Little Pleasures

Now that the television season is pretty much over, I've started in on my (rather extensive) video library, watching a movie every night or two. I watched the Disney Aladdin on Saturday, and All About Eve last night.

Now, I'll admit that Aladdin is mere froth; there is very little substance to it. But it's fun to watch, and there are a few nice winks at the audience. One of my favorite bits comes just after "Prince Ali's" successful wooing of Jasmine, when Aladdin is having second thoughts about his dishonesty. The genie tries to congratulate him, and bursts into a momentary chorus of "Hail the Conquering Hero" - which is double-edged; the movie Hail the Conquering Hero centers on a man who is mistakenly puffed as a war hero. I love stuff like that.

All About Eve is, of course, one of Bette Davis' finest performances, and I've watched it three or four times. This time I was struck by the opening sequence, as Eve (Anne Baxter) is receiving an acting award. As the presenter praises Eve for her talent and dedication, the camera pans across Margo Channing (Davis) and Karen Richards (Celeste Holm), both of them victims of Eve's machinations. Richards' face remains in a studied blankness; Margo grimaces and drops her eyes. Just some nice, wordless work there. The scene in which Eve gets her comeuppance from a conniving critic, and the closing scene, in which the possibility arises that she'll be hoist on her own petard, are also wonderful. (What the heck, the whole thing is wonderful; snappy dialogue, twisty plotting, and fine performances by the entire cast...)

Hmm, what shall I watch tonight?

And the answer is...

Nothing. Instead of watching something tonight, I decided to tape Finding Nemo. One more for the collection... One of these days I'm going to have to see if I can recover my movies database from my old computer.

A bit of a busy day today. After looking at the Balticon schedule, I realized that I was going to have to get a watch before leaving. I don't like wristwatches; I've tried all kinds of straps, and they all chafe my wrist. What I do like are the kind that clip to your belt; I had one for quite a few years before it died on me. (Yes, I could have gotten a new battery. I have my reasons for not doing so.) I stopped by Target on the off chance that they had one, and, lo and behold, they had just gotten a small shipment in, so I was able to get one. Now I need to get a belt that fits to clip it to...

I think the swallows may have abandoned their nest. At any rate, I haven't seen them in a day or two. Rats.

I just noticed that I didn't tighten one of the nuts on the toilet enough after fixing it. Fortunately not too much of a mess - just two towels' worth of water.

Over the weekend I reread Mojo and the Pickle Jar, and I'm now in the middle of Buddy Holly Is Alive and Well on Ganymede. I bought the two at about the same time and always think of them together, and there are some interesting parallels. Maybe I'll do a compare-and-contrast later.