"We heard Richard Nixon say, welcome to the USA. The common sense I sometimes lack has opened up a seismic crack. We've fallen in and I can't pull back, and I guess we'll have to stay." ~elton john

I just got home from an advance screening of the movie Frost/Nixon. It was a very advanced screening; the movie doesn't open until some time next year. It was a workprint, which means it wasn't finalized. We had to fill out surveys afterwards that they may use to make changes. I saw Ron Howard (the director) there, which was pretty cool. I'm not a huge fan of his, but he's still obviously a very important figure in the film industry.
The movie was very good (that's the option I checked on the survey for my overall opinion, 'very good'). I wanted to see the movie because it's based on the stage play. The play got great reviews and multiple awards, but I never got the chance to see it, so I wanted to see at least some version of it. Frank Langella (who won a Tony for his performance in the play) and Michael Sheen reprised their stage roles. They were fabulous. The acting made the movie for me. I'd imagine that their characters have become ingrained in them by now after doing so many live performances; they truly embodied the characters. Kevin Bacon, Sam Rockwell, Oliver Platt, and Matthew Macfayden made up a strong supporting cast. The movie is about post-Watergate interviews that David Frost conducted with Richard Nixon. It was interesting, well-directed, and well-paced. I recommend it.

Tomorrow there's a Sweeney Todd screening that I'll try to get into. I don't think I have to tell you how freakishly excited I am to see it. It's the most anticipated movie of the year for me. Actually, it's probably the most anticipated movie ever for me. I'm seriously crazy about Sweeney Todd. And supposedly Tim Burton & co. did a pretty good job with it. I cannot wait. There are song clips on the website and they're pretty good. I'm not crazy about the orchestrations, but I'm relieved to say that the singing is surprisingly strong. If I get in tomorrow, of course I'll post a review.

"Now I hardly know them, and I’ll take my time. I’ll carry them over, and I’ll make them mine." ~the national

I can't wait until Christmas.

Tomorrow I'm going to a professional development workshop, which should be interesting. I hope it will be useful. I think it'll be a nice change of pace from being in school.

I'm trying this new widget that plays music. The song selection is limited and it's not letting me upload my own right now (and it's being very finicky), but we'll see how it goes. I'll kick it off with a track from The National, with whom I became obsessed last summer.

"I'm dying to know, do you do you like dreaming of things so impossible, or only the practical? Or ever the wild or waiting through all your bad bad days just to end them with someone you care about..." ~dashboard confessional

My kids are driving me absolutely insane. I nearly lost it today; I got so mad at them. I hold detention after school every day (today I had more than half the class), and it doesn't change anything; the classroom is still like a zoo combined with an insane asylum. You can't even imagine what this job is like. You really cannot imagine.

Grey's Anatomy is continuing to piss me off. First of all, are they just filling it with blood and gore to shock us and try to defer our attention from the crappy storylines? It's not working on me. The only good part about tonight's episode was the Mer/Lexie development in the last thirty seconds. Screw McDreamy, Mer's got a sister now and hopefully their relationship will continue to develop (although with Shonda & co., I wouldn't count on it; they like to throw blow after blow at Meredith). Gossip Girl was really good this week, though. I loved the Rufus/Lily moment.

I meant to post these videos a long time ago but forgot. I took them with my camera at the Dashboard Confessional concert I went to.

So Long, So Long featuring Adam Duritz:

Rain King featuring Adam Duritz and Augustana:

"I'd be so pleased to see you out of the classroom wearing the smile that I'll bring you." ~dashboard confessional

I'm just popping in to direct you toward the New York Times review of August: Osage County, one of the best plays I've ever encountered. The play opened tonight and got raves across the board, but I particularly like Isherwood's review. Highlights:

"It is, flat-out, no asterisks and without qualifications, the most exciting new American play Broadway has seen in years....

It’s theater that continually keeps you hooked with shocks, surprises and delights, although it has a moving, heart-sore core. Watching it is like sitting at home on a rainy night, greedily devouring two, three, four episodes of your favorite series in a row on DVR or DVD. You will leave the Imperial Theater emotionally wrung out and exhausted from laughing, but you may still find yourself hungry for more....

Mr. Letts’s antic recombination of soapy staples is so pop-artfully orchestrated that you never see the next curveball coming, and the play is so quotably funny I’d have a hard time winnowing favorite lines to a dozen....

I’ll leave you with one that neatly expresses the bleak spirit of the play, which nevertheless manages to provide great pleasure by delving into deep wells of cruelty and pain. Recalling a night of youthful high spirits in sad contrast to the gruesome present, Barbara seeks to wise up her daughter to the decay of hope and happiness that often comes with the passage of time.
'Thank God we can’t tell the future,” she observes, “or we’d never get out of bed.'"

I really hope it wins the Tony for best play next year. It seems to have a very good chance based on the reviews. I am so in love with this play.

I went to a free advance screening of Charlie Wilson's War tonight. I enjoyed it. Aaron Sorkin's writing is great; it's very clever and satirical and the dialogue flows well. The movie is a great mix of humor and drama. Tom Hanks was good and Julia Roberts was fine, but Philip Seymour Hoffman stole the show for me (not that that should surprise you; I'm pretty vocal about my love for him). As always, he's hilarious. Amy Adams and Emily Blunt, two of my favorite actresses, are wasted in supporting roles.

"Sleep with all the lights on, you're not so happy, you're not secure. You're dying to look cute in your blue jeans, but you're plastic just like everyone, you're just like everyone. And that face you paint is pressed, impressing most of us as permanent, and I'd like to see you undone." ~dashboard confessional

I know I already posted a long post today, but I have to post again to tell you how frakkin' fantastic August: Osage County was. It's now one of my favorite plays ever. It was written by Pulitzer Prize finalist Tracy Letts. I wasn't expecting anything else this weekend to be able to top Rock 'N' Roll, but August sure comes close. I might like it as much as or more than Rock 'N' Roll; I can't decide. They're very different. Rock 'N' Roll has an epic feel to it. It spans decades and continents and deals with broad social and political issues. It's long, intellectual, and dense. August: Osage County takes place over the course of a few days inside the same house. It's about one family's issues (and they have quite a few). It's over 3.5 hours long, which is a marathon for a play, but it's so watchable that the time just flies by. The dialogue is sharp and witty and harsh and real. It's funny and heartbreaking at the same time. The acting is strong. Jeff Perry is in it and it was hard for me to shake my image of him as Thatcher Grey in Grey's Anatomy.
This year's Tony race in the non-musical category is going to be extremely competitive, and I think I saw the main contenders this weekend. So now you have multiple plays to read. Start with August: Osage County.