Singers & Bands, Actors & Movies
I grew up listening to The Beatles, The Eurythmics, Elton John, and Fleetwood Mac, and some Credence Clearwater Revival and Moody Blues. I still like these bands, especially The Beatles, The Eurythmics, and Elton John.
In elementary school I began listening to music of my own choosing. The first was Michael Jackson, followed by Prince. Next came Cyndi Lauper, who I was really into. I still think she's great. (I wanted my hair orange and blonde with a checkerboard shaved into one side. Mom wouldn't let me!) I also listened to Madonna.
Through high school I listened to some Led Zeppelin, XTC, Gwar, The Cure, and The Ramones, and a lot of Depeche Mode, Concrete Blonde, and Sinead O'Connor.
I still listen to all those bands occasionally - although not much Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson. During the average week, I might listen to 10,000 Maniacs, Tracy Chapman, Tanita Tikaram, Paul Simon, Aretha Franklin, Indigo Girls, The Innocence Mission, Traveling Wilburys, UB40, and Fleetwood Mac.
I also like Enya, Edie Brickell, Cowboy Junkies, The Cars, James Taylor, Peter Gabriel, and many others!
Some of my favorite movies are:
Tikaram has a wonderful, husky voice; she sings "Twist In My Sobriety," her better-known song, as well as my favorites, "Good Tradition," and "I Might Be Crying."
I would love to talk with her just to hear her voice - and to have her sing to me while we danced close...mmmmmmmm....
Ryder is just so sweet and sexy. She seems very fresh, idealisitic, determined, sincere. I liked her in "Beetlejuice," and "How to Make an American Quilt."
I've thought Barrymore was a cutie since I saw her in "E.T." when I was about seven! She's especially yummy in "Boys On the Side," which offers a good shot of her lovely twins.
Willis won me over with two of his roles. I saw him in "Twelve Monkeys," when he killed a guy by beaming him on the head with a telephone. I'm not usually into brute force, but I like a guy who will knock someone out with a phone - a PHONE!!! - to protect his love.
Then he was in the only episode of a show I saw (blonde lady and her dark-haired husband; she was having a baby and wanted her lucky necklace or ring or something). Willis was an escapee from this hospital, wearing his hospital garment and booties; Willis showed the main guy how to go through the ventilation and back corridors to find his birthing wife. I had never seen this absolutely funny side to Willis before ("Die Already!"), and it won me over. I love humor!
(Sorry I don't know the name of the show. I haven't had any television in my home since 1990. I did watch movies on my VCR until early 1998, when I put the television and the VCR in the closet. So I rarely see t.v.)
I first saw DiCaprio in "Marvin's Room," before I knew who DiCaprio was. It was supposed to be a sad movie, but for whatever reason, I thought the acting was mildly generic and overly dramatic; I laughed when I should have been crying.
Next I saw him in "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," still not knowing who he was, and not realizing he was the same boy in "Marvin's Room." I thought Ernie, the retarded boy, was played by a boy who was actually retarded. I have worked with developmentally disabled children, and DiCaprio was very convincing in his mannerisms; he even "stimmed" (self-stimulation).
When I saw "Titanic" I was moved by Cameron's magnificent vision, and his manifestation of it. I was captured by DiCaprio as Jack because he was nearly the perfect character: he was artistic, made his own way, romantic, passionate, sexual but discriminating and humane. He noticed life's intricacies and oddities, capturing them in his work (the one-legged prostitute, and Madame Bijou). He was a wanderer seeking a home, not because he was shiftless, but because the death of his parents left him without a home. He also had a good sense of humor. He was dignified yet humble (the dinner with Rose's family, including her rude mother and fiance'). He acted like a real person (remember him scratching his nose at the table?). Plus he had great lines around his mouth when he smiled, and beautiful eyes.
In writing about "Titanic," it would be unfair to leave out Kate Winslet, who played a wonderful Rose. The character Rose was impressive too - such a strong woman.
After seeing "Titanic," - and finally knowing who DiCaprio was - I was impressed by his versatility and his choice of demanding roles.
I decided to see "Total Eclipse," in which DiCaprio plays Arthur Rimbaud, real-life author of work including, "The Drunken Boat," and "The Seekers of Lice." I was impressed. Rimbaud and writer Paul Verlaine are in love with each other. (Verlaine is played by Daniel Thewlis, the lead in director Mike Leigh's "Naked". Thewlis is wonderful in "Naked," which is in itself a very dark, realisitic film tinged with humor.) Anyway, DiCaprio is convincingly passionate as the lover of Verlaine. The only silly part is the end of the movie, where DiCaprio is supposed to be in his thirties, and is wearing an obviously fake mustache. (Side note: "Total Eclipse" has a woman in it with the most amazing - and real! - breasts I have ever seen. She's got the face of a goat, but hey, she obviously wasn't cast for her face!)
Then my friend loaned me "Romeo and Juliet," which I enjoyed. It would be more of a cute love movie, except for Mercutio, whose energy is just amazing. DiCaprio and Claire Danes capture teenage love so aptly - isn't the pool scene great? I had already enjoyed reading this Shakespearean play, and I was happy to see it contextualized within current times. It's really not supposed to be a dusty piece, and the director certainly brought it to life! DiCaprio was pretty good, Danes is haunting when she lifts the gun to her head. But I loved cross-dressing Mercutio the best!
Finally I made the mistake of seeing "The Man in the Iron Mask." It was in the same category as "Marvin's Room," just another movie. I liked DiCaprio as the masked brother, but he wasn't quite naughty enough as the bad brother. And he wasn't quite pissed off enough as the masked brother. As the bad brother, I did enjoy his line, "No, I shall go to Heaven and YOU shall go to Hell, for I am KING, ordained by GOD!" (Don't you just wish you could go around saying things like that?) The worst part of "The Man in the Iron Mask" is the girl - the blonde - who the bad brother wants. She is literally one of the worst actors I've ever seen. It's painful.