January 17, 2022

It's been a really good last few days. On Wednesday, I went out to drinks with a friend. On Thursday, my husband and I went to République, a French restaurant in Mid City. It's gotten lots and lots of reviews, and it keeps showing up on internet lists and stuff, so I chose it as the fancy restaurant to go blow a bunch of money on as a celebration of selling Helen's Dead. We got the full deal -- many courses -- and while the tuna tartare with caviar (what?) was the best, the one that blew me away most, based on my initial expectations, was a dish called "The Lettuces." It was a salad comprised almost entirely of lettuces, but it was the most lush, tasty, and beautiful of greenery that I have ever seen or tasted. I would go back and just get the lettuces, easy. (The tuna made me want to pump my fists over my head and run around the restaurant screaming, "We did it!" So yeah, that was good too.) 

Friday, we went over to a friend's house. He made lamb burgers. Saturday, I went on set for a little bit. (They're shooting Helen's Dead pickups.) Then my husband and I went up to friends' house who has a hot tub. We had smoked brisket and sat in the hot tub and drank, then we spent the night. On Sunday I went to lyra and had a nice time. (I've been loving lyra lately.) It's been the fucking life! 

MLog Time! 

Oh yeah, on Friday, I also watched 8 Women and loved it. Here is my review. 

**SPOILERS**

8 WOMEN 

2002

Directed by: François Ozon

Written by: François Ozon, Marina de Van

Based on: Huit Femmes by Robert Thomas

Watched: 1/14/2022

A wealthy man is surrounded by women. One of his daughters (Suzon) comes home from college for the winter holiday. It’s snowing, and access to/from the large house soon becomes untenable. Suzon’s mother, Gaby, is there as well as Gaby’s spinster sister, Augustine, and mother, Mamy. Suzon’s younger sister lives there as well, along with the long-time cook, Chanel, and the new chambermaid, Louise. The wealthy’s man’s sister, Pierrette, also arrives. The women find the wealthy man dead, stabbed in the back. The phone lines are cut. The snow’s too bad to leave. We find out a bunch about the women in the house. Pierrette was/is a dancer/loose woman of ill repute and has come to ask her brother for money. She’s also been showing up at Chanel’s cottage late at night to play cards and have sex. Suzon is pregnant, and the wealthy man isn’t her real father. Gaby was pregnant with another man’s child when she got married. The other man died shortly afterwards. Suzon says she’s actually been impregnated by the wealthy man (??!). Augustine secretly reads romance novels and pines for the wealthy man. Louise has been sleeping with the wealthy man but secretly pines for Gaby. Pierrette and Gaby fight and then end up making out on the floor. The younger sister, Catherine, in the end admits to have been up listening to everything that went on during the night. She felt bad for her papa and convinced him to stage his own death so that all of the lies and bad behavior of the women in his household will come out. When everything is revealed, the wealthy man shoots himself in the head. Oh, and there’s singing throughout. 

The singing and dancing was the most ridiculous part. Every time it started up, I could barely believe it. What the fuck is this? The art design of this movie was beautiful. Everything was full of rich jewel tones. The clothes were gorgeous. The acting was superb. The shots were both beautiful and comic. It was all light and ridiculous and by the time it got to the end, I didn’t care about the murder or how they were going to wrap it up. And it ended great. I was completely sold on this movie. It made me feel great. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and I want to start pushing it on everyone I know. One to watch again for sure. 

Rating: ★★★★★