Cine Seen
Last night we rented De-Lovely, the Cole Porter bio-pic, which Mom & Dad have been recommending for some time now. Of the recent videos we've seen, this one was surely a stand-out, not just because it was entertaining - and how could it not be, with all those Porter songs (and even if you don't like this or that guest performer) - but because even with the artiface employed, the extended flashback sequences presented as reviewing a revue, it managed to give a real sense of the man's life. At first neither of us thought we'd endure the gimmick long, but that passed before long and we settled in with the movie for full value. While purists may complain that the music was not presented according to its chronology, that didn't bother me, not least because I don't have that information to distract me, but also because the thematic gimmick made it work. Oh, and the make-up was incredible. Man, Ashley Judd looked like she was dying, and Kevin Kline was aged, um, like fine cheese? Never mind, you get the idea.

We also headed out early today to catch the latest Pride & Prejudice. Latest? It feels like this movie's been made and seen a dozen times, but I even missed the Colin Firth version, at least most of it, so there's no real reason to feel that way other than an ingrained familiarity with the Jane Austen story. Although I watched it with great amusement, it isn't played for laughs any more than the novel was in the first place, but it is still a comedy of manners, and even knowing how it all turns out for everyone, it's tremendously entertaining. I could do without Keira Knightly, who's pretty enough, I suppose, and M.'s enraptured by the new Mr. Darcy, Matthew MacFadyen, but just the same the casting's terrific. It may be the best thing I've seen Donald Sutherland do, even just having re-watched Klute. For all that it's just another costume piece, it's high-art cinema and worth the price of admission.