I've been busy meeting with doctors, hearing incredibly wonderful news, feeling slightly surreal and celebrating the news with Dan.  (And with tons of emails and phone calls from Team Laura and beyond.)  So...no time for a blog the past few days.  I've been too busy doing the happy dance.

My apologies to readers who long for serious stuff: political commentary, saavy movie reviews, the odd poem or two.

That said, we did take in a movie this evening.  Public Enemies with Johnny Depp, Christian Bale and Marion Cotillard (who won an Oscar a few years back for her performance in La Vie En Rose).  I enjoyed the performances overall.  Depp has some great moments, Cotillard is wonderful.  Bale seemed a bit workmanlike in his role, but also had a few good scenes, especially when he was conflicted over methods used to "get" Dillinger.

Unfortunately, Billy Crudup was woefully miscast as J. Edgar Hoover.  And equally unfortunate is that the movie is more of a biopic than a story.  So few of the qualities that appeal most in movies are present.  There is no real story arc, no transformation of character, and really only one person with whom the viewer can readily identify--"Billie," Dillinger's onscreen girlfriend.

I also found it somewhat disturbing that in the end, I was rooting for Dillinger/Depp over Purvis/Bale.  I could have been influenced by the fact I find Depp more appealing as a person and actor...but I also believe that the movie pushes the audience to sympathize with Dillinger by romanticizing him through the vehicle of his love story with Billie.  The film also pushes the audience away from sympathizing with the FBI by emphasizing the brutality of law enforcement during the era.  I'd have to see the (longish) film again to be sure of why exactly I felt the violence done by Dillinger's gang was somehow less disturbing than the violence done by the FBI.  But I'm not sure I'll be up for that for a while.

Bottom line?  It's an interesting film with some good performances.  A good way to stay out of the summer heat, but not an Oscar contender, imho.  (Although they are going to have 10 nominees next time, so who knows?)

In the meantime, I'm taking my happy dance and going to bed.

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