(O) Sorry (Hasbro, 1934)
Grade: A++++

This game is the best game ever! I know Darth would definitely agree with me. Let's play again. Like right now, right now.

(M) Homem Que Copiava, O (The Man Who Copied). (Jorge Furtado, 2003) Grade: B

Thoughts: A great Brazilian film about 19 year old Andre (Lazaro Ramos) who is in love with a girl named Silvia (Leandra Leal) however she has no idea who he is. See Andre has been watching Silvia for some time now from his building and eventually works up enough nerve to approach her and start talking. Although it might seem like another sweet romantic comedy do not be mislead. If anything the film is far from that with a few twists and turns like a robbery, murder and winning millions.

(M) Thank You For Smoking. (Jason Reitman, 2005) Grade: A-

Thoughts: I highly recommend to everyone this film which is satirical comedy at its best. Nick Naylor (Aaron Eckhart) is the chief spokesman for the Academy of Tobacco; basically a lobbyist for the tobacco industry. While trying to sell more cigarettes to people, Nick has to deal with a nosy/sexy reporter Heather Holloway (Katie Holmes), a Senator Ortolan K. Finistirre (William H. Macy) and Hollywood types like Jeff Megall (Rob Lowe) along with maintaining a honest perception to his 12 year old son Joey (Cameron Bright). The movie had a great cast except for the lame Katie Holmes (she seriously can not act in film) and the random use of Adam Brody as some assistant. Overall, a real laugh in that smart makes you think way and a definite must see.

(M) Baak Nin Hiu Gap (Love For All Seasons.). (Johnny To and Ka-Fai Wai, 2003) Grade: C

Thoughts: A light and fluffy romantic comedy starring Sammi Cheng as May the healer and Louis Koo as Tiger Hung the man whore looking for a cure to fix his junk. It was pretty ridiculous and silly but you know I love my Chinese films so what do I care.

(M) The Silence. (Ingmar Bergman) Grade: C+

Thoughts: The last of Ingmar Bergman’s faith trilogy and by far the most disturbing. Ester (Ingrid Thulin) and Anna (Gunnel Lindblom) are heading back home but make a stop in some unknown place at a hotel because Ester is ill. Anna’s young son Johan (Jorgen Lindstrom) has joined them on this journey and is eager to head home. He finds the hotel strange and peculiar with the waiter and midget performance troupe living there. Meanwhile his mother is out finding a man to sleep with to make her sister jealous and upset. Yes I wrote jealous because apparently the themes within the film are incest, lesbians and alienation. The movie was well done and well acted but odd. When it was released in 1963, it came under much criticism and shock due to the sexually explicit scenes and subject matter. Freud would have loved this movie.

(M) Carne Tremula (Live Flesh). (Pedro Almodovar, 1997) Grade: B-

Thoughts: After leaving jail, Victor (Liberto Rabal) tries to find Elena (Francesca Neri) the woman he still loves and who put him in jail but she is already married to paralysed basketball player/ex-cop David. Victor is out for revenge because he was wrongly placed in jail for a crime he did not commit. This movie is standard Pedro Almodovar style, if anything it is pretty basic but still extremely enjoyable. The characters are all rich and interesting and having Madrid be the background is never bad in my eyes.

Before I forget....

Mariah or Janet? I can't just say one or the other because.....I just can't haha. So I've broken it down to categories.

Voice: Mariah
Now we know both of them can sing, but Mariah can SAAANG.

Dance: Janet
I'm not even going to get into how Mariah can't dance (see Honey video). But Janet, especially Velvet Rope Tour Janet, Alright Janet and HELLO Rhythm Nation Janet, can definitely cut a rug.

Concert: Janet
Now in all fairness I've only seen Janet in concert, but like Jessica Simpson or John Mayer, I just can't bear to watch Mariah sing.

Ok ok, as if it wasn't obvious, I guess I would have to say I LIKE Janet better. But to really say who exactly IS better, would be impossible.

what about 20 Years of Control Janet?
check it out


what about Mariah collaboration Janet?
that would be AWESOME
(i'll post the article as a comment)

(B) Animal Farm (George Orwell, 1946) Grade: A
It embarasses me to admit that I have never read this short novel. I’m sure the teachers could have fit it into my high school curriculum. Nevertheless, it’s a good read and very apt in its messages. Thinking about how Napoleon instills fears in the other animals reminds me of today’s leaders, with their constant threats of terrorism, attacks and other scare tactics to get what they want. Also, it is relevant in that those who have the power will do whatever it takes to keep those who are at a disadvantage below them.


(B) The Bell Jar (Sylvia Plath, 1963) Grade: A
Another novel I have never read, but I suppose what matters is that I finally did so. I found this particularly interesting in terms of the current topic of feminism. Not sure if anyone has heard of Caitlin Flanagan but her recent book (as I understand it) states that feminism shortchanged women because it forced them into the workplace, giving up their duties as a mother and housewife. And in the end, they are expected to fulfill both roles, which has a negative impact on the household. In contrast, Esther Greenwood is paralyzed by the expectations of 1950s society to become a mother/housewife rather than a poet/writer as she wants. Bell Jar is about her downward spiral toward suicide and depression because she feels trapped between what she wants and what is expected of her. Isn’t it then better for women to have the option of a career if that’s what they really want? Or both? I don’t think it’s too unreasonable.

(O) Salome (Oscar Wilde, Wadsworth Theatre) Grade: B+
I was v. apprehensive about this play, because I had read numerous negative reviews for the Broadway production, which also starred Al Pacino. But luckily, I went in thinking the worst, and it was better than I anticipated. Interesting, this isn’t really a play, but more of a reading, which makes sense as Wilde never intended the one-act Salome to actually be performed. It also was a lot more humorous than how I read it, and that was a nice suprise.

Random thought of the day...Kids at Starbucks

On numerous occasions I have been at Starbucks and have seen "kids" take over the whole place. One was in Claremont and the other one near my house. It's usually around 230 when they all get out of school. I kid you not, there is a line TO THE DOOR with 6th graders clutching their 1's eagerly like ladies at a strip club. They order these Venti Mocha Frapuccino's loaded with whipped cream. Now don't get me wrong, I love Starbucks. But I couldn't help but wonder what kind of repercussions these kids are going to experience by drinking coffee loaded with sugar and fat at such an early age. And not just starting at an early age, but they are probably drinking this EVERYDAY. It's like "the hang out" because going to a Starbucks makes them feel "grown up." Diabetes, hypertension....those are the only two I could think of, but that's pretty bad.

Maybe Starbucks really is evil....

(M) Z (French, 1969)
Grade: A+

This is a film based on the true story of the military take-over of the democratic government in Greece in 1963. This movie is really fast paced and you gotta keep up but it's amazing. Basically a senator is protesting against nuclear weapons world-wide. The right-wing democratic government views him as a leftist/communist, however he also opposed leftist/communist Russia for it's nuclear weapons just as much as he did of the U.S. When the senator is murdered it unleashes an investigation that reveals hidden corruption within the government. With fear of public outrage and the belief that a communist government will be elected due to outrage/protest, the military takes control of the government and installs a dictorial regime. It's fascinating, and worst of all, it's true.

Here are a list of awards the film won as well as nominations it received.
1970 Academy Award®: Best Film Editing
1970 Academy Award®: Best Foreign Language Film
1970 Academy Award®: Best Writing Adapted Screenplay nominee
1970 Academy Award®: Best Director nominee: Costa-Gavras
1970 Academy Award®: Best Picture nominee


(M) Death In Gaza (Documentary, 2004)
Grade: A+

Two documentary film-makers head over to Palestine/Israel to investigate the upbringing of the children in both countries. With hopes for peace in the future, the filmmakers turn their camera's upon the youth who will be the future leaders who can create this peace. After spending time interviewing the Palestinian children, the two filmmakers spend their last night there before heading over to Israel when the cameraman, James Miller, is killed by an Israeli. You never get to see the Israeli side of the story because filming ended with James' death but what you see on the side of the Palestinians is amazing and the hate is probably equally preached on both sides. You always hear of the horrible things going on between these two nations but watching this documentary really familiarizes you with what life is like over there, and it's not pretty.

(M) Chain Camera (Kirby Dick, 2001). Grade: C+
Over the course of a year at John Marshall High School in LA, ten video cameras are handed to students to chronicle their lives for a week, and after a week, they pass the video camera onto the next student, and the next, and so on. This documentary features 16 of those students and their lives. The documentarians were too ambitious, showing too little about too many students, causing the stories to be forgettable. Some of the student's stories are real and heartbreaking, others just plain silly, and characteristic of those awkward teenage years. Perhaps it would have been more effective to focus on less students, and delve deeper into their lives over the course of the year.

