Countdown to Pigs

Sidewalk Film Festival was this past weekend in Birmingham. It’s always a treat. This year, the award for Movie We Can’t Stop Talking About goes to Dogtooth. It is, to quote the film Web site, “a hyper-stylized mixture of physical violence and verbal comedy.”

I don’t think that quites does justice to its total brilliant bizarreness. It’s disturbing on several levels, but it’s not a horror movie. There were, by my count, four scenes of disturbing violence. Almost no foul language. Umm, lots of disturbing adult situations. But also moments that were as strangely, memorably hilarious as anything I’ve ever seen on film. It’s definitely not for everyone, but it’s been stuck in my head for days.

I’ve got a busy month ahead, so posts may be a little rarer. We’re travelling the first four weekends in October. Headed to see family the first weekend, then to DC for a wedding the second. (Alas, it doesn’t happen to be the right weekend for Jon Stewart’s Rally to Restore Sanity.) Third weekend we’re headed to Montgomery for the fair! Ah, I love the fair. Rides and elephant ears and caramel apples and, my favorite…racing pigs! And high-diving pigs! I can’t get enough of various sizes of pigs running around a track, and, even better, climbing up a little ladder and jumping off a diving board, then swimming over to the side as fast as their little pig legs will carry them.

I’m having a sudden fear that some people might consider this animal cruelty. But the pigs seem to be enjoying themselves.

Anyway, check out Robinson’s Racing Pigs if you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing tiny fast pigs and huge meandering pigs flaunt their athletic ability.  

Then, Oct.22-24, the Beverly Hills Literary Escape. I doubt there’ll be pigs.