Egads! Funerary Vultures...

I got a phone call this morning from a representative of the funeral home that dealt with my mother's remains. In soft, solemn tones, she said that she remembered me expressing some interest in the Memorial Society and prepayment of funeral services, and did I wish to meet with her to discuss this some time. I tried to fob her off tactfully by pointing out that I felt that a month after my mother's funeral was a bit soon to be thinking about such things, and in any case I didn't remember saying any such thing. She then pressed the point and asked if she should phone back in two or three months. At this point I told her sharply that I found it highly inappropriate to be soliciting over the phone and hung up on her. Jeez. But why the encounter should have left me shaky and upset, I'm not sure. Honestly, though. Talk about vultures preying on the weak...

Movie Log: Brokeback Mountain

I have to admit that I pretty much go along with the general "buzz" on this film: it's very worthy, well done, beautfully filmed etc, but at least 1/2 hour too long. However, it's worth the price of admission to see Heath Ledger's performance. Alas, he won't get the Oscar. Internal subtle performances like that never get the recognition they deserve (the last one I can remember is Robert Duval for "Tender Mercies", and that was probably a body-of-work award). But Ledger was absolutely wonderful. And Jake Gyllenhall wasn't half bad either. It was fun playing the "what's Wyoming, what's Alberta" game, too. For the "inarticulate passion" stakes, though, "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" really wins the prize over this one, but this is probably more palatable for Hollywood, which is a shame. This movie didn't take me anywhere I'd never been before. It was lovely; I was moved enough to shed a tear at the end, but not as blown away as for Crouching Tiger, which I felt was one of the pure and perfect movies of all time.