(M) Tomie: Rebirth (Takashi Shimizu, 2001). Grade: F
Tomie, an art model, is murdered by an artist, but she doesn't just die, she comes back and starts haunting the artist and his friends. She is murdered again, and continues to regenerate and haunt the circle of friends. Regenerates, like a sponge. Uh huh. She gets beheaded, and soon, her head can be seen rolling down the alley, with spindly arms and legs, like some strange science fiction creature. She even grows inside other people. This movie makes no sense, there are no explanations offered AT ALL (like, why did the artist kill her in the opening scene?), and it just shows how Japanese people are f'd up. Haha. This movie is actually part of a series, so maybe if I watched the others it would explain more. Yeah, right. I hated this movie. And I even fell asleep halfway in between. But what else is new?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ROBERT :)

(M) The Ice Storm. (Ang Lee, 1997) Grade: B+

Thoughts: After the Oscars I was on an Ang Lee kick and wanted to see all the movies he made. In 1973, two neighboring families find their lives changed after a night of a bad ice storm. Ben Hood (Kevin Kline) and his cold hearted wife Elena Hood (Joan Allen) are trying to make their marriage work, however Ben is having an affair with Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver), the neighbors’ wife. As for the kids, Paul Hood (Tobey Maguire) is coming home for Thanksgiving break but thinking about heading to NY to see a girl he likes played by the lovely Katie Holmes (crazy woman) while his sister Wendy Hood (Christina Ricci) is messing around with next door neighbor Mikey Carver (Elijah Wood) even though his little brother Sandy Carver (Adam Hann-Byrd) has a secret crush on her. The film moved along slowly but I loved how Ang Lee got the ice storm to be a character by creating a mood and feel. It was cold outside as well as inside both families with isolation, pain and resentment.

(M) Dot the I. (Matthew Parkhill, 2003) Grade: C-

Thoughts: This is a true form of movies because you have to leave all logic at home to consider this unbelievable and over the top story line. Carmen Colazzo (Natalia Verbeke) is about to marry Barnaby R. Caspian (James D’Arcy) and on the eve of her wedding meets and kisses Kit Winter (Gael Garcia Bernal). So begins their unrealistic romance where Carmen and Kit seem met for each other (why?) and the crazy twist at the end of the film. I found Natalia and James’ acting terrible compared to Gael who saved this movie from getting a F grade from me. One highlight was the soundtrack used, full of hip and fresh songs. Heck they even played an Idlewild track. Did anyone else catch the video screen shot of “Atmosphere” by Joy Division?

(M) ABC Africa (Documentary)
Grade: C-

On one hand I have to praise these film-makers for doing something with this documentary I've never seen, on the other hand I have to critcize them for not doing what other documentarians do.

Praise: Where most documentaries will film hours of footage and slice together 1-2 minute segments to convey an idea or influence you, this documentary just leaves the camera running. By doing this you get to see many things other documentaries would edit out, but it gives you a truer sense of what is going on around the film-makers and really allowing you to experience minute-by-minute what they are experiencing. The downfall to this is you can become increasingly bored. One interesting thing is at midnight electricity is cut off in the village. The documentarians get caught away from their hotel during this black-out and they leave the whole experience of getting back to the hotel in the film... so it's just black screen with voices talking and the sound of their travels.

Criticism: Though allowing the viewer to live through moments of the film without stylish editing to narrow in on a specific feature/theme and letting you experience "everything"... it presents a film with no real theme. It's just a group of people filming in africa and there doesn't seem to be a consciece message. Though you can see the mis-fortunes of others... because you're watching it at home on TV the experience isn't the same as being there and without a direction or purpose to the film you can get bored with the film.

Side note: I also watched a couple other movies but am leaving them for Dorkus to review.

