miss pettigrew

I just caught Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day again on cable and am once again amazed at what a real gem his film is. It's not exactly news that Frances McDormand, Amy Adams and Ciarán Hinds are all great actors, but they all blend beautifully together and successfully bring London pre-WWII to life.

As we all tighten our belts in the current economy - some harder hit than others - it really resonated to watch Miss Pettigrew, who was literally starving, navigate her way through a series of parties, all the while trying to protect the interests of her flibbertigibbet and new charge, Delysia Lafosse. It's easy to forget how people struggled, and what owning just one pair of shoes, one coat, one dress, meant. It was also very satisfying to see that Hinds's character didn't react differently to Miss Pettigrew after her "transformation." Cinderella was just as interesting and attractive to the prince when she was covered in ashes.

If you get a chance, watch (or rewatch) this film. It's a true delight.

night at the Smithsonian

We caught the new Night at the Museum flick recently at the Smithsonian in IMAX. What fun. I would have enjoyed it anyway, but working at the Smithsonian gave me some extra laughs and cringes and shrugs. The best Smithsonian moment was when the Air & Space museum came alive, although I had to look the other way at the "new" graphics on the front of the building. But no matter.

There was just enough Robin Williams as Theodore Rex, monkey slapping, and Easter Island "dum-dumming" to go around, as well as some new tricks. Ben Stiller was great, and I think the film is even better than the first one, although that may be because I've only probably seen that one about fifty times (or it just seems that way), so novelty is always refreshing...

Owen Wilson is still my favorite tiniest cowboy, Amy Adams as Amelia Earheart gives Stiller a run for his money, but Hank Azaria is absolutely brilliant as the "bad" Pharaoh, speaking for some reason in a pseudo-Boris Karloff voice and just having the best time ever. As did we. If you catch it at the Smithsonian, Madame Tussauds has leant a few wax figures as an extra treat.