HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

ok, I felt guilty for not blogging in such a long time (because I have nothing going on), so I'll make a list of new music I'm listening to:

• Gwen Stefani - "Wind It Up" (grade B, the song is growing on me)
• Mya - "Ayo" (B)
• Fergie - "Fergalicious" (B, I DONT want to like this song, but I can't help it with the 80's rap samples, especially JJ Fad's Supersonic. I still think Fergie is a rip off of Gwen + M.I.A.)
• Depeche Mode - "Martyr" (new song off the Best Of collection, just first listened to it yesterday, so no grade. It's up on iTunes, fyi)
• Diddy feat. Christina Aguilera - "Tell Me" (B+, Xtina looks good in the video; I also like the track featuring Brandy called "Thought You Said")
  

Thats about it right now

I love Battlestar Galactica but come January there is only ONE show for me ... 24!!!!!!! I heart Jack Bauer forever!!

Is anyone else sad about this? Cuz I am. I know it's lame but THERE I posted!

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/15487499

Reading other blogs and found this thing called NaBloPoMo. I'm determined to do this. Ha ha but I'm sure I will fail.

- My back hurts :( Frak!
- No one but me, Pigern and Cup blog on this page.
- Flavor of Love reunion was okay ... I wanted to see more fighting.

- Battlestar Galactica is hands down the only good show left on tv.
- I hate studying.
- I am pretty behind in my movies :( .. due to TV and other things. Ugh!
- I'm really, really going to miss Tower Records.

(G) Ladytron - The Glass House
Grade: A+

What may be my last show of the year (unless I can afford and get my hands on Faint tickets) may be in competition for "Best concert of my life". Many years ago when I was a record buyer for Tower Records a guy from one of the labels approached me and handed me a video for a CD that was coming out in a few weeks. The video was for the song Playgirl by Ladytron. I loved the song and have always "liked" the band. Tonight "like" has turned to "love" and I almost fear ever seeing them again for I can't imagine seeing a better show by the band. Absolutely amazing. AMAZING!

(B) Noisy Outlaws, Unfriendly Blobs and Some Other Things… (McSweeney’s, 2005) Grade: B+
This fun collection of short stories includes such notable contemporary writers as Nick Hornby, Neil Gaiman, James Kochalka and an introduction by Lemony Snicket. Plus, such great artists as Marcel Dzama and Barry Blitt illustrate the book, reminding me of the illustrated books I read as a child. The highlight was Jonathan Safran Foer’s contribution, which was filled with simply beautiful prose.

(M) Laberinto del Fauno, El (Pan’s Labyrinth). (Guillermo del Toro, 2006) Grade: A-

Thoughts: Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) goes with her mother Carmen (Ariadna Gil) to the country to stay with her new father Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez). Ofelia hates it at the new place and soon her mother falls ill due to her pregnancy. Ofelia’s only friend is Mercedes and a labyrinth she finds on the grounds. The movie is filled with violence and war mixed with fantasy and magic. I loved how dark the film was; it was like a fairy tale with underlining of evil. I got to see the movie through Pigern’s work so after the film there was a Q and A with the director Guillermo de Toro who has done works like Hellboy and Cronos. It was good to hear his take on making the film and the direction he was trying to take it. Oh and FTC, they shot most of the film in Segovia, Spain. Oh, Spain!!

(M) Metropolitan. (Whit Stillman, 1990) Grade: B-

Thoughts: I was close to stopping the film because snobby, rich, white kids talking is not interesting to me, however a poor, smart kid is, so I kept watching. Tom Townsend (Edward Clements) falls into a group of rich kids lead by Nick Smith (Chris Eigeman) and spends the next few months becoming their friend. There is much dialogue, most of it pretentious dribble that gets tiresome; but there were some sweet moments. The film is loosely adapted from “Mansfield Park” by Jane Austen and within the movie they do discuss Fanny Price and her views of poor society to rich society, which is a common Austen theme.

(M) Casa De Areia (House of Sand). (Andrucha Waddington, 2005) Grade: B

Thoughts: The plot has been described by Pigern’s blog so I’ll just add some notes. Apparently, the director Waddington wrote the two major roles specifically for his real life wife, Fernanda Torres and mother-in-law, Fernanda Montenegro. I think casting a mother and daughter is great because it can capture real life emotion due to the connection. In addition, Fernanda Montenegro is an amazing actress and I loved her in Central Station. The only downside of the film was how slow starting the film was but aside from that it was good.

