Why it is your womanly duty to go see The Women

I know we are all aflutter about this Friday's release of the Coen Brothers new sure-to-be-a-hit movie Burn After Reading. However, I'd like to give you another reason to go to the cinema this weekend–your feminist duty. Though the previews give you no hint of this, there is something very special about The Women. This movie boasts an all-female cast, literally. Not a single Y-chromosome appears on screen for the entire one hour and fifty-four minutes. As I'm sure you realize, this is quite a feat.

The Women is a remake of the 1939 film based on the 1936 play by Clare Booth Luce. An intimate examination of women's relationships, the original was penned with much disdain for the pampered lives of society women. I can only hope that this update truly is refreshed from a modern (or perhaps post-modern) perspective. I can definitely appreciate how an almost universal experience, like the two-timing husband, can serve as a pivotal moment to illuminate the many strengths and weaknesses of female friendships. If handled without sensitivity though, it could come across as an extended cat fight, a dramatized stereotype claiming that women's lives revolve around men.

Dianne English (writer/director/producer) has been trying to get this movie done for most of the nineties. The studio is probably thinking that now may be the perfect time for a release such as this. Coming off the great success of the Sex and the City full-length feature as well as Mamma Mia, movies for women don't seem as silly anymore, do they? However, The Women runs the risk of losing its impact, giving off the appearance that it is simply jumping on the bandwagon. And without a genuine, compelling campaign to support it, I'm worried The Women may get lost in the shuffle. The ads scream out to us, pleading "Get your friends together to celebrate...The Women." It almost comes across as desperate, which is why I am here now, pleading to you. Do get some friends together. Do go see The Women. You can even go with me if you're in the Chicago area. Then tell me what you think. After all, sexism is a hot topic right now. I believe it is our duty to remain a part of the conversation.

The Whirlwind Adventures of the Whimsical Trio

I'm a horrible blogger. It's been over 3 months. You could blame it on the weather. It's this deadening force that sucks you up into a cyclone of scarves and wool and throws you into hibernation. Friendships, grocery shopping, dating-- all become impossible. All that is possible is Netflix and delivery Thai food. The writers' strike certainly didn't help things. And all the shitty movies in February and March. Battlestar waits just until it is pleasant enough for me to want to go outside to start the final season. But, as far as I can tell, there is nothing more exhilarating than the hint of Spring on the horizon after 5 months of peeking out from under my toboggan. When the sun is out, the city feels like one big smile. The lonely crowd finds a common cause, a shared joy. Winter itself seems to be something you suffer alone, but Spring is a cause for celebration, an excuse for human contact.

I made it to Vegas in January again this year to spend a week with family and slot machines. I thought this would be enough of a winter escape. I was quite wrong and by March I found myself on Southwest and American Airlines everyday searching for someplace, anyplace that I could run off to. Just for a weekend. Get a quick dose of Vitamin D then back to the city. I was becoming obsessed. Finally the pressure cracked and I booked a flight to Fayetteville for Easter weekend, to see my ladies (and a few gentlemen I am fond of). I had a glorious time and celebrated the Sun (on the weekend of the Son) with games of frisbee and washers. Two days later my mother and brother came to Chicago for a visit, which was also great even if cold and windy.

Then circumstances grabbed hold and I found myself in need of an emergency visit to Savannah, Georgia. Lily and .beth. were both accepted to the Savannah College of Art and Design (for M.F.A.s in Painting and Illustration respectively). And the decision had to be made before May 1st, when the deposits are due. So I spent M,T,W of last week in Savannah with the girls and Jonathan. Savannah is so Old South, dreamy and beautiful. We had a great time. But Lily was also accepted to the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, and she traveled to the great cold North immediately after Georgia. I went back to Chicago for 24 hours then took a night bus to Minneapolis to meet her and visit our good friend Adam. While we were there, we visited 2 museums, saw two plays, and one jazz concert. The people at the school were so helpful and I feel like we really have all the information we need now. I have a feeling Lily will wake in the middle of the nite soon with a decision she reached unconsciously. I trust her subconscious though. It knows what she needs.

Saturday nite I took another bus back to Chicago, caught a three hour nap, then made it to Doug's play Visions of Kerouac, in which he played Jack himself. I was really proud of him. It was the best thing he has ever done.

Now, I'm over-cultured and over-traveled and ready to stay put in my city as the sun comes up. I might even buy groceries this week.

Archies 2007: Top o' the World

In an effort to perpetuate a new tradition cooked up by a respected former professor, I am compiling my list for the 2007 Archies, a list of the top things (however many) in your world for the year of 2007.
The Archies: The Top 45 Things In The World, 2007

45. Human Weapon
44. Boots
43. August: Osage County
42. Raspberry Lattes
41. The Quote Couch, and all those weekends I spent on it at Andi's while adjusting to being graduated
40. Friends who cook me Thanksgiving Dinner
39. Fluffy Snow
38. 500 Clown
37. Grey's Anatomy
36. Free admission at the MCA
35. Thai Food
34. Southwest Rapid Rewards
33. Olympic Sculpture Park
32. Tim Hawkinson
31. Dark Chocolate and Red Wine
30. Battlestar Gallactica
29. DVR
28. Visitors and Visiting
27. Lunch with my Ladies
26. Michael Cera
25. Arguing with Douglas
24. Online Shoe Shopping
23. Chicago Card
22. Las Vegas
21. Las Vegas (I went twice. Going again in a couple of weeks.)20. Denver Art Museum
19. Zipcar
18. Helvetica: The Movie17. Trade Gothic (The Font Family)
16. The Field Museum
15. Dance Parties
14. Packages
13. Google Maps
12. Sweeney Todd
11. Frozen Yogurt
10. Christmas Trees
9. Health Insurance
8. Gainful Employment
7. Fabulous New Albums (Tori Amos, Rilo Kiley, Kanye West)
6. The Sparrow
5. Ingrid Michaelson
4. Juno
3. Harry Potter
2. iPhone
1. The 10,000+ miles of Arkansas, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Mexico, Oregon, Washington, Canada, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Oklahoma that Lily and I (and sometimes Jacob) traveled on the famed Road Trip of 07. Look for a new exotic destination to top this list next year, as the threesome's travels are never over.