Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Quotetastic
"The internet's not written in pencil. It's written in ink."
~The Social Network (2010)
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"No mistakes in the tango, not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, get all tangled up, just tango on."
~The Social Network (2010)
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"No mistakes in the tango, not like life. It's simple. That's what makes the tango so great. If you make a mistake, get all tangled up, just tango on."
~Frank Slade (Al Pacino) from Scent of a Woman
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From Angels in America. By Tony Kushner.
Or if you want the official, full title from where these lines are from:
From Angels in America. By Tony Kushner.
Or if you want the official, full title from where these lines are from:
Angels in America
A Gay Fantasia on National Themes
Part I: Millenium Approaches
Yeah. Shit just got real.
ROY: Everyone who makes it in this world makes it because somebody older and more powerful takes an interest. The most precious asset in life, I think is the ability to be a good son. You have that, Joe. Somebody who can be a good son to a father who pushes them farther than they would otherwise go. I've had many fathers, I owe my life to them, powerful, powerful men. Walter Winchell, Edgar Hoover. Joe McCarthy most of all. he valued me because I am a good lawyer, but he loved me because I am a good son. He was a very difficult man, very guarded and cagey, I brought out something tender in him. He would have died for me. And me for him. Does this embarrass you?
JOE: I had a hard time with my father.
ROY: Well sometimes that's the way. Then you have to find other father, substitutes, I don't know. The father-son relationship is central to life. Women are for birth, beginning, but the father is continuance. The son offers the father his life as a vessel for carrying forth his father's dream. Your father's living?
JOE: Um, dead.
ROY: He was . . . what? A difficult man?
JOE: He was in the military. He could be very unfair. And cold.
ROY: But he loved you.
JOE: I don't know.
ROY: No, no, Joe, he did, I know this. Sometimes a father's love has to be very, very hard unfair even, cold to make his son grow strong in a world like this. This isn't a good world.
~Act II Scene 4
JOE: Yesterday was Sunday but I've been a little unfocused recently and I thought it was Monday. So I came here like I was going to work. And the whole place was empty. And at first I couldn't figure out why, and I had this moment of incredible . . . fear and also . . . It just flashed through my mind: The whole Hall of Justice, it's empty, it's deserted, it's gone out of business. Forever. The people that make it run have up and abandoned it.
LOUIS: Creepy.
JOE: Well yes but. I felt that I was going to scream. Not because it was creepy, but because the emptiness felt so fast. And . . . well, good. A . . . happy scream. I just wondered what a thing it would be . . . if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free. It would be . . . heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and . . . Very great. To she your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unencumbered, into the morning.
~Act II, Scene 7
LOUIS: Tell him I love him. Can you do that?
BELIZE: I've thought about it for a very long time, and I still don't understand what love is. Justice is simple. Democracy is simple. Those things are unambivalent. But love is very hard. And it goes bad for you if you violate the hard law of love.
~Act III, Scene 2
ROY: Because I fucking hate traitors. Because I fucking hate communists. Was it legal? Fuck legal. Am I a nice man? Fuck nice. They say terrible things about me in the Nation. Fuck the Nation. You want to be Nice, or you want to be Effective? Make the law, or subject to it. Choose.
~Act III, Scene 5
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from Fool for Love by Sam Shepard
EDDIE: Lying's when you believe it's true. If you already know it's a lie then it's not lying.
JOE: I had a hard time with my father.
ROY: Well sometimes that's the way. Then you have to find other father, substitutes, I don't know. The father-son relationship is central to life. Women are for birth, beginning, but the father is continuance. The son offers the father his life as a vessel for carrying forth his father's dream. Your father's living?
JOE: Um, dead.
ROY: He was . . . what? A difficult man?
JOE: He was in the military. He could be very unfair. And cold.
ROY: But he loved you.
JOE: I don't know.
ROY: No, no, Joe, he did, I know this. Sometimes a father's love has to be very, very hard unfair even, cold to make his son grow strong in a world like this. This isn't a good world.
~Act II Scene 4
JOE: Yesterday was Sunday but I've been a little unfocused recently and I thought it was Monday. So I came here like I was going to work. And the whole place was empty. And at first I couldn't figure out why, and I had this moment of incredible . . . fear and also . . . It just flashed through my mind: The whole Hall of Justice, it's empty, it's deserted, it's gone out of business. Forever. The people that make it run have up and abandoned it.
LOUIS: Creepy.
JOE: Well yes but. I felt that I was going to scream. Not because it was creepy, but because the emptiness felt so fast. And . . . well, good. A . . . happy scream. I just wondered what a thing it would be . . . if overnight everything you owe anything to, justice, or love, had really gone away. Free. It would be . . . heartless terror. Yes. Terrible, and . . . Very great. To she your skin, every old skin, one by one and then walk away, unencumbered, into the morning.
~Act II, Scene 7
LOUIS: Tell him I love him. Can you do that?
BELIZE: I've thought about it for a very long time, and I still don't understand what love is. Justice is simple. Democracy is simple. Those things are unambivalent. But love is very hard. And it goes bad for you if you violate the hard law of love.
~Act III, Scene 2
ROY: Because I fucking hate traitors. Because I fucking hate communists. Was it legal? Fuck legal. Am I a nice man? Fuck nice. They say terrible things about me in the Nation. Fuck the Nation. You want to be Nice, or you want to be Effective? Make the law, or subject to it. Choose.
