(M) The Matador. (Richard Shepard, 2005) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Julian Noble (Pierce Brosnan) plays a hit man heading into retirement. After two botched jobs and on his way to a nervous breakdown, Julian turns to cautious and safe salesmen Danny Wright (Greg Kinnear) for help. Julian and Danny crossed paths a few months ago in Mexico City and fostered a friendship. At least that is what you are led to believe. The movie was too short to develop any of the characters so you just had to believe that Julian and Danny became life long friends after knowing each other for only a few days. Hope Davis who plays Bean Wright, Danny’s wife, is so cute and charming but her role was brief. Overall not a great movie but it was neat to see Pierce Brosnan play this has been hit man considering he use to be James Bond.

(M) Underworld. Evolution. (Len Wiseman, 2006) Grade:B-

Thoughts: I liked the first Underworld movie and figured I should give the second one a whirl. Surprisingly it did not suck as much as I expected. Underworld: Evolution picks up right where the last one left off and the film does a good job of explaining to you what happened in the last film (because I sort of forgot some stuff). Kate Beckinsale is super hot in black leather as Selene the vampire and Scott Speedman is not hard on the eyes either as Michael Corvin the werewolf/vampire hybrid. I would like to see them continue with this series but we’ll see. I read they might do a prequel to how Selene because a vampire but Kate Bekinsale would not play the role which is crap because she is Selene. One thing to note is the movie is extremely violent with tons of gore though I didn't mind. I was looking on Yahoo! Movies and apparently critics hated the film giving it a D+ but viewers liked it.

(M) Wordplay. (Patrick Creadon, 2006) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Other people have reviewed this movie so I won’t bother but to say it is better as a rental than in the theatre. I’ve seen a few documentaries and Wordplay was one of the weaker ones. The scenes showing celebrities doing puzzles was a bit pointless and I wish they focused more on the players of the ACPT (American Crossword Puzzle Tournament). However, I did enjoy the history of crossword puzzles and how they were developed and made. Oh and the winner in the film, Tyler Hinman won again this year and so did Ken Jennings (from Jeopardy fame) but in C division.

I LOVE Infernal Affairs. I found it to be one of the best Asian films out there. I have to admit the American remake had me wondering but I think Scorsese will do justice to the film. Check out the trailer.

time for me to blog about so you think you can dance again. i'm so upset that Allison got voted off this week....ANYHOW here are the 2 performances i really liked this week and then Allison's farewell solo(there is a rumor she's going out with travis--mohawk guy, but then again there's a rumor that he's gay so i don't know haha...)

YouTube - So You Think You Can Dance - Ivison/Allivan

Natalie and Ryan Contemporary to I will get there by Boyz II Men

Allison Farewell Solo

(M) Little Miss Sunshine (Jonathan Dayton, Valerie Faris, 2006) Grade: A
This indie black comedy achieves the perfect balance of human emotion, tragedy and humor without overdoing any element. Very true to life, Little Miss Sunshine captures the dysfunctional realities of life and gets it just right. Highly recommended.

(A) Impeach My Bush by Peaches (2006) grade: A

So I'm finally going to review this album (after promising New Wave I would do it sooner). I'm really enjoying this album. It follows in the same manner as her previous two albums, with her usual mixing of Rock, Electronic, and some Hip-Hop. The insanely dirty lyrics are still there, and I LOVE it! Oh yeah, and it features guest vocals by Joan Jett and guitar by Josh Homme.
"Hurts so good I got a sore-gasm."
The lead single, "Downtown", is just okay, but still a good listen. It sounds rather polished up for radio.
I definitely recommend this album (if you can take it), and I just found out that the iTunes version has 5 extra tracks (boooo to them!).
My faves: "Tent In Your Pants", "Boys Wanna Be Her"

(M) Our Brand is Crisis (Rachel Boynton, 2006) Grade: B+
It’s politics as usual in the U.S., but filmmaker Boynton explores how well those politics travel internationally in her study of the 2002 Bolivia presidential campaign of Gonzalo Sánchez de Lozada (“Goni”), who hired a team of American political consultants to help him win the election. Of the talking heads here, strategist James Carville offers the most interesting and amusing insights, comparing a political campaign to intercourse: “You don’t have all that control over when you’re going to peak.” The tactics used by Goni’s team mirror those in the States—focus groups, smear campaigns, political ads—but Bolivia is obviously a very different country; though Goni wins the election, he gains only 22.5% support. Goni also faces a poverty crisis—nine out of 10 indigenous people are poor—and must combat the general fear of foreign investment, which most Bolivians believe is a threat to jobs. All these obstacles prove too large for Goni to overcome, and he flees for Washington, D.C., after 14 months in office. The self-assured strategists are left somewhat flabbergasted during Goni’s short term, watching as more than 100 Bolivians are killed in violent riots. Reflecting on his team’s role, pollster Jeremy Rosner says, “You come in as an outsider and you advise people and you have an impact … so you do feel responsible.”

