Seductive Shorts / Woody Allen

Some very interesting short films, off the Sundance Film Website?
www.seductiveshorts.com

Have been watching a lot of Woody Allen lately, I am officially a huge fan, I seem to connect with his stuff on many differently levels, I find it insightful, hilarious, clever, tight, sometimes over the top but usually in good taste with a lot of tongue-in-cheek stuff, but for the most part amazing explorations into the themes of love, relationships, insecurity and other material that I don't understand yet; he 'reuses' a lot of his same cast for his earlier movies ie: Diane Keaton, Mia Farrows and more; and its great:

-Annie Hall
-Manhattan
-Hannah and her Sisters
-Sweet and Downlown
-Crimes and Misdemeanors
-Husbands and Wives
-Play it Again, Sam
-Everything You Wanted to Know About Sex but Were Afraid to Ask
-Match Point

Recently Downloaded, ready to view:
-Mighty Aphrodite
-Bullets Over Broadway
-The Purple Rose of Cairo
-Interiors
-Wild Man Blues

Have been interested in reading about the lives of 'great' people, also a great opportunity to fill in a few of the huge gaps in my knowledge of the history of the world, America etc:
-Lives and Legacies: Benjamin Franklin
-relatively concise, quite funny at times; w/out going into too much detail
-Mahatma Gandhi and his Myths
-quick, tight read

Currently reading:
-The Autiobiography of Gandhi: The Story of My Experiments with Truth
-1/3 of the way through Book II, lots of talk of vegetarianism, has begun to relate his 'hardships' with racial persecution/discrimination in India and S. Africa; reveals his unwillingness to lie, cheat, willingness to endure some degree of 'suffering' to stand up for his 'rights'.
-Lolita by Nabokov (amazing writer, hilarious brilliant sentences, can't believe that English is second language, the author was originally from St. Petersburg, Russia).
-Miles by Miles Davis
-a fun read so far, halfway through

Next?:
-Autobiography of Ben Franklin and Other Writings
-The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins
-more Nabokov? (recommended to check out 'Pale Flame' and 'Nidin')
-McSweeney's ?
-Stealing God's Thunder (more Ben Franklin)
-Einstein in Love (would like to read more about him)
-

Finished 'A Picture of Dorian Gray' by Oscar Wilde a few months ago.
Currently reading: Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse

Casino Royale

-Daniel Craig is a great, very interesting feel about the whole movie
-enjoyed it very much

The Prestige

-not bad
-a bit contrived but exciting enough

Borat

-only okay, his show is better
-cannot believe the hype surrounding this movie

The Departed

-cool, fast, sexy, edgy: did not disappoint despite 3 weeks of hype

Recent Movies:

The Descent
-amazing, disturbing horror/suspense movie from the UK. brilliant. in the same vein as '28 days later'. watched it with Jenny.

Monster House
-watched it with Dellea; the most fun I've had at the movies in a long time; ending was a bit cheesey/disappointing but the whole film was worth it.

Brick (2005)
-watched it with Dellea on her recommendation; had trouble understanding the plot and also appreciating/caring for the significance of the protagonist's actions. Done in the Noir Style, therefore felt awkward, might be better the second time keeping this in mind.


You and Me and Everyone We Know (2005)
-my second time watching this movie. It is even more gorgeous this time around. I want to write Miranda July and tell her how much I loved it. There are 'poop' references. ))<>((


Bubble (2005)
-interesting, good movie.

recent reads of notable interest in the last 15 - 24 months, not in any particular order:

Saturday by Ian McEwan
The Motorcycle Diaries by Che Guevara
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath
Grimus by Salman Rushdie
Siddhartha by Herman Hesse
Narcissus and Goldmund by Herman Hesse
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Lucky by Alice Sebold
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggars
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood
Jarhead by Anthony Swofford
The Virgin Suicides by Jeffery Eugenides
Middlesex by Jeffery Eugenides
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Shortcuts by Raymond Carver
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver
Will You Please Be Quiet Please by Raymond Carver

Currently reading:

A Portrait of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde