HAPPY NEW YEAR everyone!
have fun and be safe :)

(M) Letters From Iwo Jima. (Clint Eastwod, 2006) Grade: B

Thoughts: The battle for Iwo Jima as told from the perspective of the Japanese. Much like Flag of Our Fathers, the war scenes were extremely realistic. However, Flags was told in flashback format and focusing more on what happened to a few soldiers once they got back home. Letters From Iwo Jima was told in present time and focused more on what the men were fighting for – their country and family. The acting was strong and it gave a personal view of the war.

(M) Amazing Grace. (Michael Apted, 2006) Grade: B-

Thoughts: An idealist, William Wiberforce (Ioan Gruffudd), pushes his law into British Paraliment in the 19th century to end British transatlantic slave trade. It was an interesting movie about this real life character and what he did to try to end slavery for England. The cast was filled with many well-known British actors. Oh and note the director is the same guy who did the whole Up series.

(M) Days of Heaven. (Terrence Malick, 1978) Grade: B

Thoughts: Bill (Richard Gere), his girlfriend Abby (Brooke Adams) and younger sister Linda (Linda Manz) are wanderers who find work on a farm in Texas. There the rich and ill farmer (Sam Shepard) takes an interest in Abby and Bill convinces her to marry him so they can have access to his fortune. It was a quiet film that focused more on character study and scenery. The cinematography was amazing and it ended up winning an Oscar for it.

(M) 300. (Zack Snyder, 2006) Grade: B

Thoughts: Based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller, “300” is about the 300 Spartans lead by King Leonidas (Gerard Butler) who try to defeat the Persian king Xerxes (Rodrigo Santoro) and his massive army in 480 B.C. The history aspect was interesting but for the most the movie was about cool ways of chopping up a body, watching heads fly and buff male bodies. I did find it odd that Xerxes looked like a giant drag queen. I would have appreciated the movie so much more on IMAX. Oh well it was still entertaining.

(M) My Own Private Idaho. (Gus Van Sant, 1991) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Mike (River Phoenix) and Scott (Keanu Reeves) are two male hustlers in Portland, Oregan. Mike suffers from narcolepsy, is searching for his long-lost mother and is in love with Scott. Scott is a rebellious son of a wealthy political family who turns his back on the hustler lifestyle when he falls for a woman. The film was a deep character study, probably would have made for a great play. Actually much of Scott’s storyline was taken directly from Shakespeare’s play Henry IV, even the dialogue. The film did show what great potential River Phoenix had. He was talented and extremely good-looking even in scenes where he was suppose to be unattractive.

(M) Mon Meilleur Ami (My Best Friend). (Patrice Leconte, 2006) Grade: C

Thoughts: Francois Coste (Daneil Auteuil) has a comfortable life as an antique dealer, however he has no friends. His business partner Catherine makes a bet with him that he cannot produce a “best friend” within 10 days. By chance he befriends taxi driver Bruno (Dany Boon) who tries to teach him how to make friends. This was a feel good forgettable French movie; the best part of the whole thing was Dany Boon.

Movie Count: 125

I love this definition from Roger Ebert.

Commercial film - telling stories simple enough for children, in images shocking enough for adults

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!

(B) Shortcomings (Adrien Tomine, 2007) Grade: A
Best known for his Optic Nerve series, Tomine has written his first long-form novel, which is chockfull of characters I see in other people: the Asian-American who doesn’t identify with anything Asian or refuses to recognize that aspect of him/herself, those who are partly ashamed or embarrassed by it (man, look at all these Asians!), those who attempt to please their never-satisfied parents, and those who become the activists, joining groups and assuming racism at every turn. The characters felt real and the situations realistic. Also, Tomine presents the issues without any clear-cut resolution or answer.

(B) Persepolis (Marjane Satrapi, 2004) Grade: A
I have been wanting to read this graphic novel for quite some time, but it was never available at the library, so I gave in and bought the book, now available with both volumes in one collection. The memoir is about a Persian girl growing up during the Iran-Iraq War, which started in 1980 and lasted eight years. As a child, she lives in Tehran with her progressive family, but when the violence becomes too dangerous, her parents send her away to Austria at age 14. I found this memoir fascinating because I rarely hear (or read) about the Iranian perspective, and it’s also relevant today as this war helps to inform the current situation in the Middle East. Also, I love Satrapi’s drawings.