(G) Buzzcocks @ Henry Fonda (July 26) Grade: B+
Time has a funny way of catching up with you. One day you’re penning irreverent songs such as “Orgasm Addict,” and then the next thing you know, some 30 years have passed and your band is considered part of the first generation of punk bands from the late ’70s. Tonight’s opener, The Strays, looked like the archetypal punk band: skinny boys in tight jeans and leather jackets, legs splayed with just a hint of a sneer. But they hardly elicited a response from the punks in the crowd, both young and old, who were waiting for the headliners: men in their 50s with visible potbellies and white hair. Though the Buzzcocks started with several tracks from new album Flat-Pack Philosophy, they knew what everyone was really waiting for, performing “Orgasm Addict,” “What Do I Get?,” “I Don’t Mind,” “Autonomy,” “Noise Annoys,” “Ever Fallen in Love,” “Love You More”... Each classic turned the crowd into a frenzied, crowd-surfing mob. I could smell the strong stench of male aggressiveness by the end of the night. And for a moment, it seemed Pete Shelley and Steve Diggle forgot anytime had passed at all. (That is, until the next day, when Diggle has aches in his legs after too many air kicks.)

So I need some help. Back in 2005, I received a claims letter from Apple stating if you owned a first, second or third generation iPod whose battery has died, which I did, you would get a $50 dollar voucher to use at any Apple store.

Well the last date to turn in the form was Sept. 30, 2005 and of course I waited until the VERY LAST minute, like I had to beg the post office guy to take my letter because I got there just at 5pm or something.

Fast forward to last night when I was opening my mail and what should I get but a letter stating I had $50 dollars worth of store credit I can only use online or at a store (excluding iTunes downloads, iTunes Music Store Cards, or anything iTunes related). Now the issue is what to get? I was going to use this money to buy a new iPod but I already got a new one.

Any suggestions?

I thought he was the most interesting and entertaining N'Sync boy now I find out he likes boys. Neat :)

Smog Pollution Reduction

So I was bored and sitting around thinking of ways to help reduce smog... and basically, it centers around reducing drivers. Here's my proposal:

1) If you don't have a license by 2007, you can't get one until you're 18.

2) By 2010 you can't have a license if you are over 75 years of age.

3) If you are pulled over for a DUI, you get a one year suspension on your license, a 2nd offense = you can never drive in california again (this way we encourage drunk drivers to leave california which reduces population)

4) if you commit 1st degree murder, you can never drive in CA again once released from jail (encourages murders to leave california)

5) if you even USE the insanity defense for anything, you can NEVER drive in CA again (win or lose) because we can't have people going insane while driving 2000 pounds of steel at 65-80mph.

6) if you're driving a car illegally, you're shipped off to a nevada desert prison where you do intense labor in the heat for 1 year (it temporarily reduces the population of CA and Nevada has to foot the bill for the inmate. Don't worry, they can afford it with all that casino revenue).

well... that's all for now. It's still a work in progress.

I've been wondering how much of the heat we have been experiencing is due to global warming and then I heard on the news today though we are up 12 to 16 degrees from normal weather only about 1% is due to global warming and rest is due to a high pressure system according to JPL. Granted the news source is not the LA or NY Times but I did hear it on the radio as well so who knows. It is an interesting thing to think about the next time someone says all of this is due to global warming. Don't get me wrong we need to do something about our environment badly BUT sometimes people are too quick to jump on certain hot topic matters to sound like they know what is going on. Other news sources - SD, Valley Sun.

(M) Clerks 2. (Kevin Smith, 2006) Grade: B

Thoughts: 12 years have past since the original Clerks was made on a budget of around $27K. Now Mr. Smith has brought back our beloved, older and chubbier, Randal and Dante in a whole new setting, working at Mooby’s, with some new faces but still same old antics. Highlights for me were Jay dancing to Goodbye Horses WITH the tuck, the conversation between Randal and a Lord of the Rings fan, the Cowtipper sandwich and Elias and his pillow pant story. This is a stoner/lewd and cruel/fan of Kevin Smith stuff/toilet humor movie so basically not for everyone. I don’t mind that stuff so I can laugh at it and I did.