Count: 112 movies

I was bored tonight so what did I do? I went and read other people's blogs. I should have been studying but nope I just read about other people's lives. How come I always feel like people are doing WAY more interesting things than I am. Oh well.

The other day at work I wore my Pernice Brothers' t-shirt that reads: I Hate My Life.
Apparently, my boss found it semi funny and commented that tomorrow we would get an office memo restating what the office dress code was. I laughed offhandedly but thought to myself oh great another non-funny joke made by a number cruncher. I then proceeded to tell him that I covered myself from head to toe in clothing and at least I do not dress like a hooker. Ha ha I should bust out my I'm Not Good Enough For Self-Esteem t-shirt next.

So I am at about 115 movies and Pigern thinks I can watch 150 movies by the end of the year. I doubt that is going to happen with the holidays coming up and tv.

Oh and Pigern and I will be making our fourth trip to Hong Kong in November ... maybe. (fingers crossed)

House of Sand (Andrucha Waddington, 2005) Grade: B+
In Brazil 1910, a man (Ruy Guerra) takes wife Áurea (Fernanda Torres) and mother-in-law Dona Maria (Fernanda Montenegro) to the far-away desert, where he has bought a piece of land. But when he unexpectedly dies, Áurea spends the rest of her life trying to return to civilization. Visually stunning and well cast, this slow-paced, quiet film serves as a metaphor for life, as the characters struggle against their fates in search of something better. As the years pass, Áurea adapts to her life and establishes a family with former slave Massu (Seu Jorge) while her daughter, Maria (Camilla Facundes), remains defiant and seeks escape, leaving the viewer to wonder if it’s complacency and resignation that keep people where they are in life or simply human’s ability to adapt and make the best of things.

Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus (Steven Shainberg, 2006) Grade: C+
Based loosely on Patricia Bosworth’s biography, this “imaginary portrait” creates fictional character Lionel (Harry Connick Jr.) to be symbolic of photographer Arbus’ creativity and vision. This method works to some degree, as the filmmakers were adamantly opposed to making a standard biopic, and it also provides us with a better sense of the relationships Arbus formed with her subjects. The fundamental problem here is the casting of Nicole Kidman as the photographer, who was manic depressive and a bit of “freak” herself, like the subjects she photographed. Kidman, who appears well-dressed and pristine throughout the film, never convincingly portrays Arbus, which is enough of a criticism for the entire film to fall apart.

I love the Cure so much. Here are some random Cure stories:

- The Cure is releasing a dvd titled Festival 2005 on Dec 5th featuring their live performances in Europe with Robert, Simon, Jason and return of old member Porl Thompson. No Roger and Perry (sniff) here.

TRACK LISTING:
01. OPEN
02. FASCINATION STREET
03. alt.end
04. THE BLOOD
05. A NIGHT LIKE THIS
06. THE END OF THE WORLD
07. IF ONLY TONIGHT WE COULD SLEEP
08. THE KISS
09. SHAKE DOG SHAKE
10. US OR THEM
11. NEVER ENOUGH
12. THE FIGUREHEAD
13. A STRANGE DAY
14. PUSH
15. JUST LIKE HEAVEN
16. INBETWEEN DAYS
17. FROM THE EDGE OF THE DEEP GREEN SEA
18. THE DROWNING MAN
19. SIGNAL TO NOISE
20. THE BABY SCREAMS
21. ONE HUNDRED YEARS
22. SHIVER AND SHAKE
23. END

ENCORES
24. AT NIGHT
25. M
26. PLAY FOR TODAY
27. A FOREST
28. PLAINSONG
29. DISINTEGRATION
30. FAITH

- The only positive of that awful looking movie Marie Antoinette coming out is the two Cure tracks used - All Cats Are Grey and Plainsong. Here is a trailer using Plainsong.


- In other Cure related news, Roger O'Donnell released his solo album The Truth In Me and is touring :). He will be playing the Apple store at Third in Santa Monica Nov. 14th at 7 pm and I am so going to be there. YAY!!!

(M) Flor de mi Secreto, La (The Flower of My Secret). (Pedro Almodovar, 1995) Grade: C+

Thoughts: A standard Pedro movie about romance writer Leo Macias (Marisa Paredes) who uses a fake name to write her novels. She is desperate to save her broken marriage only to find out her husband Paco has been cheating on her with her good friend. This film was made before Live Flesh, which was enjoyable and All About My Mother, which is amazing. I think Flower is a peek into the beginning of Pedro’s genius.