(B) Free for All (Don Borchert, 2007) Grade: C
New Wave and I used to play library as children. We would put cards in the books we owned and stamp them to pretend to check them out. I’ve always enjoyed the library and one would assume I would enjoy reading about them. Actually, no. Or perhaps if Borchert was a better writer, I would find his observations about being a librarian funnier. I spent a good amount of time working at the library in college and though there are some anecdotes, I think they’re only funny to those who experience them. This book just isn’t that funny or interesting.

Topic: Sesame Street, office parties, working

*This has to be one of the best reason why the Internet exist. I loved Sesame Street growing up and always wanted to watch certain old clips. Now the Sesame workshop has provided that. Remember Monsterpiece Theatre and Grover being a salesman and Ernie and his rubber ducky. Oh good times :) This site actually puts a smile on my face.


*Earlier this month I went to Disneyland at night for free :) thanks to my friend at Disney. It was the annual Disney employee party where they close down the park for them and their friends and family. I'm not a HUGE fan of Disneyland but seeing it at night and in Christmas decorations was nice. The only bummer part was we got stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean for over 20 mins. Yikes!!


*This past Friday was my office Christmas party. It was very NICE!!! Unfortunately I was too sick to really enjoy. Apparently, I consumed something that my body was not a fan of and I got food poisoning the day before. I was not feeling well for at least 3 or 4 days. Such a shame to considering my party had open bar and really good food; at least Darth got to enjoy the bounty from the evil empire.


*On Sunday I went and saw Tori Amos at the new LA Noika Theatre; pretty nice venue but a bit too large for my taste.

*Work has been sucking badly for me. I was suppose to go to Vegas next week but was told I should be expecting to work late during those times. (sigh) Annoying. Man I do NOT feel the holiday spirit. I have no idea what to give people for Christmas and have no desire to shop. I think work is killing any joy in me. Oh well.

(M) Atonement. (Joe Wright, 2007) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Based on the book by Ian McEwan, Atonement is about a 13-year-old girl Briony Tallis (Saoirse Ronan) and her accounts of what she thinks took place between a servant boy Robbie Turner (James McAvoy) and her older sister Cecilia Tallis (Keira Knightley) and the consequences which followed. The film is done in three acts spanning over the life of Briony. The first act was good; the second act a bit over the top and cheesy but it took the third act with Vanessa Redgrave as the older Briony to really make the film something. Although I’m not sure about all the Golden Globe nominations but this has been a slow year.

(M) No Country for Old Men. (Ethan and Joel Coen, 2007) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Hunter Llewelyn Moss (Josh Brolin) stumbles upon some dead bodies, tons of heroin and more than $2 mil in cash in the middle of Texas. Hot on his trail for the money is Anton Chigurh (Javier Bardem) and Sheriff Ed Tom Bell (Tommy Lee Jones). Javier Bardem plays the scariest bounty hunter man there is and a cameo of Woody Harrelson was cool. I enjoyed the pacing of the film and the reflection about how there is no country for the older generation as time goes on. Definitely one of the better films this year.

(M) Hairspray. (Adam Shankman, 2007) Grade: B-

Thoughts: The original version by John Waters is funny but in an uncomfortable, kooky where is this going way. This version is the funny, let’s play it safe and be silly one. I really liked Nikki Blonsky as Tracy Turnblad. Although she is no Ricki Lake she was sweet and cute and sang really well. I was put off a bit by John Travolta as Edna Turnbald but overall he did a nice job. Sadly Zac Efron as Link Larkin fell flat for me and there was zero chemistry between him and Nikki.

Movie Count: 119

(M) Grandma’s Boy. (Nicholaus Goossen, 2006) Grade: C-

Thoughts: Alex (Allen Covert) is a 35-year-old video game tester who gets kicked out of his apartment due to missing rent. With nowhere to go he moves in with his grandmother Lilly (Doris Roberts) and her two roommates played by Shirley Jones and Shirley Knight. The movie was made for horny guys who play lots of video games and smoke weed all day. I wanted to hate it and it was pretty bad BUT Nick Swardson as Jeff made the movie for me. His character had me cracking up although Linda Cardellini did a nice job as well.