Randal Graves: That look was so gay I thought Sam was gonna tell the little hobbits to go for a walk so he could saunter over to Frodo and suck his fucking cock. Now *that* would have been an Academy Award worthy ending.
Hobbit Lover: Hey, they're not gay. They're hobbits.

(M) Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest. (Gore Verbinski, 2006) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Long. That is all I really remember about the movie. Yes there was action and adventure but I wondered what the point was at times. Was to it to fill in some space because the real story plot line comes in part 3? Johnny Depp was as dreamy as I remembered him and still great as Captain Jack Sparrow. Keira Knightley was good as Elizabeth Swann and Orlando Bloom as William Turner was so hot. I forgot how good looking that boy was. Yea it was eye patch wearing fun but you really need part 3 to make you feel like you completed something. The amazing part is how much money the movie continues to pull in every weekend which is very impressive.

(A) Two Thousand (French Kicks, 2006) Grade: B+
When this New York-based band first appeared on the scene, they were largely (and unfairly) ignored—eclipsed during the heyday of The Strokes. I saw the Kicks about four times in 2003 (they opened for Idlewild’s tour[1]), and though the album had some key tracks, I never considered myself a true fan. That changed with the 2004 release of The Trial of the Century, a far more sophisticated, musically developed offering than their debut. Two Thousand is for the most part a continuation of Century; some tracks use similar piano melodies and drum rhythms, with only minor revisions on the layering and technique. This time around, the Kicks elicit comparisons to The Walkmen, from Nick Stumpf mimicking Hamilton Leithauser’s elastic vocals to the overall sound (see “So Far Are We”). The Kicks are performing (for their fruit-themed album) at the Troubadour on Aug. 21. And it’s true: “England Just Will Not Let You Recover.” Cheers.
[1] I still remember when Natural History and French Kicks were the opening bands for Idlewild at the El Rey, and New Wave saw the Kicks walk on stage. “Is this suppose to be a different band? They look just like the last one!” she said—arms crossed of course.

(G) Flaming Lips @ Hollywood Bowl (July 23) Grade: A
I suspect Flaming Lips singer Wayne Coyne might have seen 1964 B-movie Santa Claus Conquers the Martians before setting off on the band’s At War With the Mystics tour, as tonight’s stage was bombarded by Santas on one side and Martians on the other—though neither side seemed particularly antagonistic. Known for their costumes, theatrics and Coyne’s overall kookiness, the Lips also passed out glow sticks, which fans waved in the air ... like they just didn’t care, threw large white balloons[1] and confetti in the air and had Coyne walking about in the plastic bubble he introduced at Coachella two years ago. That’s not to say any of these antics detracted from the show, which focused mainly on material from Mystics and Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots. Set closer “Do You Realize” was touching without being overly sentimental (the topless dancer video in the background made sure of that) and for the encore, Black Sabbath cover “War Pigs” was political without being heavy-handed. The surreal elements of the night translated into something just a touch magical.
[1] Note on balloons: The first time I experienced balloons at a gig was the Polyphonic Spree at the El Rey three years ago. The band dropped them on the audience after the first song, and for the rest of the set, I could hear the background noise of balloons popping. Luckily, the Bowl crowd just tossed the balloons to the front, where they were collected and out of the way for the rest of the night. That could have been a disaster. I was pelted with glow sticks more than once though.

(M) The Killing Fields
Grade: B
This film is based on a true story of a New York Times journalist who was in Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge began to rise up against the government and institute a campaign of ethnic cleansing. As the US Military begins to pull out of Cambodia, the New York Times journalist decides to stay behind to cover the story. Staying behind as well is a native man who is also a reporter and a friend of the NY Times journalist. As the situation worsens all American journalists leave and the local reporter is left behind to face the Khmer Rogue on his own.


(M) Night Porter
Grade: C
When a night porter (the front desk man at a hotel) checks in a famous composer and his wife to the hotel, the night porter recognizes the wife (and she recognizes the night porter) as a woman he forced a sexual affair upon when he was an officer in the nazi army and she was a prisoner. The night porter is about to face trial for his actions in the nazi army and all witnesses are now dead except for this one woman. The night porter is told to "file her away" as to save himself and others from any conviction but his love for her is strong and the womans affection for the night porter resurfaces leading to a rather twisted and sad relationship.

There was this one scene in the movie where they did a flashback to where they stuck many of the young girls that the nazi's captured onto one of those carnival style swing rides where it lifts you off the ground and then spins you around and around. While the girls were on the ride, the nazi officers decided to then just randomly shoot at the women. It was one of the most f'ed up concepts I've seen.

(M) Wordplay
Grade: B-/C+
This was a cute and fun movie, but in my opinion it's only worth renting. It follows around a couple of championship crossword puzzle competitors as well as interviewing some people who are crossword puzzle fans (Jon Stewart, Bill Clinton, Indigo Girls, Ken Burns, etc.). One thing you can say about the people who compete in the crossword puzzle tournaments... they're all a bunch of dorks, or at least the ones in the film are. But to me... that's what makes the movie so great. All I know is I never could do crossword puzzles before and there is no way I'll be able to do them later.

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(C) Camera Obscura
Grade: B+
(Location: Troubadour)
This was a great show. The sound was great, the music was great, and the location was great. The band stuck mainly to their new album which is fine since I really enjoy it so much but I enjoyed the few older songs they played as well. My friend spilled her wine on the stage which got the attention of the band and so they chatted her up for a bit which was funny to me.

The opening band, Georgie James (i think), was nothing special what-so-ever but had the most beautiful keyboardist.

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(C) 4 bands at the Prospector
Grade: C-

(Band 1) Eagle and Talon - a band that is basically a girl on guitar and a girl on drums. They're basically a vocally pop-ish/riot girl (maybe?) sound. Basically chick rock. The sound was okay but one of the girls does this really annoying thing where she makes her voice go really high (like a valley girl pitch... you know... like oh my gosh)... the vocal pitch was annoying but she was very cute to look at so I'll tolerate it. HA!

(Band 2) The Ettes - basically a rock band. Sorta that pixies/nirvana influence rock. Also this was a girl band for the most part. They drew the largest crowd and had a pretty solid sound but the songs started to sorta sound the same (but then I was tired). The drummer was hot though. (I like how I am judging bands based on their hotness... me? superficial? NEVER!)

(Band 3) Squab - This is an all girl gothic type of band... sorta. goth/electro. I don't know. I didn't like it at all and besides... nobody in the band was hot and we all know that's what really matters, right?

(Band 4) The Shondes - This band came out from New York and then entered the prospector and saw pictures with Indians and boycotted the show because they found the depiction of Indians offensive. So in my opinion, they're a shitty retarded band. Please... nevermind the abuse of alcohol and lust and hooking up and loose morals floating around in the bar before your eyes... that's okay... but pictures of Indians... horrible!!!!!

(B) Interpreter of Maladies (Jhumpa Lahiri, 1999) Grade: A
I first heard of Lahiri when I read a collection of short stories edited by David Sedaris. Her entry, the title story, was one of my favorites, so I was happy to find her book at the library. All of her stories demonstrate a remarkable understanding of human emotion as well as the immigrant experience, specifically, Indian Americans. Her work is absolutely remarkable, which explains her Pulitzer in 2000. I’m eager to read her second book, The Namesake, which is being adapted for film and will star Harold & Kumar actor Kal Penn.

FTC we should go to London to see Kylie. She so rules!!! Kylie tickets sell in six minutes.

vote for your favorite fan-made design for the new JANET album. most of them are pretty bad, some are ok.

Due to various reasons I can not take a vacation until early 2007. As you can guess I’m pretty disappointed but what can I do. The question at hand now is where should I go come March/April 2007. Please vote in the comments section and let your voice be heard. (Results of vote will be determined in 2007.):

A. Toronto, Canada – I have family there and it would be nice to see them. Last time I was there was when I was 12.


B. Venice, Italy - A bit of a reach considering I will only have a few days but I did Spain in like 6 or 7 days.


C. Chicago, IL - My parents went and loved it. I've never been so it would be interesting.


D. Hong Kong – My default place to go :) Ha ha.

I went to my first Hollywood Forever movie screening a few weeks ago for Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Atomic Bomb, and it was great fun. It’s nice to sit outside and enjoy a picnic in the warm Los Angeles night. The upcoming screening on Aug. 5 is one of Darth’s favorite films: Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. It only costs $10 donation. Who’s in?
P.S. Oh, and one stipulation: Darth can only recite the lines in his head.

