HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CANDY AND CUP :)

I really do love all Chinese movies; even the ones by Chinese Americans.

(M) The Motel. (Michael Kang, 2005) Grade: C+

Thoughts: A nice coming to age movie if I was twelve but sadly I’m not. Ernest (Jeffrey Chyau) is a thirteen-year-old kid who helps his mom run a sleazy motel with his younger sister and grandpa. Sung Kang plays Sam a messed up married guy who Ernest turns to for guidance only to realize he needs to figure out for himself who he wants to be.

(M) Red Doors. (Georgia Lee, 2005) Grade: B-

Thoughts: The Wongs try to deal with life, love, and family. The father is retired and going crazy, the mom is happy, the oldest daughter is uptight and getting married, the middle daughter is a doctor and in closet lesbian and the youngest daughter is getting into trouble at school. Overall, an alright film that tries to be something more.

Movie count: 12

(M) Fiddler On The Roof
Grade: A
This is a great film. I simply love love love Judaism. This is a three hour musical about the Jewish community struggling with a changing world. The progress of the world in summarized through a single family. A man has 5 daughters and three of them get married in the film. While the older generation struggles with tradition, the younger generation brings change into the small Jewish community. The first daughter wants to marry somebody she loves rather than having a marriage arranged. The second daughter chooses to marry a man whether her father approves or not. The third daughter chooses to marry a non-Jewish man. All of this occurs in Russia and while all the family drama is going there is a background story that deals with the hatred that the Jewish people suffer.

From around 165 CE to 1945 (or 1947) CE the Jews were always held in small poor towns, exiled from their homeland, and treated as less than human, mainly by Christian nations who viewed them as God killers, blaming them for the murder of Jesus. The ways and life of the old traditional Jewish people is one of the most beautiful cultures of customs I have seen.

(M) Wu Ji (The Promise). (Kaige Chen, 2005) Grade: D+

Thoughts: Another overdone Chinese movie made for a “certain” audience. Visually it was too over the top and storyline wise there was none. Cecilia Cheung plays Princess Qingcheng who can never love until she meets a general (Hiroyuki Sanada) and slave Kunlun (Dong-Kun Jang). I think the movie could have been okay but they really messed it up. This is disappointing considering Kaige Chen directed Farewell My Concubine, which is one of my all time favorite movies. Oh and I saw the US version of the film which cut out 26 mins and I was glad.

(M) Fong Juk (Exiled). (Johnny To, 2006) Grade: A-

Thoughts: How can I not like this movie? Director is Johnny To + original cast from The Mission film + set in Macau + lots of violence = Excellent. The story was just alright but it is hard to dislike this film because of the cult-ish follwing it has. It was nice to see Francis Ng, Anthony Wong, Roy Cheung and Suet Lam all together. I guess I’m just a fan girl who loves her Chinese movies.

(TV) Pao Zhi Nu Peng You (My Dream Girl). (Yip Wai Man, 2003) Grade: C

Thoughts: A silly Chinese version of Pygmalion. Why am I such a sucker for that storyline?

Movie count: 10

YES the Departed wins for best picture and Martin Scorsese gets his Oscar. The Oscars were pretty boring and predictable except for that Alan Arkin upset. Overall, nothing great but Ellen was a good host.

(A) Pocket Symphony, Air (2007) grade: B

So I listened to this new album by Air (out March 6). The single, "Once Upon A Time" (which can be heard on their Myspace page) caught my attention with its piano backdrop. The rest of the album is very light and makes for good ambiance music to have playing in the background during studying or something. Also, Jarvis Cocker (of Pulp) provides vocals, but I'm not sure which song.

Another one bites the dust: Arthur Magazine has ceased publication. Sad news. I hope the Arthur Fest continues. That event always has a great lineup.

The series finale for the show The O.C. was tonight. I caught the last 5 mins while flipping the channels and apparently Summer and Seth get married and Ryan is sucessful and one day while he is at work he sees a messed up young kid and offers help ... they flashback to when Ryan first came to The O.C.

I thought it was interesting that they did a flash forward ending much like Dawson's Creek. However, unlike Dawson's Creek, the show could only do 3 and half seasons where Dawson's pushed six full seasons. I remember watching the show a bit in the beginning and having a few friends LOVE it but by season 3 I didn't hear anyone talking about it anymore. Oh well. There are lots of articles about the show ending but my favorite by far was this one. A funny read.

