Let's catch up, shall we?

MOVIES
Well, I finally saw The Aviator. I loved it. Of course, I've loved Leonardo DiCaprio since What's Eating Gilbert Grape?--and this is the best acting he's done since then. Scorcese knows how to put a movie together, and even though this one is quite long it's pacing never feels sluggish and its story never gets boring. I don't know enough about Katherine Hepburn to say whether Kate Blanchett captures the essence of the great actress, but as a character and as a physical presence the performance is pretty sweet. On a scale of 1 to 10, I say 8 (is gr8).

Better than that is a 9, which is where Finding Neverland falls on the scale of 10. This movie is so odd, so quiet, and so moving, that I may have to go see it again immediately even though there are several other movies out there I need to catch up with. Johnny Depp (Gilbert Grape again!) basically owns the Earth and we are all his slaves. Okay, that's not so much of a review--more like hero worship, I know. But you cannot deny that the man is approaching perfection. And if you want to cry--don't look away when the little boy in the movie makes his eyes well up with tears. The kid is so adorable and so sad that it's bewildering at all that a character like that could be the inspiration of Peter Pan.

And then we have In Good Company. On a scale of 1 to 10--okay, let's be fair: this piece of fluff might be enjoyable on some level, but it's just not in the same universe as Johnny Depp as a depressive, irrepressible writer. So let's say on a scale of 1 to 5 it's a solid 3 (it would rate somewhere below a 6 if we held it up to the higher scale). It's plenty enjoyable, especially because you get to look at two beauts like Topher Grace and Scarlett Johansson for two hours (who, though they play love interests, have zero chemistry). But they say you learn something from every experience in life, and here's what I learned: Topher Grace is definitely going to play Andrew Bangs in the movie of my life.

I also saw Bad Education for a second time. I loved it again (9/10). This time, in bold defiance of the MPAA, I took a friend who is 16--a year younger than the NC17 rating requires. Nothing's better for a 16-year-old than Bad Education, I say.

MUSIC
In my 2004 round-up I asked the ever-important question, "When is Brendan Benson's new CD coming out goddammit!?!?!" Well, I have an answer (March 2005). But more than that, I have four of the new songs, including the CD's title song, Alternative to Love. Promise you'll buy the CD when it comes out!

My life has been blessed with many mixed CDs lately, both coming and going. Going: I recently made mixes for my Aunt Joyce and for my friends Nicole & Michael. I also joined a CD club that Nicole organized wherein everyone in the club makes one mix, sends copies of it to everyone else on the list and thereby receives one disk from everyone else. Cool. I did the the process one better by offering my mix to the whole goddamned world--if you haven't received an email from me telling you how to download it, drop me a line and I'll send you the link. On the incoming end of things, I've received two of the CD club mixes--Nicole's and Joe's and am eagerly awaiting about 10 more. Plus, in the surprise department I received a mix from my friend Buck in London. Not only did he have the good sense to include Aretha Franklin and Simon and Garfunkel, but in a moment of Instant Karma™, he included one of the songs that I myself put on Aunt Joyce's mix--The Ronettes' Be My Baby. God bless you for that, Buck.

Also, did you hear the new Bettie Serveert single "Greyhound Song (Live At Studio Brussel)"? I love it. But don't tell my colleagues--they've been trying to get me to fall for this Eurotrash for years--I'd hate to let them know that they've succeeded. Hmmm.