Apparently the lack of interest in our page is due to our high level intellectual, snobby style postings. I am guilty for them i.e. British lesbian miniseries as much as the next person (looking in Pigern and Cup’s direction).


However I’m willing to make a change. Yes I COULD post my top 10 corny or touching movie lines or about riding my bike through LA or who is cooler - Jack Bauer or Wolverine or post AOL IM conversations about lame stuff but I DON’T cause that does not make interesting post to me.

Should I start posting this: I got up today and went to work.

Wow work is boring and now I'm going to eat lunch. Lunch was okay now I will work some more. Wow driving home from work is a pain. Now I will watch some TV. Now it is time for bed. (Repeat).

How is that interesting!??!!??

I guess I am wrong so bring on the funny I will.

(M) Everyone Stares: The Police Inside Out (Stewart Copeland, 2006)
Grade: B+
Comprised almost entirely from Super 8 tour footage shot by drummer and director Stewart Copeland, this documentary follows the rise and dissolution of The Police, one of the biggest bands in the ’80s. Copeland doesn’t delve too deeply into how the band formed, how they developed their music or the reasons behind their unofficial break-up in 1984. Rather, Everyone Stares is a personal, home video-style account of the band’s meteoric rise from obscurity to worldwide fame. Copeland peppers the rough, amateurish footage with such wry commentary as, “We soon came to enjoy the cheerful rhythm of eager fans flapping against the car,” following the band’s attempt to drive away from a mob of screaming fans. Copeland is witty and a touch self-deprecating, but he also provides some insightful commentary about fame (“adulation becomes obligation”) and his growing separation from reality (“We bought houses and tried to make families, but it’s just going through the motions.”). Those unacquainted with The Police should look elsewhere for a more historical and informational account on the band. Seasoned fans, however, will find every little thing in Everyone Stares magic.

(M) He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword. (Ed Friedman & Lou Kachivas, 1985) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Yesterday The Best of She-Ra came out on dvd and I had to have it. She-Ra is what I grew up on. I remember when I was young Pigern and I headed to Universal Studios to meet She-Ra and her gang (or just a bunch of wanna be actors dressed up like them). The Secret of the Sword is just as good as I remember it. Prince Adam (He-Man) is sent to Etheria to find out who a special sword belongs to. Little does he know he is going to meet his sister Princess Adora who would become She-Ra. The movie was played over a week during the He-Man series to get a girl fan based started on the popular He-Man franchise. It worked. She-Ra was well received and made about 93 episodes. I have to say though Skeletor is a cooler villain than Hordak. For the honor of Grayskull!!!

(B) Good Ideas from Questionable Christians and Outright Pagans
Author: Steve Wilkens
Grade: A
This is a book that discusses 10 major philosphers. It's written by a university professor who teaches philosophy and who is also a Christian. He spends about 18 pages or so discussing each philosophers ideas and themes and then spends about three to five pages critiquing some of the philosophers points while embracing others. The book is excellent. It gives a really good overview of each philosopher. The great thing about this book is that even though it's written by a Christian he doesn't preach Christianity, he just lets the philosophers speak for themselves. If you want to freshen up or learn some basics of the principles of philosophers, this is an excellent book. It covers: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Augustine, Aquinas, Descartes, Kierkegaard, Marx, Nietzsche, and Sarte.


(G) The Submarines
Location: Hotel Cafe
Grade: B
The record release party for the Submarines was held at Hotel Cafe in LA by KCRW. The band played their entire album and they sounded wonderful. The story behind the band is very cute. Boy and girl are dating, boy and girl break up, boy and girl write songs about the break-up, boy and girl hear each others songs, boy and girl fall back in love, form band, and perform songs. The highlight for me was watching the female singer (the guy sings also) perform her songs and then glance over at her boyfriend with adoring eyes. It was very cute.

I think it’s great how lots of museums are now offering after hours/late night events. Besides Hammer’s Thursday night concerts in conjunction with Indie 103, MOCA is having its Night Vision events throughout the summer. Manchester’s Nine Black Alps and Los Angeles’ own The Like are performing this Saturday night, so you can pay admission to see the Rauschenberg exhibit and stay to see two buzz bands. Ace!

P.S. Cat Power is performing at McCabe’s Guitar Shop on July 27.