(M) Cries and Whispers. (Ingmar Bergman, 1972) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Two sisters, Karin (Ingrid Thulin) and Maria (Liv Ullmann), come back home to take care of their dying sister Agnes (Harriet Andersson). Unfortunately, the relationship between all the sisters is filled with resentment, anger, pain and hurt. Karin is in a loveless marriage and finds ways to hurt herself and shuts other people out. Maria seems friendly and warm but with no real feeling. This is one of Bergman’s more complex and psychoanalytically films. His usage of the color red, on the walls and to fade in and out of scenes, gives the movie an eerie and angry tone. I wish I could give the movie a higher rating but it was pretty disturbing and random; very high art house.

(M) Big Trouble In Little China. (John Carpenter, 1986) Grade: D+

Thoughts: I watched this movie because an old co-worker of mine told me about it. The only good thing about this movie is all the Asian actors and the Cantonese. Even if the actors were in super stereotypical roles it was better than nothing for me. Jack Burton (Kurt Russell) helps his friend Wang Chi (Dennis Dun) rescue his bride so he can get his truck back. Along the way he falls for Gracie Law (Kim Cattrall) and battles evil Chinese spirits. It was so over the top and extremely laughable and cheesy. However, there were a few old time Chinese actors like James Hong and Victor Wong in the film worth noting.

(M) 7 Up / 7 Plus Seven. (Michael Apted, 1964, 1971) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Truly a labor of love, Michael Apted started this project back in 1960’s by following a group of kids around at 7 years old and seeing what they will become in the year 2000. The first part is when the kids are 7 and basically just children. They make funny comments and stories and act as if they understand what is going on. The next segment is when they are 14 and the kids are now super awkward and insecure. Most of the kids do not look directly into the camera and avoid most questions. I am curious to see how the rest of the series goes. 49 up recently came out so when I get done with 21, 28, 35 and 42 I can watch the last one.

Count: 109 movies

You probably heard but Google bought Youtube for ohhh... a small 1.76 Billion dollars.

(M) Huo Yuanjia (Fearless). (Ronny Yu, 2006) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Fearless is Jet Li’s last martial arts film and what a way to go. Huo Yuanjia (Jet Li) was a well known Chinese martial artist, who fought for China in the early 19th century when the West was coming in and taking over. He co-founded the Chin Woo Athletic and was considered a hero in China which created many myths and legends regarding him. The movie, loosely based on him, had a good mix of fight scenes and storyline. However, determining what was fact and/or fiction was difficult. Apparently, the family of Huo Yuanjia disagreed with the film and sued Jet Li and the film company.

(M) Idiocracy. (Mike Judge, 2006) Grade: D

Thoughts: A great message but executed poorly. Pvt. Joe Bowers (Luke Wilson) and Rita (Maya Rudolph) are test subjects for the government. They are both average Americans who will be frozen for one year however due to circumstances the year turns into 500 years. In 2506, society has become stupider than ever due to the theory that only the dumb and stupid reproduce while the educated and smart find reasons not to start families. I found that to be the most interesting part of the movie, too bad that only lasted 5 minutes. The rest of the time it was watching Luke and Maya try to get back to 2006. Ugh pretty painful to watch. Oh and Dax Shepard is a terrible actor. Blech!

(M) Clean. (Olivier Assayas, 2004) Grade: B-

Thoughts: I wanted to watch this movie ages ago mainly because Maggie Cheung won Best Actress for her role at Cannes. She did do an amazing job but the story was a bit thin. Emily Wang (Maggie Cheung) is a junkie dating Lee Hauser (James Johnston), a has-been rock singer. One night, Lee overdoses on heroin and dies leaving Emily all alone; well not completely. She still has her son who is being watched by Lee’s parents Albrecht Hauser (Nick Nolte) and Rosemary Hauser (Martha Henry). Nick Nolte does an excellent job as a father grieving for his son and trying to make things better for his grandson and daughter in law. The movie moves along slowly and you don’t really care for some of the things going on in Emily’s life because her character is so selfish. An interesting note is the band Metric makes an appearance and the lead singer Emily Haines even has a few lines.

Count: 105 movies

(M) Running With Scissors (Ryan Murphy, 2006) Grade: B
I admit that when I read Augusten Burroughs’ memoir back in 2003, I disliked it. But I think I had a specific idea of what the book was going to be, and when it wasn’t, I was disappointed. Nevertheless, the film adaptation is surprisingly entertaining, and Annette Bening is fantastic. I might even reread Running to see if I change my mind.