(M) Black Snake Moan. (Craig Brewer, 2006) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Lazarus (Samuel L. Jackson) finds beaten up, sex addict Rae (Christina Ricci) on the side of the road and takes her in to “fix” her from her wicked ways. It was better than I expected but it is a very tense, raw and ugly movie. I enjoyed watching Lazarus and Rae work out the demons within their lives. It made for a good character study however the ending wasn’t dark enough for me. Justin Timberlake did a decent job playing Rae’s boyfriend.

(M) Waitress. (Adrienne Shelly, 2007) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Jenna (Keri Russell) is a pregnant, unhappily married waitress at a local dinner in the deep south. When she goes to the new doctor in town, Dr. Pomatter (Nathan Fillion), they are attracted to each other and begin an affair. I did not buy Keri Russell as a poor Southern girl; maybe because she looked too polished. The whole movie was just alright and I mainly rented this for Nathan Fillion because I loved him from Firefly. Odd that that director was murdered around the time the movie was suppose to come out.

(M) Fire. (Deepa Mehta, 1996) Grade: B-

Thoughts: Jatin (Javed Jaffrey) has just married Sita (Nandita Das) to satisfy his family even though he is in love with another woman who he still sees. Sita moves in with her new family – older brother Ashok (Kulbhushan Kharbanda), his wife Radha (Shabana Azmi), his mother and a servant. Over time Radha and Sita develop a relationship that moves from sister-in-laws to lovers. The movie was extremely controversial for its time due to the lesbian relationship. Indian films are deeply rooted in their culture and I am slowly getting use to watching them.

Movie Count: 116

(G) Tori Amos

I went to the Orange County and Los Angeles Tori Amos shows this weekend and I really enjoyed the Orange County show but was very very impressed with the Los Angeles show. I preferred the set-list in Los Angeles though she played some great songs at the other show as well. Darth, I hope you got to attend one of the shows.

Songs that I enjoyed: Cornflake Girl, Precious Things, Silent All These Years, Waitress, Bells For Her, Tear In Your Hand, Hey Jupiter, Talula, In The Springtime of His Voodoo, Cruel, Cooling, Raspberry Swirl.

I heard she played Space Dog in San Diego.

(M) Testament des Dr. Mabuse, Das (The Testament of Dr. Mabuse). (Fritz Lang, 1933) Grade: B+

Thoughts: Berlin police commissioner Lohmann (Otto Wernicke) is investigating a case where all the clues lead to a man Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) who has been in an insane asylum for many years. A very interesting film especially given the time it was made. The director Fritz Lang directed the highly influential film Metropolis back in 1927, which still affects how science fiction movies are made today.

(M) Rocky. (John G. Avildsen, 1976) Grade: A-

Thoughts: A classic film and the start of the Rocky series. Sylvester Stallone does a great job being Rocky Balboa, the goofy, a bit slow, small time boxer who gets a chance of a lifetime to fight big time heavyweight Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). I liked Rocky’s relationship with Adrianna “Adrian” Pennino (Talia Shire) because it made him more human. I need to watch the rest of the Rocky films although according to Darth the best one is IV.

(M) Paris, je t’aime. (Various, 2006) Grade: C+

Thoughts: Various stories of love done by various directors about the city of love Paris. I have to say out of the 18 stories I think I only really enjoyed maybe 5. Some of my favorites were Quais de Seine by Gurinder Chadha, Le Marais by Gus Van Sant, 14th Arrondisement by Alexander Payne and Pere Lachaise by Wes Craven. You can find a few on YouTube but no English subtitles. Here Pere Lachaise in English:


Movie Count: 112

(M) Inside the Smiths (U.K. 2007, U.S. 2008) Grade: C
I was somewhat excited to watch this documentary about The Smiths, though I knew it included interviews with only Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce. (I was talking about the film with a co-worker, and he goes,“No Johnny Marr or Morrissey? So, the other two guys?”) That’s not to say the rhythm section of the band is less important, but you really only get half (or maybe even less than half) of the story. The Smiths were really brilliant because of the amazing songwriting team of Marr and Morrissey. In fact, both Rourke and Joyce mention on numerous occasions how skillfully Marr could compose music. And we all know how Oscar Wildean Morrissey’s lyrics are, though perhaps less so today. But the most egregious absence is the very music of The Smiths, due to licensing issues and all that. It’s very strange to hear Joyce discuss “This Charming Man” and not hear the song play in the background. I suppose fans will have to keep waiting for Morrissey and Marr to make up and then tell their story in a more complete documentary. I know I will.

