Tuesday, October 31
Monday, October 30
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")
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
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!
Sunday, October 29
(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.
Friday, October 27
(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
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)
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)
Wednesday, October 25
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!!!
- 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!!!
Monday, October 23
(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
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
(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
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
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