I Can't Think Straight!

My gf and I went to NYC for the day yesterday to see the film "I Can't Think Straight," an intelligent romantic comedy starring the gorgeous pairing of Lisa Ray and Sheetal Sheth. The film more than made up for every awful lesbian film I have sat through. The dialog was witty, the characters were muti-dimensional, and the the action was steamy yet left plenty for the imagination. Hopefully it will get wider release so more people can see it. For now, here is a teaser:

As if I hadn't had enough thrills in one day, we went for lunch to Red Bamboo, a tiny restaurant in Greenwich Village that specializes in fake meat of all varieties. I opted for the vegan fish and chips. You can also get Phillie cheese steak and chicken Parmesan and a wide variety of other foods that you forget you enjoy until you see them on a cruelty-free menu.

Paradise was lost on the train ride home though--we ended up siting between a loud snorer and a chatty Cathy who noisily ate a bottomless bag of Funyuns.

Slaughtergate

We currently have the best of both worlds right now! Even though Obama won the election Sarah Palin is still inspiring the creation of viral videos. I am sure by now everyone has seen the footage of her media interview conducted in full view of Turkeys being slaughtered, but the MSNBC version is a classic owing to its priceless captions that include:

"Turkey-Killing Fowls Palin News Conference"

"Gov. Palin Apparently Oblivious to Turkey Carnage Over Her Shoulder"

"Gov. Palin Not Realizing Incongruity Of Her Words Versus Her Backdrop"

Here is the video. Even though the gruesome bits have been filtered out, it still makes me glad to be eating Tofurkey on Thursday.

The Edge of Heaven

The Edge of Heaven is a tragic geopolitical tale constructed of coincidences and missed connections that starts when Ali, an elderly Turkish widower, accidentally kills his prostitute-girlfriend. His mild-mannered son Nejat then travels to Istanbul in search of the woman's daughter Nejat. Little does he know that Nejat, a Kurdish political activist, has fled to Germany in search of her mother, where she is rescued by Lotte, a guileless German woman who becomes her lover, much to the disdain of her strict German mother. The only language Nejat and Lotte share is English, so we even get a reprieve from subtitles (who knew English would become the new Esperanto!?!) The characters' lives intersect unexpectedly and intensely. And if you are knowledgeable about European politics there is another whole subtext to the movie. This is one of the best films I have seen all year. The UK trailer is below.

Shelter Me

Shelter Me explores class conflict, religious tensions, and the struggle of coming out to parents against the backdrop of a gorgeous northern Italian town. Anna is one of the wealthy owners of her family's shoe factory. Her girlfriend, Mara, is a much younger factory worker. After a vacation in Morocco, Anna and Mara discover that a young man has stowed away in the back of their car. Anna lets him stay at her house and gives him a job. The boy, Anis, becomes a pawn in a subtle power struggle between the two women. The characters are empathetic and the interpersonal dynamics are engaging. Definitely a good netflix pick despite the sometimes plodding pace.

Be an Arts Patron

I don't usually read the Silver Spring Gazette but a poignant article caught my eye this week. It was about Patrick O'Brien, an uninsured free-lance filmmaker from New York who was diagnosed with ALS, (a.k.a Lou Gehrig's disease) in 2005 at age 30, and has been filming his experience to raise awareness of the disease and leave a legacy to his son. He continues to work on his film at his sisters' Wheaton home, titled "Everything Will Be Okay," despite the degeneration of his physical abilities. Financial troubles as well as his own mortality threaten to thwart completion of this film. You can read more here, and visit Patrick's website here to view the trailer and make a donation.

Lesbian Sweeps

I have never watched Grey's Anatomy and certainly don't plan on starting. The show that was oh so PC it fired Isaiah Washington for using the two syllable F-bomb couldn't quite bring itself to feature a lesbian couple beyond sweeps week and fired actress Brooke Smith. Lisa De Moraes of the Washington Post, who watches crappy TV so I don't have to, discusses the lesbian sweeps phenomenon here.

Another Life Saved by Girl on Girl Action

The promo for episode five of House had a much longer action scene than what actually aired. Although I don't object to any ratings ploy that involves Olivia Wilde, I do find it slightly offensive that her character's same-sex activity is portrayed as a symptom of her downward spiral. But enough of being a cranky lesbian. Here is a clip with the extended scene: