(M) Siworae (Il Mare). (Hyun-seung Lee, 2000) Grade: B

Thoughts: An interesting concept of a movie which asks what if you are in love with someone but they were 2 years in the future from you. It stars Ji-hyun Jun, the girl from My Sassy Girl and it was pretty decent. The only reason I bring up this film is apparently they are remaking it into a US version starring Sandra Bullock and Keanu Reeves. Hedwig and I both agree that Sandra and Keanu are a bit old for the role and they should have gone with a younger cast but we'll see how this one does. One thing to note is the Korean movie is very beloved and well regarded so it is like they are remaking a classic here. Here's the trailer if you guys are curious to watch it.

(M) How To Go Out on a Date in Queens (DVD premiere, 2006) Grade: F
If you haven’t heard of this film, that’s probably because it’s a straight-to-video release. (As a disclaimer against bad taste, I had to review it for work.) The movie title itself makes it seem like a romantic comedy but there’s very little of either element, although I did snicker when Rob Estes cries about his dead wife. It sounds heartless, but the scene was just so horrible. The studio should have sent all the money invested in this film to a charity. Get a load of the film’s tagline: Hell isn’t being alone - it’s being in a room filled with people and not one of them wants to rip your clothes off. Hopefully I won’t have to review Road House 2 next. (Yes, they made a sequel.)

(B) Diane Arbus: A Biography (Patricia Bosworth) Grade: B+
When I took my photography class in college, Arbus was one of the documentary photographers that I remembered well. I liked her confrontational images, her simple composition and her subject matter. I thought it would be interesting to read about her life, and I found it both inspiring and tragic. Nicole Kidman will portray Arbus in the upcoming theatrical film Fur.

(G) Mono (at the troubadour)
Grade: A
This Japanese instrumental guitar band was amazing. This is the 2nd time I've seen them and it's really impressive what a couple people can do with instruments. The impact behind their music, especially live, is quite impressive. And what is amazing to me is that my ears weren't ringing after the show.

(G) Pinback (at the Avalon)
Grade: B
A great show by Pinback. I have always enjoyed their sound more on CD than live but they are trully great. I was impressed with the show. The first three songs were ones I wasn't too familiar with but after that I knew every song and they all happened to be one's I liked and would have hoped that they played. Last time I was at the Avalon I sat up in the balcony all the way at the back and it sorta ruined the performance, I felt so dis-associated from what was going on. This time I sat in the fornt of the balcony and was utterly pleased with my view.


(M) Millions
Grade: B
This is a cute little movie about a boy who happens upon a bag full of money in Europe. It's 3 days before their currency gets changed over to the Euro so they (he and his brother) have to decide what to do with the money. The brother wants to blow it all on himself while the young boy who found the money wants to help the poor and those less fortunate than himself. Eventually it's discovered that the money came from a robbery and one of the criminals is on the hunt for the money which provides for the drama, and "what will happen" aspect of the film. Over-all a cute and enjoyable film.

After getting numerous...and I do mean numerous threats by new wave to blog here I decided that I was really beginning to fear for my life.
Here are some quick reviews:

X-men III: Last Stand - I enjoyed this movie as part of the movie franchise, completely separate from the comic book/cartoon series. If I were to start comparing it to those then I'd start going crazy like wolverine after someone steals a beer. (yes I realize that was really lame, no need to point it out)

Over the Hedge - It was a cute kids movie, had funny voices, but I think it went on a little bit longer than it really had to. I can see a straight to DVD sequel at some point in the near future.

Lost: Season Finale - JJ Abrams said this was going to be greatest season finale for any show ever! Well he fell short in pretty much everything in my opinion. It was just like, okay here it is, no on-the-edge of your seat, hold-your-breath drama. It was just a story, which really didn't seem that interesting. I actually had more questions about the direction the show was taking instead of cliffhangers. Oh well at least I won't be curious all summer long about what’s gonna happen next.

The Office: Season Finale - This was a very well written story that kept you wanting to see more and the cliffhanger at the end, although obvious was still somewhat of a surprise. I've downloaded every episode from the past 2 seasons so at least I'll have something to watch while NBC shows crap like that talent show and the treasure hunt show. C'mon really nbc, really? seriously?