(M) Take the Lead (Friedlander 2006)
Grade: B
I'm a sucker for dance movies. Doesn't matter how lame it is. I'll watch it. This movie is a mix of Dangerous Minds, Stand and Deliver/Lean On Me and Save the Last Dance/Center Stage/Bring it on all in one! The choreography was pretty decent. I really enjoyed the mix of old school ballroom songs with hip hop, discovering that Antonio Banderas is still hot, and the fact that the "problems" of the teens were a grittier than I had expected. Of course you have the predictable stereotypes: dorky white girl, token white guy--and for some reason red head white guy/Seth Green-ish guy, the big black girl guy....etc etc. It was entertaining to watch. Plot's pretty predictable...duh. OH and the movie just wouldn't be the same without Rufio(Ru-fi-o, ru-fi-OH!)--p.s. when's this guy gonna go through puberty? seriously my voice is deeper than his.

(M) Little Manhattan (Levin 2005)
Grade: A

If I had to pick one word to describe this movie it would be: CUUUUUUUUUUUUUTE. So very very cute!! Every five minutes I had to comment on the cuteness of this movie. The reason I liked this movie, aside from the cuteness, was that it was a very original way to portray a "romantic comedy." It's entertaining to see all the silly things we do in relationships played out by a 10-11 year old "couple." The little boy and girl are adorable, which is really just another word for "cute."

(M) North Country (Caro 2005)
Grade: B
I was frustrated for most of this movie. I guess that's what the purpose of the movie is, but when everything was said and done and she finally "won", I was still pissed off haha. So it wasn't satisfying at all. Throughout the movie I just kept thinking to myself, "Why don't they just take a tape recorder and get some freakin evidence!" Bleh it just made me so mad haha.

S'All for now.....

(M) Last Holiday (Wayne Wang, 2006) Grade: D
I offered to review a movie for work to earn some extra brownie points, so I got this film, which looked less torturous than some of the others. Plus director Wang is responsible for The Joy Luck Club. But I guessed wrong. Though Queen Latifah tries her best to be charming, the plot line is so predictable that New Wave guessed everything that happened without having seen it. And I think Hollywood should know that death is not easy fodder for laughs.


(O) 1984 (The Actors’ Gang, The Ivy Substation) Grade: A
Directed by Tim Robbins, this production plays on current events to make George Orwell’s book relevant today. And it works. Take the sayings in Goldstein’s book: (1) Knowledge is ignorance; (2) War is peace; (3) Freedom is slavery. Luckily, the play isn’t heavy-handed in its message. Watching theater also reminds me of how much more difficult it is for the actors. They must deal with a limited set design, a heavy reliance on dialogue/acting and the ability to smooth over stage goofs. Tickets are only $25 and runs until May 20. And remember: “Big Brother is watching.”

HE is Risen.

Happy Easter!!

Random Thoughts

How scary is it that I will be a doctor in a lil over a year. I just realized that today and it freaked me out. Like you work so long for something that when it starts getting closer, it seems so surreal.

Alot of my friends have finally figured out what residencies to apply to, which is great. We've got people going into OBGYN, Medicine/Pediatrics, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. We'll see if we all get into the residency we want. It all depends on the match.

The process of the match is pretty crazy. You fill out one application which gets sent to whatever programs you want to apply to. This includes your transcripts, a personal statement, a deans letter(outlines all your activities, how you did in school etc etc.) and letters of recommendations. From that the programs decide if they want to interview you. After the interview there is the ranking process. You rank each program and each program ranks you. Then a big computer takes your rankings and takes the program rankings and magically matches you together. It's really complicated and I don't get it all that well myself, but so that's how applying for residency goes.

I freak out everyday....lol.

(M) Sex: The Annabel Chong Story (1999 Documentary)
Grade: Interesting

USC student Grace Quek was inspired to challenge the American held role for female sexuality apparently after a class at college. Grace takes the name Annabel Chong and decides to set the record for the "World's Biggest Gang Bang". The goal is 300 men in however long it takes. The result is 251 men in 10 hours after getting a vaginal cut that ends the marathon.

This is not a porn film, it's about a woman who entered the porn industry and for a year was the "most famous" porn star. She had various reasons for doing this. I believe she was to get paid something like $10,000 for it but she never received the money which she claims she doesn't even care about because she was doing it as a statement and not for financial gain. I think Grace/Annabel may have been around 22 when she did this and the film ends with her in her 30's. She is an intelligent person but is unable to express her intelligence verbally and comes off as rather childish and immature.

