Latest Film Seen:

Man on Wire

Usually, when a film comes highly recommended by A. O. Scott, I know to stay as far away as humanly possible. But a weird thing happened. I watched this documentary, and thought it was the most delightful thing.

Now, you might not think the story of a Parisian street juggler would be that interesting. And in most cases, I would be tempted to agree with you, but this is no ordinary street juggler. Philippe Petit is a juggler, magician, and high wire walker with an odd sense of humor and a bizarrely happy accent. You might recall his memorable turn at the Oscars earlier this year, accepting his trophy with flair.

Check him out in this horrible resolution clip below. (The official Oscar people wouldn’t let me embed, as usual.)

But don’t let his inability to balance the Oscar on his chin fool you. This man is a talented artist who just happened to be a little… well… crazy, as the film so deftly showed.

Centered on Mr Petit’s dream of walking across a tight rope strung between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York, this little documentary somehow managed to combine so many great things into one 90 minute package. You might almost mistake it for any engaging story about how if we try hard enough, anything is possible. Except this tale is real. Plus, because we see him narrating from the beginning, we need not fear that there will be a gruesome scene detailing exactly what happens when a human skull is accelerated by gravity for 100+ floors. Oddly, this doesn’t seem to take away from the suspense of the retelling. Complete with random nudity and a pretty soundtrack, what more do you want in a world of non-fiction?

Lots of happy smilies for this little film.

“Always is broken leg or broken head….” Does that sound like your idea of a fun pastime? Apparently some crazy Czech guys think so. I’m not making this up. The New York Times says it’s true.

If they miss the landing — which is not uncommon — they plummet into the wall of the base tower.

“Jumping requires fearlessness, a fair amount of agility, and a high threshold for pain,” Prochazka said. “Broken ribs and damaged spines are fairly common.”

NYT doesn’t seem to understand the power of viral advertising, and stubbornly doesn’t want to let me embed, but trust me on this one. The video is hilarious. Go ahead, watch it! It definitely improved the quality of my life!

Or, you can watch this very accurate reenactment courtesy of Paulm.

Today, I saw this adorable puppy while shopping in SoHo. I could relate to her laziness right away, and we became fast friends.

Speaking of laziness, I have another movie to add to the To Review List: After the Wedding, which I saw at Mimi’s last weekend. More later. Really.

Movie #1:

The Illusionist

Guess what I watched last weekend? The Illusionist. Kind of reminds us of The Prestige, but with the added advantage of not having Scarlett Johansson. More on this development later. Right now, more House.

I can’t decide if I didn’t post because I was busy, or if I didn’t post because I had spent too much time watching House and not enough time seeing new movies. But today, I was to share something special with you, dear friends. Yes, so special that it comes in YouTube form. Go ahead, click play.

And maybe a little later, I’ll post about my thoughts and feelings on Changeling.