Now for two plugs:

If you have nothing planned this Saturday June 3rd, then I would invite you to come to my church's Bazaar. Basically its a fundraiser where we cell Hawaiian food, Japanese food, ice slushy things, carne asada tacos and baked goods. In addition we have a Japanese Drum Team and Martial Arts Team come in for demonstrations. They have game booths set up as well for the kids. Anyway if you want to come get good food it starts like at 11 am at 1850 W. Hellman Ave. in Alhambra.

Secondly, mostly to annoy new wave, I started my own personal blog, feel free to read and leave a comment. Its linked up on the side under Don't Judge Me. Thanks for reading my blabbering www.whatsmellslikeblue.blogspot.com

Okay hopefully I won't get kicked off the page now.

(M) Over The Hedge. (Tim Johnson and Karey Kirkpatrick, 2006) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Bored over the long weekend, Darth and I decided to venture off and watch a movie. As much as I would have loved to see Just My Luck or Darth’s choice of See No Evil, we went with Over the Hedge. The film was not terrible; actually it was pleasantly decent but I can not give it a higher grade because it was too much of a children/family film. The movie is filled with famous voices like Bruce Willis, Garry Shandling, Wanda Sykes and William Shatner but my personal favorite was Steve Carell as Hammy the squirrel. Hammy was the best character and most fun out of everyone else.

(M) X-Men 3: The Last Stand. (Brett Ratner, 2006) Grade: A-/C

Thoughts: According to FTC, I complained too much about the film. I’ll try to make this review more favorable than my IM conversations with him. I gave the movie two grades: the A- is for the film overall which includes visual, set, acting, and purely on entertainment value; however the C is for the storyline which suffered greatly. There are too many holes in how the characters are portrayed and live and die that I did not feel comfortable with. FTC and I both agree that even when Singer was directing the film they were already making stuff up about the X Men characters so it was no surprise Ratner did the same. I guess I didn’t expect them to take it as far as they did. Oh well. I’m no fangirl so in the end it does not matter to me. It would have been nice to see more of Archangel (Ben Foster) since in the previews they made it seem like he had a bigger role. I just wish they would bring Gambit up as a major character. He was always my favorite :).

(M) Pride and Prejudice. (Joe Wright, 2005) Grade: B

Thoughts: Originally when I saw this film I gave it a B+ but after re-watching it this weekend I have to give it a B. There are too many problems with the film and though the last scene of the film works for modern times I do not think it stayed true to the novel at all.

(M) Pride and Prejudice. (Simon Langton, 1995) Grade: A

Thoughts: After watching the 2005 version I took it upon myself to review the 1995 version. This BBC mini series clocks in at 300 minutes (5 hours!!) and I must admit I did not watch all 300 minutes. It was just too much however I did view at least 85% of the film. This is the truest version of Pride and Prejudice and I think Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth are the best Miss Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy ever. One thing to note is how extremely British the BBC version was. I know Keira Knightley is British but a Hollywood version of one. The ones in the BBC one are all bad teeth and hair and noses. The Jane in this version was pretty unattractive compared to the lovely Rosamund Pike in the 2005 one.

(M) An Inconvenient Truth (Al Gore, 2006) Grade: B+
I always considered myself to be a part-time environmentalist. I bring all my bottles and newspapers to my local recycling center. I drive a fuel-efficient car. And I walk whenever I can (within reason). But our Earth is really in trouble and larger steps need to be made to protect it. Gore has presented the slideshow shown here more than 1,000 times to get the message across that our world is warming up, with dire consequences: erratic, stronger weather conditions (i.e. Hurricane Katrina); more viruses and diseases (i.e. Avian Flu); and the endangerment of more and more animals. And the list goes on... www.climatecrisis.net

(G) Elefant/Voxtrot/Silversun Pickups (Wiltern, May 26) Grade: B
Diego Garcia loves Morrissey. It should come as no surprise then that the night resembled one of Moz’s own with the mostly male, Mexican audience members. Silversun Pickups’ harder edge rock (reminding me in parts of Sonic Youth) was received well though they were plagued with sound problems. (At one point, only the bass worked.) Voxtrot followed with their dance-friendly, infectious pop, saving personal favorite “The Start of Something” toward the end. When Elefant arrived, they opened with “Black Magic Show” but varied the set with several older numbers, including “Bokkie,” “Sunlight Makes Me Paranoid” and “Tonight Let’s Dance.” Diego fulfilled his role as Moz-imitator, show-stopper to a tee, eliciting excited cries by affecting Spanish-accented English and encouraging fans to mob him during the encore. Oh, how Moz-errific.