(M) Tipping the Velvet. (Geoffrey Sax, 2002) Grade: B

Thoughts: "Tipping the Velvet" was a Victorian euphemism for cunnilingus. Based on the novel by Sarah Waters, Nancy Astley (Rachael Stirling) lived a simple life working for her father at his seaside restaurant with the rest of her family. Until one night she witnesses the performance of male impersonator - Kitty Butler (Keeley Hawes) and her life changes forever. The series is broken into three episodes – the first being the introduction of Nancy and Kitty and their lesbian love affair/heartbreak, the second Nancy’s decline after the loss of Kitty to a man and becoming Diana Lethaby’s (Anna Chancellor) tart and the third Nancy’s acceptation of her new situation and a new love. I found episode two the least enjoyable just because it was so perverse and reckless. One thing to note is how tongue and cheek the whole series felt. It had a strange vaudeville/campy feel to it and at other times overdramatic/melodrama moments. The series was done through BBC so I’m assuming that is how they like their productions. I was a bit surprised at how wicked the show came off considering my view of British culture as very reserved, stiff and stoic. It might be just too much Pride and Prejudice exposure for me. The entire gay/lesbian culture in the 1890s was intriguing. There was definitely a transgender bender lifestyle existing which is apparent throughout most of European history.

A recent study was conducted to determine how Americans spend their leisure time. According to the study, most Americans watch 50 DVDs a year, and those ages 18 to 24 watch about 88 a year. How does New Wave compare to the average? Pretty close surprisingly. On Netflix, she has watched a little less than 50 films, and since it is the midway point, she has only 40 DVDs left to reach the “youth average.” I’m guessing she’ll meet that number but more likely will surpass it.

(O) Vegas Trip. (July 14 to 16, 2006) Grade: A-/D+

Thoughts: (A-) Why did I give this trip two grades? Well I’ll get into that. We left mid Friday evening hoping to beat some traffic; sadly no luck. Upon arrival we all realized Sahara has some creepy rooms, midget fixtures and ghetto people staying there. But hey it was cheap so I’m cool with that. The next day after a wonderful, great, amazing Wynn buffet (have you people tried this...yummers) we headed out to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway strip to see our friend drag race. One word – HOT!!!! How hot you ask? I think at one point it was 120 degrees more or less. Ugh. Our friend ended up ranking 7th place in the race so at least he did fairly well. Oh and I have a new found respect for drifting. You know that stupid Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift movie about cars that well pretty much drift on their turns? Well they had a whole competition out there for it and it was impressive to watch. After a few hours there we decided to head back to the strip for some food and drinks.

(D+) On Sunday we headed out for our journey back to LA, but little did we know we would be in for a long, long trip home. About 40 miles out of Vegas we were informed by a passing vehicle we had a flat tire. We pull over to a Shell station and change it with the help of a guy because well ...we were city folks and had trouble taking off a hub cap. HA HA. Soon we were driving along again until the engine started to sound funny and the next thing you know we are on the side of the road trying to figure out what happened. After calling AAA and waiting for about an hour we learned it was vapor lock. Finally, after some pit stops and loads of traffic, we get home 7 hours later. (sigh). It was a very tiring ordeal. One thing to note was there were tons of cars on the side of the road due to the heat and the havoc it was causing to the cars. I am never ever, ever going to Vegas between the months of May and Sept.

(M) V for Vendetta (2005) Grade: B
I pretty much agree with New Wave’s review of the film. I thought it was entertaining but a bit too long and Hollywood for my taste. I didn’t like the romance between Evey and V and everything struck me as a direct lifting of Orwellian text, but I suppose it is timely and somewhat relevant considering current events.

"Not That There's Anythign Wrong With That"
So I was sitting and watching The Filipino Channel, otherwise known as TFC when I saw a segment highlighting the Gay Olympics held in Chicago a.k.a. Gay Games. I was not aware they had this and it is now in it's 7th year. Events include Ballroom Dancing, Cheerleading and Body Building, just to name a few.

(B) Silas Marner (George Eliot, 1861) Grade: A
The first Eliot book I ever read was Mill on the Floss, which I believe is her most recognized novel. But Marner was Eliot's favorite work apparently, and I enjoyed it more than Mill. The characters are wonderfully developed (I love Marner!), and Eliot smartly retains the suspense by leaving the final revelations until nearly the end. My friend told me the BBC film adaptation is excellent (as they usually are) so I'll probably rent it soon.