The Cold War Kids are performing a FREE secret gig tomorrow in Hollywood for anyone interested in seeing this buzz band. Here is the info:
Secret Show Warehouse @ 1530 Ivar, Hollywood. Gig to start at 7p (but really 10p).

Just a random rant: So my roommate is watching Fox News tonight, and I overhear some of the stories. One is on a YouTube break-up, in which a girl dumps her boyfriend, and the newscaster asks, “Is it real or not?” The other story was about the Hollywood Four, a group of girls who go to all the hot clubs in L.A. Wow. So Fox local news is idiotic and Fox cable news is bias. Good to know.

On another note, KCET’s Frontline is broadcasting a four-part program on journalism, its role today and how it has changed with technology, politics (i.e. the Libby trial), etc. I watched some of it last night, and it’s really great stuff!

(TV) Firefly: The Complete Series. (Fox, 2002-2004) Grade: A-

Thoughts: The first couple of episodes I was not really into the show. After all, they were mixing sci-fi with western and I don’t like western genre at all. But surprisingly the show really grew on me and I started to care for the characters. At the time, Netflix was sending me the discs too slowly so I rushed out to Best Buy and purchased the whole series. It was well worth my money. The show had a great cast with nice complex characters. I liked Mal (Nathan Fillion) the best because he was a good leader plus he was easy on the eyes. Oh and Jewel Staite as well who was from Flash Forward back in the days on The Disney Channel.

(M) Serenity. (Joss Whedon, 2005) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Apparently when Firefly ended/cancelled, the nutty cult people went insane and demanded more. Whedon must have heard their cries because he made Serenity the movie. It picks up pretty much where the series ended and it was a well made film. Sadly, two of the main characters are killed off which I guess was Whedon’s way of saying good bye Firefly forever. I was extremely bummed to see this but I guess it made sense.

Movie count: 7
TV count: 3

(M) Pan's Labyrinth; Grade: B+
As I know this movie has been reviewed I shall just say that I enjoyed the film. I think it's the first movie I've seen in a theater since July or something like that. Aspects of this movie reminded me of other movies. The beer bottle beating reminded me of a scene in the movie Irreversible which is a pretty messed up film, the facial wound one of the characters receives reminds me of the Joker's smile in Batman and the Labyrinth pursuit reminded me of The Shining (or as in the simpsons, The Shinin'). I liked the idea of the film. However, there was really only one "evil" character in the fantasy realm and I guess I would have liked more of that character or just more fantasy characters in general. The fascist regime was of course evil enough in the human realm. Overall though, quite an enjoyable movie.


(M) The Secret Of NIMH; Grade: B+
I just re-watched this childhood favorite movie and I still love it. The black crow Jeremy is hilarious. Just a cute movie with themes I never picked up on as a child. I never knew NIMH stood for the National Institute of Mental Health and the theme of the movie was animal experimentation. I guess as a kid the politics in movies aren't something you're aware of.


(M) The Chosen; Grade B-
This book is AMAZING, but the movie is ok. There is so much in the novel about father and son relationships, divergence in religious opinion, and the bounds of friendship. The book is one of my favorite books I've probably read in the last 5 years. The movie however tries to wrap up all these themes in an hour and 40 minutes and of course that is not enough time. I didn't feel I could relate enough to the characters or care as much about them as I did in the novel but it could have just been me being too critical and not just enjoying the experience.

Although it's not my cup of tea, just figured i'd share with the house anyway.
The teaser and 3 trailers are up (click on pic), and also downloadable for your iPod.

(G) Camera Obscura @ El Rey, Feb. 17 Grade: B+
I’ve been lucky enough to see this Scottish band perform in support of each of their albums, and tonight they were the happiest I’ve ever seen them. It probably helped that their latest album, Let’s Get Out of This Country, topped a lot of 2006 “Best of” lists and this 800-capacity theater sold out. Most of the crowd were newbies, but as the set was almost entirely the new material, it worked in their favor. The highlight of the night was set closer “Eighties Fan.” Second highlight: Nigel the percussionist didn’t go on tour to stay at home with his newborn baby girl, so his replacement was French musician Francois Marie. Ooooh la la! He was dreamy!

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!! GUNG HEY FAT CHOY!!