(M) Cowboy Del Amor
Grade: B
What do you do when you feel American women are too demanding and you're fend up with all this "equality" they want? You go hire the Cowboy Del Amor who will find you a Mexican wife to treat you like the king you think you are. This short, but somewhat entertaining documentary follows a man who started a business in finding other men Mexican wives (for only $5000). There's one main guy they follow who wants a Mexican wife and two others that are briefly in the film, but the "Cowboy Del Amor" is the true entertainment of the film. With lines like, "I don't like reading big books because it takes too long to get to the good parts. That's why I never dated a woman with long legs"... how could you go wrong?

Also, I have had the Three Colors trilogy on VHS for years but just found a used copy on DVD at Amoeba and I re-watched Red. Sooooooo awesome. Blue is still my favorite.This is probably one of my most favorite purchases I've made in awhile. I think this trilogy is just so great. White is definitely my least favorite, but still... Blue and Red are just so awesome. I hadn't seen Red in years and appreciate it even more now than I did when I first saw it.

(O) Me Too (a play at the Stella Adler Theatre)
Grade: B
The play has in it, Winnie Cooper from the 'Wonder Years' (Danica McKellar) who is just as cute as can be, and if you've seen 'Office Space' it has the guy known for saying "She just might be seeing my 'O' face."

This play is about a guy (Andrew) who falls in love with anyone on the drop of a dime. After being overly aggressive and open with the momentary "love of his life", he comes to the conclusion that he'll never see her again. Within' moments he falls "in love" with Lucy, who's picture he see's on Myspace. They meet and of course, he falls in love. Whenever they talk about something they enjoy, the other responds with, "Me too." They seem meant for each other. Then one night Lucy doesn't show up to meet Andrew and he goes to her house to see if she's ok. Lucy just found out she has cancer, to which Andrew responds, "Me too". How perfect can this be? They carry on their relationship determined to lift each other up during hard times. Things start to take a toll on Andrew and over time you find out that, though the love they have for each other seems strong, they both have lied to each other in different ways. The conflicts cause a split but Andrew realizes he wants nobody more than Lucy and does whatever he can to try and win her back into his life.

(M) King Kong (Jackson, 2005) Grade: B

I don't really have much to say about this movie. It was good for what it was. There were some slow parts and some awesome parts. So here were my random thoughts:
1. Adrian Brody's nose is HUGE.
2. Naomi Watts is pretty.
3. King kong kicks ass!
4. The fight scene with the T-rex's were awesome.
5. If you needed to get rid of heavy things on the boat...why would you throw away the cooking utensils and tables but not the HEAVY ASS stash of guns and ammo?

Um...I would just like to know how this movie got made. My friend actually wants to watch this...but then again she's crazy about anything to do with dogs/pets/animals.

Karate Dog

X-Men: The Last Stand
Grade: I can't give one

The new heroes are cool, the villians are pretty lame, except for the Juggernaut. At first I thought that Vinnie Jones was a poor choice for the Juggernaut, but upon watching the movie, he wasn't that bad a choice. He has one very sweet moment in the film, and if you're an internet geek, you'll know what it is later. Anyways the story deviates from the comics and cartoon series, but that is probably why you will hear negative reviews from purists of the X-Men. I personally thought that it was entertaining until the ending, but that's just what I think and it doesn't really matter. That is why I can't really give it a grade. Just go enjoy it for what it is, a movie, and i'm sure you won't have too many problems with it.

(M) Lover's Of The Arctic Circle (Spain)
Grade: B
Somebody recommended I see this Spanish film. It's about two children Otto and Ana (palindrome kids). They meet when they are young and fall in love. Their lives are a series of "coincidences" and the boys dad falls in love with the girls mom and get married. As Otto and Ana get older, into their teens, they start their own intimate relationship. When Otto's real mom dies he tries to kill himself and then goes off into the world alone without Ana. However their love for each other is too strong and they are brought back into each others lives but not how they would have hoped.

(M) Three Times (Taiwan)
Grade: D
When I read what this movie was to be about I was excited. It's about love over three different time periods, 1911, 1966, and 2005. It takes place in Taiwan so there are a LOT of changes over these time periods in that country. Though the idea seemed nice the execution was poor in my opinion. The first piece (1966) seemed to drag on too slowly but then the 2nd one (1911) starts and you want to walk out but are crossing your fingers for the third story (2005) to be great and it's not. In the end I felt the first story was great, but only because the other two were so bad.

ok so i went to see X-Men 3 again at the midnight showing (yes, i loved it)
just a heads up to whomever is going to see it: there is a clip after the credits finish, so stay until the very end.

