Weekend Redux

I don't think I've posted about Junebug, a new film by a guy named Phil Morrison that I saw on Friday night. It's great. I have been seeing really good movies lately and I've been loving it. If you do get a chance to see this very interesting drama about red-state/blue-state value systems I would love to talk about it with you, so drop me a line. It's very challenging and I know I love the film, but I'm not sure how I feel about what it has to say. Anyway...

This weekend after watching In Old Arizona on DVD, I drove out to Cathedral City (near Palm Desert) to stay with my friends Linda & Matt for the evening. We spent the day in the pool (it's so fucking hot out there it's unbelievable) and then we walked down the street to have dinner with their friends Michael & Jim. I had such a nice time, and not just because of the free food. I love visiting my friends and spending quality time with them. Spending a good six or seven hours with people I love is one of the great joys in life. (I had a similarly enjoyable time with Justin, Elizabeth and Mike a couple weeks ago.)

So I drove back from the desert this morning and ran a rehearsal. Two Gentlemen, by all accounts, is going splendidly. I am not sure how I feel about the show itself, and sometimes I think I'm not getting quite as much work done as I want, but I am having a damn good time directing this show. It's a low-stress thing (except for that one hiccough last Sunday) and everyone in the show is my friend. That's as much fun as the work itself: watching people I love perform onstage. I mean, I always want my actors to succeed and to do good work, but I think it is an entirely different thing to direct a cast I care about as much as this one. It's like it was all those years ago when I did Gross Indecency except that I know this group better than I knew those actors, and I have been directing a lot longer.

After rehearsal, I came home and did laundry and watched a charming little film by Mike Binder called The Upside of Anger. I have been meaning to see it for a while because Nathaniel has consistently predicted since February that Joan Allen is going to get an Oscar nomination for the role. I still disagree with him on this, but I think the film is worth seeing. It's a nice rental. The reason I am recommending it, though, is because of Kevin Costner, who I think gives a stellar performance (inexplicably and unpredictably reminding me of my father in a lot of ways). When you see it, I think you'll see why I think Joan Allen is gonna be assed-out come January when the nominations are announced. The character is really really difficult to sympathize with. The writing is great, though, and Mike Binder could end up with a nomination... actually I don't think the film will be looking at any Oscar noms, but the film is a charming piece that plays very well... and I'm telling you, Costner rocks.