(B) A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius (Dave Eggers, 2001) Grade: B
My first introduction to Dave Eggers was in college, when this book had just been released, and my journalism professor had us read it in class. I have gone on to read the many McSweeneys and Unrequired Readings, and they’re all just as good. But this time, reading HWOSG, I found Eggers somewhat irritating. His long rambles about nothing, his disjointed narrative, his complete self-absorption and, well, his pretentiousness. Granted, this is probably what most twentysomethings are like. And his tragedy is affecting; I did get misty-eyed reading the bits about his mom. But overall, I plod through this and wondered why I was not more engrossed.

My book count is a sad 22 this year and most I feel are half-books. Next year, I will tally page counts perhaps.

I have been slacking on blog posts, so here goes:

(B) Notes From a Small Island (Bill Bryson, 2001) Grade: B
I bought this book ages ago and decided it would be a light read for my trip to Canada. This is my first Bryson book, and though it was OK, his sense of humor would appeal more to my parents. He also incessantly whines about trivial things (traffic, unattractive buildings, poor taste), which I suppose befit his age. Some of the places he mentions I have visited, and I do know how he feels when he is in the English countryside on a Sunday looking for something to eat. Quite impossible.

(M) The Last King of Scotland (Kevin MacDonald, 2006) Grade: A
I usually enjoy most African films I see (God Grew Tired of Us, Coming to America—kidding) and I was captivated by this one. Forest Whitaker is mesmerizing as Idi Amin, the Ugandan ruler who killed 300,000 of his own people. I didn’t particularly like James McAvoy’s character, Dr. Garrigan, who was a pretty ignorant playboy, but King did deserve all the attention it received. Gillian Anderson is hardly in the film and plays a pretty minor role.

I’ve seen a few films via the screening series, so I am just going to briefly review them below.
(M) No Country for Old Men (Coen Bros., 2007) Grade: B+
(M) Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (Sidney Lumet, 2007)
Grade: B
(M) The Savages (Tamara Jenkins, 2007) Grade: B

(B) Post Office (Charles Bukowski, 1971) Grade: B

(M) Juno. (Jason Reitman, 2007) Grade: B+

Thoughts: After one night of being “sexually active”, Juno (Ellen Page) finds out she is pregnant. Not wanting to terminate the baby, Juno decides to give it up for adoption to a couple longing for a child, Vanessa (Jennifer Garner) and Mark (Jason Bateman) Loring. The first 25 mins of the movie I was concerned it might be trying too hard but as it progressed it really turned around and I found myself enjoying it. The entire cast was great especially Ellen Page and Michael Cera. The dialogue was a bit much and the quirky factor was high but overall still a decent flick with a pretty good soundtrack (Pigern they played some B & S).

Movie Count: 109

HAPPY BIRTHDAY PIGERN!!! (a day late)

Topic: Holidays, Traveling
*Feeling a bit lazy at work. I think those days off from Thanksgiving really did me in. The holidays are coming and I have an office Christmas party and loads of days off so this is not helping the get back to work campaign.


*Pigern and I MIGHT go to Scotland and London in March. Fares are decent and it has been three years since we were last there. I was reading another blog and the blogger on there has traveled to so many wonderful places. I would love to be able to that. The biggest problem for me is the time. I never seem to earn enough time from work. (sigh)

*This is random thought but sometimes I feel like a jerk face. I am blunt and for the most part I'm fine with that but sometimes (RARELY) I do feel bad if I offend people. I could conclude with I'll change but in reality that is unlikely so instead I deal with feeling like a jerk face.