I'm madly in love now ... with Prince. He is such a bad m*therf*cker. I love it. I liked how at the end of his performance on American Idol he just walked off stage - no thank you or nothing. Awesome :)

In other news, wow were those Radiohead tickets hard to get. But I got one golden ticket and I'm running home to tell my family about it :P. Ha ha. But really I got one ticket for Friday in Section A. I'm truly amazed. Go Radiohead !!!!!!!!

THAT'S RIGHT!!!!!

This was a GREAT year for Idol. SOOO many talented singers. The finale was great.

PRINCE WAS THERE!!!!! That was the highlight for me!!

I loved the Burt Bacharach portion.. sooo great!! I feel Katherine performed better than ever tonight, maybe because there was no pressure on her. I really loved this season and I am sooo happy Taylor won and I heard Katherine already has a deal to work on Broadway. Such an great year, such great talent as well.

See Clay Aiken, this was great.

Has anyone seen this?? DAMN! I've always wanted a thin Janet stomach but alas, it never came haha.

90's Reunite - Bobby Brown, SWV, En Vogue, Bel Biv Devoe at the Greek Theater on July 15. Am I lame for wanting to go? Nah!

MAY 22, 2006 SUNS VS CLIPPERS - Game 7

So I went to this game, and unfortunately the game was very lopsided towards the end. Seriously all of the Clippers looked like Chris Kaman by the time the 3rd period was almost up. (Note: Chris Kaman is a very handsome man..............if you like cavemen.) Anyways the guy I went with took some crap from the Suns fans, but really it was nothing. They probably have the worst smack talking crowd in the world, either that or they are very nice people. This got me to thinking, if these poor folk were in LA, and the Suns had won or lost, the unfortunate few that were at the game would probably have had their heads bashed in, cars looted, and kids pee'd on. My point, LA fans suck ass, no matter what team, whether it be the Dodger, the Laker, or the Raider, and now even the Angel. Yes I know the Raiders are no longer in LA, but they still all live here. Anyways, Mike Dunleavey you suck, and so do you Chris Kaman.

(M) Children of Heaven (Iranian 1999 Academy Award Nominated Best Foreign Film)
Grade: C
The story was cute but I felt the movie went on a little long. A boy in a poor Iranian family loses his sisters shoes and to avoid punishment they trade back and forth the boy's sneakers. Problems ensue with only having one pair of shoes. Eventually the boy enters a race hoping to win 3rd place and get the award of a new pair of sneakers.




(M) Enron: The Smartest Guys In The Room (Documentary, I believed it was nominated for Best Documentary)
Grade: C
Nothing makes you happier then corporate greed, the abuse of politics, and the destruction of people's lives. I'm sure everyone knows about Enron. If you want a little more understanding of the whole situation you can watch this documentary. I felt it was too long but it was informative.






(M) Paradise Now (2006 Academy Award Nominated Best Foreign Film)
Grade: B
Two Palestinians are sick of the abuses their people are suffering by the Israeli's. They plan on a suicide bombing amongst the citizens. One of the guys meets a girl who questions whether what they are doing is the right way to protest. Plans get messed up, panic follows, in the end they need to make a choice of what they are going to do. One person goes back to Israel to complete his bombing mission and you see the sadness it brings to those who care about him and the indifference of his life to those who sent him.




(M) The Color of Paradise (Iranian Film)
Grade: C
A sad story about a blind boy whose father doesn't want him because of the struggle he brings to his fathers life. The boy gets moved around because of his blindness and becomes sad and depressed. An unfortunate accident occurs towards the end of the film threatening the boys life but it revives his father's love for his son and the sacrifice he'd make for him.





(G) Sondre Lerche (Free In-store at Border's books last Saturday)
Grade: A
I have never seen Sondre live. He is quite enjoyable. It was just him with a guitar and another guitarist and the songs were wonderful. Sometimes he'd forget lyrics and teh audience would help him out. It was cute and fun. He played for maybe 35-40 minutes. PLayed some new stuff and some stuff off the last album. Wonderful event.