~Act III, Scene 5
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from Fool for Love by Sam Shepard
EDDIE: Lying's when you believe it's true. If you already know it's a lie then it's not lying.
Sunday, March 27, 2011
Winning.
"You think you had a hard childhood? Well fuck you, it's got nothing on mine. My mom practically kicked me out of the house before I even hit 13, and I never even met my dad. My only friend till I was 10 was the faggot prick next door who was always beating the shit out of me and teling me I wasn't worth shit. It's not even like I had a choice, the town fucking had something like 9 people living in it, I shit you not. My entire adolescence was just moving around from place to place trying to get along with people who didn't even want me.
You think that's the worst? My only friend was an Asian guy in his thirties or something, who only kept me around because he thought I could help him get laid. The only perk was that I also got to hang around with his cute ginger chick. She was flat as a pancake sure, but damn she was a total nymph. She must have been a sadist or something because she always took pleasure in kept hitting me and telling me how she loved to get wet.
But dear god the bane of my existence was this adult couple that I could NOT seem to avoid. You know the type of couples that are absolutely sickening, like they wear matching outfits and finish each other's sentences? Yeah they were fucking creepers, and they had a cat, which was at least twice as annoying as they were. I swear this thing would never shut the fuck up.
Like I said, I ended up moving from town to town getting into fights with other kids my age, even adults from time to time.
The only thing that kept me going was my dream to become a pokemon master."
Found this on the internet. So. Much. Epic. Win.
You think that's the worst? My only friend was an Asian guy in his thirties or something, who only kept me around because he thought I could help him get laid. The only perk was that I also got to hang around with his cute ginger chick. She was flat as a pancake sure, but damn she was a total nymph. She must have been a sadist or something because she always took pleasure in kept hitting me and telling me how she loved to get wet.
But dear god the bane of my existence was this adult couple that I could NOT seem to avoid. You know the type of couples that are absolutely sickening, like they wear matching outfits and finish each other's sentences? Yeah they were fucking creepers, and they had a cat, which was at least twice as annoying as they were. I swear this thing would never shut the fuck up.
Like I said, I ended up moving from town to town getting into fights with other kids my age, even adults from time to time.
The only thing that kept me going was my dream to become a pokemon master."
Found this on the internet. So. Much. Epic. Win.
Friday, March 25, 2011
Your Highness (2011)
Every so often my school's Student Union, or whatever the organization is aptly titled, has special screenings of soon-to-be-released movies. This past week, Your Highness was shown, with special live appearances by David Gordon Green, who directed the film, and Danny McBride, who stars in it. They were signing movie posters before the screening, and then held a short Q&A afterwards. Cool stuff.
It seems like there was a lot of buzz and/or hype as to whether it would be as funny as Pineapple Express (2008), which Gordon also directed and McBride also starred in as a supporting character. I've watched major chunks of that movie, but I haven't seen the entire film from start to finish. So I can't exactly make a comparison between Your Highness and Pineapple Express.
I'll just come out and say for the most part, Your Highness was quite entertaining. It's good, but not great. I think the premise was like a Medieval-Stoner film, but I didn't see so much of the Stoner aspect in it. The story is set in a Medieval era. There are two brothers, princes, in fact. Thadeous (McBride) is the younger, lazy, arrogant, brother who is forced by his father to accompany his older brother Fabious (James Franco) on a quest to save Fabious' bride-to-be (Zooey Deschanel), who was kidnapped by an evil wizard dude. Along the way, they team up a warrior princess (Natalie Portman) who aids them on their quest.
The movie definitely has it's hilarious moments, but I guess not all of them were so great because I can't recall any specific scenes. They're more in-the-moment laughs, I guess? I think it's because much of the humor is rather crude (dick jokes, sex jokes, gay jokes...you know.) I think what I liked the most was how at times the dialogue was very anti-medieval, or un-medieval, how they used modern day phrases/curses. It's a little jarring at times, to be honest, but it's still pretty funny.
Now for something I didn't like. Why the hell were the costumes for Deschanel and Portman made to make their boobs look so damn big? It seemed completely unnecessary. Who designed the costumes...apparently one Hazel Webb-Crozier? I hope the decision to enhance boob appearance and cleavage was pushed by the director and not the designer. ye gads.
And then, ****SPOILER ALERT (somewhat mildish? depending on your opinion)***** Portman kissing McBride? Really? That's just...gaw. Really! You've got Nat Portman, who's all sorts of hot shit these days, and pair her up with Danny McBride: Mullet-ville. What the heck.
****END SPOILER ALERT*****
Your Highness opens in theatres April 8. In my opinion, I wouldn't pay for a movie ticket to see it (luckily the screening here was free for students. Boom.) It's a funny movie and has it's moments, but it's just not worth the ~$10 price tag. Wait for the DVD. Or torrent it (lawlz).
Maybe there's a God above
But all I've ever learned from love
was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
~Leonard Cohen
was how to shoot at someone who outdrew you.
~Leonard Cohen
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
This. Is so cool.
So the concept isn't really new, the idea of one-man banding it in a live performance setting using a variety of effects and a loop station. Still! I love shit like this. I think it takes quite a bit of talent to coordinate and time everything and manage all the different loops. And it doesn't hurt that this song and the guy's voice sounds ay-may-zing.
