dirac

A lot of young girls tend to want to dance or act - or both. Anything that involves a lot of people admiring them. Best of luck to her.

I've never been able to read it in anything but English, so I envy you. Great book. Sure. In my experience the gift books I am usually best pleased with are the ones I buy for myself. Thanks for posting, all.

From what I've read of his temperament, I'd not have pegged Somes as a Libra.

Thanks, vagansmom. Kidman actually has a pleasant voice and comes off quite well in the picture, which I caught last weekend and liked better than I had expected. (A Rob Marshall movie that doesn't totally suck is a big improvement for this viewer.) More later.

I try to look at it this way. I don't look as graceful, but I don't have the bunions, hip injuries, or knee ailments either....

Good topic, atm711. I received books by Tom Robbins and Kurt Vonnegut, neither of which I am likely to read. I like Seymour's book, too. It's a little TMI in some places and I should have liked to hear more about the ballets and less empurpled prose about "Kenneth pressing his lips to mine" or whatever, but the book's candor is refreshing.

Bumping this old thread up in case someone sees the movie, which is opening this weekend. Reviews have been meh but you never know. I plan to go if there's time.

Thanks for telling us your thoughts, SanderO. I haven't seen the production on PBS in my area yet that I know of, but I'll keep an eye out for it.

A review of Nutcracker: Rated R.

Sounds like a potentially combustible relationship, Farrell Fan, but if I remember correctly, it can work. What a fun topic, iczerman. As Alexandra says, a good parlor game. Pisces rules the feet and blood circulation, I think it is, but Aquarius rules ankles and legs (Balanchine was an Aquarius).

Thanks for reporting your thoughts to BT, cubanmiamiboy. Whatever else you think about him, von Trier has a knack for getting the best out of his actors.

Thank you for posting, ballet_n00b. Do you have a preferred recording of Davidsbundlertanze?

innopac, I haven't seen the ballet but I can easily imagine that the sadder side of the play would come over better in dance than the more comic elements. In addition, any time you a work that is great in one art form to another, something is inevitably lost because as a rule the greater the work of art the closer the bond between story and form. Yes. Chekhov is walking that fine line.

Thanks for the update, kfw. Interesting developments.

I'm afraid I thought "Hostel" was bad, on its own terms. I'll go along with the "nasty" part, though. (Given Eli Roth's terrible performance in "Inglorious Basterds," I'm not sure if we're worse off with Eli behind the camera or in front of it. I do agree with you re "I Spit On Your Grave."

It has its longueurs but I think you will like it. Amalric is as good as I've ever seen him, a large statement.

Thanks, Helene. There's also Mathieu Amalric and Deneuve in A Christmas Tale from a year or two ago.

Alien was a great picture and it scared the bejesus out of me back when. O'Bannon also had a hand in the awful Lifeforce. And of, course Dark Star with John Carpenter.

The more I think about it, the more I think I did not give Jones enough credit. I forgot to add Gone to Earth, a Powell and Pressburger item that Jones’ hubby, David O. Selznick, kept messing with. And she is good in the wonderful Carrie with Olivier, hanging in there even though Olivier is at his very best. We Were Strangers. Indiscretions of an American Wife, although it doesn’t work at all. A very decent body of work.

Nothing says wholesome holiday fun like a little girl shoving a crucifix up her crotch. Although I'm not sure that wouldn't be better for the children than a viewing of Love Actually.

He's a favorite of mine, too. But I wouldn't blame it all on Jones.

Jennifer Jones has died at age ninety. Never a big favorite of mine, but I never minded seeing her and she could be charming. And of course, very pretty. I think she's great in The Song of Bernadette. Also: Cluny Brown, Love Letters. She also appeared in two great camp classics, Ruby Gentry and the deathless Duel in the Sun.

Mark Morris is interviewed in The Jerusalem Post: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid...icle%2FShowFull

You know, innopac, I'm not sure if Konstantin is definitely one thing or the other. It is hard to call a play where a character commits suicide at the end a comedy, but I'm not sure if Konstantin is finally big enough as a person or a talent to call it tragedy. I didn't think Nina had great actress potential, myself, but I might change my mind if I read the play again, which I haven't done for some years. I've never seen it live.

Thanks for posting, sandik. The Golden Globes aren’t the most meaningful awards in the world and are unreliable Oscar predictors, but the show itself tends to be entertaining, so I usually watch. I can’t comment much on the feature films currently nominated because many of them haven’t been released in my area yet. The Hurt Locker was good, Inglourious Basterds rather less so. It has not been the strongest year overall IMO, so it will be interesting to see how the Academy fills out its list of ten, count 'em, ten Best Picture nominees this year. I’m rooting strongly for Jeff Bridges to win every award in sight. I don’t have to see Crazy Heart to know he’s good and he deserves to feel the love this year. Unless there’s some kind of surprise Christoph Waltz is going to win Best Supporting in a walk. I’m hoping that House wins in the Best Television Series – Drama category because the cable series have really been hogging the awards in recent years and House deserves more recognition than it’s received, much as I like Mad Men and Dexter.