Well, not that anyone wants to read a blog about someone's illness, so I will keep this short. Well, the part about my illness. short. I'll keep that part short.

I have been ill now for nearly two months. I have been diagnosed with a few things, but I have not been fixed. Well I went back to the doctor today. I have atypical pneumonia... is that walking pneumonia? I am not sure. At any rate, I think it must be because he said it would not put me completely in bed like regular (laying down?) pneumonia would. I already had pneumonia this year. So here I am, the first Saturday off in a very very long time and I feel like shit.

Which brings me to the real point of this post. I am watching one of my all time favorite movies: Gosford Park.



I'm really not feeling all that well (der) so I am going to write a little plot synopsis and some photos. It's about a shooting party at an aristocrat's estate in the 1920's English country side. It's directed by Bob Altman, so you can imagine that it is full of great detail, with a great list of great character actors and so on.. There are two "levels" in the story-the upstairs (the bougies) and the downstairs (the valets, etc). There are several sub-plots, cheating wives, young aristocrats who like fucking the help, and so on... Then there is a murder, so the story evolves into this great classic murder mystery. It's a really satisfying movie. Trashy, and naughty, but really well made, with pretty people, lots of great details, the colors are nice and muted, and so on... and it's perfect to watch repeatedly when one is ill-or even once since it is a very long movie. Also one of my favorite lines in a movie ever: "Is she like affected, or is she British?"





this would be Maggie Smith, she plays my absolutely favorite character. He character is catty, manipulative, and so on. She has the best lines ever. Like when the American film producer who has been invited there by the patriarch of the family is telling everyone at the supper table about his new movie which is a murder mystery. She asks, "who did it?" and he says "Well, I wouldn't want to spoil it for anyone here". Her response to that is, "Well, no one here will see it".
Or when she is asking the actor, "Tell me, how long are you going to go on?" and then adds, "it must be hard to know when to throw in the towel"... She is just a WONDERFUL bitch. If you like Maggie Smith even slightly, and have not seen this movie- you will LOVE her in this movie.



this is Bob Altman, of course, and Emily Watson. Emily Watson is one of the best actors around.

She was in one of the most heart breaking but amazing movies I have ever seen:




Ok actually, I am just trying to put in cool little pictures in my blog now.

at any rate, so here I lie watching Gosford Park-also starring Kristin Scott Thomas, a lovely beautiful actress who I will always be in love with.