I think the reason I like this particular song so much is because it reminds me of Maroon 5. Schweet.
And then, someone else who does the same thing, using an effects board and a loop station, BUT JUST WITH HIS VOICE.
Ladies and Gents: DubFX.
Now that's some talent.
Emily Wells (previously mentioned here) does the same thing.
I love loop station-ed music. So creative.
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
We could've had it all
rollin' in the deeeeeEEEEeeeeeep
Oh dear, I hope I haven't made myself nocturnal again. It's not even finals season, yet!
Woke up at 11:30 PM (6 hours. Whatcha know about naps?) and had to go grocery shopping. I was feeling pretty bummed. Because it's kinda hard trying not to be selfish at the moment.
Then I saw Yoplait yogurt cups were only 50 cents a cup. Which means I didn't have to buy the 8 pack set of only two flavors, I could mix and match up to 8 for the same price!
Totally made my night. It's all about the little things I suppose.
Oh dear, I hope I haven't made myself nocturnal again. It's not even finals season, yet!
Woke up at 11:30 PM (6 hours. Whatcha know about naps?) and had to go grocery shopping. I was feeling pretty bummed. Because it's kinda hard trying not to be selfish at the moment.
Then I saw Yoplait yogurt cups were only 50 cents a cup. Which means I didn't have to buy the 8 pack set of only two flavors, I could mix and match up to 8 for the same price!
Totally made my night. It's all about the little things I suppose.
Saturday, March 19, 2011
From Fences, by August Wilson
Act I, Scene III
CORY: Can I ask you a question? /.../ How come you ain't never liked me?
TROY: liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you? What law is there say I got to like you? Wanna stand up in my face and ask a damn fool-ass question like that. Talking about liking somebody. Come here, boy, when I talk to you.
[CORY comes over to where TROY is working. he stands slouched over and TROY shoves him on his shoulder.]
Straighten up, goddamnit! i asked you a question . . . what law is there say I got to like you?
CORY: None.
TROY: Well, alright then! Don't you eat every day? Answer me when I talk to you! Don't you eat every day?
CORY: Yeah.
TROY: N*gger, as long as you in my house, you put that sir on the end of it when you talk to me!
CORY: Yes . . . sir.
TROY: You eat every day.
CORY: Yessir!
TROY: Got a roof over your head.
CORY: Yessir!
TROY: Got clothes on your back.
CORY: Yessir.
TROY: Why you think that is.
CORY: Cause of you.
TROY: Aw, hell I know it's 'cause of me . . . but why do you think that is?
CORY: [hesitant] Cause you like me.
TROY: Like you? I go out of here every morning . . . bust my butt . . . putting up with them crackers every day . . . cause I like you? You about the biggest fool I ever saw. It's my job. It's my responsibility! You understand that? A man go to take care of his family. You live in my house . . . sleep you behind on my bedclothes . . . fill you belly up with my food . . . cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not 'cause I like you! Cause it's my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! Let's get this straight right here . . . before it go along any further . . . I ain't got to like you. Mr. Rand don't give me my money come payday cause he likes me. He gives me cause he owe me. I done give you everything I had to give you. I gave you your life! Me and your mama worked that out between us. And liking your black ass wasn't part of the bargain. Don't you try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. You understand what I'm saying, boy?
CORY: Yessir.
TROY: Then get the hell out of my face.
Act I, Scene III
CORY: Can I ask you a question? /.../ How come you ain't never liked me?
TROY: liked you? Who the hell say I got to like you? What law is there say I got to like you? Wanna stand up in my face and ask a damn fool-ass question like that. Talking about liking somebody. Come here, boy, when I talk to you.
[CORY comes over to where TROY is working. he stands slouched over and TROY shoves him on his shoulder.]
Straighten up, goddamnit! i asked you a question . . . what law is there say I got to like you?
CORY: None.
TROY: Well, alright then! Don't you eat every day? Answer me when I talk to you! Don't you eat every day?
CORY: Yeah.
TROY: N*gger, as long as you in my house, you put that sir on the end of it when you talk to me!
CORY: Yes . . . sir.
TROY: You eat every day.
CORY: Yessir!
TROY: Got a roof over your head.
CORY: Yessir!
TROY: Got clothes on your back.
CORY: Yessir.
TROY: Why you think that is.
CORY: Cause of you.
TROY: Aw, hell I know it's 'cause of me . . . but why do you think that is?
CORY: [hesitant] Cause you like me.
TROY: Like you? I go out of here every morning . . . bust my butt . . . putting up with them crackers every day . . . cause I like you? You about the biggest fool I ever saw. It's my job. It's my responsibility! You understand that? A man go to take care of his family. You live in my house . . . sleep you behind on my bedclothes . . . fill you belly up with my food . . . cause you my son. You my flesh and blood. Not 'cause I like you! Cause it's my duty to take care of you. I owe a responsibility to you! Let's get this straight right here . . . before it go along any further . . . I ain't got to like you. Mr. Rand don't give me my money come payday cause he likes me. He gives me cause he owe me. I done give you everything I had to give you. I gave you your life! Me and your mama worked that out between us. And liking your black ass wasn't part of the bargain. Don't you try and go through life worrying about if somebody like you or not. You best be making sure they doing right by you. You understand what I'm saying, boy?