Year of the Pig

Breach (2007, Billy Ray) - Grade: B

This movie is based on the events surrounding former FBI agent Robert Hanssen. For those of you who forgot, he was a double agent who sold secrets to the Soviet Union for many years. Chris Cooper plays Hanssen, to perfection, as an arrogant, paranoid man out to teach the US a lesson. Ryan Phillipe plays his assistant Eric O'Neill, a young, naive wannabe agent, who agrees to assist the FBI. It's a bit slow moving, but the story is very interesting and keeps you wanting to see what happens next. Cooper's portrayal is by far the key to the movie, he captures every scene he is in, and makes everyone on the screen with him better. When I came home after the movie I rushed online to read up more on Hanssen. You can only find so much, as much is still classified.

(M) After Hours. (Martin Scorsese) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne) is have one bad night. After meeting Marcy Franklin (Rosanna Arquette) in a coffee shop and getting her number, he decides to head to SoHo in New York City to see her late at night. The movie is funny and very New York. It was nice to see Catherine O'Hara in it. Trivia - Martin Scorsese told Griffin Dunne to refrain from sex and sleep during filming in order to get a more realistic feeling of paranoia.

(M) This Film Is Not Yet Rated. (Kirby Dick, 2006) Grade: B+

Thoughts: An informative and interesting documentary into the rating system for movies. Not surprising is how political and corporate the whole process is. The fact that violence is not considered NEARLY as bad as sex is disturbing. It is like the government is trying to make us think guns and death are okay but never sex. Hence, why I love foreign films so much because violence is curbed and sex scenes are open.

(M) Kramer Vs. Kramer. (Robert Benton, 1979) Grade: A-

Thoughts: Yuppie, workaholic Ted Kramer (Dustin Hoffman), is left to raise his young son (Justin Henry) after his wife Joanna Kramer (Meryl Streep) walks out on him. This was a fantastic film about family and dealing with divorce. The acting from both Hoffman and Streep was great to watch.

Movie count: 6

I am having a not so great day. Dang it! I messed up and am now kicking myself in the butt. Oh well.

Hey for the finetune thing ... if you sign up add me as a friend so I can listen to your playlist. Good stuff.

My new favorite site - finetune. Basically you make playlist from what they have and you can listen it to whenever ... well I mean as long as you have your browser open. The only downside is you have to load up on 45 songs (too much) and you are limited to 3 songs from the same artist but otherwise it is pretty sweet. I have already made 3 mix tapes/playlist. Check them out and start making your own so I can listen to them at work :)

Update: Driving home on the 101 fwy I see the following sign hanging from an overpass - Jenny I promise ... I will never do it again. CLASSIC :) What again we may never know but I'm going to go with cheating. Valentine's Day RULES!!!

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Nothing is better than a sham holiday. Personally, I prefer Love Day.

Its 11:30 and no one has blogged today so I thought I would do my part. New Wave can thank me later.

- Finally got my car back after 1 1/2 months. Needless to say I am relieved and glad the whole ordeal is finally over.

- Did my taxes more than 2 months early, usually I do them in April right before the due date. I think I like finishing them early.

- I think I almost cried when I saw Norbit was the #1 movie of the weekend. Then I did cry when I saw it made $33 million.

- 2 more weeks to Vegas, I can't wait.

Thats all for now, I just wanted to keep the blogging everyday thingy going.

(B) Slapstick (Kurt Vonnegut, 1976) Grade: B+
An entertaining book, moderately humorous and most of all, a fun read. The prologue leads one to believe this is an autobiography, but of course, this is Vonnegut, and more accurately, he writes: This is the closest I will ever come to writing an autobiography. The book is actually about genius twins who are ostracized from society for their freakish looks. One of the twins becomes the U.S. president. Oh, and the Chinese are far superior to any other race in this (perhaps) near-future, because of their ability to shrink themselves to miniature size and think collectively. Yes, it’s all a bit strange, but that’s Vonnegut for you.

(M) An Unreasonable Man (Henriette Mantel, Steve Skrovan, 2006) Grade: B+
Nice case of serendipity this weekend: I was bored on Saturday so I decided on a whim to see this film, which I had heard about when Ralph Nader was on The Daily Show With Jon Stewart. Since it was only playing at the Nuart, I figured it might sell out. But it didn’t! Even better, Nader was there in person. He introduced the film with the filmmakers, which was a nice little surprise. Say what you will about the 2000 election (did he affect Al Gore’s chances or not), Nader is admirable for his consumer advocacy work. And this documentary was pretty even-handed, giving supporters and naysayers their chance to speak. Plus, there are cameos from historian Howard Zinn, politician Pat Buchanan and others.

