Clothes off, clothes on

I had Pastor last night and since the landlady was gone I got to do the laundry, too. Finding time to do the laundry around here is difficult and weeks go by (and I run out of underwear) before I get time in the laundry room, which is downstairs, around the back side of the house and through a locked door. Nel has Sundays and the landlady likes Saturdays which leaves me with whenever I can get to it. I have to admit it would be more convenient for me if the landlady would do her laundry any other day but Saturday, which would be easy for her since the washer and dryer are on her floor and she has access 24/7, but that's not the way it works.

So, I did the laundry last night sitting downstairs watching the movies I haven't had a chance to see. First up was a clothing optional movie: On a Clear Day about a ship builder made redundant who decides to swim the English Channel after training for only six months. The clothing optional part was because most of the time the main character and his side kicks, including Billy Boyd who pranced around in pink bikini panties that belonged to a girl, swam in trunks. They also managed to swim in their clothes a few times, but those times were minor at best. I love a good coming of age story and this was definitely one of them even if most of the characters were middle-aged. Even middle-aged men eventually have to come of age. Keep the Kleenex handy, though. You will need them.

In between letting Pastor in and out (so much for the landlady telling me he could hold his water for 8-10 hours -- more like 8-10 minutes sometimes) and checking the laundry, I managed a second movie: The Libertine with the always versatile and fascinating chameleon, Johnny Depp who was as interesting and fascinating as ever. I do not, however, see any resemblance between John Malkovich's portrayal of King Charles II and Sam Neill's in Restoration, especially since Neill is so handsome and Malkovich sporting a stereotypical Halloween witch's hooked nose, but at least the wig and mustache were the same. Depp begins the movie telling you how much you're going to hate him because he has a way with a stiff member and sets you up for a huge fall. John Wilmot, as portrayed by Depp, is definitely the libertine they call him, but he is also a complex and original character with depth and sensitivity.

Earlier in the day, in an effort to avoid writing or doing anything of real worth, I also watched V is for Vendetta, a movie I had put far down my Netflix list because I had not read the comic book and because it did not really appeal to me. I changed my mind. The ending stirs the heart and the blood and leaves you rooting for the "bad" guys.

Casting was very interesting with John Hurt as the Chancellor who governs the country with an iron fist and the Anglican Bible in his free hand, creating a state governed inextricably by the church with no separation of ideology or visible intelligence. Timing is everything and this movie's release at this time is telling. Too bad November 5 is not a memorable day in American historical annals. We could use a Guy Fawkes day to ignite an explosion of freedom.

All three movies are well worth the time and the cost to add them to your library. If you haven't seen them, put them in your Netflix queue or at least go to the video store and check them out.

That is all. Disperse.