CORY: Yessir.
TROY: Then get the hell out of my face.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Rango (2011)
I'll start by saying this movie is WAY better than I expected it to be. Seriously.
For one, I think the character designs are amazing. I want to shake the hand of whoever designed the characters for this movie. Rango is a chameleon, a family pet who is stuck in the middle of the dessert. He comes across a town of other animals, dessert animals, and he obviously does not fit in, what with his colors and attitude. I wonder how different/similar is costume vs character design? Or are they tied together? Because for someone to design all these townsfolk/animals with a unified, old-wild-west concept is pretty neat. It's as if Rango is from the future, of sorts, and is thrown back into this time period of gun slingers and cowboys and outlaws. My favorite character is definitely Rattlesnake Jake. How do you give an outlaw animal, that has no arms, a gun? Put it on his tail in place of the rattler. Genius. Also: Owl-Mariachi Band. Epic.
I loved the voice acting. Besides Johnny Depp, as everyone is pretty aware of his uncanny ability to just morph into any character thrown at him, the other cast members are great as well. I mentioned Rattlesnake Jake, who was voiced by Bill Nighy. I'm not too familiar with him, but he plays Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Minister Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter, and Quentin on Pirate Radio. More of the supporting-actor type, it seems. But hey, just from hearing him in Rango makes me want to see more of this guy. And Ned Beatty, who voices the Mayor, is also the voice of Lotso from Toy Story 3! No wonder I knew the guy sounded familiar. I think it was interesting how Abigail Breslin seemed to be advertised semi-heavily for the movie behind Depp, considering her character didn't even seem that important, but that's Hollywood for ya.
When Rango makes his first appearance in the movie, I was bit surprised by all the detail put into his character. Later, this detail appears in all the characters. It's like...super-realism-animation? I don't know, it was pretty bizarre, but very cool. Even though Timothy Olyphant (TV series Justified) voices the Spirit of the West, I immediately jumped to Clint Eastwood when I saw the character on screen. Maybe they modeled the character after Eastwood? And I SWEAR there's a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference in this movie. It happens near the beginning as Rango is perilously dodging highway vehicles, he lands on a convertible which holds characters that seem like they're from FLLV! What! I tried googling it, but information is scarce. I've never actually seen FLLV but I recognize that characters, and damnit all, I think those characters made an extremely brief cameo in Rango. Wut?
And lastly, the music score. WOW, do I love the music in this film. Mariachi songs, Wild West chase themes, and then, Ride of the Valkyries a la bluegrass? Hans Zimmer, you musically-genius-bastard, you.
This film is definitely worth a look.
For one, I think the character designs are amazing. I want to shake the hand of whoever designed the characters for this movie. Rango is a chameleon, a family pet who is stuck in the middle of the dessert. He comes across a town of other animals, dessert animals, and he obviously does not fit in, what with his colors and attitude. I wonder how different/similar is costume vs character design? Or are they tied together? Because for someone to design all these townsfolk/animals with a unified, old-wild-west concept is pretty neat. It's as if Rango is from the future, of sorts, and is thrown back into this time period of gun slingers and cowboys and outlaws. My favorite character is definitely Rattlesnake Jake. How do you give an outlaw animal, that has no arms, a gun? Put it on his tail in place of the rattler. Genius. Also: Owl-Mariachi Band. Epic.
I loved the voice acting. Besides Johnny Depp, as everyone is pretty aware of his uncanny ability to just morph into any character thrown at him, the other cast members are great as well. I mentioned Rattlesnake Jake, who was voiced by Bill Nighy. I'm not too familiar with him, but he plays Davy Jones in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, Minister Rufus Scrimgeour in Harry Potter, and Quentin on Pirate Radio. More of the supporting-actor type, it seems. But hey, just from hearing him in Rango makes me want to see more of this guy. And Ned Beatty, who voices the Mayor, is also the voice of Lotso from Toy Story 3! No wonder I knew the guy sounded familiar. I think it was interesting how Abigail Breslin seemed to be advertised semi-heavily for the movie behind Depp, considering her character didn't even seem that important, but that's Hollywood for ya.
When Rango makes his first appearance in the movie, I was bit surprised by all the detail put into his character. Later, this detail appears in all the characters. It's like...super-realism-animation? I don't know, it was pretty bizarre, but very cool. Even though Timothy Olyphant (TV series Justified) voices the Spirit of the West, I immediately jumped to Clint Eastwood when I saw the character on screen. Maybe they modeled the character after Eastwood? And I SWEAR there's a Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas reference in this movie. It happens near the beginning as Rango is perilously dodging highway vehicles, he lands on a convertible which holds characters that seem like they're from FLLV! What! I tried googling it, but information is scarce. I've never actually seen FLLV but I recognize that characters, and damnit all, I think those characters made an extremely brief cameo in Rango. Wut?
And lastly, the music score. WOW, do I love the music in this film. Mariachi songs, Wild West chase themes, and then, Ride of the Valkyries a la bluegrass? Hans Zimmer, you musically-genius-bastard, you.
This film is definitely worth a look.
"Stay in school, eat your veggies, and burn all books that ain't Shakespeare."