UPDATE: Because I'm a fat lazy turd I did not run. Basically because it was raining that morning and my friend and I found no interest in running in the rain. I feel super bad and according to the website over 2,000 people showed up to run. Good for them ... Bad for me :(

I'm doing the 29th Annual Chinatown Firecracker Run tomorrow. It should be fun. This will be my second year doing it. I hope it does not rain but if it does ... oh well. I'm just hoping to beat my time last year ... which was a long long time to run 3 miles. Hee hee.

Keeping up with the bowling topic, I bowled my first Turkey this morning!!!

The past few days I have been working like crazy to get stuff done and coming home and sleeping early because I felt the early stages of a cold coming. Well that is over now, both the cold and work, and my prize is bowling during work hours. Today I get to go to Lucky Strikes at Hollywood and Highland from 1 to 4 pm and bowl and DRINK!!! That's right ... OPEN BAR people. OH YEA!!! Thanks to all the service fees people pay ... we get to drink for free. Hee hee.

Well, the big news in my office is that Anna Nicole Smith died. Most of my coworkers think her kid is better off without her. But even though she was a bit crazy and not the smartest person, it’s kind of sad. After all, she was only 39. What a shame.

(B) Tortilla Flat (John Steinbeck, 1935) Grade: B
Considered one of the great American writers, Steinbeck’s Tortilla Flat reads like a fable, with each chapter offering a moral lesson. The characters’ poverty reflects the Great Depression and also provides a glimpse into California life at that time. His book was adapted into a 1942 film starring Spencer Tracy, which I’d be curious to see. Though I prefer Of Mice And Men, Tortilla is still a solid entry in Steinbeck’s body of work.

I read an article that said Jan. 24 is the most depressing day, because it’s after the holidays, with no other long-term holiday for quite a while; it’s usually a time when people’s New Year’s resolutions have been broken; and you’re feeling fatter and poorer (both post holidays). But I’m thinking Feb. 20 is pretty depressing too, because it’s after V-day and President’s Day, which means no official holiday until Memorial Day. Now that’s a long wait...

Please note if you don't see your name on the site you are still a member of the house. Apparently, if you have not signed up on Blogger with your new Gmail account you will not show up. A bit lame but yea. So sign up if you can.

Thanks for the post Hedwig. I was wondering if anyone posted for Tuesday. Nothing much to report on my end. I'm feeling under the weather :( I hate that I get sick. Oh well. I don't talk about work much but lately things have been getting annoying. My boss is a big fan of micro-managing and my supervisor has anger problems. It just sucks. :(

On another note, I was talking to one of my gay co-workers and told him how my supervisor (a white guy) was dating an Asian girl. He told me he must eat Asian food 5 times a day and I went but I don't think he even likes Chinese food to which he informed me Honey I'm not talking about food ... ZING!!

must...keep...going!!!

HPV Vaccine

Gardasil was approved by the FDA on June 8, 2006. I had to look it up today for "homework" on my rotation. HPV infections are the most common sexually transmitted infections in women. The vaccine protects against 4 strains of the HPV virus; two of which cause genital/respiratory warts, the other two that cause cervical cancer. The recommended age range is 9-26 years of age. The reason why I blog about this is because of the media exposure it has gotten recently. I think this is awesome. Not only have there been commercials which have been circulated well, but the last two weeks Greys Anatomy has mentioned it during episodes in significant plot lines. As far as I've heard, Michigan and Texas have passed laws which include the HPV vaccine to be part of immunizations required to enter in 6th grade. Now, I tried to find a clip of Greys Anatomy, but all I could find was one of the commercials for Gardasil.

Los Tacos

Address:	7954 Santa Monica Blvd, West Hollywood, CA 90046
Phone:	(323) 848-9141

This place has great food. It's by Santa Monica and Fairfax. The best part is that they are open 24Hrs! I liked their beef tacos (they use hard shell tacos) and their carnitas burritos. Delicious and affordable.

there's already been a post for today, but whatevs....
late with the news, but i just read it myself

garbage is BACK!

looks like they're working on a new album, plus a greatest hits (with possible inclusion of b-sides & remixes) for March, to be titled Absolute Garbage.
as Jesse would sing, I'M SOOOOO EXCITED!

I wanted to go to the Jacky Cheung concert in Las Vegas but 1. It was a lot of money (around $200 bucks) 2. I had no one to go with and 3. I don't think I would understand all the words :P At least I have YouTube.