(O) The Societe Anonyme (Armand Hammer Museum) Grade: A-
It's Hammer's "Free Summer" until Labor Day, so everyone should take advantage of free exhibitions and events there. As for the exhibit, I was surprised by how comprehensive and extensive it was, covering everyone from Duchamp, Man Ray, Kandinsky to even Picasso. The Societe's curator, Katherine Dreier, believed in theosophy, the 19th century philosophy in which there is spiritual unity in all things, which would explain surrealism and how an object could take on indefinite forms, such as a fish that also resembles a violin. Great exhibit.

(M) Chariots Of Fire
Grade: B-
Apparently this is based on a true story of the 1924 Olympics. It follows a group of the competing olympiads who are competing for England. Each runner is not only competing for England, but against one another and for their own personal cause. One man is Jewish and is trying to prove himself and the value of his race, another man is a Scottish Christian who runs for God. There are a couple other athletes that it focuses on as well. It's not a bad movie but I guess I just wasn't very moved by it. However, it won Best Picture in 1981 as well as Best Screenplay, Best Costume Design, and Best Score.



(M) The Best Years Of Our Lives
Grade: A+
Released in 1946 (the year after WWII ended), the story deals with veterans coming home at the end of WWII. Three men from different armed services return to small-town America to re-aquaint themselves with their town and their families. When they return, they enter an America that is not concerned with the veterans or the duties they served. The returning vets must adapt to life after the war. One man has lost his hands and feels that everyone feels sorry for him and he can't open up to the woman he was planning on marrying. Another man returns to his wife and children but consumes himself with alcohol. The third man comes home to his wife whom he married just before leaving for war after only knowing her for 20 days and realizes that they aren't meant for each other. The movie is absolutely amazing. A total classic film that deserves the highest rating. It's ruffly 3 hours long. The movie is ranked number 37 on AFI's top 100 movies.

(G) Minor Canon
Location: The Prospector
Grade: C+
I went to the Prospector Thursday night to catch a set by the band Minor Canon. I had seen that they were going to be playing The Echo in LA and stumbled across their webpage saying they'd be performing in Long Beach. I was a little hesitant to go see a band at the Prospector in Long Beach because I had never seen anything good there. However, I decided to give The Minor Canon a chance since their music samples on their web page sounded decent enough. They actually weren't bad. Nothing to drool over but they did a good job. I believe they're going to be playing at Sunset Junction. It's drums, piano, acoustic guitar, bass, and a horn player. They all dress up in a similar suit... so there's like an "outfit" that they wear. It was a nice performance.

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Old People and McDonalds
So I was at McDonalds for some cheap dinner before I went to El Cid to see Love Like Fire and I took my usual spot in any restaurant like McDonalds, alone in a corner where nobody can see or bother me. However, a few tables away there were three elderly men hanging out chatting. All of them were talking about when they were at that very McDonalds some other day or morning and they were talking about other old people who hang out at the McDonalds. It was very amusing to me that these hold people hang-out at McDonalds. They talked about the locals who do the same and visiting houses of some of the people and drunk mexican automechanics and wives who won't ever shut the hell up. I swear it was one of the most interesting McDonalds experiences I've had in awhile. I just wanted to laugh at them and then I wondered if I'd be doing the exact same thing in the future.

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(G) Love Like Fire
Location: El Cid
Grade: B+
My night was scheduled for me to attend the performance of Letting Up Despite Great Faults at the Hotel Cafe when Pigern suggested I attend the Love Like Fire performance at El Cid. I intended to hit up both shows but there were line-up complications at El CId that made me afraid to leave and miss the band. Waiting around for Love Like Fire was worth it to me. They were pretty solid, especially for only having been together for 6 months. The singer is the nicest girl and the drummer was incredibly friendly to me as well. The only complaint I'd have about the performance has nothing to do with the band but with the sound engineer who had the instruments too high and the vocals too low. You could barely distinguish what she was saying and at times not even hear her. As for the band though, very good. I felt bad that everybody left before they took stage (though it was after 12:30am) but the band everyone went to see... some puppet show band, was horrible. Why do people all flock to such crap (no comments about Monsters Are Waiting, New Wave!).

-"Let down and hanging around, crushed like a bug in the ground."

This is a little bit of a random blog and a review. Has anyone been watching So You Think You Can Dance? I wasn't really paying much attention at the beginning of the season but I'm an avid fan now hehe. Here are two of my favorite performances.

Ivan and Allison dancing contemporary to Annie Lennox- Why
Dmitri and Ashley dancing contemporary to Fallout Boy- Dance Dance

The second link is kind of a pain in the ass to load, but hopefully it works. The first one is on myspace and easier to watch, and really the better of the two anyway haha. P.S. Ivan is a hip-hop dancer and he is awesome in that performance.