~Rango
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Movie Madness .2.5
The King's Speech (2010)
What an amazing, powerful film. It focuses on the United Kingdom's King George VI, and more specifically, his speech impediment, his stammer. I'm not sure just how much of this stammer affected his life and how much was exaggerated for movie-effect, but it makes for a very interesting and gripping story nonetheless. There are themes of courage, will-power, human relationships, all that tie together in a beautiful film.
Of course, The King's Speech is out and about in theatres still because of the post-Oscar hype, but who's complaining? It's a great film that won Best Picture, Colin Firth won Best Actor, and it also took away the awards for Direction and Original Screenplay Writing, not to mention all the other numerous nominations. Geoffrey Rush was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (as he is very well-deserving of it) but Christian Bale took it for his role in The Fighter. Hm. I thought Rush was amazing in The King's Speech. Looks like I'll have to see how Bale did.
All in all, if you haven't seen The King's Speech, I highly recommend it.
----------
Shall We Dance (2004) & Take the Lead (2006)
Yeah. Judge me. But hey, I've got a ballroom bug, so I just had to check out these movies.
Honestly though I've seen Shall We Dance before, but I didn't remember much. What I found out this time around is that this film is actually a remake of a Japanese film of the same title, year 1996. Accountant is bored with his content, predictable life, sees a stunning woman gazing out the window of a dance studio, and he decides to take up ballroom lessons. Except in the Hollywood version, Richard Gere plays an Estate Lawyer, not an accountant. Minor discrepancies aside, it's an entertaining film and still makes me want to learn more ballroom. However, I'm also rather curious to find a copy of the original Japanese film.
Meanwhile, Take the Lead is another someone-changes-lives-of-delinquent-students. Except with ballroom! Apparently this movie is inspired by the life of Pierre Dulaine, whom Antonio Banderas portrays, and how he started his program Dancing Classrooms, a social development program for fifth graders that uses ballroom instruction as a way to change the lives of the children and their families. Except in the film, Dulaine starts his program as a means to help teenagers in high school detention. The dance sequences are flashy, especially at the end, but I can see how part of the goal might be to spark an interest in younger people about ballroom.
I like trying to be a (beginner) tango nut, so I'll briefly compare the tango scenes in the films, ok? The scene in Lead is definitely hotter, but I love the energy that was in Dance. Like I said: brief, right?
-----------
A Raisin in the Sun
I was channel surfing last night and saw A Raisin in the Sun (2008) was on. I only watched probably the first several beginning scenes, up through where Asagai visits the Younger's home. Then I stopped, mainly because I couldn't stand Sean Combs as Walter, bahaha (Being pop-culturally daft, I didn't realize Combs = P. Diddy until I looked it up. Fail.) He should stick with...uh. Whatever he originally does, and leave the acting for the folks who can do it. He had the same intonation in all of his lines, so his character was rather flat and unassuming. Yeah. Still can't say much about the film overall, since I didn't finish it.
------------
Gosh I think I'll be watching quite a number of movies during this break. Woo.
What an amazing, powerful film. It focuses on the United Kingdom's King George VI, and more specifically, his speech impediment, his stammer. I'm not sure just how much of this stammer affected his life and how much was exaggerated for movie-effect, but it makes for a very interesting and gripping story nonetheless. There are themes of courage, will-power, human relationships, all that tie together in a beautiful film.
Of course, The King's Speech is out and about in theatres still because of the post-Oscar hype, but who's complaining? It's a great film that won Best Picture, Colin Firth won Best Actor, and it also took away the awards for Direction and Original Screenplay Writing, not to mention all the other numerous nominations. Geoffrey Rush was nominated for Best Supporting Actor (as he is very well-deserving of it) but Christian Bale took it for his role in The Fighter. Hm. I thought Rush was amazing in The King's Speech. Looks like I'll have to see how Bale did.
All in all, if you haven't seen The King's Speech, I highly recommend it.
----------
Shall We Dance (2004) & Take the Lead (2006)
Yeah. Judge me. But hey, I've got a ballroom bug, so I just had to check out these movies.
Honestly though I've seen Shall We Dance before, but I didn't remember much. What I found out this time around is that this film is actually a remake of a Japanese film of the same title, year 1996. Accountant is bored with his content, predictable life, sees a stunning woman gazing out the window of a dance studio, and he decides to take up ballroom lessons. Except in the Hollywood version, Richard Gere plays an Estate Lawyer, not an accountant. Minor discrepancies aside, it's an entertaining film and still makes me want to learn more ballroom. However, I'm also rather curious to find a copy of the original Japanese film.
Meanwhile, Take the Lead is another someone-changes-lives-of-delinquent-students. Except with ballroom! Apparently this movie is inspired by the life of Pierre Dulaine, whom Antonio Banderas portrays, and how he started his program Dancing Classrooms, a social development program for fifth graders that uses ballroom instruction as a way to change the lives of the children and their families. Except in the film, Dulaine starts his program as a means to help teenagers in high school detention. The dance sequences are flashy, especially at the end, but I can see how part of the goal might be to spark an interest in younger people about ballroom.
I like trying to be a (beginner) tango nut, so I'll briefly compare the tango scenes in the films, ok? The scene in Lead is definitely hotter, but I love the energy that was in Dance. Like I said: brief, right?
