When Harry Met Sally...

Recent BS (or experience depending on how you look at it) has had me thinking about "friendships". The scene below from "When Harry Met Sally" comes to mind. Before Carrie Bradshaw had something to say about relationships, Meg Ryan starred in a few romantic comedies and sometimes she wasn't annoying. Sometimes she was even involved in memorable conversations.

So, can men and women be friends? I personally think so but evidence doesn't always suggest it. Anyway, Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan tried to answer that question in 1989. I was 10 years old and didn't realize the significance of the question nor the difficulty that would ensue when I tried to come up with and live with the answer myself.

Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends.
Sally Albright: Why not?
Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and this is not a come-on in any way, shape or form - is that men and women can't be friends because the sex part always gets in the way.
Sally Albright: That's not true. I have a number of men friends and there is no sex involved.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: No you don't.
Sally Albright: Yes I do.
Harry Burns: You only think you do.
Sally Albright: You say I'm having sex with these men without my knowledge?
Harry Burns: No, what I'm saying is they all WANT to have sex with you.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: They do not.
Harry Burns: Do too.
Sally Albright: How do you know?
Harry Burns: Because no man can be friends with a woman that he finds attractive. He always wants to have sex with her.
Sally Albright: So, you're saying that a man can be friends with a woman he finds unattractive?
Harry Burns: No. You pretty much want to nail 'em too.
Sally Albright: What if THEY don't want to have sex with YOU?
Harry Burns: Doesn't matter because the sex thing is already out there so the friendship is ultimately doomed and that is the end of the story.
Sally Albright: Well, I guess we're not going to be friends then.
Harry Burns: I guess not.
Sally Albright: That's too bad. You were the only person I knew in New York.

If I gain any more insight than that, I'll let you folks who read this know. For now, the answer I have is yes, but in some cases only if they are not totally honest with each other. The honesty I'm referring to means that Harry is right and changes the answer to a no.

I think I can sing...

Unfortunately I missed the first hour of "American Idol" this evening. It is unfortunate because this first 15 minutes of the 2nd hour have been hilarious. I am amazed at how crazy and deaf these people are. I also can't believe that their friends and family are so mean or tone deaf that they let the idiots go through with it. Seriously, some of these folks sing a lot worse than me and I don't have the audacity to go audition. I can't say the thought hasn't crossed my mind because it would put me in the room with Simon which I would find somewhat exhilarating considering he is one reason I even watch the show. Still, though I'm willing to be a fool for love every once in a while, I'm not willing to be that much of a fool! I'd rather just laugh from the comfort of my own home.

Looks like it is going to be a fun season. Encore!

Munich

Munich is critically acclaimed and has been hailed as a wonderful film. For me, it was less than wonderful. Admittedly, I was tired and stayed up past my recent bed time to watch the drama unfold, so I ended up dozing off for moments at a time. Can I review I movie I fell asleep in? Perhaps I missed the one thing that would have made it so amazing. By the reaction of the people I saw it with, that isn't the case. "Munich" is 2 hours and 44 minutes long and seems 3 hours long. Recently, many studios have allowed the run-time of major pictures to well exceed 2 hours. If compelling enough, a view can watch a 3 hour film and not realize that much time has passed. In this case, for me, it was apparent. I feel strange saying something negative about a Speilberg film and about a film that carries such an important and tragic event to the screen.

Performances were strong. I hadn't researched much prior to arriving at the theater and was pleasantly surprised to see Geoffrey Rush in a sizable role. Eric Bana was excellent in his portrayal of an assassin. The story is interesting especially the news footage at the beginning. Having not lived during this time, I found it to be very compelling. At some point the film just lost momentum for me and I think looking more directly at the politics rather than indirectly as I feel it did, the film may have been more interesting. I expected more of a direct message.

Overall, "Munich" is worth watching. I just think there is too much hype about it and since I can, say that here.

I apologize if this review is somewhat weak. I saw it a few days ago and am in the middle of writing something else so this was just a quick break for me. :)

Have a great weekend.

Just for Fun...

There is no important content in this post, purely silly. Below is a link to a quick test that answers the age old question "Who is your 80's hearthrob?"

Your 80s Heartthrob Is

Michael J. Fox

Who's Your 80's Heartthrob?

I can definitely say that Alex P. Keaton would not have been a crush of mine but Michael J. Fox is acceptable. :)

Good Night, and Good Luck

Surprise! I went to the movies today. I also read for quite a while and cleaned up around the house. It was pretty much a regular Sunday except that I went to the movies which I haven't done on a Sunday morning in quite a while. It was nice to wake up on the first day of the year with a clear head and this marks the first time since I turned 21 that it has happened that way. I watched the disappointing "Dick Clark's New Year's Rockin' Eve" program for about 15 minutes last night, just to see the ball drop and retired to bed shortly after that happened. It was profound seeing and hearing the post-stroke version of Clark because he was so unchanging for so many years. I'm not a Dick Clark fan, but there is something impacting about seeing someone's health so decline.

One of the books I'm currently reading (I have little self-control at times and begin 3 or 4 books almost simultaneously--very ineffective in reading books to completion) is Freakonomics. I don't typically read business or econ books but it was lent to me by a friend and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'm about half-way through and have been entertained as well as informed. Check it out if you're interested.

Before you realize that I'm quite boring lately, on to the film. "Good Night, and Good Luck" is George Clooney's film that looks at the McCarthy era through the eyes of the CBS newsroom, very specifically the eyes of Fred Friendly and Edward R. Murrow. Murrow's closing phrase is "Good Night, and Good Luck" and David Strathairn delivers this line and all others with lovely precision. If you are interested in this period of our history at all, the news, or an interesting film, see this one. It is short at 1.5 hours. George Clooney's maturing career as a true filmmaker is evident here with a very serious project that sheds light on a dark period for the US for those of us who were not around to see the newscasts when they occurred the first time. The film re-enacts actual news programs as well as gives insight into the decision-making process of constructing the shows. The incorporation of real raw footage and the actor's portrayals was interesting and flawless.

Good night and good luck to you.