Too Late for Tears (1949) Review SPOILER ALERT



This movie poster showcases a hard to watch scene that was iconic to the film.

This classic film noir directed by Byron Haskin features a cast of actors I've never come across before. The premise seems very simple at first. A bag of $60,000 is mistakenly dropped into the back of a married couple's convertible and the man it was meant for (Don DeFore) comes after them to get his dough back. What's unusual is the wife's reaction to the money (Lizabeth Scott).

Jane Palmer (Lizbeth Scott) showing her husband what was in the suitcase mistakenly dropped into their car.

***Spoilers Begin Now***















I was quite shocked how easily the wife changed from a nervous, seemingly good wife to such a ruthless killer. No one and nothing is more important to her than the money, that's including her husband whom she seemed to genuinely love even up to the fateful boat ride. In order to keep the money she allowed herself to flirt with and kiss another man, kill her husband, kill the other man who came after her for the money, and plot to kill her sister-in-law.

Jane Palmer ruthlessly killing her husband

I'll admit she was pretty smart for most of the plot, but what was really jarring and out of place for me was her innocent and genuine smile. Perhaps it was done on purpose to show a new style of femme fatale or perhaps the actor didn't give a quite perfect performance. However, I still liked it- in that it caused the movie to be different. I especially enjoyed Lizbeth Scott's voice. It was very reminiscent of Lauren Bacall's.

An example of the same smile Lizbeth Scott used in this film

In the end, the title was very fitting. She made decisions so fast she didn't have time to cry over what she had done or feel any remorse for the murders she committed. I think this is a very entertaining movie. Let me know in the comments what you think of it!

Taiwan Blog

Just to let you know I'm going to be posting at my blog for Taiwan from now until I come back in December! : http://www.racheltaiwan.blogspot.com

Je Je Je-jeee-je

Totally unfinished:

smells like Autumn
cool air
a tingle
natural in my skin

twice pierced
skin like mine
hair like yours
i just want to touch
things the same again

since September
reminds me
of silver acorns
on a chain
hand walks in
crumpled leaves

stop to breath
the books and
the birds
walks warm in your hand
face cool to my cheek

both wanting to talk
but hating to care
hearts as hard as the paths they chose

But I didn't touch a pig!

Hey so life has gotten pretty busy pretty fast. Mid-August I found a dance partner and we practiced every night for the team tryouts in September. My goal was just to make Pre-C. I wanted to go to team lessons so bad! Drama eventually ensued and I switched partners a week before tryouts- this time I was confident we'd make the team. And September 15th we did our best and somehow we made it!!!!! :D You can check out a few videos of the tryouts at this link:

http://www.youtube.com/user/RachelC813

So anyways, I'm EXTREMELY excited. My life right now is work and dance- and that's a good thing. :) I just hope I improve fast.

I got a project on the side: I have two latin dresses and I have pretty much nothing for standard (waltz, tango, etc) so I bought a pattern, a sewing machine and I'm making a standard dress. I'll put pictures up as soon as I finish. I got a friend from work (Julie) helping me- she makes costumes from the 1800s and early 1900s. In fact I modeled one of her costumes recently for a photoshoot. Another Rachel and I went out on a canoe at sunset and Julie and her dad were in a second canoe taking photos. It's traditional film so it'll be a while before we get to see the results. However, I got her to take some digital photos of us- it's up on facebook for you to see.

Other than that life is normal. Some drama...which I'm not posting on the internet, and some sickness. It happened Friday and somehow I'm thinking it's the swine flu :(. At least I'm not throwing up- that's the worst. So I couldn't go into work and I'm home for the weekend. It kinda worked out for the best since I wouldn't have time to go home otherwise. Things get really busy at the bakery in the fall up through Christmas so I'm working pretty much everyday and I need the money so I don't want to ask for time off.

And the final bit of news: I'm taking a couple Chinese classes this semester! :) Yeah I know I'm a #2 alright, but I really love languages and this is a perfect opportunity to get fluent in one! Plus Chinese is pretty useful. So I'm not feeling guilty. What's really cool is that I actually can speak Chinese to customers and they're pretty friendly about it! One of them taught me how to say : Would you like a slice of bread? (Ni3 yao4 yi1 pian1 mian1 bao3 ma?) (The numbers indicate what tone you say each word in.)

PS- Aaron got a betta fish for his birthday and I'm super excited. I normally don't like fish :embarassed:

TTFN!

English Country Dance

So I just had the craziest, adventurous evening of my life (so far)!!! A friend from work invited me to go to her dance club tonight---and the dance of choice=English Country Dance...aka. what they do in Pride and Prejudice, etc!!!!! My first impression of the dance (from tv) was that it looked boring because you didn't have as much one-on-one contact with your partner as I was used to. Going into the club house and watching the end of a dance changed my mind completely. It was so fascinating and looked really fun. I was amazed that everyone knew where to move because it's an intricate group dance, and I was psyched that I was doing something Jane Austen used to do.