-----------
A Raisin in the Sun
I was channel surfing last night and saw A Raisin in the Sun (2008) was on. I only watched probably the first several beginning scenes, up through where Asagai visits the Younger's home. Then I stopped, mainly because I couldn't stand Sean Combs as Walter, bahaha (Being pop-culturally daft, I didn't realize Combs = P. Diddy until I looked it up. Fail.) He should stick with...uh. Whatever he originally does, and leave the acting for the folks who can do it. He had the same intonation in all of his lines, so his character was rather flat and unassuming. Yeah. Still can't say much about the film overall, since I didn't finish it.
------------
Gosh I think I'll be watching quite a number of movies during this break. Woo.
Monday, March 14, 2011
Moulin Rouge (2001)
I watched the Tango-Roxanne scene on youtube a couple times, what being into tango and all, and I finally got a craving for Moulin Rouge.
I saw the film once, several years back, but I didn't quite appreciate the intricacies of the film as I do now, after watching it a second time. The film editing is really intense, at least in the beginning scenes. It reminds me of Scott Pilgrim. Then the first time I watched it, I thought the film creators were being silly by just taking other songs and adapting them into this movie-musical. I guess it must be that I recognize more of the song samples now, and I can also appreciate quality singing. Ewan McGregor. Wow. Guy can sing. The film's cover + his performance of "Your Song" by Elton John: niiiiiice. Nicole Kidman has a great voice too, but I was more impressed by her acting in this film compared to her singing. Once again, I can see how her performance was Nominee-worthy. Her character just shines, through and through. I think I'm starting to like her as an actress.
I also didn't know Moulin Rouge was nominated for several Oscars during its year, besides Kidman's nomination. It won Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Costume design. I think the costumes were amazing. So diverse, so fitting for each character. Some of Satine's costumes were just gorgeous, depending on the scene. I think it's also interesting that this movie was nominated for Best Picture, because a musical had apparently never been nominated for Best Picture in 22 years prior. So, kudos to them.
Also, the director Baz Luhrmann also did William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet (1996), which I think is interesting to know. I don't remember much from that film, as we only watched parts of it in class during 9th grade, but I do remember some of the stylistic elements present in the film, and I can kinda sorta recognize those same touches of Luhrmann in Moulin Rouge. Then I also found out he's apparently doing The Great Gatsby, slated to open in 2012. And it evidently stars Leo Dicaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. I'm not sure what to think of this so far, as it's still pre-production, and whenever I think of Gatsby I'm reminded of 11th grade AP Language/Composition. Hm. Should still be interesting though.
Let's see. Luhrmann directed Moulin Rouge, but also did Australia (2008), both starring Nicole Kidman. He directed Romeo+Juliet, starring Dicaprio, and now he's doing The Great Gatsby, which will also star Dicaprio. Hm. I find Director-Actor(s) pairings to be interesting, is all.
I saw the film once, several years back, but I didn't quite appreciate the intricacies of the film as I do now, after watching it a second time. The film editing is really intense, at least in the beginning scenes. It reminds me of Scott Pilgrim. Then the first time I watched it, I thought the film creators were being silly by just taking other songs and adapting them into this movie-musical. I guess it must be that I recognize more of the song samples now, and I can also appreciate quality singing. Ewan McGregor. Wow. Guy can sing. The film's cover + his performance of "Your Song" by Elton John: niiiiiice. Nicole Kidman has a great voice too, but I was more impressed by her acting in this film compared to her singing. Once again, I can see how her performance was Nominee-worthy. Her character just shines, through and through. I think I'm starting to like her as an actress.
I also didn't know Moulin Rouge was nominated for several Oscars during its year, besides Kidman's nomination. It won Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Costume design. I think the costumes were amazing. So diverse, so fitting for each character. Some of Satine's costumes were just gorgeous, depending on the scene. I think it's also interesting that this movie was nominated for Best Picture, because a musical had apparently never been nominated for Best Picture in 22 years prior. So, kudos to them.
Also, the director Baz Luhrmann also did William Shakespeare's Romeo+Juliet (1996), which I think is interesting to know. I don't remember much from that film, as we only watched parts of it in class during 9th grade, but I do remember some of the stylistic elements present in the film, and I can kinda sorta recognize those same touches of Luhrmann in Moulin Rouge. Then I also found out he's apparently doing The Great Gatsby, slated to open in 2012. And it evidently stars Leo Dicaprio as Jay Gatsby and Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway. I'm not sure what to think of this so far, as it's still pre-production, and whenever I think of Gatsby I'm reminded of 11th grade AP Language/Composition. Hm. Should still be interesting though.
Let's see. Luhrmann directed Moulin Rouge, but also did Australia (2008), both starring Nicole Kidman. He directed Romeo+Juliet, starring Dicaprio, and now he's doing The Great Gatsby, which will also star Dicaprio. Hm. I find Director-Actor(s) pairings to be interesting, is all.
"We are creatures of the underworld. We can't afford to love."
~Harold Zidler, from Moulin Rouge (2001)
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Brain Crash
Because I seriously feel like I'm about to.
Thank you, midterm season.
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Things I like about Coffee
Thank you, midterm season.
---------
Things I like about Coffee
- Coffee is hot.
- Coffee makes me excited.
- Coffee is good enough to have every day.
- Coffee smells good.
- Coffee makes me nervous.
- Coffee gives me warm and the fuzzies.
- Even when coffee is too strong or too weak, it's still good.
Things I like about You
- Pretty much the same as coffee.