(M) X-Men: The Last Stand (2007, Brett Ratner) grade: A+

A-MA-ZING!
So I got to go see the movie today, thanks to the pass I got last week at the publicity thing by the Golden Gate Bridge. I loved the movie. I won't say too much, except that the action is finally there, to the full potential that a good action sequence in an X-Men movie can be. Also, it was rather short.
Go see it people! maybe we can get Fox to make another one.

SOUL PATROL!! SOUL PATROL!! SOUL PATROL!!! I think we know who brought it tonight. Let's see if America agrees tomorrow.
Note: Sorry FTC I usually don't care for this show but this season that Katharine girl has gotten on my last nerve. I will admit she is good looking but her singing is not on target all the time. Ha ha.

-So the Clippers lost. Oh well. Good for them for making it as far as they could.
- The Arrested Development Estate sale was not what I thought. It was more a yard sale of useless items. There were a couple of cool things like Gob's coffin from his magic trick at his dad's funeral and a cap from the I have low self esteem in Newport Beach but yea. According to my cuz who went on Friday at 8am there were a couple more cool items from the show but most of it was already sold.
- I haven't been watching as many movies lately. Could it be I'm actually tired of them?
- My stomach hurts.

MXPX is touring again and they will be playing two shows in Anaheim at the House of Blues. They will be performing with Reel Big Fish, Street Light Manifesto, Transition and Whole WHeat Bread. I plan on going to the Friday show. If anyone wants to go, let me know! If you have never heard MXPX live, you should, they are a great live band.

July 28 - Friday - House of Blues - Anaheim
July 31 - Monday - House of Blues - Anaheim

I’ve come to wish you an unhappy birthday
’Cause you’re evil
And you lie
And if you should die
I may feel slightly sad
(But I won’t cry)

Have an unhappy 47th birthday Moz!

Holy crap ... I'M SOOOO GOING TO THIS. Who's with me? Come on. Hello it is an Arrested Development Estate sale. Oh yes. imnotoscar.com

I don't know how many of you watch America's Next Top Model but even if you don't this clip is HILARIOUS. I'm so glad I found it haha. I HATE Jade. She is completely insane.

Jade-bonics

Has anyone seen the trailer for World Trade Center? I didn't even know they were making a movie, but I saw it on Extra and I nearly cried. It's only been 5 years since 9/11 and this is the 2nd movie that I've heard of about it. I dunno, it seems wrong to me. Not sure if I'll be able to watch this one even though it looks pretty good.

So the CW fall line up is the only network I'm actually concerned about knowing because it is a blending of WB and UPN. Well they cancelled Everwood (sorry Hedwig), Pepper Dennis, Bedford Diaries, One on One, Eve, Half and Half and a few others but they are adding 7th Heaven back in the line up. Apparently the show had its series finale but due to strong viewership CW is breathing new life into it. That is pretty amazing to have a series finale then go ... just kidding. Anyways the only day I care about it Tuesday because that is Gilmore Girls (though I don't care for it at all anymore) and Veronica Mars. YAY!!! The best show no one is watching. I feel bad that so many black oriented programs are getting cancelled. It seems like WB just came in and kicked UPN out. Weak.

Bye Elliott, you seemed like a really nice guy. So yea I know it is amazing that I even care this much about American Idol season five but I think I'm "fueled" by how much I don't like Katharine McPhee. Ha ha yes Hedwig I'm a hater. After reading this EW article, I figured out why. She does not sing that well, she lacks maturity (she is only 21 while Elliott was 27 and Taylor is 29), she makes excuses for not singing well and she thinks she is good looking (though I can not prove this.) Go Taylor Hicks!!

Pull out your tweed skirts and wool cardys. Camera Obscura is on at the Troubadour July 19. Glee for twee!

TV has been pretty good lately. Last night, I watched American Idol because it is down to the final three and seriously Taylor Hicks the silver fox has to win. He has too. He is the best by far. Elliott is okay and I really don't like Katherine. She thinks she is hot though her singing is decent.


Then it was off to watch the LA Clippers play the Phoenix Suns. What a great but sad game. The Clippers blew that game. They could have won. Hopefully they can win game 6 and 7.