Because I have been threatened continuously for the last couple weeks about my lack of blogs on this site, I decided I should write something or kicked get off. So here you go new wave, are you happy now?

1. The Superbowl Commercials. - This year the cost for a 30 second commercial cost a record $2.6 million dollars. These are supposed to be the commercials that stick in our mind and convince us to buy crap we don't need. This year I have to say that I was highly disappointed. The only one I remember was the Kfed one, only because I had seen it before and was the one everyone was talking about. Now I'm not asking for weird commercials where robots and monsters have sex and procreate a Hummer H3, but I would like something that makes me laugh or sticks with me. You all failed, what will consumers buy now?

2. Oh there was a football game today too, it was mildly entertaining. I think the highlight was the end where I won by football grid/pool and walked away with $200.

(G) Morrissey @ Pasadena Civic Auditorium (Feb. 3) Grade: A
Steven Patrick seemed a bit moody tonight. He was hardly as chatty as he was on Friday. I was hoping the set list would change a bit, but they performed *exactly* the same songs (in different order). I think this is because the band has changed and the new members would have to learn the different songs in order for there to be variety, whereas the Wiltern shows all had different set lists. Morrissey was a bit snide as well, remarking that the people in Pasadena were lucky for living there because they had their own spa and Rite-Aid. Tonight he handed the mic to Julia, who is his mega-fan that goes to all of his concerts. He usually just addresses her name in his stage banter, but this time he actually chatted with her. Despite the Mozzer mood, it was an overall great night.

(M) Fists In The Pocket [Criterion Collection / Spain])
Grade: B-/C+
A man living with his older brother, beautiful sister, blind mother, and retarded brother is driven to frustration with everyone and plots to kill all of them but his older brother. This film made Marco Bellocchino's career. It wasn't bad and I guess it can be disturbing for the idea of somebody killing their own family members (or wanting to) but it didn't have the impact I guess I was hoping for.

(G) Morrissey @ Pasadena Civic Auditorium (Feb. 2) Grade: A+
Everything about this concert was fantastic! The venue was relatively small, so even though I had a Z ticket, which I was able to upgrade to U, I could see the stage pretty well. Moz performed a good deal of tracks from Ringleader of the Tormentors (“I Will See You in Far Off Places,” “Dear God, Please Help Me,” “You Have Killed Me,” “Life is a Pigsty,” “I’ll Never Be Anybody’s Hero”) but also five Smiths songs! He started with “Panic,” then “William, It Was Really Nothing,” “Girlfriend in a Coma” and “How Soon Is Now?” And then he started the encore with “Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want”! Tears came to my eyes at that point. He also introduced “Everyday Is Like Sunday” by saying that this song came out back in the day when KROQ still played his songs. Steven Patrick seemed in a particular good mood that night and threw out three shirts into the crowd. Lovely, lovely, lovely. I can’t wait to see him again tonight.

P.S. Morrissey is on the cover of L.A. Weekly, so pick up a free copy!

Another close call. Hey, I need help people ... please :) hee hee. Some things that interest me:

- California Science Center is calling all nerds to join them on the dark side.


- I wanted to go to the Simpsons panel one but of course it all sold out :(. Apparently the Office one is in high demand on Craigslist.

- The Wii is good for you, which makes me want it more.

- A new way for me to save EVEN more money.

1st album review of the year!
(A) A Weekend in the City, Bloc Party (2007) grade: B

So this album is a lot more mellow than the debut album. Overall, I like it. I first listened to the UK single, "The Prayer", and wasn't impressed by it. Apparently Kele Okereke was inspired by Busta Rhymes' "Touch It" and you can hear the influence on this track. I then checked out the US single, "I Still Remember", which I enjoyed more. This track is more representative of the rest of the album. My favorite track is probably "Uniform".
The album is released Feb. 6.
(note: links to songs above are to their respective videos)

In anticipation of the Morrissey weekend, here’s a bit of an interview with him:

Do you find yourself being attracted to people?
“Yes sometimes. I do have the occasional flushes but they do pass. I sit down and have a chip butty. You don’t accept that do you? Yes, I do have flushes, usually at Bank Holidays. Mostly, no, people are a great disappointment to me. I think I am interested and then I discover the reality. People are quite light and frothy, which is fair enough. I know some people aren’t frothy at all. I think there’s a lot of frothiness about, especially in Peterborough.”

Mm, light and frothy!