- And who knows, maybe you taste good and keep me up all night, too.
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From Uncommon Women by Wendy Wasserstein:
MUFFET: I guess I should think about sleeping with someone tonight to pass the time. Except it's always creepy in the morning [...] I'm not promiscuous. I just hate going to bed alone.
(separate scene):
HOLLY: What kind of pleasure? There's someone on top of you sweating and pushing you're lying there pretending this is wonderful. That's not wonderful. That's masochistic.
-------
Tangled (2010)
Ah Disney. Supposedly they're stopping with the princess stories? Makes sense I suppose. Just about run out of princesses to to write a story about.
Watched Tangled. It's pretty good. Also pretty predictable because it's Disney, come on. But it's still quite good and entertaining, and it can be heartbreaking at some moments if you're into that kinda stuff.
It was really interesting to see how Disney adapted the tale of Rapunzel into their own kind of story. Alright fine, I don't know how the Rapunzel story goes, but I know enough that she's got long-ass hair like ridic, and she's locked up in a high tower, and a prince (of sorts) comes to her rescue.
I'm gonna make a remark about the story/character design that appears at the end of the film, but it's a pretty big spoiler alert (so I think anyways, because hey if someone told me this it'd give away a good bit of the ending) so I'll put it at the end of this post. You've been warned.
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If I there's only one thing I wish I'll get done over spring break, it is this:
FREAKING. FINISH. LEARNING. LIEBESTRAUM. GAH.
Once I stopped taking piano lessons, I still played and tried picking up/learning songs on my own, but I had a nasty habit of only learning maybe the first bit of a song, the most recognizable part probably, before stumbling into a melee of tricky finger work, a storm of massive chording, or just what sounded at the time to be an odd, awkward combination of notes that didn't seem to fit together. So my half-ass-ery kicked in and said "oh shit, that's kinda harder than I expected, I'll learn the rest of this later." But did I ever finish learning those pieces I said I would? Nope.
I learned the first section of Liebestraum, the main theme, so to speak. Had that for maybe half a year or so. Then I decided I needed to learn the next section, where the theme develops right before the first break into the dream sequence finger frenzy (yeah I'm so awesome with music theory terminology, right?) and had that pretty down pat for another year. Then I wanted to learn the next part, which is a modification of the A theme. Got that, and then I got stuck. Why did I stop? Left hand part freaked me out too much.
But goddamnit, in the past week or so I've been kicking myself in the ass to just finish learning the damn piece because really, I love this work by Franz Liszt. Liebestraum apparently means "A dream of love" and I can definitely discern that meaning when I listen to recordings of the song. It's so powerful, so emotive, so sweeping, just so...lovely.
So, I'd better finish learning this work. I'm so close...
Also, I once did a mini research bit on Liszt, and apparently, dude had some monster, and I mean monster, hands. He was able to play 10ths with ease! Maybe more! Apparently it's because he lacked the tiny bit of webbing between his fingers, so that enabled him to really stretch and reach and hit those ridiculous chords. I can tell, because some of these jumps are pretty much impossible for me (smaller hands, less than slender fingers, wompwomp).
Another observation I notice is that when I'm just playing alone, practicing a piece by myself, if I know the work well enough/have it memorized, I can really get into the music. I move, sway, close my eyes, breathe, my hands and arms become more animated, all that goodness. But all that craziness only shows up when I'm alone. I've never moved that much if I'm playing in front of people. Maybe I should. I should just block out the audience and go with what I feel from the music.
If only I could apply that to my acting. Sad days.
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Speaking of kicking myself to do things, finally started my foray into ballroom dancing. It's great fun. I wish I'd started learning sooner. I don't know a lot of the dances yet but I did learn the basics of tango, and by god, do I love tango. Or maybe I love the idea that I can be good at tango. Hah. So far I feel like ballroom appeals to me because dance is another form of expression. I don't express myself verbally very often, so nonverbal methods of expression work best for me. Music. Writing. And now dance? I guess we'll see.
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Speaking of kicking myself to do things, finally started my foray into ballroom dancing. It's great fun. I wish I'd started learning sooner. I don't know a lot of the dances yet but I did learn the basics of tango, and by god, do I love tango. Or maybe I love the idea that I can be good at tango. Hah. So far I feel like ballroom appeals to me because dance is another form of expression. I don't express myself verbally very often, so nonverbal methods of expression work best for me. Music. Writing. And now dance? I guess we'll see.
HOMG SPOILER ALERT/REMARK/COMMENT/OPINION I PREVIOUSLY WARNED YOU ABOUT:
So yeah. I think Rapunzel as a character looks WAY better with her short/choppy brunette hair than her blonde hair. Then again I'm just biased. I'm more into darker-hair-ed gals anyway.
Sunday, March 6, 2011
SOMEONE GET ME ONE OF THESE
LOOK AT THIS.
WHAT IS THIS. CUTENESS OF THIS MAGNITUDE MUST BE ILLEGAL. IT IS A DANGER TO ALL MANKIND.
I WANT ONE.
NOW.
WHAT IS THIS. CUTENESS OF THIS MAGNITUDE MUST BE ILLEGAL. IT IS A DANGER TO ALL MANKIND.
I WANT ONE.
NOW.
Songs to Listen to in the Rain
Alternatively:
"Songs to listen to alone in a parked car in the rain."
