Friday, May 25, 2007

Non-archaeological post

One of the best movies and soundtracks ever made: O Brother, Where Art Thou?



I'd heard about this movie for a while and one day up and rented it, even though I didn't know squat about it. So I'm watching the opening scenes and credits when up comes a line about it being based on "The Odyssey of Homer".

"WHA?"

Nearly every scene is an absolute gem. Funny all the way through. My Odyssey memory is a tad fuzzy but the "based on" is accurate. The cyclops! The sirens! (I should say, the "Si-reens") There are no doubt more bits and pieces thrown in, but I can't think of them offhand, plus I haven't watched it in a while. I caught a bit of it on TV the other day, and I've been listening to the CD lately.

"R-U-N-N O-F-T"

I went home and rented it for my dear old southern dad -- Rest his soul -- to watch, and he just sat there the whole time with a big grin on his face.

The soundtrack is a good listen, too, if you're into that sort of music at all. They did something of a followup CD and PBS special on the "roots music" in it, which I watched, but didn't buy. I could do without the first track, although the rock-smacking does send one of my cats into fits of wariness.

Anyway, don't know how much posting will be done over the long weekend, but who knows, we-who-have-no-life may end up throwing stuff in.