louise on the left (coast)

Hannah and Her Sisters , by Woody Allen.   It may be my favorite film of his, let alone of all time. Story centers around several members of Hannah's family, who unite at Thanksgiving. To be honest, it's during another Thanksgiving scene in the film that I find most moving, but I couldn't find it on YouTube.   If you haven't seen this film, yet.  What can I say?  Do.   It's wonderful.  You don't even have to love NYC, although it certainly helps if you do. Here's the opening clip of Hannah ... justifying it's presence on my holiday-themed film clip list.

- over the river. and through the woods. to grandmother's house we go suburb. Fair Oaks. We started in the day before Thanksgiving post-fire rainstorm. Car packed to the gills with too many clothes and car-fun items. Too little sleep. Family gathering of 35+ await us after spending the day on the 5. The way to Grandmothers house was strewn with doll parts. Cactus plants. Power lines. Cars. Peeing in soggy, crowded Del Tacos. Homeless lying impossibly under rain-soaked blankets in the back of fast food restaurants somewhere south of Gilmore. Anderson Pea Soup. Almost there. But not quite. Patience is a virtue. Patience. Like the farm animals who still nibble for something green at the foot of scorched hills. Blackened posts man fields of barren land. Lone power lines the only sign of life past the grey smudge of a horizon. We note the amount of drivers who brazenly talk on cell phones while driving. We count Obama stickers. Note the absence of McCai...

Tomorrow we all four pile into my cozy van and drive straight up the center of California to the city of Fair Oaks, for a big family Thanksgiving visit with husband's family. It's a large gathering and we will have about 30+ people for Thanksgiving dinner. Lots of family love and laughter. Seriously, what could go wrong? And so, in light of the advent of our entire holiday season, I am embarking on my own holiday salute. Louise's Holiday Film Clips . (All courtesy of YouTube.) Tonight, the night before the day before Thanksgiving I salute: Planes, Trains and Automobiles.

If you have to spend time at home with family this Christmas, and that doesn't always sound like the easiest thing to do -- and --- If you and your spouse don't always see eye to eye with each other about the kids and your parents, then here's your movie. Dennis Leary and Judy Davis aren't just funny, they're razor sharp-hilarious in this film.   In my personal best movies book, this one is a classic.  But, you do have to have a cynical side to enjoy it.  If you are zen and yoga and light and love, then this probably isn't your kind of flick.   But, if you find family issues as thorny and challenging as I do, then I highly recommend this movie. Let me put it like this, when it came out it made me laugh so much I actually went out to buy a copy. And that was when one bought them as tapes. As in VHS. That was then, this is YouTube.

Lucinda Williams played at The Wiltern last night. It was the last stop on her long tour promoting her newest CD Little Honey , and yet, she sounded as strong and real as if it were their first show out. I've seen her shows before, and I can tell you that her voice is even mightier now than it was in the past. She's expanded the intensity her range both musically and artistically. And talk about power. She's got it in spades, let me tell you. This woman is my inspiration for how to Not Go Gently Into That Good Night. But, meet every stage of our journey with grace, love and a deep appreciation for what is good about this Sweet Old World . Anyone who had wanted to be there, but couldn't make it? Well, sorry, but, you missed a fine night of great of great roots, rock 'n roll. Forgot to mention that she was joined for a few songs by Matthew Sweet and Susanna Hoffs (who, for the record, has much better legs than Matthew.) for a cover of Cinnamon Girl . ( Ma...

I'm very proud to know people like the ones who made this video -- People who have the courage to walk the walk and talk the talk, the kind of people who are willing to stand up for justice. I don't want to know the haters, I want to know the people who stand up for what they believe and aren't afraid of their own uniqueness. Those are the people I want to know. What makes America great is our very spirit of mandating equality and freedom for all which is the heart of what I am most proud of about being American. It is this fighting desire for a common equality that I love about America, but it requires a very important quality -- that we continue to keep our hearts and minds open. If this process stops, if we throw in the towel toward and give in to religious fundamental dogma, then we are doomed. Doesn't anyone take history anymore? Closed minds miss the boat when they refuse accept the one quality which will keep us alive, prosperous and relevant -- to recog...

And we didn't burn up, our neighbors did. And last night the show did go on.  And today it will, too. My daughter is more stressed by her homework than the air quality, so that is a pretty good barometer of how life just goes on in California. I should add that this doesn't mean I don't feel horrible about our neighbors houses going up in smoke, we all do. I find it horrific. And it's mind numbing. We go outside, cough, and try to ignore that we're inhaling someone's apartment complex on the way to work. We turn on the TV and watch the virtual fireplace in our livingroom, and have to work hard to keep in mind this is not fake, but, is, in fact, a very real part of our own county burning. It happens so often, here in California. Disaster seems like it's part of the culture here. "Oh, a fire is burning in so-and-so's neighborhood." "Oh, the ground is moving. So what? I've seen worse. See you tomorrow. same time, same place....