But I'm getting ahead of myself...the adventure happened on the way to the club house. I, not having a car, chose to bike and take the bus... at least that was the plan until construction on Maiden Lane foiled it!!! So the bus stop I was meant to take was not operating and, being lost, I biked the rest of the way. Correction: I got lost two times. So I'm on my merry way, thinking that I'll be late but at least I'll be there and it wasn't exactly my fault Google can't tell you where construction is. I realize I left my waterbottle at home and I am DEAD thirsty. So I bike until I see a gas station, lock my bike's wheels up and go in to buy a bottle of water. When I come out, my bike is GONE. One of the mechanics says: "Sorry 'bout that- it was his idea" before I can do a double take. Turns out they just wanted to play a prank on me and teased me for locking up my bike (with two locks) when their gas station is apparently safer than anything (according to them). They were friendly guys, though, so I didn't get mad. It was nice to be able to voice my frustration at having to bike all the way when I wasn't sure how far it would be.

So I got my water, I'm biking across the street and I go over bumps all the time.. you can't avoid them (just the small ones). And as I bump off the part where the sidewalk meets the road ... my right pedal falls off! So I'm gliding along from the momentum and my brake doesn't work because I lost that pedal (it's a primitive bike). So I use my feet to stop it, go get the pedal FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE ROAD and try to screw it back on. It wouldn't let me get it back even half way... so it's barely hanging on by a few rings and I get back on... pedal again. I'm fine for a while, but four more times this happens and finally I said ....well... and walked the bike the rest of the way. I was getting close to being there by the time I gave up on the pedal so it wasn't too bad. Oh... and I had to change my shoes on the way because the ones I were wearing weren't meant for long distance walking.

Besides that, I got sprayed two or three times by sprinklers spraying into the sidewalk area and my skirt got caught in the bike's wheel and got all muddy.

:sigh:

But it was a blast when I got there. Everyone was friendly, and guys were clamoring to be my partner (and that doesn't exactly happen at Open Dance). There was a live group playing music: a violinist, a clarinetist, and a pianist, and one person was designated the "caller" for each dance. He/she would walk us through the dance by giving instructions as we moved, and the set of moves is repeated down the line of people.

I had a really good time. :) I really felt like I was in Pride and Prejudice. I started imagining everyone in Regency dress (tell me if I get the era wrong), and the actual dancing was fun. It was a relief not to worry about my technique or my frame.

Rachel, Amanda, I wish I knew about this club when we were living together. I think you two would've loved it. Maybe not as much as if you were in the 1700s and you were dancing with people your own age (it attracted a more elderly group), but I think you would have liked to try it once just because.

But the night ended well. The pedal's still off my bike but I got a ride home and now I'm writing this entry up for y'all. And I assume someone else had a good night because as I was walking up to my room, a non-female came out of the bathroom in a towel and went into one of my housemate's room. O.O

Here's a video example on youtube of English Country Dancing: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lghNoyVe-2o

It might not look like much but you have to be there to really experience it.

If you just realize what I just realized...

Hey y'all! I thought I should update, since it's been a while. I'm still working at the bakery. Two weeks ago was the anniversary of when this specific store opened so we had a week-long celebration sale, which translated into more hours for me :)....and, subsequently, a cold the following week. I was really scared because the symptoms felt just like mono- AND I DO NOT WANT IT AGAIN!!! I don't think you can get it again either... but all the same I was worried. Luckily, I've pulled through, although I'm still suffering from some post-nasal drip.

Something interesting that's happened is that Steve and Susan, the ballroom coaches apparently know my name!!! Surprising, since I haven't had the best of luck with partners and haven't actually made it past the newcomer division. :'( But they singled me out a few times in class to answer questions or tell me what I'm doing wrong. It's exciting! That must mean I'm not a horrible dancer, if they noticed me (I hope). But right now we're learning technique as opposed to steps, and it is hard! But worth it!

So A. came back from Taiwan, and brought back a farmer's hat (the one in my picture)... just like I wanted!! It is sooo cute, but I look like a dork in it because this is not Taiwan and I'm not a farmer! Very good for keeping my face out of the sun, however.

I tried taking a mandolin lesson the other week, but I decided it's too expensive!!$25 for a half-hour! I'd rather look at videos online or read a book. I found a really great website, where this guy posted videos of how to play some popular songs on guitar. I have a hard time strumming so it's good this guy breaks it down. I'll send you the link if you want! I really like the new song by Colbie Caillat "Realize." Kinda makes me want to cry though.