I think it's weird that I'm really enjoying the contemporary/lyrical dances more than the hip-hop. I REALLY want somoene to choreograph a contemporary piece to Kissing You by Des'ree. It would be so pretty. Anyone know anybody at Fox?

My top couples right now wre Ivan and Allison and Benjie and Donyelle, but they're breaking up the couples next week so it doesn't matter. I think Allison will go all the way, but Travis is also just as strong. If anyone watches the show let me know what you think.....hello? does anyone watch the show? helloo??? hehe

Man I'm so behind in my reviews but I'm going to catch up dang it. I just posted about some films and I still have more. Sadly I will not catch up to Cup's viewing but I'm okay with that. I've realized I watch a lot more TV anyways such as the following:

(TV) Battlestar Galactica Season 1. (Sci Fi Network, 2004) Grade: A

Thoughts: I have grown extremely attached to this show. It could be the show that can fill the X-Files void in me or just that all my favorite shows like Veronica Mars are on summer break but regardless of the reason I picked up the season and never looked back. Season 1 is only 13 episodes but a strong start picking up where the mini series left off. Some episodes are stronger than others but overall very good.

(TV) Project Runway Season 3. (Bravo, 2006) Grade: B

Thoughts: I got addicted to the show in Season 2 but was told that Season 1 was even better. I don’t like any of the new designers so who knows if I will watch this whole season. One designer Malan is super creepy and another one is trying to be the next Santino. Ugh there can only be one Santino. We'll see how this all turns out.

(M) Munich. (Steven Spielberg, 2005) Grade: B+

Thoughts: The length of the film is 164 minutes and one of my concerns was is this going to be a 164 minutes that I’m aware of or 164 minutes that I don’t even realized has past; turned out it was the latter for me. Munich is a well directed, well acted film about the Palestinian terrorists who held hostage and eventually killed a group of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics. In the aftermath of the murders, a group of Mossad agents work together to find the assassins who orchestrated the operation and kill them. The most profound thing about the film was the study in revenge and redemption. Even after the agents kill someone who took part in the 1972 Munich planning another individual arises to takes their place and another and another. In the end, the only way true change can be made is through a change in mindset and heritage; however in reality both are highly unlikely to ever occur.

(M) Wonderland. (Michael Winterbottom, 1999) Grade: B-

Thoughts: A pleasant enough film set in London around a family of three sisters and one brother. The film mainly focuses on Nadia (Gina McKee) as she tries the dating scene and fails terribly at it until she meets Tim (Stuart Townsend), however that doesn’t really work out. Then you have her pregnant sister Molly (Molly Parker), divorcee sister Debbie (Shirley Henderson) and distance brother Darren (Enzo Cilenti). The best part about the movie was having the setting London as character and how the other characters interact within their environment.

(M) Ching Mai Daai Wa Wong (Everyday is Valentine.) (Jing Wong, 2001) Grade: C+

Thoughts: A pretty typical Hong Kong romantic comedy. Nevertheless I enjoyed it. It was one of the better ones but nothing great.

(M) Central Do Brasil (Central Station.) (Walter Salles, 1998) Grade: B+

Thoughts: An extremely charming film about a bitter former schoolteacher name Dora (Fernanda Montenegro) and her relationship with a young orphan boy Josue (Vinicius de Oliverira). Dora helps write letters for illiterate people at the train station where she first meets Josue. After Josue’s mother is run over by a bus she takes pity on him and takes him under her wing. She decides it would be in the boy’s best interest to find his father but the task becomes more difficult than either had expected. Fernanda Montenegro is a wonderful actress. At the start of the film she is a bitter and mean woman but slowly you watch her heart soften and change for the love of this boy. I would highly recommend this for viewing.

(M) Block Party. (Michel Gondry, 2005) Grade: B-

Thoughts: This is not a Chappelle comedy show/movie but more a music/documentary. Dave Chappelle wants to put together a block party in Brooklyn, New York and calls up his closest friends – Erykah Badu, Common, Mos Def, Lauryn Hill, Wyclef Jean, Kayne West, John Legend, Ahmir-Khalib Thompson, Jill Scott, Pras just to name a few. I enjoyed the footage of the artist performing especially Mos Def (he is so cute) and Talib Kweli. One thing to note is I feel sorry for white people cause every race pretty much hates them. Okay I don’t feel that bad. Hee Hee.