up with a compromise as most negotiations do, and Jeter has been through arbitration with the Yankees (he won) so he knows about the business side of things. But in the meantime, it all makes me want to hide under my desk. I love your Tabasco idea! I will make the haters pay on turkey day!
If you need a sidekick on patrol, Jane, just holla. Drunk driving is a HUUUUUUUUUGE pet peeve of mine. And you know how I like my beer, so I’m serious. It makes no sense. Good luck with the cake!
–Jeff
http://redstatebluestate.mlblogs.com/
http://mtrredstatebluestate.com
I like to drink too, Jeff, so it’s not as if I’m some abstinence preaching nut. But I’m lucky. Michael doesn’t drink so I always have a built in designated driver. It just sickens me every time I watch the local news and hear about yet another drunk driving fatality. So unnecessary.
Blue Valentine could also have related to a sad Bobby unable to secure a major league managing job.
http://www.paullebowitz.com/
http://princeofny.blogspot.com/
I just have to comment on drunk driving in general. One week in August we had SIX people killed in three different accidents. All in ONE WEEK!!! One of them was a resident (med school classmate and colleague of my husband) who has three young children, two of which were with him in the vehicle. He was taking his 2 year-old home after taking him and their 8 year-old son to a daddy-son breakfast on his first day of school. I won’t go into details, but it is HORRENDOUS what that child is going to remember and have to live with. This was around 0800 on a WEDNESDAY morning. What the hell the ***hole who hit them was doing driving to work with a blood alcohol level of nearly THREE times the legal limit is beyond me!! It absolutely breaks my heart everytime I think of what that family is going through.
My husband, like you, is lucky that I am not a big drinker (plus I am such a control-freak) that I am always the DD. It shouldn’t be that difficult to plan ahead if you are going to be imbibing. I’ll get off my soapbox now…
It makes me really uneasy that nothing seems to be happening with our Yankee boys, DJ and Mo. The Yankees are NOT the Yankess without both of them. Ahhhhh!
I’m in some serious baseball withdrawal… Glad I have my favorite She-Fan’s blog to keep me thinking about the good things in life!
Who would have predicted Valentine wouldn’t have a new managing job with all the vacancies. Certainly not you, Paul.
What a terrible story about your husband’s colleague, dj. My heart goes out to his family. So upsetting to hear about these senseless tragedies. Grrr. I agree about Jeter and Mo. The attention seems to be on Jeter now, as if Mo is just a forgone conclusion, but somebody needs to start saying how valuable he is to the Yankees too – and then do something about it.
That cake sounds like it will be fantastic! But Yankee haters starting arguments at Thanksgiving? If I were you, that cake would just be crying out for pinstripes. Seriously, use a darker bitter chocolate, a light milk chocolate or white chocolate and a pastry bag. It will look elegant and it’s a moral imperative. 🙂
I agree, the tragedies that result from drunk driving are so unnecessary. It’s just not that hard to plan ahead for a designated driver or call a cab/call a friend/take a long walk and do something else until you sober up if you’re caught unprepared. Most of us who like to drink and indulge do this as a matter of routine. There is no excuse for those who do not, be they actors, athletes, or Joe Schmoe down the street.
http://blithescribe.mlblogs.com/
Blithescribe, since you’re relatively new to the blog you probably haven’t read about my previous Thanksgivings at my friend Rhonda’s in LA. Her guests are mostly Dodger fans and they’re relentless in the grief they give me about the Yankees – even last year after we had just won the World Series. If the chocolate cake comes out good ( it’s a recipe from my friend Diane Worthington’s cookbook, Seriously Simple), maybe I’ll keep it for myself! lol
Jane,
Thought “Blue Valentine” was a movie between two baseball fans. One from K C and the other a devoted Dodger Blue female fan.
You know now that it got a NC-17 rating it will be a “must see” Saturday night date night movie just for the alledged scenes.
I guess it could have been worse, could of been a starcrossed Mets Yankees duo romance.
Rays Renegade
http://raysrenegade.mlblogs.com
I don’t think Blue Valentine will have an audience despite the rating, Renegade. It’s a small-budget indie film that won’t be distributed everywhere. Now maybe people will rent it when it comes to DVD, but in theaters? I don’t see it. Actually, it would have been a lot more interesting if it HAD been about two baseball fans.