It was a date night for Laurallani last night. My DP and I went to Tavern Law for cocktails and dinner. I tried two of their very interesting cocktails, Laura tried two very different of their interesting cocktails. There are so many levels to the drinks that they’re not like anything you’ve ever had. For dinner Laura ordered the butterfish and I got the duck breast. I love duck, and this wasn’t an exception. The best part of Tavern Law is the design and ambiance of the olde tyme speakeasy.
After dinner we stopped into Cupcake Royale for a delicious treat. Yum!
Then we skipped over Lake Washington to Bellevue where we went to see Precious at Lincoln Square Cinemas. We love that theater, because the seats are so plush and they recline, and you can move the armrests up if you want.
The movie was… hard. It was very difficult to watch and so beautifully done. I heard that the cast was great, but I wasn’t prepared for the depths they took themselves to in this film. Wow. Mo’Nique was brilliant at playing someone so awful, so wounded, so sick–and at the end–someone so pitiful that you had to feel bad for her despite yourself.
I had to respect Mariah Carey’s performance as well, there was no chink in the facade of this character. She did amazingly well.
I think what made it so amazing is that Mariah Carey has basically built a career out of an image. An image of “perfection” that prevented us from ever seeing her, the woman. With this character there is none of that [up in lights] Mariah Carey that we have come to believe she is. I honestly didn’t think she had enough soul in her to do something this serious and difficult. I was wrong, she excelled.
But I’m hot for teacher! Both Laura and I were like, helloooooo teacher! It made sense when it turned out Paula Patton’s character was a lesbian. Did you know gaydar worked in film, too? Well it does, and hot damn! Paula Patton could teach me the ABCs anytime.
Then there’s Precious herself, Gabourey Sidibe, who just shined. What a role to take on for someone who wasn’t even pursuing acting. She did take it on, though, and with such commitment and grace. The fantasies dappled in amongst the horror of her life were more real than the awful realities. Congratulations Gabourey!
As sad, and heart wrenching, and difficult this film was to see, it ended on a hopeful note. Small steps that equal big change. I don’t want to give anything away, but wow. Lee Daniels directed a masterpiece of human grief and joy. Hands down one of the finest films of the year.
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