(B) Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress (Dai Sijie, 2002) Grade: A-
This novel interested me because it takes place during the Cultural Revolution in China, a time in which intellectualism was viewed negatively and such things as Western novels were destroyed. I always thought that this period sounded like something from a science-fiction novel; it’s hard to believe it really happened. The protagonist of this novel discovers a secret stash of Western novels by such authors as Hugo, Dumas and Balzac, whose work has a profound impact on the seamstress. In fact, the last sentence of the book is one of Balzac’s. Her transformation from her education seems worthwhile yet it ultimately brings tragedy to the two men in the story. Definitely eager to see the film.

(O) End of semester book buyback
Grade: F------
I went to my school since it's finals week to sell back the books that I had bought. Of the ones they were willing to take back, it had cost me $115.75 for those books. How much did they pay me for them? $14.25

WHAT THE HELL!!!!!

So I just got back from some X-Men 3 publicity thing near golden gate park. It was kind of cool, I got a pass to an advance screening for next week and some other free (yes FTC....FREE!) stuff. I also got to see a few of the cast members (Anna Paquin [Rogue], Shawn Ashmore [Iceman], & Dania Ramirez [Callisto]). All in all, a morning well-spent.
UPDATE: here are some of the pics i took
so my question...who else can't wait to see this (supposedly final in the series) movie?!
oh yeah, i got these X-men cards advertising emusic.com giving 50 free downloads if you sign up for the free 2-week trial. It seems kind of cool, except that its an indie music download site, and I can't find 50 songs to download, hehe. The stuff I saw on there, I already have (Ladytron, Interpol, French Kicks, Ying Yang Twins). so you guys might want to check it out (especially FTC and her sister, since you guys LOVE your indie music).

(O) Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead (Knightsbridge Theatre, May 14) Grade: B+
It was really disheartening that this production of Tom Stoppard’s play had so few people in the audience. My friend counted 21. The acting was serviceable, though sometimes I think actors yell their lines for dramatic effect more than necessary. The actor who played Hamlet, portrayed as a right ponce, was hilarious and probably the standout.

(M) Casablanca
Grade: A
A friend of mine recently watched this and told me I should check it out. Since it's #2 on the AFI list I figured I owe to myself to check this movie out. I had no idea what this movie was about, but it was rather impressive.

It's 1942 and refugees are fleeing France to their colonized territory in Africa to escape to the U.S. because the Germans are marching through Europe en route to world domination. A man named Rick has a cafe in Casablanca and is impartial to politics and is only interested in his business and staying out of trouble. One day Ilsa, his one true love from the past comes to Casablanca with her husband, a political activist, to escape from France and continue their revolution from abroad. Rick wants Ilsa and Ilsa always trully loved Rick but chooses to stick by her husband at first. Eventually Rick and Ilsa both want each other but Rick realizes that the love of two individuals is insignificant to the problems of the world at the moment and encourages them to live for the larger purpose in life.

It's a rather emotional movie and very very well done.

(B) The Loneliness of a Long-Distance Runner (Alan Sillitoe, 1959) Grade: B+
I found this collection of short stories in a used bookshop and bought it solely because of the title (adapted for a Belle & Sebastian tune). The title story itself is very much a commentary on the class system in 1960s Britain and a spot on metaphor for life (running a race to the finish line). The others in this collection also are quite enjoyable; my favorites being “Uncle Ernest” and “The Fishing-Boat Picture.” (Interesting note: Sillitoe’s first novel, Saturday Evening and Sunday Morning, is the source for Arctic Monkeys’ album title Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not.)

(M) Tristram Shandy: A Cock and Bull Story (Steve Coogan, 2006) Grade: B-
New Wave thought I would love this film because she enjoyed it (Feb. 26) and it’s British. And this film is very British. The humor is extremely subtle and not as obvious as typical Hollywood films, which could explain its limited appeal stateside. Most Americans might not even realize this is a comedy. But Tristram Shandy isn’t a film I would willingly watch again, as it left me with nary an impression.

Alright... Pigern made a reference to My So-Called Life in a comment to one of my posts... and I just have to say, that was the freaking greatest show ever at that time. So I want to take a poll here.
My So-Called Life:
A) Awesome
B) OK
C) Sucks
D) What's My So-Called Life?

(M) Eros (3 short stories)
Overall Grade: C
This first of these three stories was probably my favorite one in reflection. It was kinda slow moving, but the impact afterwards was far above the others. I think the strength is that this piece was done by a woman and not a man and so it focused on intimacy more than sexual lust/desire. It's based around a tailor and a woman who sells her body for money, but as she gets older she begins to lose clients and gets sick. The tailor always loves her and wants to make outfits for her. Their relationship is sad and intimate. Again, it was the most powerful piece.