(T) Ultimate Fighting Champion (on Spike TV)
This is one of the only few reality tv shows that I watch. It has action plus drama. Basically, for those of you who do not know what UFC is, it's a bunch of guys that train really hard to beat each other up. It's fantastic! During this season, which is the 3rd one already, the two coaches are Tito Ortiz and Ken Shamrock. They are both really really really good fighters. They each pick 8 people to train and fight. At the end of the show, the winners (Heavy Weight, Welter Weight and Light Weight) will each win a 6 figured contact with the UFC organization. Plus, the main fight in July will be between Ortiz and Shamrock. This will be a great fight. Anyway, hope everyone will get a chance to watch it.

(O) Apple store @ Grove Grade: D
I have a good excuse for not blogging: My Mac blew up. Well, the power supply went up in smoke, so I went to the Apple store to get my Mac fixed (trip 1). I get it back within a day and it starts to crash all the time. This has never happened before, so I take my Mac back to the store and the Mac Genius tells me it is probably my software (trip 2). I take it back and reinstall all my software, but my Mac keeps crashing. So since I have an extended warranty and my hardware is covered, I decide to take my Mac back (trip 3). I end up at the Apple store for two hours as the Mac Genius runs tests and lets me wait for a ridiculous amount of time. I finally tell him with some frustration that they can either check it in or let me take it back to test my own software, but I have better things to do than sit around the store waiting. Finally, they check it in, and I get it back in a day. Fingers crossed it works. We shall see if I need to take a fourth trip. Sigh.

I'm getting irked. No one blogs on this page except for Cup O Noodles. What gives people??? I'm tempted to kick all of you off and make this my own page so I can blog about my feelings and where my life is heading and other lame junk. This is so bogus. If I don't see more blogs from different people I will start kicking you all off.

Oh and have a nice weekend. Ha ha.

Just want to say HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR THE CHEESE!!

Oh and to answer your question Dorkus if I sleep? No I don't. I just watch more and more tv and movies. I actually have to reivew at least 4 more movies on top of all the tv I watch. I'm a sick sick person.

Speaking of tv, did anyone catch So NoTORIous or Bedford Diaries or Pepper Dennis??

So NoTORIous is bad but like train wreak you can't turn away bad. It is a fictional show starring Tori Spelling as a rich girl who does not want her daddy's money anymore and is trying to make it on her own. Loni Anderson plays her mom Kiki and it is disturbing. Also to see all that plastic surgery at work and how skinny Tori is is freaky.

Pepper Dennis has Rebecca Romijn playing a news reporter for some fictional Chicago news station. It was forgettable and trying too hard to be a serious show when hello it is on the WB. Come on. Oh and Rider Strong plays her cameraman. If you don't know who that is think Boy Meets World Sean or Cory's best friend.

Bedford Diaries is about some kids in college. I wasn't really paying attention when viewing it at my friend's place. The two things I took away from it was Milo Ventimiglia from Gilmore Girls is in it and it is Dawson's Creek for college kids because no one and I mean no one talks the way they do ... or dress as nicely as they do.

So killing 8 hours at work can be pretty dull but it does allow me time to catch up on some reading.

- Two DVDs coming out this year have caught my interest:

Volton is finally being released late this fall, maybe in September with tons and tons of extras. I remember watching the show on and off again when I was young so it would be cool to see it again.


The one I really care about is She-Ra. Due in large part to the success of He-Man they have finally realized they need to release She-Ra for the girl market. The first DVD will have the Secret of the Sword (I so remember that ep) along with fan's favorite 5 eps which you can vote on at He-man.org but that has already closed. They are planning on releasing the DVD July 18th in San Diego at ComiCon. I want to go!!

- Did anyone celebrate Crash day yesterday? According to Mayor Villaraigosa, April 4 was Crash day to go along with the DVD release. Wow Los Angeles rules.

I'm bored....so I thought I would post. I'm watching the cubs beat the reds...go cubs

Conan O'Brien monologue from the other night:
A survey was taken of Mexican citizens and it was discovered that 40% of them would move to America if they had the chance. The findings show that the results would have been higher but the other 60% already live here.

---
Anyone else watching American Idol??

Here is the view from my office, there is no real significance, i just wanted to put something up right now.

Taken from a news article:

Preparations for Int'l Homosexual Event in Jerusalem Under Way

An international homosexual event... is now scheduled to be held this summer in Jerusalem.

