Wednesday, March 26, 2008

American Beauty




My favorite resignation speech in any movie is the one the Kevin Spacey character gives in American Beauty: "My job consists of basically masking my contempt for the assholes in charge, and, at least once a day, retiring to the men's room so I can jerk off while I fantasize about a life that doesn't so closely resemble Hell." It's probably the last great movie in recent history about the suburbs, that well-manicured version of purgatory. If you can't tell, I've had quite a day and am signing off for now with hopes of working on my memoir tomorrow (four pages a day! in theory at least) and writing another blog. Hope you're having a very happy Wednesday!

15 comments:

Tikilee said...

American Beauty is a great movie. I love Spacey’s blow up scene at the dinner table too. Always reminded me of a similar scene when Brando loses his cool during dinner in "Streetcar."

I think the weather is going to break soon, at least I hope. I'm working on reading "The Other Twenty Percent".

Love the pic, you look comfy.

Anonymous said...

Tubular!--Valley Girl

Jason said...

What's the other blog?

Ahh! Did you quit teaching? Heavens!

I love, love, love, American Beauty. The last time I watched was over 7 years ago. I couldn't stop crying at the end, so I haven't watched it since, but its easily one of my favorite of all time.

Anonymous said...

Delicious, healthy BANANAS!!! are only 59 cents per lb. this week at KROGERS!! Great on cereal or for a quick snack at work or anywhere!--Mr. Whipple

Anonymous said...

I like bananas. In fact, "bananas" are a kind of funny sounding name to me. So I get extra enjoyment from eating them, the bananas, I mean. If you know what I mean.--George Costanza

Anonymous said...

I made a movie called "Bananas."--Woody Allen

Anonymous said...

It was a movie in which my activist girlfriend dumped me.--Woody Allen

Anonymous said...

All of nature in connected with bananas.--Herman Northrop Frye

Anonymous said...

True.--Soren Kirkegaard

Anonymous said...

Banana frappes, anyone?--T. Pynchon

Brianinmpls said...

It is def. one of my favorite movies of all time I love the scene when he is showing her the movie he made of the bag in the wind. I don't know why but it make me cry when I watch it

Charles Gramlich said...

American Beauty is a really good movie, although I wasn't sure I'd like it before I saw it. Spacey is a tremendous actor, though. Loved him also in K-Pax

Pythia3 said...

Great movie - scary as hell though - makes me want to run very fast and very far away!
Hope your day smooths out nicely.

Anonymous said...

It all depends on the meaning of "resignation."--B. Clinton

Lana Gramlich said...

That was a heck of a movie. I love Kevin Spacey, in general.
Sorry for my recent absence again--I had some back problems that precluded me from sitting in the computer chair for long. Better now, anyway!