(B) The Immoralist (André Gide, 1902)
Grade: B+
This short novel is deceptively simple but there are in fact vast amounts of depth to Gide’s prose. The “immoralist,” Michel, seeks to redefine who he is after nearly dying from tuberculosis, and this search leads him to engage in questionable behavior, most of which is only implied and never explicitly stated. The Immoralist explores our search for identity and our freedom from societal expectations. Knowing how to free oneself is nothing; the difficult thing is knowing how to live with that freedom.

(G) Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and Architecture in Helsinki @ Henry Fonda Theater, Oct. 15 Grade: C+
This was a gig I really didn’t have to attend. I was so tired. The show started at 9p with *two* openers. Sigh. But my friend bought tickets and insisted I go. AIH once again had really cute shirts, but I’m not really a fan, especially with their more rock sound. As a person I know once said, “The best thing about this band is their merchandise.” CYHSY was alright, except that they went on at 1130p (and I bet the parents who drove their kids to the gig were pretty mad). I think their debut is decent but I admit, I haven’t listened to it since it was released last year. I left before their encore.

(B) Lady Chatterley’s Lover (D.H. Lawrence, 1928) Grade: A+
This book was so controversial in 1928 that it was banned in both England and the U.S. But it’s fantastic. Lawrence comments on such topics as the Industrial Revolution, sexual mores and human nature with such insight that his ideas are still applicable today. Great book.

Addendum: I found this story on CNN. Here are some parts I liked.

"Coupled with the unexpected success of "Ugly Betty," which has just received a full year's order of episodes, it has suddenly made ABC a player on Thursday, the night advertisers pay most dearly to exhibit their wares.

One disappointment so far has been the performance of "Lost," whose average audience in its third season is 21 percent less than it was in its second, Nielsen said.

In cable, VH1 recorded the biggest audience in the history of the network Sunday when 7.5 million people tuned in to the second-season finale of "Flavor of Love."

I feel like I watch quite a bit of TV but after breaking out my TV schedule I can see I do not. Since Gilmore Girls has started this season I have not watched one episode so I figure I should drop the show; we’ll see. Standoff is pretty good but conflicts with my Veronica Mars (yay!). Sadly Flavor of Love is ending which is a shame because that show is ridiculously good. Oh and the surprise hit for the season for me has been Ugly Betty. It is such a funny and fun show with a big heart. I would suggest watching this and hey it is before Grey’s Anatomy for you fans out there.

Sunday: Simpsons, Flavor of Love (ending)
Monday: Prison Break, How I Met Your Mother

Tuesday: Gilmore Girls (might drop), Veronica Mars, Standoff (off and on)
Wednesday: nothing
Thursday: Ugly Betty, The Office (sometimes)

Friday: BATTLESTAR GALACTICA

Saturday: nothing

I want to watch the new version of Doctor Who because it is before Battlestar Galactica.

I was on a Criterion kick and watched a few. I’m on a mission to watch as many on the list as I can.

(M) Rashomon. (Akira Kurosawa, 1950) Grade: B-

Thoughts: My first Kurosawa movie and I have to say not bad. The biggest issue I had was it did not move along quickly enough or it could be I was too impatient. After all, the film is only 88 minutes so how quickly can it really go. A heinous crime has taken place and 4 different people recount their version – a thief, a dead husband, his wife and a by passer. The interesting part is you are never told which one is the true account. The film is a look into people’s perspectives and what we as the audience choose to believe.

(M) The Virgin Spring. (Ingmar Bergman, 1960) Grade: A-

Thoughts: Ingmar Bergman is one of my favorite directors. His body of work is amazing and he deals with religion in such a profound way, which makes it more interesting considering how anti religious he is. In Virgin Spring, a young girl is raped and killed by two herdsmen while their little brother watches. Later on, those same herdsmen take shelter at the young girl’s home and the family learns who they are and of their evil deed. I loved how as righteous as some people are they fall prey to human nature – sin, vengeance, rage, anger, grief and forgiveness. One of Bergman’s best and there was a nice commentary by Ang Lee at the start of the film.

(M) RoboCop. (Paul Verhoeven, 1987) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Yes, Robocop is considered Criterion material which makes it awesome in my book. A dead officer Alex J. Murphy is resurrected into RoboCop as a security company’s project. RoboCop soon learns about the people who killed him and decides to avenge his own death. Overall, the movie was pretty 80’s cheesy but it was all in good fun. It was funny to see Kurtwood Smith, who plays Red on That 70’s Show, be this Clarence Boddicker villain who runs dope deals.

