Black Friday Blues and Safety Orange

In previous years I had scoffed and the consumerist fools who lined up before dawn for day after Thanksgiving bargains. But this year I couldn't resist joining in. It was Best Buy's $229 laptop and printer bundle that got to me. It turns out that the only consumerist fool is a fool that returns to bed empty handed after dragging her ass out of a warm house at 3 a.m. only to find that she's about 2 hours too late to get her quarry. Speaking of quarry, there was one guy near the front of the line wearing safety orange winter hunting gear. I guess next time I do the Black Friday thing, I'll need to approach it with that safety orange mindset.

The good news of Black Friday, one that's a bit more familiar to someone who prefers black clothes to safety orange camo, is that I saw a fine film at the Ritz. Margo at the Wedding was the first artsy and not bloody movie I've seen in months. Although initially I was a little put off by the photography (at first I was like, is this a 70s flashback or more Hal Ashby wannabe madness?), I kind of got used to it and came to appreciate the available light thing since it fit with the familial themes. The whole cast was excellent, especially the children. That Nicole Kidman may look like a Barbie Doll on the red carpet, but when it comes to choosing interesting roles and bringing them to life, she makes other stars look like molded plastic.

After a major holiday, seeing a movie about a family that's way more screwed up than mine is a refreshing tonic. This is the kind of family comedy that would have me rolling on the floor with laughter if I didn't think people would look at me and go "God, if she thinks that's funny, her childhood must have been hell." I think the story kind of freaked out the woman sitting next to me.

During the post movie discussion--this movie should really get people talking--someone asked whether anyone knew any people who were as screwed up as some of the characters in this movie. Er, well...not quite.