The whole nation (the US of A) celebrated Thanksgiving, a commemoration of the feast shared by the Pilgrims and Indians that has now become "a great time to be with family" (which is a unique idea in this country of isolation and independence) and to cut up several instances of meleagris gallopavo (pronounced: mel-e-ay-gris gal-low-pay-voe) yesterday. As is always the case, history textbooks have toned down the true nature of the 'feast' and its aftermath (a subsequent slaughter of the Indians) -- like inmates taking over the asylum -- which makes the festival like celebrating the war of Vietnam with a float parade. Today (Friday) kicks off the pre-Christmas shopping season, with fantastic[sic] offers at stores in the early hours of the morning. All chain stores offering electronics, home products and clothing will be packed with people from all classes of society walking about with overstuffed large shopping carts standing in line to charge obscene amounts to their credit cards and then dump their wares into owned/rented/borrowed SUVs and RVs. Squak!
Last year I got my first pairs of American shoes: a pair of Adidas sports made in China and a pair of Skechers. {reference | reference}
I celebrated[sic] Thanksgiving with TNN's Bond movie marathon (yes, being a good couch potato -- which is what I probably would have done even back home) and listening to music. Dinner at a friend's place in the evening ensured that I got my supply of seasonal turkey.
Caught The Others (and special features) on Wednesday. Can't talk too much about the dynamics of the plot of this excellent 'haunted house' nugget without spoiling the nifty twist. There's a strong competitor in The Sixth Sense, which had a bigger budget and still ended up looking cheaper (remember the boom mike hanging down in one of the scenes?). The other competitor is a perhaps obscure British film called Haunted. Great performances enhance the creepy atmosphere of this artsy atmospheric scare-a-do as do the location (Spain), the technical contingent and the music (composed by director Alejandro -- pronounced a-la-haan-dro -- Amenábar himself). I loved the kids and their dialogue. Besides, I have a soft corner for talented foreign filmmakers who make English films -- their work affords the language a respect and dignity that English/American-speaking directors often miss out on, taking it for granted. Other examples include Michaelangelo Antonioni's Blowup and Truffaut's Fahrenheit 451.
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