(M) Pygmalion. (Anthony Asquith and Leslie Howard, 1938) Grade: C+

Thoughts: I would like this film more but it is pretty sexist. Based on George Bernard Shaw’s famed play by the same name, Eliza Doolittle (Wendy Hiller) is transformed from a poor flower girl to an elegant lady by Professor Henry Higgins (Leslie Howard). It was hard to believe that Eliza could love Henry considering how cruel he is to her during the transformation. His treatment of her, like a slave animal, was difficult to accept. Granted the movie was done in 1938 so I’m sure it was common for women and society to behave that way but I’m glad woman have rights now and a voice. On a side note, Wendy Hiller was gorgeous.

Count: 102 movies

Thought I'd share this info on Grind House.

Grind House Details

Theatrical Release Date: December 1, 2006 (planned)

Synopsis: A 'shared' movie with Robert Rodriguez (Spy Kids, Sin City) where both Robert and Quentin are creating independent 60 minute films that will be shown together under the Grind House name.

Rodriguez portion is a zombie-based movie called Planet Terror. Tarantino's segment is called Death Proof and according to QT is "sort of a slasher film, but instead of a knife, it's a car".

The film will also include fake movie trailers between the two features including a blaxploitation trailer, a kung-fu trailer, a spaghetti-western trailer, and a sexploitation trailer for a fake film called Cowgirls in Sweden.

Preview:

(O) Philadelphia 2006
Grades:
Trip: A
Company: A
ipod: A
Step 2 Boards: C

The reason for my trip to Philadelphia was the clincial portion of my Step 2 Boards. I arrived in the city around 7am after a red-eye flight during which I had trouble sleeping. My old roommate Amy was going to meet me later on in the day. We stayed at the Travelodge in Center City.

Unfortunately the hotel room wasn't ready when I got there so I had hours to kill. Double unfortunately my phone was not working. It was on permanent roaming which would have been fine but it wasn't connecting at all. So I decided to wander around the city visiting the old familiar places, which I came to find out were not so familiar anymore, while also looking for a Sprint store.

First stop was my favorite streets/alleys in the city. It sits right across the street from.....a car wash

After that I headed towards my old apartment when I passed the corner market that is now....a Quiznos?

Then I see my old apartment which used to sit above a Cash Today store which I also used to work at. Turns out Cash Today bought the whole building, taking out St. Georges bar downstairs and knocking the building down next to it.

That's my old room on the third floor in the middle picture. It's good to know that some things don't change tho:

Good old Jakes Pizza

Chinese Food Cart!!!! Lemon Chicken please.

Green Village Market next to Olgas Pizza(1.25 for a slice!

And last but not least the cart on 15th street that serves THE BEST meatball sub for 2 bucks!

I then passed by the LOVE sign and the fountain which was PINK! for breast cancer awareness.

At around 9am I finally got to Liberty Place Shops which has a Sprint Store in it, but it was closed til 930. So I decided to study in the rotunda and hang out with my ipod.

(view as i look up from studying). As I studied I decided to look through my pictures. My camera then flashes..."error with memory card" and then "no images." NOOOOO. Luckily I had brought my Dell Pocket PC which had a compatible memory card. SAVED!

The Sprint Store finally opened, but it didn't matter because my phone started working. Yay! My spirits brightened I bopped my way to Rittenhouse Square in search of a Cosi and a perfectly heated mint mocha.

I found a Cosi, however, they ran out of mint and I burned my tongue. Ha!

Luckily my ipod was there to keep me company. After I finished my coffee, I shopped at the H&M I found across the street and another store I can't remember. I ventured into the park and people watched. I REALLY just wanted to sleep. I called the hotel and the lady told me yet again that the room was not ready. Sad. But, again, my ipod was there to comfort me...in addition to the random bird.

When Amy arrived at around noon, our room still wasn't available. We ate lunch at Reading Terminal where I ate the meatball sub I had bought earlier. Afterwards we got green tea boba from the chinese bakery. Our friend Wylie met up with us there. Dinner was held at Penang's where I ate MANGO TOFU! yum.

The next day Amy and I had Pho and bbq pork at the Vietnam Restaurant and headed to this little thing called CPE Step 2 of the boards. That went well I think. Nothing really much to say since they prohibit me from discussing the exam with others haha. Afterwards we met Wylie at Westy's for Karaoke and Wings!

And even tho I only got a slight buzz, the best part was that our bill only came out to $50.50! Four beers, 3 black russians, 2 shots of buttery nipples, 2 jagger shots, 2 captain and cokes, one vodka tonic and an order of wings! Awesome.

The next morning I headed out at 6:30am to fly to Detroit for my cousins wedding. It was raining and I was tired....but luckily I had my trusty ipod. :)