The second piece was about a man who is in a therapists office. This one was very commical to me. The man is stressing out about work and this fantasy dream he is having and he is talking about it to his therapist but the therapist is paying almost no attention to the guy and wrapped up in his own interests about something going on outside the office. It was rather commical. No lasting impact, but easy to watch as it went along.

The third and final piece was retarded. I swear this piece was made by a guy who uses film to get to see women naked. At first I was trying to read into symbolism but it just went too far by the end to where I didn't care what he was trying to say and I felt... dude, you just want to film naked women.

Caption under picture reads: In this image provided by ABC, chickens are confiscated in a scene from "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America." The ABC made-for-TV movie follows an outbreak of an Avian Flu from its origins in a Hong Kong market through its mutation into a virus transmittable from human to human around the world and airs May 9 in the U.S., just as scientists are to begin testing of wild birds in Alaska that could herald the arrival of bird flu in North America. (AP Photo/ABC, Ken George, HO)

What kind of bogus garbage does ABC, owned by evil Disney, expect by shoving Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America into viewer's home during May sweeps week? More mass hysteria? If the Catholic church is afraid people are willing to believe the Da Vinci Code is real then why not this made for TV movie.?

(M) The Bicycle Theif
Grade: C

This is a movie from the 1930's. It's a sad story of a man in Italy who, like most citizens at the time, were unemployed looking for any work they can get. Luckily for this man he given the opportunity to hang posters on walls for work. To get the job he needs a bicycle. His wife sells all their sheets and linens to be able to purchase a bicycle so her husband can work and feed the family. On his first day on the job his bicycle is stolen and he spends the rest of the movie walking around Italy with his elementary school aged son to try and recover the bike. In the end the father sends his son to go home. Thinking his son is gone the father steals another mans bike but is chased down and beaten up a bit before almost getting arrested. His son witnesses all this and the father feels disgraced. The movie won Best Foreign Film.


(M) Street Fight (Documentary)
Grade: B

This documentary govers the Newark, New Jersey Major race. The major of 30 years who avoided a serious corruption scandal is threatened to be ousted by a new up and comer. As a result the Major uses and abuses all the power he can to try and win the election. If you have a sign supporting the opposite candidate in your place of business, he'll call the building commission to find "something" wrong with your building and close your business down. If you work for the local government and support the opposite candidate, he'll either have you demoted, put on horrible working shifts, or fired all together. It's quite an interesting look at the dirty side of election campaigns. The film was nominated for Best Documentary.


(M) Indochina
Grade: C

This movie is based during the French occupation of Vietnam. It's about a French soilder who starts a brief relationship with a white wealthy female land-owner. One day he saves the life of the vietnamese girl. This girl happens to have been raised by the white female land-owner. The soilder and the vietnamese girl start a relationship and end up on the run in Vietnam. The story follows their struggle in trying to survive in vietnam during French Occupation. The film won a Best foreign Film award.


(M) Loose Change (Documentary?)
Grade: A
This is absolutely fascinating. I don't know if anyone out there has ever had problems with the story we've been told about what happened on 9-11 or if you ever had any questions that went un-answered but this film assumes the government is behind 9-11. Yes, I know... conspiracy theory... blah blah blah, I'm not a fan of them either. However, this is great! I don't buy 100% of this films premise, but I absolutely do believe the governemt had some knowledge and some involvement in what happened on 9-11. You really should find a copy of this film and watch it. It's available for download on the internet.

(M) Art School Confidential (Terry Zwigoff, 2006) Grade: C
I was really looking forward to seeing this second collaboration of Zwigoff and Daniel Clowes, since Ghost World is one of my favorite films (as is the comic). Unfortunately, despite the A-list actors (John Malkovich, Steve Buscemi, Jim Broadbent, Anjelica Huston) and promising first half, the film petered out by the final reel and made me wish the screenplay had undergone a few more revisions before production. Rather than mocking cliches as it had initially done, Art School becomes one.

(G) Ladytron @ El Rey (May 9) Grade: B+
Liverpool-based electronica act Ladytron performed their post-Coachella gig to a sold-out crowd, which comprised of the disinterested Los Angeles indie kids rooted to their spot on the—key word—dance floor. Ladytron equally displayed a cool, detached demeanor but it worked in their favor. Most of the songs were drawn from Witching Hour but some of the older material was tapped, such as personal favorite “Seventeen.”