Make sure you get enough rain sound over the music.
"Songs to listen to alone in a parked car in the rain."
Make sure you get enough rain sound over the music.
Friday, March 4, 2011
Rabbit Hole (2010)
I FINAL-FREAKING-LY watched Rabbit Hole.
And all I can say is: wow.
This movie is definitely something. I own a copy of the stage play and have read it, so I already knew the story and the characters and what was going to happen and what the circumstances were, but oh man. This film is just...remarkable. A story that examines how a couple deals with the loss of their child. It's brutally unforgiving, and there are definitely some light, sweet moments but all they do is add to the core of the characters who must face a cruel reality.
Nicole Kidman is so amazing in this. Definitely Oscar Nominee-worthy. It's astounding to see her portray the different levels of Becca, one where she hides her grief with a tight smile and unassuming poise, but then in her private moments she is completely stricken with her loss. I think Aaron Eckhart does an excellent job as Howie, who also has his own covers when he goes to work, to the gym, to group (counseling). However, I can see how he's overshadowed by Kidman. Girl's just all over the place like whoa.
I'm really glad that David Lindsay-Abaire, the original playwright, wrote the screenplay/film adaptation. I think by doing so, it ensures the themes and emotions from the story on stage are carried through onto the screen, how Lindsay-Abaire originally envisioned it.
On that note, it was also quite interesting to see the changes/additions he made. In one of my favorite scenes (also one of the the most heartbreaking) the decision was made to switch the original context of a video tape cassette with a video clip on an iPhone, which I think was just so clever. Then there's the addition of more characters, of which I found Sandra Oh's to be the most interesting addition to the cast. Indeed.
But then watching this film kinda made me realize why I love theatre so much, versus film. I had the opportunity to watch the above mentioned favorite scene acted out by classmates from last year's acting class. So. Fucking. Heartbreaking. I had to work pretty hard not to cry, if I recall. It was just so intense how here's a couple duking it out and we, the class, were right there in front of them having to watch them crumble. Then compare it to watching the same scene in the movie theatre and the connection just...isn't the same. I didn't exactly feel the urge to cry, or anything. There's a blinding contrast between watching a heartbreaking scene on a stage vs on screen. Watching a live performance is...an experience. The audience becomes a part of the character's lives, their world. Nothing can beat that feeling of being drawn into a play.
However there were moments while watching the movie that I might've let a couple of tears slip, not gonna lie.
Now I really wish I could see this play on a stage, to see how tangible the emotions can get.
And then, I'm in the process of finding a scene for my acting class, and I REALLY want to do that mentioned scene except now that Rabbit Hole is a film with big name actors on it, there's the probability that people will associate their performances with the characters if they've seen the film so that already puts an expectation/preconceived notion of how the character should be. Blah.
Rabbit Hole: watch it.
And all I can say is: wow.
This movie is definitely something. I own a copy of the stage play and have read it, so I already knew the story and the characters and what was going to happen and what the circumstances were, but oh man. This film is just...remarkable. A story that examines how a couple deals with the loss of their child. It's brutally unforgiving, and there are definitely some light, sweet moments but all they do is add to the core of the characters who must face a cruel reality.
Nicole Kidman is so amazing in this. Definitely Oscar Nominee-worthy. It's astounding to see her portray the different levels of Becca, one where she hides her grief with a tight smile and unassuming poise, but then in her private moments she is completely stricken with her loss. I think Aaron Eckhart does an excellent job as Howie, who also has his own covers when he goes to work, to the gym, to group (counseling). However, I can see how he's overshadowed by Kidman. Girl's just all over the place like whoa.
I'm really glad that David Lindsay-Abaire, the original playwright, wrote the screenplay/film adaptation. I think by doing so, it ensures the themes and emotions from the story on stage are carried through onto the screen, how Lindsay-Abaire originally envisioned it.
On that note, it was also quite interesting to see the changes/additions he made. In one of my favorite scenes (also one of the the most heartbreaking) the decision was made to switch the original context of a video tape cassette with a video clip on an iPhone, which I think was just so clever. Then there's the addition of more characters, of which I found Sandra Oh's to be the most interesting addition to the cast. Indeed.
But then watching this film kinda made me realize why I love theatre so much, versus film. I had the opportunity to watch the above mentioned favorite scene acted out by classmates from last year's acting class. So. Fucking. Heartbreaking. I had to work pretty hard not to cry, if I recall. It was just so intense how here's a couple duking it out and we, the class, were right there in front of them having to watch them crumble. Then compare it to watching the same scene in the movie theatre and the connection just...isn't the same. I didn't exactly feel the urge to cry, or anything. There's a blinding contrast between watching a heartbreaking scene on a stage vs on screen. Watching a live performance is...an experience. The audience becomes a part of the character's lives, their world. Nothing can beat that feeling of being drawn into a play.
However there were moments while watching the movie that I might've let a couple of tears slip, not gonna lie.
Now I really wish I could see this play on a stage, to see how tangible the emotions can get.
And then, I'm in the process of finding a scene for my acting class, and I REALLY want to do that mentioned scene except now that Rabbit Hole is a film with big name actors on it, there's the probability that people will associate their performances with the characters if they've seen the film so that already puts an expectation/preconceived notion of how the character should be. Blah.
Rabbit Hole: watch it.
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