InterPride, the International Association of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgendered (LGBT) Pride Coordinators, decided in 2003 to hold WorldPride 2005 in Jerusalem -- a city sacred to Jews, Christians and Muslims.

Critics of the event have charged that it is being held in Jerusalem purposely to offend the religious sensibilities of the city's residents as well as Jews, Christians and Muslims throughout the world. Strict adherents to those three religions reject homosexual behavior.

But organizers said on their website that the event is intended to "bring a new focus to an ancient city through a massive demonstration of LGBT dignity, pride, and boundary-crossing celebration. "In these times of intolerance and suspicion, from the home of three of the world's great religions, we will proclaim the love that knows no borders," the website said.

Last year, in a rare show of solidarity, Israel's two chief rabbis, leaders in the Catholic, Greek Orthodox and Armenian Churches as well as Muslim leaders from Jerusalem and northern Israel, banded together to denounce the international event in Jerusalem and called on the government to intervene. It "will offend the very foundations of our religious values and the character of the Holy City," the leaders said in a joint statement.

--------------------
I am waiting to see how this goes over. I don't know if that's the area of the world I'd want to demonstrate.

Oh.... and don't drink in Iran:

For 27 years, Iran's Islamic regime has faced an uphill battle to cleanse the country of bootleg liquor. But even after a recent law increased the punishment for drinking to 74 lashes, a hefty fine and imprisonment of three months to a year, drinking is widespread.

Note: best viewed in Mozilla. In IE you lose the sidebar and I'm trying to fix that. Oh well.
So last Friday Darth and I decided to visit Riverside and our old campus UCR. We've both had not been back since we graduated so we were in for a real treat. After a nice lunch at Jammin’ Bread we headed over to ...
my ghetto old apartment. It was still the same, no shocker there but I think the “Blair Witch Project” or the back of our building was not as scary:

Then it was over to Darth’s old place where we learned they turned them into fancy pant condos:

Then to campus and the not so new anymore Art building where we learned the school was on spring break and everything was closed:

Next was our old dorms and look what use to be the rape trail is now this nice path between Lothian and A & I:

And of course the visit would not be complete without seeing the birth of FOR THE CHEESE!!!!!:

Overall it was a cool trip but I'm in no hurry to head back. I might go in another 10 years.

(O) Mall of America (Minneapolis, 4/3/06). Grade: ?

I really don't know what to think. The Mall of America is the largest mall in the US, and has 520 stores. If you spent 10 minutes browsing at each store, it'd take you 86 hours. It has its own amusement park, movie theater, aquarium, museum, and flight simulator. You can fit (32) 707 Boeings inside. Well, those are just some of the facts I found on the website. Anyway, I had to make it out there (helloooo H&M!) just to check it out. Man, it's unbelievable. You just have to see it to believe it. And it's sorta disgusting too. Why do we need a mall this big and why are people spending this much money?

The rest of Minneapolis is alright. I'm in downtown Mpls, and I swear Target owns the city. There's Target and Target symbols everywhere. And Target Center, where the Timberwolves play. Anyway, it's maybe 48 degrees with icy wind. Hooray.

(A) Tilly And The Wall - Wild Like Children
Grade: B

Influenced to purchase the cd after an upbeat and impressive live show, I wonder how well this music would translate over to CD. Well... not to bad I must say. Some of the energy of the live show is absent from the studio CD but it still holds as an enjoyable listening experience for myself. It's been a long time since I just layed in bed with headphones on listening to a cd over and over but I did with this one. If I had been exposed to the CD before seeing the band live I may not have enjoyed the CD as much as I do. As to maybe making comparisons to what the band sounds like... I'm not sure. They're from Omaha and on Conor Oberst's label (but they don't sound like him [thankfully] ).

(M) Capote. (Bennett Miller, 2005) Grade: B

Thoughts: A biopic film about Truman Capote while he is writing his last novel, In Cold Blood. Philip Seymour Hoffman did an awesome job and I can see why he got best actor but I didn't think he looked a lot like the real Capote. Catherine Keener was also great as Harper Lee, Capote's old childhood friend and author of To Kill A Mockingbird. The movie was enjoyable but nothing amazing. I don't think they spend enough time getting into Capote's life and background but that was fine because the murders in Kansas made for an interesting subject matter. In addition Clifton Collins Jr. who played Perry Smith was great and it was nice to see Chris Cooper.