For some reason, I have a preference for the window seat. It's probably because I get to hog the view from the window and control the window shade. Like the other day, it was really bright out and I wanted to sleep, so I shut the shade. But the down side to having a window seat is that you can't get out to use the W.C. as easily as someone sitting on the aisle seat. So what do you guys prefer...Window or Aisle?

PS. I'm leaving for Australia tonight...my mom has the aisle seat while I have the middle seat. It's gonna be a super long flight.

I was at school yesterday and I caught about the first 45-50 minutes of this documentary on Wal-Mart. If you hate Wal-Mart, here's more fuel to your fire. If you don't hate Wal-Mart and want a reason to hate them because... why not hate Walmart? I stopped shopping there awhile ago and now I am reminded as to why I will continue to not shop there, and to continue to make zero impact in my personal protest. The documentary is called: Walmart: The High Cost of Low Prices.

(M) Inside Man. (Spike Lee, 2006) Grade: B

Thoughts: Denzel Washington, Jodie Foster and Clive Owen star in this enjoyable bank robbery movie that is more than what it seems. Dalton Russell (Clive Owen) is out to rob a bank but not for the money inside. Detective Keith Frazier (Denzel Washington) is trying to diffuse the situation and Madeline White (Jodie Foser) is trying to protect the interest of the owner of the bank. The movie had strong acting and was fun to watch. According to IMDB, the film was shot in only 39 days and Jodie Foster did her parts in less than 3 weeks.

(M) Kekexili: Mountain Patrol. (Chuan Lu, 2004) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Kekexili is a great film about an important subject matter. In the mid 90s, a group of voluntary mountain patrol took it upon themselves to protect the Tibetan antelope from poachers. A journalist from Beijing name Ga Yu learns about the patrol and their leader Ri Tai. He decides to visit the group and write a piece about them. The amazing part is after the story is published, about everything Ga Yu has learned and seen from being with the men, it woke the Chinese government up to a serious problem. It brought worldwide attention to the situation and caused the government to create stronger measure against poaching and formed an official force to stamp out the poachers of the antelopes. The voluntary mountain patrol disbanded shortly afterwards but what they did and sacrificed will be remembered through this movie.

Yet another reason for hating Canadians eh

http://www.westislandchronicle.com/pages/article.php?noArticle=6063

Disclaimer: This topic was approved by New Wave herself. Gentlemen...brace yourselves, seriously.

Now I didn't get first hand experience with this, but my friend who is doing a rotation with HIV medicine told me this interesting tid bit that I have never heard of before.

Did you know that there are anal pap smears? A regular pap smear is a screening tool for cervical cancer. The Human Papilloma Virus is a virus that can increase your risk for cervical cancer...and from what I've learned now, anal cancer. An anal pap smear is for those who have anal sex(either male or female), especially if you are infected by HIV. I tried to look up the speculum they use for this but my search brought up adult toy sites and, well, I quickly gave up.

For those of the male persuasion that don't know what happens in a pap smear, here's what happens: The doctor uses the speculum to keep the vagina, and in this case, the anus open. Then they take either a brush tip or a wooden spatula and scrape off cells and tissue. They take the sample and put it on a slide and look for abnormal cells. Who KNEW that they did this for the anus. Crazy.

It made me think though. In OBGYN we don't usually ask women if they have anal sex, and I'm wondering if it would be beneficial to screen for this. Interesting huh? hehe.

Although Pigern claims I have a love/hate relationship with Radiohead at the end of the day it is all love. Proof - last night I stayed up until around 2:40 am to see if I could get tickets to a Radiohead concert. Well lo and behold tickets were released at 3:15 ish and I was sleeping. To make matters worst my awesome and wonderful great homie FTC was calling me to get me to buy them BUT my phone was on slience AND my friend Charles was texting me but I did not get them until 7 am. Ugh. But no fear ... I still have the actual sale date and worst case some scalper stuff. My friend did get tickets for SD and Berkeley.

Here are the tour dates if you guys want to go:
June 23 & 24 Berkeley - Greek Theater * PUBLIC ON SALE MAY 14
June 26 & 27 San Diego - Bayside * PUBLIC ON SALE MAY 6
June 29 & 30 Los Angeles - Greek Theater * PUBLIC ON SALE MAY 25