August is going to be a good month

I've got lots of things planned.

1. Folk fest with visiting friend from August 6-9. This is my first Folk festival and I'm pumped to see my friend.

2. I'm reviewing plays for the Edmonton Fringe Festival from August 13-17. I will be seeing 11 plays in 4 days.

3. I head up to the Peace country on August 21 to attend the Grand Opening of the new Grande Prairie Public Library.

4. I travel around the Peace country visiting friends and doing stories for my job.


Somewhere in all of that, I will be turning 33.

Great movies- A woman under the Influence

A woman under the influence is the first Cassavetes film that I have ever seen. My ideas about Cassavetes are completely biased and built up by the Le Tigre song "What's your take on Cassavetes?"

Anyway, I have to say that I LOVED and recommend "A woman under the influence." Gena Rowlands, who was married to Cassavetes, stars as Mabel Longhetti, a woman who is suffering from mental illness. Her husband, played by Peter Falk, doesn't really know what to do with her. He loves her, but fears her strange and erratic behaviour. In some scenes, he slaps her and fights with her in a way that is hyper-realistic and disturbing. Finally, he has her committed to a mental institution.

I found this film completely realistic and hard to watch. At times, I felt like I was watching a documentary. This film is completely owned by Gena Rowlands, who delivers a fascinating and realistic portrayal of a woman with a tenuous grip on reality and social norms.

I actually had to take breaks from this film, as it sucked me in and was incredibly uncomfortable to watch.