(M) Nattvardsgasterna (Winter Light). (Ingmar Bergman, 1963)Grade: A-

Thoughts: Part of Ingmar Bergman's trilogy on faith and by far one of his best films. I’m not sure how others will view it but it really struck me because of the issues with faith - upper and lower case letter f. Tomas Ericsson (Gunnar Bjornstrand) is a pastor who is losing his faith in God, his church and himself. He has a mistress Marta Lundberg (Ingrid Thulin) who wants so desperately to marry him and a suicidal fisherman Jonas Persson (Max von Sydow) who is asking for help but has no idea how to help him. In a span of six hours you watch his faith in people and Faith in the Lord. I found it relatable because in our daily lives we have to put our faith in our family and friends only to sometimes get let down and though the Lord is there always it takes Faith to keep trusting in that as well.

(M) V for Vendetta. (James McTeigue, 2005) Grade: B

Thoughts: I went into this movie expecting too much and I think that really affected my review. In a totalitarian society of futuristic London, Evey (Natalie Portman) is rescued by V (Hugo Weaving), which causes them to cross paths later on. V’s objective is to blow up the Parliament building on the 5th of November to make a statement. The storyline gets a bit bogged down after that and I do not want to get into the complex/Matrix-ish plot but in the end V achieves his goal but at a cost. The acting was good and I could see them making a franchise of the whole thing. The movie ran a bit on the long side and I think they could have edited out 20 or 25 minutes but otherwise pretty enjoyable.

(M) Caterina Va In Citta (Caterina In The Big City. (Paolo Virzi, 2003) Grade: C+

Thoughts: A cute coming of age movie about a young teenager Caterina (Alice Teghil) moving to the big city of Rome. There was nothing special about the film but I have to note her father Giancarlo was played by Sergio Castelitto who is such a great actor. His most notable role is in Mostly Martha, a German cooking film which I just found out is being remade into yet untitled American film starring Catherina Zeta-Jones. I'm not a huge fan of remaking an already great movie but we'll see how this goes.

(M) Through A Glass Darkly. (Ingmar Bergman, 1961) Grade: B-

Thoughts: The first of Ingmar Bergman's trilogy of faith movies is a look at faith in family and love. Karin (Harriet Andersson) has just been released from a mental institution and is spending time with her family on an island - her husband David (Gunnar Bjornstrand), brother Minus (Lars Passgard) and father Martin (Max von Sydow). The three men must come to terms with Karin's illness, as she gets worse. The acting in the movie is amazing and disturbing. Harriet Andersson does such an amazing job playing a mentally ill person.

(G) Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins (Orpheum Theater, April 1, 06). Grade: B
I'm sorta a Jenny Lewis/Rilo Kiley closet fan (ask Cup O Noodles), but when I heard she was coming to town again, I couldn't resist. I bought tickets a few weeks ago, not knowing it would fall upon the same day we would spend 10 hours painting my new place. Therefore, I was extremely tired and not able to fully enjoy the whole experience. However, I did find her to be a good performer. And the Watson Twins and the rest of the musicians were good too. It's (sorta) sad to say that the opening act Tilly and the Wall kept my attention more than Jenny Lewis and her clan. They were pretty entertaining after all (see Cup O Noodle's review). I think Lewis is proving herself to be a more engaging and talented solo artist, although I still think it's kinda crazy she sold out the theater. Well, I can only wait until she comes around to LA again. And when I'm not so sleepy.

(O) Painting my apt for hours and hours. Grade: F. Ow ow ow, my arm/wrist hurts. But I think it looks good how it turns out, so I guess it's worth it. No pain, no gain?

(G) Tilly and the Wall
Grade: A

This band opened up for Jenny Lewis (I think that's her name. The girl from Rilo Kiley). It's 3 girls and two guys. One guy plays keyboards, the other plays guitar and sings. One girl tap dances, one girl sings and bangs her feet on a wooden block and the other girls sings, bangs her feet on a wooden block and sometimes plays guitar. This was the most unique thing I've seen in awhile and I loved it! I was going to Jenny Lewis so Dorkus didn't have to go alone (I'll let her review Jenny) and was sooooooooo happy this band opened up, they were an experience. Loved it! I want to see them again.