And I found someone to practice Chinese with/practice teaching English. She's from Taiwan and took English in school but this is her first time in the US and she's not very confident speaking English. So we meet up once in a while and talk. She's actually very good- not fluid, but I can understand her perfectly. If she doesn't know the word she's looking for, she describes it so I can guess. So I think she's amazing- especially if you compare my second-hand Chinese with her second-hand English. I think her main weaknesses are vocab and writing/reading, but again she's pretty darn good for only studying it in school. Sidenote: she says my tones are very clear!!! :)

So I've been watching So You Think You Can Dance (SYTYCD) and I loved the premier show! Kupono is my favorite so far (last year I liked the Hawaiian guy too...int!). I also like Brandon, Asuka... and the guy who does really awesome locking/popping/whatever it's called. The only thing I don't like is the word "buck" or "stank." I just dont' get it. :P I want to learn some hip-hop sometime though. AND if you search for any clips, look up the bollywood number! I just about died at the ending kiss.

In other news, A. and I are planning a trip to California in August!! To see my darling Kathryn and explore the San Franciso/LA area. I've also never been to the ocean so we have to put that on our list. Part of me wants to go to Disney World because I've never been to either Disney park...but I gotta keep in mind that we're only going to be there for a week.

My lord, there is so much I want to do but so little time to do it! I always paint over the summer but I haven't gotten around to it juuust yet and I've been meaning to go work out for weeks...

So I haven't heard back from EMU yet. I'm starting to get .... frustrated. I'd kinda like to know if I got rejected so I can freak out about what I'm going to do with my life: teach English in Taiwan, go join a convent in France, etc. :P If you have a moment, please say a prayer for me, because I don't want to have to reapply to grad school. :(

Okay, I'm signing out, and going home this weekend for Father's day!

Movie Reviews (and a small life update)

Life Update:

• I got a job!! :) I'm working at the Great Harvest in Ann Arbor, doing the morning shift where I knead the bread and get it ready to go in the oven. Lately I've been scheduled to stay till the early afternoon so I can do some customer service. It's really fun and I'm so glad to be making some money.
  
• I just moved into a sublet right across from St. Thomas church! :) I had no idea before I said yes that I'd be across from a Catholic church. Maybe I'll get to go everyday now!!
• I'm trying to get Daisy in Mario Kart Wii. So far I've done 50cc and 100cc. I barely got bronze in the Mushroom and Flower cups 150cc and I'm working on the Star cup right now. If you have any tips please let me know!!!
  
• I want a vespa so bad.
• Albert left for ten days in Taiwan, and the girl who survived two summers without you-know-who feels disgustingly lonely.

But on a lighter note, here are some...
Spoiler Free Movie Reviews:

• Singh is Kinng: This movie is extremely interesting, especially to someone who's been exposed to the Sikh community. It's a bollywood film so there's a singing and dancing interspersed throughout the film. Watch out! The music is really catchy, though. The story is about a Sikh named Happy Singh who's entertaining, the life of the party, but also annoys the heck out of the people in his village (in the Punjab region of India). He decides to go to Australia to bring back Lucky Singh, another Sikh who became the leader of a Sikh gang. Something happens and Happy becomes the sit-in "King" (leader of the gang) and tries to use the gang's powers for good, while reforming the members. Throw in a little romance, and you have Singh is Kinng. I thought it was great. It was funny, there was good music, the premise was not too cheesy, and the main character Happy was really adorable.
  
• Star Trek: This movie was also great! Again, the main character was very fun to look at. It was interesting to see the story of how Capt. Kirk became Capt. Kirk, and likewise with Spock. All I can say is it's a must-see, and I love how Capt. Kirk breaks the rules to get things right. It's so exciting! AND I won't tell you how but the original Spock makes an appearance.
  
• Terminator- Salvation: OH MY GOSH! Another must see! I love the Terminator series so I knew I'd like this one. Christian Bale's character gets pushed to the background by a human who you know from the beginning has terminator parts inside him. His character was fascinating--you keep wondering whether he's the good guy or the bad guy. Is he a sleeper robot? Needless to say, you find out at the end and it's a great ride the whole way. Tim Burton's wife also makes an appearance, as well as the guy who plays Chekov in the new Star Trek movie.
  
• Night at the Museum- Battle of the Smithsonian: Although it was entertaining, it was not nearly as good quality as the first one. Amy Adam's character Amelia Earhart was... interesting. And the Jonas Brothers made a cameo as three cherubs. That's about all I have to say. Wait until it comes out on dvd before shelling $8.00 to see it.
  
• Angels and Demons: MAJOR TWISTS AND TURNS! I was not suspecting the twist ending and that made me happy. Along with Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor's in it! And I don't think it's anti-Catholic- it's anti-people-who-take-advantage-of-religion-for-their-own-means.
• X-Men Origins- Wolverine: I liked seeing Wolverine's beginning. There's a romance that affects him, a malicious brother Sabertooth, army craziness, and Gambit! I liked it a lot. The enemy they fight at the end is scary as heck!